Is synthetic oil safe in 3.2 ?

[Sho Nutz]

I was told by a Oil company rep that synthetic oil would not damage a engine, But he is not familiar with yamahogs either....

I have heard and read a bunch of different opinions on this subject, but no one has said
" if you use synthetic, this and this happens"

I purchased mobil one synthetic, but before i put it in, I want to here your thoughts

Thanks

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

im using the mobil drive clean synthetic blend in my 3.2, i have no problems. i would imagine that synthetic would not harm your engine, but based on the opinions ive said here, its not smart if your engine is as old as ours are, but then again this is just the opinions. i personally am fearful to some degree about using the full synthetic for this reason. i will say though that some of my friends who work for the dept of defense were told that synthetic is the best stuff theyve ever seen. if you think about it, the synthetic is made to bond better with the metal, and ive read about plenty of other sho owners using it with no problems. i would say go for it. personally though, im going to stick with the half & half. hope i helped somewhat.

 

[Tommy's SHO]

I was using Mobil 1 synthetic oil for a year. I had put it in when the car had 42K miles. Then after the 60K mile mark I changed back to regular oil because whenever I was starting the car cold I heard a "clacking" sound for about a split second, evidently this was coming from the valve train. To me that clacking sound was metal-to-metal contact, meaning there wasn't enough lubrication during start-up. Furthermore, since changing over to Castrol GTX 10w-30 I have no problem or any noise coming from my engine during start-up. It actually even “seems” to run quieter. Then again, this is my opinion.

 

[SolidState]

Scott? wink

 

[sdpatt]

You asked. Guys that use Mobil 1 may swear by it, and I believe that it is a high quality product, but I have seen a 60,000 mile young SHO engine with significant cam lobe wear that can only be attributed to lack of proper lubrcation from the oil used: Mobile 1 changed every 3,000 miles. I have also heard nasty metallic sounds during morning startups from several SHOs that have used Mobil 1 and my own when I tried Castrol's Syntech back when my car had only 50,000 miles on the clock. Those sounds and the evidence seen on more than one set of cam lobes by my own eyes would cause me to suggest that you take the expensive Mobil 1 back and get a high quality oil like the Castrol GTX that has provided my car with 268,500 miles of strong running and boat pulling with no failed bearings (knocking on wood). My car pulled 232 cshp and 229 lb-ft of torque on a dyno last weekend (12/7/02). How many engines live as long and still work as hard?

 

[philallemang]

thanks again scott! everyone knew that he would come to the resque

 

[yamahaSHO]

Scott,
I am now switching to Castrol GTX now. Thanks!!

 

[sdpatt]

Hey Castrol, where's my kickback?

I don't dislike synthetic oils, but the SHO engine does not benefit from synthetic oil's advertised superior qualities. What I have seen is that with regular 3,000 mile changes of Castrol GTX 10W-30, my engine has remained at least as healthy and clean as any of the dozens of SHO engines I have serviced. All of those engines with but a fraction of the miles my engine has covered.

The engines with Mobil 1 were cleaner inside, but the cam lobe wear and metallic start up noises overshadowed that sight. The engines with the Pennsylvania grade oils, Pennzoil and Quaker State, didn't reveal any lubrication difficiencies, but they were severely clogged with a caramel colored, waxy coating on every part that the oil touched. This buildup must be reducing the diameter of the oil passages just as cholesterol clogs the arteries of us humans. We know that has its consequences.

I'm not a Castrol spokesman, but just a professional engineer who can suggest cause and effect relationships from his observations. You can heed my suggestions or ignore them altogether. We all have a choice. I'm choosing Castrol GTX (the Geritol version now: High Mileage).

<small>[ December 12, 2002, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: sdpatt ]</small>

 

[TVSHO]

Just to add to Scott's excellent summarization of the question...I used Mobil 1 from 31K miles to 99K miles in my 3.2 and when FPS did my 60K, they (Doug and another mechanic) recommended I switch back to organic due to possible future cam wear. And these guys see lots! of SHO cams on a daily basis.
Scott, according to my math you've done approx 90 oil changes on your SHO...think of the $$ you saved using organic over synthetic!

Tom
'94 ATX

 

[sdpatt]

Your math is pretty good. I am due for oil change number 86 in another 1,500 miles when the odometer reaches 270,000 miles. There was a span of changes while I was using the Castrol Syntech that I changed the oil every 5,000 miles. Let's see, 85 changes at 5.5 quarts each totals 467.5 quarts. Plus the oil I've had to add between changes. That's at least 117 gallons of oil. Yes, I do recycle. The environment thanks me for it and the auto supply boys see me and my oil container on a regular basis.

In fact, I just dropped off the 4 quarts(!) of Castrol GTX 10W-30 from my wife's 2000 Maxima SE last night at my local AutoZone. She's up to a whopping 30,000 miles and 10 changes. Not quite the mileage rate that got the clock numbers on my SHO up so high so fast. I had a 100-mile round trip to work for many years. Good, high speed highway miles.