Motor oil

[DirtyComanche]

Fram redesigned most of their filters around 2011-2013.  They were aware there was problems and they did eventually address it.   The ones we would be using were included in that.  The quality is now better, not amazing, but better.

 

Both oil and filters tend to be redesigned or reformulated on a regular basis.  What was good yesterday may not be today, and what was bad yesterday may not be today.

 

Even with the crap Fram filters there was relatively few failures, just once it became known fingers would ALWAYS point at the Fram filter if there was a failure of any sort.

 

I'd run one if it came down to it, but I prefer not to.

[75sv1]

11k without a flush..... yall are crazy. :nuts:

My 12K was in a Ford Contour. Ran the engine on synthetics from 20K to 214K. Never used a drop. I usually ran to 8K. I used Castrol Syntech till about 150K. Shaffer once (good oil). Then Pennzoil Platinum.

       As for the article, Prolong ??. I'll have to read it more. Still, T6 is rated better than other premium oils. I won't say its the best out there, but good enough. He also rates a diesel oil very high. I think Castrol. Engine to engine, oils can perform differently. Also, have to watch viscosity. I ran a 20W-50 in my 4cyl Contour. Didn't like it. Also, thicker oil can rob you of fuel mileage.

[DirtyComanche]

       As for the article, Prolong ??. I'll have to read it more. Still, T6 is rated better than other premium oils. I won't say its the best out there, but good enough. He also rates a diesel oil very high. I think Castrol. Engine to engine, oils can perform differently. Also, have to watch viscosity. I ran a 20W-50 in my 4cyl Contour. Didn't like it. Also, thicker oil can rob you of fuel mileage.

 

 

Good enough could be achieved at a much lower cost.

 

Yes, there's a Castrol diesel 5w30 that performed very well, plus a couple other 'diesel and gas' oils.  The Castrol oil is also a 'diesel and gas' oil, if you read the fine print.  The next one on the list is an oil that is not DPF compatible.  Diesel engines are typically much larger and beefier than gas engines, thus they have larger bearing/wear surfaces, and using an oil that isn't as good isn't a big deal, plus they are tailoring the additive packages to being DPF friendly and managing different carbon contamination/combustion byproduct issues.  The diesel oils that actually score well are designed for much more modern or European style diesel engines, which are built lighter, run much tighter clearances, and see much higher point and thermal loading than something like an old Cummins 6BT.

 

There is approximately 140 viable options that are better than the Rotella.  Many of which are conventional oil, or more value oriented options.  That's not exactly amazing.  Is the Rotella going to be a problem?  No, not at all, this engine is an obsolete design with large bearings and big clearances, it just isn't going to care one way or another.

[HOrnbrod]

My engine is a 4.6 Hesco-built stroker with a mild cam. Hesco has built thousands of stock and modified AMC/Jeep inline six engines and has the best rep of anyone for the reliability and longevity of their Jeep engines. The single most important reason I use a fairly high zinc content diesel oil (Chevron Delo LE 15w-40 diesel in particular) is because Hesco recommends it for this particular engine. All the BS put out whenever this thread comes up means nothing when it comes to the Jeep 4.0 engines and it's variants to me.

 

Lots of opinionated info in always present in these threads, some good, some bad, but most all of it doesn't apply to our engines old design inline sixes with flat tappet cams. Since this is a Jeep Comanche forum, all I care to read about is what's best for our engines. Not Benz's, Fiat's, GM/Ford junk, etc. etc. ad nauseaum.

[FrankTheDog]

11k without a flush..... yall are crazy. :nuts:

Really? I have a 1998 XJ with 446,000 miles on it on the original engine. I bought it with 209k.

It went anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 between oil changes using Castrol 10-30 in the white, green or black jugs depending how much I felt like spending.

Used fram orange ph8a, motorcraft fl1 and wix equivalents. The thing leaks plenty but doesn't burn it as there is no burnt oil smell coming from the tailpipe.

It was driven hard and put away wet most of the time.

 

I drive all my vehicles pretty much the same way and I have never lost or worn out a motor. The vehicles get stopped being used because of rust not wear.

I have 4 good 4.0 HO's on hand in case I ever need a replacement but I haven't yet.

[FrankTheDog]

If I had a rig as nice as Don's I would treat it a little better than the $500-$1,500 piles I usually drive.

