This is odd...thought you guys should know...
04-22-2010, 02:02 PM
#1
CF Veteran
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northern Vermont
Posts: 1,671
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Year: '89
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 242
This is odd...thought you guys should know...
I thought, that once I switched over to a full synthetic, from a conventional oil. I thought I was REALLY gonna see where my leaks were coming from (finer oil, right?).
Anyways, Turns out, its quite the opposite. My XJ's engine is holding oil better, and it has a slight increase in oil pressure when driving, nothing crazy, but that lil more is nice. (peace of mind type thing)
Did I have my theory backwards all along?
Anyways, Turns out, its quite the opposite. My XJ's engine is holding oil better, and it has a slight increase in oil pressure when driving, nothing crazy, but that lil more is nice. (peace of mind type thing)
Did I have my theory backwards all along?
04-22-2010, 02:06 PM
#2
CF Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Visalia, Kalifornia, ussa
Posts: 2,750
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Yep, Synth oil, can cause rubber seals to swell, sealing those leaks. It will Clean the gunk out so bad paper and cork seal or metal cracks may leak more.
04-22-2010, 02:24 PM
#3
Seasoned Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Coventry, CT
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 high output, Alabama Cylinder head, 60mm bored TB
What weight conventional vs. what weight synthetic?
As said above synthetics will help swell seals, the problem is they usually clean out all the gunk from the seals first, which is why some people develop leaks and instantly think its bad. Oils are changing all the time, which in the case of our 4.0's is bad. Most oils today are "SM" rated for better fuel economy and emissions. The bad news about these oils is they don't have the required zinc for the 4.0's flat tappet cams like the previous "SL" rating oil did. Most diesel oils still have the right amount, as well as some synthetics such as Rotella and Mobil 1.
I laugh at people who claim that their grandfather used "insert brand name here" oil for 30 years so it MUST be good. They obviously have no clue what they are talking about since oil formulas change frequently.
Kudos to you though for trying something out for yourself, not just believing everything you hear.
As said above synthetics will help swell seals, the problem is they usually clean out all the gunk from the seals first, which is why some people develop leaks and instantly think its bad. Oils are changing all the time, which in the case of our 4.0's is bad. Most oils today are "SM" rated for better fuel economy and emissions. The bad news about these oils is they don't have the required zinc for the 4.0's flat tappet cams like the previous "SL" rating oil did. Most diesel oils still have the right amount, as well as some synthetics such as Rotella and Mobil 1.
I laugh at people who claim that their grandfather used "insert brand name here" oil for 30 years so it MUST be good. They obviously have no clue what they are talking about since oil formulas change frequently.
Kudos to you though for trying something out for yourself, not just believing everything you hear.
04-22-2010, 02:32 PM
#4
But I too am curious what weight and brand oil?
04-22-2010, 02:59 PM
#5
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lawrence,KS
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 1994
Model: Cherokee
Engine: H.O. 4.0 I6
HAHA, that's funny. Anyways, I find it pretty interesting because my thoughts are the same as yours were about synthetics, how many miles and how long have ya had it in your Jeep? Like the folks above me, I'd also like to know what weight oil you're running, thanks for the post, I may have to give synthetic a shot after all, I know if I had a newer, or really low milage engine I would definitely run synthetic, but at 160K, not sure if it's a good idea just yet,lol.
04-22-2010, 03:04 PM
#6
CF Veteran
I run Maxlife Semi Synthetic 10w40 in mine. I emailed Valvoline last night to see what they would say about the Zinc. Here is the emails:
I plan on emailing Shell, QS, and a few others to see what they have to say.
This is the real story behind the myths. With ever increasing limits on emissions, automobile manufacturers have tightened emission control systems on newer vehicles. This is one of several factors considered when the American Petroleum Institute (API) sets standards for engine oil. The current API standard is SM which replaced the previous SL classification. Because phosphorus can poison a vehicles emission system, the level of zinc is lower for current engine oil. Because of this, many hands-on car enthusiasts and engine experts believe the lower levels of zinc in SM engine oil is causing excessive wear in older style push-rod and flat tappet engines. This is despite the fact that all new engine oil classifications are intended to be backward compatible, which in turn has resulted in the widely accepted belief that modern engine oil is not adequate to protect older engines.
