synthetic oils
 

well,
first things first... i did a search but i didnt really come across anything particular to my question.

i went and had my oil changed today... i didn't have time to do it myself so thats why. lol. the thing is... they put in GT-1 synthetic blend oil. my question is... are synthetic oils that bad for just one oil period (3k miles). if not, ill just make sure they use plain 10w30 if they do it or ill do it myself. if they are potentially harmful, i will change it right away. but would it be ok for the car to have synthetic just this time around? thanks guys and sorry for breaking down and asking. im just a little rushed right now. lol. i have to go to work. thanks

-allen

Some synthetic oils shrink seals and don't burn completely. A list of good quality synthetic oils are listed in the FAQ. GT-1 isn't one of them. Maybe it won't shrink your seals very much, or it won't have time to get through the old gunk on your seals, or the unburnt oil leftover won't have time to build up or the oil detergents on your next oil change will clean it up. But it seems iffy to me, and an oil change isn't that hard or expensive. I'd just change it as soon as you can. OTOH if the rotary engine exploded after a guy put synthetic in it once, there'd be a lot of complaints on these forums. I dunno about what FastCompany said.

Make sure you use API certified oil when you change the oil. Here are the two possible API symbols:
http://www.api.org/certifications/images/EOLCS.jpg
Watch out for fakes. Usually SM > SL > SJ > SH.

10w30 is good between 0F and 80F. Change the oil filter as well. Stay away from FRAM/Penzoil/Quakerstate oil filters, most others are good. Preferably you'd change the crush washer on the drain plug as well, but a lot of people don't. For some reason Castrol GTX (regular type) is a popular non-synthetic in these forums. If its detergents really do clean engine sludge better than other oils' detergents, then it is popular with good reason. Oil changes seem easy enough to do yourself. And there are always the stories about quick lube places royally screwing something up, claiming you should only get your oil changed at the dealer.

Synthetic oils have not done that for 20 years. That statement is wildly out of date.

so should i go back up there and have them change it out or just wait until the next due? also, my car kind of burns a little oil here and there, would it be safe to top it off w/ 10w30... ill do it myself next time. lol. thanks for the help

Leave the oil in until the next change.

In most cases there are no issues with using synthetic oils in Rotary engine for short term use, and in some cases clear benifits.

Typically better synthetics have lower ash and considerably fewer additive packages than many conventional oils. I do not know the ash level of GT-1 but it is easily found. Oils with a Ash of above .99% are not recommended in rotary or high reving motors.

If the oil is Kendal GT-1, then that oil is really not a real synthetic anyway, and while the ash level is 1.0 and the zinc level is .16 (a little high), the combustion flash point is only 390F so there should be no real concerns about short term (less than 10K miles) use.

And finally, all synthetic oils are compatible with conventional oils, and there would be no issue with mixing or topping up with either conventional, synthetic or synthetic blend oils.

I've used quaker state synthetic blend high rpm 10w30 without a problem. My next oil change I'll probably put in the quaker state synthetic blend 4x4 and suv. I think mobile one has a 5w40 turbodiesel oil that I'd consider puting in due to the benefits it has under heat and pressure that other oils don't always have.

5W based oils are to thin for S3-S5 rotary engines unless you are starting in sub zero temps.

In addition some oils designed for Diesels, will not have a SF or better rating and would not be suitable for any gas powered engine

Thanks, I figured that info might be dubious. I just assumed that the false complaints people keep making about synthetics still applied to the bad ones. Never knew exactly how bad the "bad" synthetics were either.

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
look for "Can I use diesel engine oil in my petrol engine?"
Says diesel oil has a lot of additives that regular engines don't need.

thanks Icemark... yeah i couldn't remember the oils name off the top of my head. it is Kendal. ill just use it for now... and top off w/ 10w30 if i need to... and switch back to just regular 10w30 when my 3k miles is up. thanks again. it was very helpful.
-allen

pardon me, i made a bad post.

i suppose ice knows something i dont. there are good syn blends out there, royal purple and what not. i suppose its completly possible that the higher combustion temps of the rotary animal could burn off most all of the stuff that one might concider bad for a rotary.

i will research the subject further. just trying to clear my name.

and a final bit in the synth thing: synthetics offer the only truly significant differences in oils, due to their superior high temperature oxidation resistance, high film strength, very low tendency to form deposits, stable viscosity base, and low temperature flow characteristics. Synthetics are superior lubricants compared to traditional petroleum oils. You will have to decide if their high cost is justified in your application.

I use synthetics in all my piston powered vehicles, but I use Castol oils in my rotary vehicles.

actually there is not one synthetic oil that does not burn at or below 500F, considerably lower than the 1300-1800 temps that are seen in the exhaust from a combustion in a rotary engine.

And again the deposit and ash levels are much lower than 75% of conventional oils out there.

actually, since this subject is already here, i might as well ask, i put 5w30 full synthetic (dad has it for his truck) in my 7, its running HECKOF smoother than it used to, just wondering if it is too low viscosity.

peace

Amsoil 0w-30

^for the rx8

I've used it in my FBs and FCs for years with a blessing from Mazda N. America. I at one time had a letter from them stating it was the best oil you could run in their RX-7. They were referring to Amsoil in general.

I've used synthetics in my rotaries for 7 or 8 years no. There has never been any issue with them whatsoever. There shouldn't be. Synthetics are fine to use. The argments against them are so far out of date we may as well still be claiming that their carbon apex seals are unreliable.

A 5W20 or 5W30 or 5Wetc is not too thin based on the "5". A 5W30 oil is a 30W oil. That's the only number you really need to concern yourself with. I actually have used 5W20 Royal Purple in my ported 1st gen (as opposed to conventional 20W50) for about 4 years now just because people said I couldn't. Engine is going strong. Results speak louder than speculation. The 787B ran a 5W30 oil and we all know how much power that engine produced, how hard it was treated, and how well it looked at the end of the race.

Ummm... I just ordered some tune-up stuff online and got Fram air, oil, and fuel filters. Should I look into getting something else? Is there a specific reason why they're not recommended or are they just not good?

I agree not to use Fram. They are built like crap. It's not to say they don't do a decent job of filtering but there is a big concern that due to their construction that they can fail internally. I personally use Wix and will only use Wix.

Would I be alright for just this oil change? What about their fuel and air filters?

Actually, according to Mazdaspeed, the 3 products they use and endorse currently are the Mobile-1, Royal Purple, and Redline. All synthetics. They do not reccomend any others simply because of the high ash content and invariable sludge build up. Hope this helps.

I myself just lucked into a real steal, I just bought a 1990 GX. A one owner garage kept car that was so execptionaly kept up its passenger seat doesn't look like it was ever sat in. the interior looks new. Origianal paint. He rebuilt the motor 7000k ago and man does it rock! this thing is a monster, I've had 3 81's previous and nothing near this good. I too was wondering about all the fuid changes.
If any one can assist with the other fluids that would be great. I'm going with a coolant flush and adding redline's "water wetter", but not sure about tranny and engine yet.

redline for tranny and rear end...

royal purple for engine if u rich, otherwise castrol.

+1 regarding royal purple (not rich just eat a lot of raman noodles and developed a vitamin deficiency for my car)

john ny

I've heard that water wetter will eat coolant seals, but i haven't been able to verify it. Anyone?

Just bought a 88 GXL

Previous owner said that he always put in Castrol Synthetic. Is this ok?

Should I change?