We recommend Internet Explorer set to 1024x768.

© 1998-2003 Brian F. Schreurs
Even we have a disclaimer.

Let's face it, most of Neptune is what we refer to as "static", which is technical jargon for "the webmaster is too lazy to set up interactive features on a website that doesn't generate any income". But, we get enough readers to our site that you people often feel inclined to send in comments, or more often, beg for help.

Neptune Alert is an announcements-only mailing list. It is a very low-traffic list, with one or two messages a week, relating to updates and new webpages on all subsections of Neptune. Subscribe to neptune-alert Powered by groups.yahoo.com

We really do like getting feedback on our website, especially the tech articles and our O Pine essays. We'll send you a personal response if it seems like it merits one, or if you ask really nice, but most of the time we'll probably just post your message here within a couple weeks of your sending it, along with a reply of some kind -- perhaps helpful, perhaps not, depending on what the situation seems to call for.

A lot of you write in about the Synthetic Oil Life Study, and we're grateful for the information and support we get from our readers for this significant project. Please keep it coming.

We used to answer technical questions here as well, but we've gotten away from that, thanks to e-mail like the one from Shalako Lee. If you need help with a car problem, try digging around the Ancient Archives, where we've stored five years' worth of tech questions and their answers. Of course, if your question relates specifically to one of our posted articles, we'll give you the best answer we can.

In place of that, we've posted some provocative articles in The O Pine, and we're interested in hearing the thoughts of our readers. Perhaps we can get an interesting discussion going here.

You can reach us at the address you see across your screen here. You can either click on it or type it in your e-mail software, depending on what kind of software you're using.

The Latest Cave Drawings

From Andy Weber on 5 July 2004:

Hi,

I just recently discovered your website and the Oil Life Study. I think you guys are
doing an awesome job and I’ll be continuing to watch with much interest. I would
love to help financially, but I’m on a very tight budget right now.

I had used dino oil for a long time simply because I didn’t know there was much
difference with synth. But a friend introduced me to Amsoil and I have been using
Amsoil engine oil and gear lube for the past year (I did notice an increase in fuel
economy (2000 Mazda Protégé LX, 4 cylinder, 1.6L, manual trans., up to 40 MPG
interstate with Amsoil), and I’ll be switching soon to Amsoil 0W-30, which is
supposed to be specially formulated for even greater fuel economy.)

I was really intrigued by your oil lab comparison sidebar. I think it’s very
significant. After researching Amsoil quite a bit, I was convinced of their quality
by their own "independent" test data, testimonials, personal word of mouth, their
own engine warranty, and lack of negative experiences (I have never run across
anyone - even on the web - who claims they destroyed their engine with Amsoil, even
those using Amsoil’s maximum advertised drain intervals). But I have always had
lingering questions about their reportedly "independent" test results, and
especially about their seemingly very close connection with Oil Analyzers Inc. I
really started to wonder when I realized that Amsoil actually sells test kits for
Oil Analyzers, which means that Amsoil is doing O.A.I. a huge favor by giving them
tons of business. It made me wonder if O.A.I. was somehow "returning" the favor with
less than objective test results whenever they receive an Amsoil sample.

But I think your lab comparison sidebar is significant because it shows that even
when Oil Analyzers was unknowingly subjected to a careful comparison test with three
other labs, their results were very much in agreement with the others. They didn’t
cut Amsoil any slack simply because they felt a need to make Amsoil look good. In
fact, their results showed a HIGER count of wear metals for chromium, iron and
copper than Blackstone’s results. They also didn’t cut Amsoil any slack with
viscosity, and their TBN was in line with the others. That at least gives me some
confidence in the test results of O.A.I. I can’t imagine an oil lab knowingly giving
false results and leading consumers to damage their engines by using oil that is
worn out or loaded with wear metals, but I’m glad that I now have at least some
objective basis for trusting O.A.I. I’ll be sending them a sample of my oil (Amsoil
10W-30) in about a month and a half when I drain it and refill with Amsoil Series
2000 0W-30. The
 10W-30 will have about 9 months use and about 7,500 miles. My car has an oil
capacity of only 3.0 quarts and it doesn’t burn a drop of oil (the only makeup oil
is from when I changed my filter, which doesn’t hold much oil anyway). I’m very
curious to see the results (especially TBN) - I’ll pass them on to you.

