Pat Goss and Tom Smith[/align]
Whether it's 60 horsepower or 600 horsepower, the life blood of every engine is its oil, and joining us to talk about oils is Tom Smith. Tom, you are an oil chemist right?
TOM SMITH: Yes.
GOSS: In that capacity, what do you do?
SMITH: What I do is I formulate the oils for your engines, your transmissions; I select the appropriate base oils and additive systems to give you the proper performance in your vehicle.
GOSS: So oils today are engineered, they're not just pumped out of the ground and into the engine?
SMITH: No, definitely not. There's a lot that goes into making an oil. You start with base oils, and that's the part that comes out of the ground or may be synthesized, and you take the crude oil out of the ground and you have to go through several series of processes to get a base fluid that's adequate to meet the needs of an engine, but even that isn't everything that your engine needs. You've got to put anti-oxidants in it, detergents in it, dispersants, anti-wear agents, friction modifiers, a whole array of different components to give you the performance that's needed in a modern engine today.
GOSS: So it's a real cocktail of different things?
SMITH: It's a real cocktail, and it's the balance of those ingredients that is very important.
GOSS: One of the things that I get a lot of questions on, people say "Well, I took my car in for an oil change and my manual says that it should have 5w-20 but the technician told me I should use 15w 40," or something like that.
SMITH: No, you should use what the owner's manual recommends. The engines have been designed to run on the viscosity that's recommended in your owner's manual. If you use too heavy of an oil in the vehicle you're not going to get the horsepower or the fuel efficiency out of it. And if you use too light of an oil you may not get the protection you need.
GOSS: So always use the viscosity that the manufacturer recommends. What about oil qualities and types?
SMITH: Well there are several different types of oils out on the marketplace: you have conventional for the standard motorist, you have a semi-synthetic to give a little more protection, you have a full synthetic to give the ultimate in protection, and you also have specialty oils like high-mileage oils for engines with high mileage. These are formulated with additional components such as seal conditioners because seals can shrink and become brittle, and extra anti-wear agents, things that an older engine will need.
GOSS: OK, oil filter, always change it?
SMITH: Always change the oil filter! The oil filter is collecting a lot of the contaminants that come from combustion and you've got to get those out of there.
GOSS: And quality is important, don't look for the cheapest price?
SMITH: And that goes for everything, you didn't do that when you bought your car, don't do it when you buy you oil or filter.

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If you have a question or comment, write to me.
The address is MotorWeek, Owings Mills, MD, 21117

 

[align=center][/align][align=center]Most people like to change their oil themselves and save money. The problem is that today's cars are more complicated and many people are intimidated. You can get specific oil change directions and other repair procedures online instantly from ALLDATA. You can even print out the directions and not worry about getting oil all over them ! I also have a large selection of auto repair manuals in my online shop, Click Here to check them out.[/align] I receive a lot of questions regarding oil and the least understood part is the number system used to rate oils.
Oil weight, or viscosity, refers to how thick or thin the oil is. The temperature requirements set for oil by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is 0 degrees F (low) and 210 degrees F (high).
Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). An oil is rated for viscosity by heating it to a specified temperature, and then allowing it to flow out of a specifically sized hole. Its viscosity rating is determined by the length of time it takes to flow out of the hole. If it flows quickly, it gets a low rating. If it flows slowly, it gets a high rating.
Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil. You will hear them referred to as multi-viscosity, all-season and all-weather oils. An example is a 10W-30 which is commonly found in stores. When choosing oil, always follow the manufacturer's recommendation.
Wondering how you can save money and protect your vehicle at the same time? Consider switching to synthetic oil and changing your oil at greater intervals.[align=center]For More Infor[/align][align=center]Click on below link[/align][align=center]FAQ on Motor Oils[/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]http://www.atis.net/oil_faq.html[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]MEMBERS[/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center][/align][align=center][sm=feedback.gif][/align]

 

Here's my thoughts on the subject I use Royal purple in my Camaro @ $8 a qt. I also use Castrol in my daily drivers @ $2 a qt. I change my oil in my daily drivers @ 3-5K if i were to use a synthetic I would change the oil every 10K with a filter change @ 5K. So with a $5 oil filter my oil changes cost me $45 with a extra qt. and filter @ 5K add $13 for a total of $58 for synthetic. With dino @ $15 every 5K thats $30 every 10K. So in conclusion $30 every 10K for dino, or $58 every 10K for synthetic. I don't see the savings that the AMSOIL guy is talking about.