Charles Navarro

I've used that oil as sold by (and for) BMW for their M-series engines. It's a strange oil - has plenty of Zn, but not much P, with boron too, and an added plus, it has lower Ca detergent levels (boosted by a Mg detergent), so it should be good on wear. The only drawback is the price. Secondly, I've heard it too has been reformulated from an SL to an SM, but I haven't seen any of the new stuff. I'd venture to say this is an ok oil to use, but don't expect long drains out of it. In fact, it probably has a drain a bit shorter than Brad Penn or Swepco.

I run it in an old vw of mine that has low oil pressure when hot, which it does provide a nice boost over even a thick 20w50. The other engines I've used it in have either had worn rings or bad valve guides and it's a great band aid to clearing up most of the symptoms.

dutchcrunch

my friend has a 2003 nissan truck, uses mobil 1 oil after break in from new and had the truck since day one. truck has 97,000 miles, always changes oil every 3000 miles. i was talking to him about oils and how mobil 1 is not the same.

he said he has been using it since he has had the car and is not changing, no matter what anyone says, he says the internals look like new.

well to make a long story short. he had his a/c compressor belt changed and i thought i would take a look as he said it was a pain to change. my real intension was to look at his engine. i asked if i could open the oil cap, he said yes as he was proud how clean the engine was inside. he has overhead cam so you can see 2 lobes when the cap is off. mind you the oil cap was clean and the internal aluminum was very clean also, but the cam lobes were all scratch up, not a little but a lot in my opinion, never seen a lobe that looked like that. i did not want to say anything and just commented on how clean it was. sometimes you cannot be be honest as if i were to point it out he would have dismissed it. so might as well not say anything.

so take it for what its worth and you make the decision on what oil to use for your car.

but if you take what Charles and Steve are saying it appears to me more than clearl that they have a point.


its funny you have actual testimony from peole that have test equipment and people that worked on these cars and still you want to angle around trying to find an altenative to whats suggested. now mind you they are not some nobodys that are pulling this stuff out of the hat. i am too subjective but this is a no brainer to me. my friends nissan cams showed me the this. now do not get your panties in a knot. i am just very direct and write that way and do not sugar coat . if its crap then its crap, if its good then good. no sense of putting icing on crap, will not fool for long.


dutch

AX993

Charles & Steve,
Just wanted your opinion of Valvoline motocycle oil. I believe it's a SJ oil priced below $6 a Qt, and local NAPA stores
carry it. I'm thinking of using it in my '88 944S, and saving my Swepco for my 993.

Their website states:

"Minimize Wear - Increased anti-wear agents (zinc and phosphorous) help minimize wear from metal-to-metal contact.
Prevent Foaming - Silicone additives to prevent foaming and help maintain proper lubricating film. "

I've never heard of silicone additives in a motor oil before. Good or Bad ??

What do ya'll think of this for my 944S ?
Thanks,
Glenn

Charles Navarro

Silicon is a common anti-foaming agent present in most oils. I haven't looked at it closely, but in a pinch, I'm sure it's a better choice than 95% of the other oils in Napa, Autozone, or any other local parts store. It might be worth doing a VOA on it to see how it's formulated and might be an easy option for those who want something local.

AX993

Charles, Thanks for the quick reply !
I did a search after posting my question and found this, (forgive me if this has been posted before):

http://advancedlubetech.com/USD/amsoil/pdfs/g2156.pdf

Its an AmsOil pdf with test of motorcycle oils. Looks like they place the Valvoline 4-stroke 20w-50 somewhere in the lower middle of the tested oils. Looks like they place their product and the Mobil 1 Motorcycle oil in the upper (better) ratings.

All in all, looks like the Brad Penn and Swepco are still the answers, even if not locally convenient.
Glenn

95cab

Just changed my oil - shop used Mobil 1 - now am thinking about replacing. How about draining and refilling with one of the recommended oils, without replacing the filter? any thoughts? I figure the filter's still clean, but a little Mobil 1 might not be an issue in an otherwise well-lubed car. Or should I just have it all changed and ring up another bill...?

BrokenE

Thanks for the quick reply on my question as well. I'll be switching over to Swepco shortly.

justin993

I would just wait to next oil change to change brand, porsche still recommends mobil, and if you really do want to change it, you should be fine without replacing the new filters that are in there.

tdg

Charles and Steve - Do either one of you have any thoughts on AGIP Synthetic?

LuftKuhler

http://www.germanautoparts.com/beta/...0additives/ELF

I found a source for ELF/Total. No affiliation, blah, blah. May be a little expense. For me it's local so I can save on shipping.

DJF1

some new info on the new M1:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...22#Post1056922
And an interesting comparison between the V-twin and the M1 15-50:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...041219&fpart=2
Personally I feel a bit better with the results above continuing to use the M1...

matt777

Good zinc and phosphorous numbers!

eclou

This latest M1 test seems to run against all the "conspiracies" set forth here and in the pelican forums, and vindicate what Doug Hillary has been saying all along.

Charles Navarro

That said, there's evidence to say that Mobil 1 0w40 is fine for new Porsches, as long as the drain intervals are shortened even more than the 12k recommended by Porsche. That is not what is at debate here. It's this same oil in the older engines that I'm talking about.

This was already posted on the Pelican thread, but I'll point out the difference again for those who haven't seen the other thread:

Magnesium: M1 15W-50: 43ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 538ppm
Calcium: M1 15W-50: 2464ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 1899ppm
*in the V-Twin

and

Magnesium: M1 15W-50: 43ppm
Calcium: M1 15W-50: 2464ppm
*in the 15w50.

The previous 15w50 prior to this whole oil debacle had a detegent formulation like the current V-twin, with actually even less Ca, in the 1600ppm range if memory serves correctly with the old SH/SJ formulation. That makes a big deal and greatly affects the performance of the oil, not only Zn and P #s. Even Mobil will say that the new "re-introduced" m1 15w50 isn't the same as what was sold before.

To keep it short and sweet, there are numerous SAE papers discussing how Ca detergents are needed for longer drain intervals but for wear, the previous Mg/Na + lower Ca detergents worked as well, but don't hold up for long drain intervals, something we're not concerned with.

If you really must keep using Mobil 1, just use the motorcycle formulation instead. It's the safe thing to do as it's closer to what was used in these engines new, even up to 2004 when it was an SH/SJ rated ACEA A3/B3 oil that was called for even in the new Porsches per the owner's manual.

Sprintrider

After reading much of the thread and talking with other Rennlisters I picked up a couple of cases of Brad Penn 20W-50 and had AiRick over to help me do the oil change. It was my first oil change since buying the car so it was a big help having someone there who had figured all the shortcuts out.

So far I am happy with the new oil, no leaks, and we will have to wait and see on the effects over a longer period.

Great information by Charles Navarro and others on this subject.