A second item I want to comment on is your own test results which have been
indicating that Amsoil has a lower level of wear metals. I understand that this may
be a result of engine break-in. But I also wonder if this just might validate
Amsoil’s reportedly independent four-ball wear test results. Amsoil’s Nov. 2002
"Action News" contains a number of test results comparing Amsoil 5W-30 to Mobil 1
SuperSyn 5W-30. They report Amsoil’s four-ball wear as 0.40mm and Mobil 1 as 0.60mm.
A later test (in 2003) comparing Amsoil Series 2000 0W-30 to other oils reports
Mobil 1 5W-30 as having an average wear scar of 0.66mm, a slight increase from the
2002 test (don’t know if this was just a margin of error or if Mobil 1 SuperSyn had
been reformulated with worse wear protection).

The 2003 test results for Amsoil Series 2000 0W-30 are very intriguing (see
www.amsoil.com/products/tso.html). They compare Amsoil 0W-30 to other brands,
(mostly of higher viscosity! - that’s why Mobil 1 5W-30 is included in that test).
They report Amsoil 0W-30 having an average wear scar of only 0.374mm, while the
other brands of higher viscosity have a wear scar around twice that size or larger.
They report that Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-30 has a wear scar of 1.842mm, which is almost
5 times the size of Amsoil 0W-30’s scar! If that’s true, I’ll make sure to steer
clear of Mobil 1 0W-30! That difference seemed so astounding to me that I emailed
Amsoil’s technical service department and asked about it. My email eventually found
its way to a senior tech analyst at Amsoil, and he said he called the lab that did
the tests to check it out. He said the lab reported that they were also very
surprised, so much so that that they repeated the test several times, but kept
arriving at the same
 numbers.

Having said all of this, I want everyone to know that I am definitely not "sold out"
to Amsoil. If I find objective data that conclusively shows another oil to offer
better protection (or nearly the same protection at a cheaper price), I’ll gladly
switch. But I am having a verydifficult time finding ASTM/API test results for Mobil
1 or other oils (other than Amsoil’s "independent" tests). Does anyone know where I
can find ASTM/API or ANY laboratory test results for Mobil 1 published by Mobil???
It would seem to me that if Mobil really is confident that "Nothing Outperforms
Mobil 1," they would publish their test data so consumers could have the same
confidence they do. But so far Amsoil is the only company I have found that actually
PUBLISHES objective test data about their products (and they even have the guts to
compare it directly to others). If Mobil truly believes that Amsoil is
misrepresenting Mobil 1, they owe it to us to publish their test results to set the
record straight.
 That’s the very least they could do. (I would also think that if they were so sure
they were being misrepresented, they would sue Amsoil and/or file complaints with
the Federal Trade Commission, which they have not.) For some of us, marketing hype
and slogans will never cut it.

Thanks for putting your time in this very helpful project!

From Rob Thomas on 2 July 2004:

Hi there, 

I became interested in your site due to the oil study. Thanks for doing
it and it has made me feel quite comfortable with my choice of Mobil1 as
my oil (for my car- for the bike I use the cheap stuff).

