giovanhalen

When I bought the formula it smoked a bit. I changed the oil to pure synthetic and it stopped smoking almost completely.I decided to sell the car and saw new Valvoline max life for older engines award winning reconditions seals etc. Put it in 2 days ago then today a guy looks at the car and says he will take it and has the cash. He is following me back to the house to get the title and the car starts smoking.Get to the house and it keeps smoking and the guy says he will think about it.So Maxlife **** ***.Put the synthetic back in. Another guy is going to look at it, if he doesn't buy it my brother will, I told him if I didn't sell it for $2800 today then he could have it for $2500.

------------------
1990 formula 350 tpi dual cat auto 9 bolt posi 3.27 ratio

Xenodrgn

You motor didn't stop smoking when you put synthetic in... in fact it probably smoked more. The important thing to know about synthetic is that it burns clean and clear...

------------------
1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

http://www.xenodrgn.f2s.com/Frontright.jpg

breathment

i put the max life in my old chrylser labarron and afterwards a bottom end knock started to happen and got louder and louder, didn't notice anything until after we put that stuff in there, i'll never use it again.

------------------
- David
88' GTA 5.7L TPI MODS---> air foil, K&N, Shift Kit, 180* therm, TB bypass, Gutted CAT, Flowmaster 80 Series

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

They say they add seal conditioners - they probably do. But, in order to put something in, you have to take something out. A quart is still only 32 oz.

I don't want to paint with too broad a brush, but synthetic base stocks "typically" are natural seal conditioners - I know for a fact AMSOIL base stocks are.

So, use something that takes care of both your seals and wear surfaces, or use something that has to have something added to do one or the other? Remember, petroleum base stock is good at neither. The choice is clear to me.

I currently have two vehicles that were switched over to synthetic with over 100k miles on them: the Camaro, and a '90 Bonneville. Both now use less oil after 2 years and one year, respectively, than they did when I switched them over.

------------------
82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. 2-1/2" cat-back, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 CC system w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker 2055 headers, 3" Catco cat & 3" catback, restalled TC, Spohn SFCs).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Holley 750VS w/4150 conversion, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

Ed Maher

Wow, thats interesting, oil that burns clean and clear. I guess that explains the blue smoke the time i spilled some on my headers. Care to explain the science or shall i raise the flag?

Ed Maher

Oh yeah, forgot to add that i've seen sythetci quell a smoking engine a decent amount myself too. Silly me thought it was just because of the better lubricity/detergents helping the rings/bores to seal better. Maybe not, we'll see if the X man has some knowledge for us...or not...

Biochem

Hey Five7... I don't believe you for one second that AMSOIL works so well! To make a believer out of me, you'll have to send me a case to check out and compar notes with Ede BTW- I'm due for an oil change!

------------------
1984 z28 w/ a 357 cu in. monster engine which is looking like the posterchild for Edelbrock with the exception of the Holley 750vac... all the suspension stuff... 9-bolt posi disk is in...

-=ICON Motorsports=-

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Plain ol' members just get advise...

JETHROIROC

LOL! Clean and clear as that big-a$$ cloud of blue-grey smoke my IROC used to blow in the morning after I switched to Mobil 1...before the valve seals.

------------------
1990 IROC 350
Mods: Too busy trying to make it run right to mod it.
Airfoil, Dynomax cat-back, MSD coil, 180 t-stat, Bald Eagle tires,
Hypertech fan switch, Accel 23# injectors, Holley module, ported plenum,
Ported Daytona Yellow stock base, Moroso valve covers, other stuff,
Streetdampr, Ruger P95DC, hot wife, new oil filter, !cats, !TBC, !AIR.
18.0 @ 85MPH since I'm one big-a$$ MF
"It's better to have and not need than to need and not have."

giovanhalen

I put 20w-40 havoline synthetic in and don't see anymore smoke. It will probably still put out a little now and then.The other guy who was gonna look at the car never showed up so my brother bought it. I don't blame the guy who saw it smoking for not buying it. He has no way to know if he could trust me when I told him the plugs stay clean. It never smoked on first start up and plugs were clean so I guess it must be mainly exhaust valve seals leaking.

Vader

I've noticed the "Bow Tie Salute" still happens after synthetic oil is dumped in - even with a low mileage engine.

The big advantages of synthetics in oil-burners is that synthetic produces a lot less ash when it burns. So Xeno is partially correct in that is burns cleaner. Maybe not "clean" to the point of being invisible, but certainly cleaner.

Another advantage of POE based synthetics is that since it cleans everything so much better, the ring lands on the pistons get cleaned better, too. This means less sludge and coking at the rings. They don't stick as much if they are cleaner, and can control the oil and seal compression much better. That's not to even mention the improved lubrication. Synthetic can clean up an old engine even to the point of leakage on worn seals. Seals that are simply sludged and still live can eventually clean up and seal again. Those that are hard as a rock will never seal again.

And, Five-Seven, Bio has the right idea. I've been using Mobil 1 "forever", so if you want to convince me, send some Amsoil. I don't need a whole case - ony seven quarts. I'll even provide the filter! See how nice a guy I am?

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
Justice and Freedom will Prevail

u r sofa king we tah did

while he is not 100% correct, he is somewhat correct. yes if you spill synthetic on your headers its gonna smoke like a ****. your anything (except metal or glass) would smoke if you set it on headers with a running engine. under compression, the combustion of the oil in the chamber comes out to a very very light blue/white color. alot less noticable than dino oil. plus the oil in the combustion chamber is spent faster in the combustion chamber than non compressed sitting on headers. you can still have the, as vader called it, the SBC salute at start up with synthetic, though. no questions about it.


[This message has been edited by u r sofa king we tah did (edited September 27, 2001).]

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Vader, I'll agree about the salute - those stock valve stem o-rings not only get hard, they crack. I have yet to see anything that will restore them, and indeed changed mine after the first quart went bye-bye in 600 miles (123k on the engine at the time). My 142k 305 now sips a quart over 2500 miles - not great by new-engine standards, but not bad for what it is. And, it doesn't leak.

The thought of using AMSOIL with anything other than an AMSOIL filter sends chills up my spine. Besides, I have to limit my free samples policy. You'll just have to talk to Ed. Even then, limited, one-time, non-quantitative testimonials aren't going to "prove" anything to anyone. So, go ahead, use Mobil 1, it's better than anything else on the shelf at Auto Zone. Including Max Life, I think we can all agree. I'm sticking with AMSOIL, thank you.