Valvoline uses an advanced zinc/phosphorus additive that keeps higher levels of phosphorus in the engine oil where it protects the engine, instead of poisoning the catalytic converter. Valvoline is the only brand offering this unique additive across its entire line of passenger car engine oils, including SynPower which is the only synthetic offering this additive.
The only exclusion to this would be if you are operating a high performance or aggressive cam application, where high Zinc levels may be required. Because of these requirements, there are high-zinc engine oils available to meet this need, such as our Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil. The VR1 Racing Oil establishes a 75% higher zinc content than SM engine oil with a balanced additive package designed to work in both racing and street-legal applications. This product will protect older style push-rod and flat tappet engines and carries an oil change interval recommendation of 3 month/3,000 miles.
It is important to note, however, that the entire additive package still needs to be balanced for best performance. For example, engine oil with a high zinc level but low detergent may not perform over a drain interval of 3,000 miles or longer.
>>>> ----------------------------
>>>> From:
>>>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 4:29:11 AM
>>>> To: valvtechline@ashland.com
>>>> CC:
>>>> Subject: Valvoline.com New User Registration
>>>>
>>>> First Name: Dylan
>>>> Last Name: Maxwell
>>>> Address:
>>>> City:
>>>> State: 0
>>>> Zip:
>>>> Email:
>>>> feedback type: Which oil should I use for my vehicle?
>>>>
>>>> Comments:
>>>>
>>>> Im wondering what Oil you recommend for Flat Tappet cams (89 Cherokee,
>>>> 4.0l).
>>>> I am using Maxlife 10w40 right now, but I am worried that the amount
>>>> of zinc may be too low. Do you recommend any oils other than your
>>>> "VR1" that have the right amount of zinc for my engine? I am looking
>>>> for something I can find at the local Walmart that isnt too expensive.
>>>> If you dont have any appropriate oils I will switch it to Rotella,
>>>> which is said to have the proper amount of Zinc.
Valvoline uses an advanced zinc/phosphorus additive that keeps higher levels of phosphorus in the engine oil where it protects the engine, instead of poisoning the catalytic converter. Valvoline is the only brand offering this unique additive across its entire line of passenger car engine oils, including SynPower which is the only synthetic offering this additive.
The only exclusion to this would be if you are operating a high performance or aggressive cam application, where high Zinc levels may be required. Because of these requirements, there are high-zinc engine oils available to meet this need, such as our Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil. The VR1 Racing Oil establishes a 75% higher zinc content than SM engine oil with a balanced additive package designed to work in both racing and street-legal applications. This product will protect older style push-rod and flat tappet engines and carries an oil change interval recommendation of 3 month/3,000 miles.
It is important to note, however, that the entire additive package still needs to be balanced for best performance. For example, engine oil with a high zinc level but low detergent may not perform over a drain interval of 3,000 miles or longer.
>>>> ----------------------------
>>>> From:
>>>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 4:29:11 AM
>>>> To: valvtechline@ashland.com
>>>> CC:
>>>> Subject: Valvoline.com New User Registration
>>>>
>>>> First Name: Dylan
>>>> Last Name: Maxwell
>>>> Address:
>>>> City:
>>>> State: 0
>>>> Zip:
>>>> Email:
>>>> feedback type: Which oil should I use for my vehicle?
>>>>
>>>> Comments:
>>>>
>>>> Im wondering what Oil you recommend for Flat Tappet cams (89 Cherokee,
>>>> 4.0l).
>>>> I am using Maxlife 10w40 right now, but I am worried that the amount
>>>> of zinc may be too low. Do you recommend any oils other than your
>>>> "VR1" that have the right amount of zinc for my engine? I am looking
>>>> for something I can find at the local Walmart that isnt too expensive.
>>>> If you dont have any appropriate oils I will switch it to Rotella,
>>>> which is said to have the proper amount of Zinc.
Trending Topics
04-22-2010, 07:23 PM
#8
CF Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 2,237
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Year: 90
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
BTW.. Shell, QS, Penzoil, and Wally World are all the same manufacturer.
