Anyone using hi-mile motor oil?
Anyone using the high-mileage stuff? Either synthetic or organic?
ive only got 45,000 miles on my 2000 XJ and nothing leaks at all, but the seal and such being 17years old could benefit from the high mile stuff?? Or am I way off...
ive only got 45,000 miles on my 2000 XJ and nothing leaks at all, but the seal and such being 17years old could benefit from the high mile stuff?? Or am I way off...
CF Veteran
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 3,683
Likes: 8
From: Northern New Mexico
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
yuck, fram...i know some people don't think filters make a difference, but man I wouldnt even use a free fram filter haha...You know what's weird? I actually have some of that oil in my shed... no idea how it got there, I live near our southern border haha!!
there was a post about shell rotella diesel oil being best for these old design engines. it was very detailed about the stuff in the oil and why it was good for our engines. it comes in synth and reg,like t6,t5, and t4 reg.i used t4 reg 10w30 in my last change. price was good at wally.
CF Veteran


Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 74
From: North Riding of Yorkshire, UK
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I just hit 311000 miles on my Grand Cherokee, and I gotta say, it still runs strong. I got it at 117000 and have been diligent about maintenance. I have found that the best oil on the market, bar none, is AMSOIL SYNTHETIC (10W-40 for my vehicle). I use the OE formula, and safely get 15000 between oil changes. They say you can safely get 25000, but I have never gone that far. There is no breakdown, no evap or burn off... just perfect lubricant. And it's independently owned which means they aren't driven to make oil based on the dollar bill. They do some pretty incredible R&D and lead the pack on synthetics. Do your research and check it out. You won't be disappointed:
http://www.amsoil.com/lookup/auto-an...y-y/us-volume/
Good Luck!!
http://www.amsoil.com/lookup/auto-an...y-y/us-volume/
Good Luck!!
CF Veteran
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,929
Likes: 5
From: York PA
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 Litre I6
Without missing a beat my buddy goes "damn at least you found something to do with those dang things". LMAO.
but yes I'm using Mobil 1 High Mileage full Synthetic. My Jeep leaked a small bit before and still leaks a small bit (replacing valve cover helped a bit, didn't stop it completely).
Also, I'm not sure the high mileage full synthetic is really doing me much better then cheap wal-mart convential. But it makes me feel good putting it in my engine, and that's all that matters, ha.
I also am using a Mobil 1 oil filter, which has had its praises sung on bobistheoilguy.com. I like my Mobil 1 setup and plan to keep it.
Last edited by CurrySoSpicy; May 2, 2017 at 08:42 PM.
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 43,971
Likes: 1,579
From: Prescott, Az
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
my buddy had me rolling once at a gun show. There was a gent selling FRAM filter suppressors for your AR. He sold an adapter that made the filter able to screw onto where the flash-hider went.
Without missing a beat my buddy goes "damn at least you found something to do with those dang things". LMAO.
but yes I'm using Mobil 1 High Mileage full Synthetic. My Jeep leaked a small bit before and still leaks a small bit (replacing valve cover helped a bit, didn't stop it completely).
Also, I'm not sure the high mileage full synthetic is really doing me much better then cheap wal-mart convential. But it makes me feel good putting it in my engine, and that's all that matters, ha.
I also am using a Mobil 1 oil filter, which has had its praises sung on bobistheoilguy.com. I like my Mobil 1 setup and plan to keep it.
Without missing a beat my buddy goes "damn at least you found something to do with those dang things". LMAO.
but yes I'm using Mobil 1 High Mileage full Synthetic. My Jeep leaked a small bit before and still leaks a small bit (replacing valve cover helped a bit, didn't stop it completely).
Also, I'm not sure the high mileage full synthetic is really doing me much better then cheap wal-mart convential. But it makes me feel good putting it in my engine, and that's all that matters, ha.
I also am using a Mobil 1 oil filter, which has had its praises sung on bobistheoilguy.com. I like my Mobil 1 setup and plan to keep it.
I took this photo at a gun show.
Banned
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,379
Likes: 18
From: Florida
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: Golen 4.6L
The "high mileage" oils usually have more zinc than the regular formulations. For example, before the mandated reduction in zinc, Mobil 1 had 1100 PPM of zinc. Then that classification had to be reduced to 800 PPM, so Mobil repackaged their original formula (with 1100 PPM) as Mobil 1 High Mileage.
In other words, the high mileage oils typically have the same levels of zinc oil had when these engines were designed, and you really don't need more than that for a stock 4.0L. When heated, the zinc lays down a sacrificial layer in the motor that can protect the cam and help keep an older motor tightened up. However, having too much zinc wears out the catalytic converter.
You only need more zinc than that if you're running a stroker, and that's the source of this Rotella fad. It's cheaper than racing oil but has enough zinc to adequately protect the cam lobes. You simply don't need it for a stock motor.
The problem with Rotella is that it's intended for diesel engines that run 500+ miles per day, while our daily driver Jeeps typically have a LOT more heating/cooling cycles between drives. The detergent package in an oil intended for gasoline engines is optimized to handle the condensation that forms inside the engine every time it cools. Diesel oils are not made for that because truckers usually drive long distances and often leave their rigs idling when they stop.
In the big scheme of things, you wouldn't really know the difference. The higher zinc will wear out your cat faster, but it'll happen slow enough you won't ever be able to be sure if it didn't just wear out from other contaminants. The detergent in a passenger car oil will protect your engine from condensation better, but the extra wear from using Rotella is likely so slight that you won't know if you got an extra 10,000, 1,000 or 0 miles out of the engine. So just use what you like and don't worry about it.
But don't use Fram filters. Those things are crap. They can collapse and starve your engine of oil.
In other words, the high mileage oils typically have the same levels of zinc oil had when these engines were designed, and you really don't need more than that for a stock 4.0L. When heated, the zinc lays down a sacrificial layer in the motor that can protect the cam and help keep an older motor tightened up. However, having too much zinc wears out the catalytic converter.
You only need more zinc than that if you're running a stroker, and that's the source of this Rotella fad. It's cheaper than racing oil but has enough zinc to adequately protect the cam lobes. You simply don't need it for a stock motor.
The problem with Rotella is that it's intended for diesel engines that run 500+ miles per day, while our daily driver Jeeps typically have a LOT more heating/cooling cycles between drives. The detergent package in an oil intended for gasoline engines is optimized to handle the condensation that forms inside the engine every time it cools. Diesel oils are not made for that because truckers usually drive long distances and often leave their rigs idling when they stop.
In the big scheme of things, you wouldn't really know the difference. The higher zinc will wear out your cat faster, but it'll happen slow enough you won't ever be able to be sure if it didn't just wear out from other contaminants. The detergent in a passenger car oil will protect your engine from condensation better, but the extra wear from using Rotella is likely so slight that you won't know if you got an extra 10,000, 1,000 or 0 miles out of the engine. So just use what you like and don't worry about it.
But don't use Fram filters. Those things are crap. They can collapse and starve your engine of oil.


