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View Full Version : What kind of oil is everyone planning to use?


EricJ
07-11-2005, 01:38 PM
Also, do the Hummers come with synthetic or standard oil? I have been using Mobile 1 in all of my vehicles for years and I assume it will be fine in the H3 also.

EricJ
07-11-2005, 01:38 PM
Also, do the Hummers come with synthetic or standard oil? I have been using Mobile 1 in all of my vehicles for years and I assume it will be fine in the H3 also.

First Hummer
07-11-2005, 01:45 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by EricJ:
Also, do the Hummers come with synthetic or standard oil? I have been using Mobile 1 in all of my vehicles for years and I assume it will be fine in the H3 also. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My brother inlaw tells me to use synthetic oil when I get my first oil change.He use to have his own repair shop.

hutz13
07-11-2005, 02:52 PM
It's funny, my brother-in-law swears by synthetic oil and he's much more mechanically savvy than me ... I usually cheap out and use regular oil.

Here's a link that touches on the subject:

http://www.off-road.com/hummer/service/engine.html



...

HummerNewbie
07-11-2005, 03:55 PM
As I recall, once you go to synthetic, you can't go back right?

Webb70
07-11-2005, 04:32 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HummerNewbie:
As I recall, once you go to synthetic, you can't go back right? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No Not true. However, once you go black...lol

wannabeH3
07-11-2005, 05:49 PM
yer sposed to pick a flavor and stay with it, my dealer told me it has synth in it from the begining but usually you use regular oil at first then after a couple thousand you switch to synth

Lister123
07-11-2005, 09:58 PM
I haven't chose a type yet I am just planning to go with the owners manual

hutz13
07-12-2005, 01:28 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wannabeH3:
yer sposed to pick a flavor and stay with it, my dealer told me it has synth in it from the begining but usually you use regular oil at first then after a couple thousand you switch to synth </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What is the rationale for changing to regular and then back to synth?

bparker
07-12-2005, 07:55 AM
Mobil 1 for me and any vehicle I ever own for any length of time.

f5fstop
07-14-2005, 06:27 PM
You can switch between the two types of oil and not cause any problems with the engine. Synthetic is great for extreme conditions (desert, extreme cold), but in this day-and-age with the vast improvements made in standard oil I don't believe it is necessary (unless specified by the manufacturer).
GM spends millions of dollars testing these engines with different oils and as long as you meet the GM spec on the oil used, the oil should be fine.
They have also spend millions on testing the oil change indicator system, and it works great.
If you want to see if the standard oil is ok, have an oil analysis performed on the used oil to verify what the TBN of the oil is at the change. This will let you know if the oil used is holding up as it is supposed to in the engine.
An oil analysis also gives you details on the metals and other components in the oil and can help determine if the engine is in good internal condition.
After saying that, I use only Mobil 1 in my Vette, but that is what is required. In my Jeep, I used a good grade of standard oil; except in the time I spend each year in the desert of southern Utah, where the engine is put under a lot of stress and the temps range in the low hundreds.

wannabeH3
07-14-2005, 06:45 PM
here is the way i was told, if you are a regular oil guy and switch to synth late in a cars life the cracks and fissures that are ok with regular oil wont be ok with synth, and your engine could just end up burning oil or developing leaks.... i know there is scientific evidense on what oil to use but i mostly agree with f5fstop's response

H3wannabe
07-14-2005, 07:17 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wannabeH3:
here is the way i was told, if you are a regular oil guy and switch to synth late in a cars life the cracks and fissures that are ok with regular oil wont be ok with synth, and your engine could just end up burning oil or developing leaks.... i know there is scientific evidense on what oil to use but i mostly agree with f5fstop's response </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That is correct and I have experienced it. I had an old camaro that run regular oil for most its life. It has a lot of miles on it. I got the "great idea" to switch to synthetic and had oil leaks all over the place that I did not have with regular oil. And it burned it like crazy. Back to regular oil...no issues.

I have built a few hi-perf engines for use in classic cars and I never start with synthetic as it can prevent/prolong the rings from seating. However, I always switch to synthetic after break-in (2nd oil change). Not sure how this may or may not apply to new engines from the factory.

H3wannabe

wannabeH3
07-14-2005, 08:08 PM
general trend is to switch to synth at 5000..

MxHonda
07-14-2005, 09:35 PM
Mobil 1 here too... 1989 Jeep Cherokee with over 150k miles still runs like the day it was new.

FormerJeeper
07-15-2005, 04:17 AM
Not remembering my Chemistry 101 completely, but I believe the molecules of synthetic oil are smaller and flatter than their orgasnic couterparts, hence the leaking issue.

Never used synthetic ever in more than 8 brand new vehicles. Just change it every 3K and you are fine.

-C