[T3] Is Synthetic bad?

["Martinez, Leon" <martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil>]

Brian Fye wrote: Synthetic engine oil bad!

Jim Adney wrote: Does anyone actually know if this is true?

Well I started using Synthetic motor oil years and years ago maybe early
80's (I was a high scool kid then ) well I did not like it , it was too
light for my 460 (7.8 liter?) Ford engine. I felt uneasy about its viscosity
because after it was heated up once, it was no longer the same as it was but
it still looked clean.
I reseached this a little and I discovered that the early oil started off
with a pure base of synthetic oil then additives were added. These additives
gave the detergent, viscosity  and antioxidative properties of this oil,
since this oil was not well bonded molecularly, under heat the additives
would "separate" and degenerate into oxitative properties and the base oil
would stay intact but with lesser viscosity. This early characteristc
probably caused alot of engine problems so maybe this is where this
controversy comes from . I have used this oil on and off in my other cars
but for my VW I used it months after my rebuild and at oil change the oil
was clean and upon cutting open my oil filter I found so much crud that I
thought my bearings were falling apart. My case is from a 69 bus (I think)
and was very old when I pulled it from the back seat of a VW rabbit at the
junk yard . The inside if the case was dark brown, probably from oil burning
and the dipstick was just as brown. Well after this oil change and a few non
synthetic oil changes later I looked inside from under the motor thru the
sump with a flashlight (my oil pickup is not round but slightly bent, but I
can see inside better this way); what I saw was a very clean case and
components. My guess is that this oil cleans all the gunk in a quick shot
and you can damage your motor if this stuff is let loose to circulate
without a filter, Imagine how bearings can get ground up this way. Thank God
I had an oil filter before pouring in. I have been putting 20-50w
semi-synthetic for 20,000 miles now, It works beautifully and is almost
clear during oil changes; doesn't turn brown or black like the natural stuff
but you still need a filter or you will be sorry . I do not yet trust  the
pure stuff since I have seen it comes in 0w-30w among the other weights. I
question the new additives they have, how much different are they ? Can they
become 0W weight when overheated but I know one thing, they can take alot
more heat without breaking down into black carbon than normal oil.

Jim you asked about the specific heat between the two oils (synth and
natural) I do not have that info but you can go to the NEO Synthetic OIL
Company site (neat colorful site), they have a lot of technical data, too
much absorb. I have not studied the engine oil data on the site because I
was only interested in autotranny oil 6 months ago. I did not buy synthetic
autotranny oil from this company but would like to but a quart costs 10
dollars . Their site is at www.neosyntheticoil.com   They have a 1800 number
you can ask technical questions maybe they can answer your question since
the site has tons of technical data.

LEON MARTINEZ
martinezl@ftscpac.navy.mil

1969 SQUAREBACK AUTO/EFI AND5 NON VW JUNK CARS
SAN DIEGO AND TIJUANA

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