04-22-2010, 08:13 PM
#10
CF Veteran
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northern Vermont
Posts: 1,671
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Year: '89
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 242
Sorry bout that...had too leave unexpectedly...
Im using a 10w30 oil. I've had REALLY bad issues with Mobil1 products, so I stay away from those, unless I absolutely cannot.
Edited:
But of course, this was in my car, soooo....I dont really know if my Jeep will like/tolerate Mobil1 better than my car. But none-the-less, I dont want to take the chances. The oil I'm using is Castrol, the same I use in my car, without problems of any sort.
Edited again:
Whoops...I meant, Im using Castrol Edge, 10w30 in my XJ and 5w30 in my car.
Im using a 10w30 oil. I've had REALLY bad issues with Mobil1 products, so I stay away from those, unless I absolutely cannot.
Edited:
But of course, this was in my car, soooo....I dont really know if my Jeep will like/tolerate Mobil1 better than my car. But none-the-less, I dont want to take the chances. The oil I'm using is Castrol, the same I use in my car, without problems of any sort.
Edited again:
Whoops...I meant, Im using Castrol Edge, 10w30 in my XJ and 5w30 in my car.
Last edited by XJs-R-us; 04-22-2010 at 08:44 PM.
04-22-2010, 08:31 PM
#11
CF Veteran
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northern Vermont
Posts: 1,671
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Year: '89
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 242
HAHA, that's funny. Anyways, I find it pretty interesting because my thoughts are the same as yours were about synthetics, how many miles and how long have ya had it in your Jeep? Like the folks above me, I'd also like to know what weight oil you're running, thanks for the post, I may have to give synthetic a shot after all, I know if I had a newer, or really low milage engine I would definitely run synthetic, but at 160K, not sure if it's a good idea just yet,lol.
The engine was apparently taken care of and clean, before she became mine. So I guess that helps.
And I plan on taking care of the engine and keeping it just as clean.
Last edited by XJs-R-us; 04-22-2010 at 08:47 PM.
04-22-2010, 09:25 PM
#12
Seasoned Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 10 mi NE of Albany NY
Posts: 316
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I've had excellent results with Mobil 1, and for the past few years the 15,000 mi blend. The local auto chain has sales occasionaly for 5 qts of M1 15,000 and a M1 filter for $30 so I bought as much as I had money for.
I bought my XJ from my uncle and knew he had been putting M-1 in since about 20K, so I can't really comment on it's effects on high mileage engines. When I bought it in 06' and started researching more I found you could run a bigger filter w/no modifications, ever since I've been running a ford 5.0 filter, about 3/4 qt more capacity.
Irun the filter till about 5K when I put in a new one in add a qt or so and run it till about 10K ,give or take, then drain it and start all over. The oil looks pretty new after I change the filter and add 1.75 qts, my valve cover has a small leak.
It works out too be the same price as conventional oil and I know I'm doing the best I can to my engine. I figure the, I beat on the truck hard enough the least I can do is take care of its life blood.
I bought my XJ from my uncle and knew he had been putting M-1 in since about 20K, so I can't really comment on it's effects on high mileage engines. When I bought it in 06' and started researching more I found you could run a bigger filter w/no modifications, ever since I've been running a ford 5.0 filter, about 3/4 qt more capacity.
Irun the filter till about 5K when I put in a new one in add a qt or so and run it till about 10K ,give or take, then drain it and start all over. The oil looks pretty new after I change the filter and add 1.75 qts, my valve cover has a small leak.
It works out too be the same price as conventional oil and I know I'm doing the best I can to my engine. I figure the, I beat on the truck hard enough the least I can do is take care of its life blood.
04-22-2010, 09:31 PM
#13
CF Veteran
Shell, QS, Pennzoil, are the same company (SOPUS). Walmart Supertech is made by Warren Distribution and is a totally different company.
Sorry, Im not buying your amsoil propaganda at $11 a quart.
04-23-2010, 09:03 AM
#15
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lawrence,KS
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Year: 1994
Model: Cherokee
Engine: H.O. 4.0 I6
You can run a 5.0 Ford oil filter on a 4.0 xj with no modifications? It just screws on the same as a regular Jeep filter does? Same threads and all that? Man, if that's true, I'm gonna do the same thing from now on!