I was just reading through some of your feedback and noticed the helmet
study and got to the part where you said "But wearing a helmet isn't as
effective for motorcyclists: only 47% are bare-headed"

That made me think a bit since I ride a motorcycle and this is what I
came up with: that statistic is only valid if 50% of riders wear helmets
and 50% do not. If 99% of riders wear helmets (which is much higher than
the actual percentage- I have no idea what it is) then helmets sure are
effective! That means 99 out of 100 fatalities should be helmeted riders
if helmets do nothing, but if only 53 out of 100 fatalities are helmeted
riders then unhelmeted riders (or stupid people as I like to call them)
account for a disproportionate amount of fatalities. To make any of that
data valid you have to know what your sample size (which would be
everyone) is doing or at least take a sample of a whole lot of the
population instead of just people in fatalistic accidents.

I hope I'm being clear here and I hope I'm interpreting the data
correctly.

Let me know what you think

From Latrenda Marhsall on 1 July 2004:

97 Grand am GT 3.1

I am trying to number one find a complete (cheap) service manual for my
car.  One that details a/c, tranny, engine, ect.  Would you have any
suggestion on where I could look?

Also, would please tell me where the heater core is located in my
vehicle?  I have scoured the web and have not been able to find this
info anywhere.

Thank so much in advance for your help.

From Chad Campbell on 30 June 2004:

I just got through reading your study on synthetic
oils. I found it extremely interesting. I think I
found it more interesting considering I manage a small
Mobil lube shop. All the studies I've had access to
were from the ExxonMobil corporation. And while I do
not find any reason to doubt them, yours is obviously
more complete. It's hard trusting the guys that make a
product, they'll never say their product failed.
However, when I found this study, it made me very
happy. I have intense loyalty towards Mobil and Mobil
One. And, with your permission of course, I'd like to
be able to use your website to refer to customers. I
just want people to be able to see results themselves.
I don't want people to think I'm lying to them. Or
using some biased opinions. My customers come first
and foremost, without them I'd be without a job, and I
want to prove to people Mobil does what it says it's
supposed to do.

From Victor Arroyo on 29 June 2004:

hello first of all great site.  well i have a 1994 firebird with a 96 v6 engine in
it.  well my problem is that when I sometimes step on the brakes the car turns off. 
this only happens when the car is on idle.

From Jeremy Harvison on 29 June 2004:

I love your study.  I have two questions.

1)  Do you plan to perform the experiment with Royal Purple Oil?

2)  After you finish the Amsoil study, do you think you will find any 
indicators that would lead to identifying the best brand of oil?  Or is this 
going to be impossible?

From Hieu Ho on 25 June 2004:

Hi guys,
 
Fascinating study.  I have an idea about these wear rates that you may have already
considered.  If viscosity increases over time, that is the oil gets thicker over
time, perhaps Mobil 1 wear rates decreased as the oil thickened.  Although they're
both 5W/30 oils, Cst at 100 degrees for Amsoil and Mobil 1 are 12 and 10,
respectively.  Just a thought.

From Chad Johnson on 22 June 2004:

Regarding the AMSOIL testing, you seem to be focusing on the TBN and viscosity
without regard for the (what appears to be) significant drop in wear metals compared
to the Mobil-1.
I've been following and absorbing information on synthetics for years but I guess I
never found myself in a paired-comparison question like this, "if you had to choose
between wear metals and TBN, which would you choose and to what degree?"  TBN over
Wear metals 5:1? 2:1?

From Jon Simpson on 22 June 2004:

Hello my name is Jon Simpson, and I need any information that you may be
able to provide me on a motor swap.  I have an 81 Trans Am that I want
to put a 96 LT-1 out of an Impalla.  I was wondering if there was an
alternate site that had info on where I could find a book or a list of
items needed to be able to perfume this task, as well as info on how to
do it.   Any help given would be greatly appreciated.   Thank you for
your time.

From Christopher Skipp on 21 June 2004:

hi.  i have a 96 bonneville, regular engine not supercharged.  yesterday, it started
to overheat.  turns out, it had no engine coolant.  filled up the radiator, drove
about ten miles with no problem.  went to start up the engine and it would not
start, although it tried to start.  decided to check the radiator coolant again.  it
was all gone, like before.  so, its clear that there is a leak.  i can't seem to see
anyplace where its leaking.  what should i do?  also, what do you think the starting
problem is?  thanks for any advice.  

p.s. i've heard about some crappy plastic parts on the bonneville, something to do
with intake, etc., that wears out and causes some problem like the one i describe
above.  what can i do to see that it gets fixed properly.  thank you for your help.