[DirtyComanche]

If I had a rig as nice as Don's I would treat it a little better than the $500-$1,500 piles I usually drive.

 

True.  I'd probably even take it through the car wash every now and then.

 

The current rig loses paint if you wash it, so that's kinda out.

 

 

Although in all honesty, I'd still be running a Mobil 1 or Quaker State full synthetic in it. :cheers:

[FrankTheDog]

 

 

If I had a rig as nice as Don's I would treat it a little better than the $500-$1,500 piles I usually drive.

True. I'd probably even take it through the car wash every now and then.

 

The current rig loses paint if you wash it, so that's kinda out.

 

 

Although in all honesty, I'd still be running a Mobil 1 or Castrol full synthetic in it. :cheers:

Fixed it for me.

[johnj92131]

My 1991 owners manual says to use engine oil that meets SAE SG/CD requirements.  Then it tells me to see the oil viscosity chart for which weight oil to use.

 

The chart says above 0 F use 10-30   and 5W-30 from 60 F and below 0 F

 

SO, Look on the motor oil package for the SAE grade SG or SG/CD.  That is the oil Mopar says you should use.  Then buy the cheapest oil that meets that specification to save your cash.

 

Change the oil according to Mopar spec.  Same with the filter.  Change it according to Mopar spec.

 

Above is what the factory said to do for long engine life. 

 

Other people may "think" they know better, (including ME) but Mopar had to build these things and make them work for years and years.  Who do you want to trust?

[Tex06]

Walmart 10W-30. Ford filter (Walmart sells them). No burning or leaks now that I changed the valve cover gasket, engine pan gasket, and rear main oil seal. 211786.5 miles and Counting.

 

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[FrankTheDog]

If I was going to change the oil every 3,000 I'd use the walmart oil.

[895XJ]

Walmart 10W-30 and the O'Reilly's microguard filter

 

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[75sv1]

I use the NAPA 41515 Platinum filter. I do understand the argument that cheaper oils are good enough. I would argue that with out an oil analysis  you don't know what is best for your engine.

[Minuit]

These threads never actually produce an actual answer, just a bunch of pseudoscientific nonsense and heated arguments that teach nobody anything. It's a 4.0, it'll run for 100k with sand in the crankcase. If you look hard enough you'll find sources to support whatever viewpoint you want, and of course they'll all say their data is the best. Keeping up with maintenance and changing the oil (and making sure there's enough oil in there) is way, way more important than what the oil's made of.

 

Full disclosure: I run Rotella T6 in the '91, but considering changing to a 10W-30 synthetic. Engine hasn't exploded yet. When it had a blown RMS I ran the cheapest thing I could find. Engine didn't explode then. I run the cheapest thing I can find in the '89 since it leaks and makes horrible oil pressure. Engine hasn't exploded yet.

[Money_Pits]

Damn, I always change my oil at around 3k (a bit longer if it falls due in the winter months), but my TJ always liked to eat oil (before and after engine swap). The additives they put in don't stick around much past 5k from what I've read, so I don't think spending a lot of money on oil while delaying changes is worth it. I buy my oil at walmart, prices are all pretty close there. Used Pennzoil 10w30 in the TJ, Mobil 1 in the Ranger. On long road trips in the TJ I'd occasionally use SAE30 in the summer, but that's just because it was cheaper and I knew I'd need more by the time I got where I was going. Killed two engines in the wrangler, neither because of oil used, just typical early twenties stupidity. Youth will kill a good engine faster than cheap oil ever will.

 

On a side note, I had never heard of the FRAM failures. That's interesting. 

[johnj92131]

Just a comment about large capacity oil pans:

 

Oil needs to get up to a running temperature in the engine to do it's job properly.  Large capacity pans promote slower oil warm up.  It means water in the oil does not boil off as quickly.  It also means you are using thicker oil longer as your engine warms up.  Thicker oil does not get into tight spaces like a thinner (or warmer) oil.

[WyoCherokee]

Honestly, whatever is on sale at autozone. My last 3 changes on my xj were valvoline 5w-30 conventional in the winter and 10w-30 in the summer, and a FL1A filter(HO in the Xj and HO filter Nipple in the MJ)

[Crash]

I've been running some QS 20w-50 that I found for 1.35/qt . MJ leaks like most Jeepds so it helps a bit. My XJ doesn't leak oil anymore since trans swap/rms/oil pan gasket replacement