From Joel Epstein on 18 June 2004:

Thanks for the great work.

I also drive a 2002 Z28.  I currently have 35K miles on it and plan to add 
34K/year.

I recently switched from dino juice to Kendall synthetic but I plan to 
switch to Amsoil in both of my cars soon.

Looking forward to the next update.

From Jon Wolfe on 17 June 2004:

I enjoy reading your articles.

I was curious...........what city and state are you located in.

I am in Dallas, TX.

From Durango Trucker on 17 June 2004:

I was wondering if I could put wheels on my 99 durango 4wd off of a 2wd 
durango

From Jay at Home on 16 June 2004:

Nice work- it looks like you're doing a good, impartial job.
Ths was my first visit- I'll drop in again.

From Peter Hesketh on 14 June 2004:

Hi,  I just linked to your site from "The Temple of Vtec". 

It reminded me of an article that I read in Popular Science in 1967 or 68, 
shortly after Mobil 1 was introduced.

It seems that an engineer at Ford was a little leery of the claims that 
Mobil made for it's new oil.  He decided to put the oil to a test.

To be on the safe side he changed the filter at the recommended oil change 
intervals.  At these intervals he tested the oil for impurities and 
breakdown and had his staff tear the engine apart and measure for wear. He 
ran the oil, with additions to replace what was left in the filter and 
consumption, for 100,000 miles with no perceivable wear in the Lincoln 
engine.

>From what I remember 40 years later, his conclusion was, that the 
synthetic oil carried impurities and the filter could pull them out, while 
the organic oil absorbed and combined with many of the impurities and the 
filter wasn't able to remove them.

I was so impressed that I have used Mobil 1 since.

Keep up the good work.

From Brad Dilts on 13 June 2004:

Hey, I was reading through your oil life study "Infrequently asked 
questions", and I saw where you mentioned you actually were using NAPA Gold 
filters instead of Wix.  Just to let you know, NAPA Gold filters are made 
by WIX, just painted differently and with the first two digits of the 5 
digit filter number changed.  I'm going from memory here, but for example, 
I believe the WIX number for oil filters starts with a 52 and the NAPA 
number starts with a 92, but not positive on that.  So really, you didn't 
alter your test equipment!

Thanks for the good work and how is the Amsoil test going?

From Doug Corbett on 13 June 2004:

hey ive heard alot about syn motor oil .i just bought my 87 mustang gt that i always
wanted,its got 76,000 on it and the previous owner was using mobile 1 so continue to
use it.i always heard it will get past your seals on older cars and it does on
mine.my buddy told me to try a syn blend.what is the diff between them besides price

From Rick Covell on 11 June 2004:

Why did you not use a M 1 oil filter and a Amsoil oil and air filter during 
the tests?  Also are you using the right Amsoil to try and run it that long?  
Series 3000 5W-30 diesel (yes I said diesel oil for a gas engine) try it you 
will be impressed or use Series 2000 0W-30.  I ran similar tests at a power 
plant that I run, Amsoil beat M1 in every test on a Caterpillar 3516 Generator 
(1150 hp). Electrical motor bearings and air compressors.  I ran M1 for years 
until I tested Amsoil.

From Jock Bojo on 10 June 2004:

I own a toyota prius I, my 2nd one, both were bought used.
the prius has a hybrid engine/THS. when driving at speeds not exceeding 40 mph per
hour, quite often the combustion engine does not run and cools down. this results in
very low average operating temps.. during our winter season with its rather moderate
temps, the TEMP. OF THE ENGINE COOLANT will >60°C, measured with the miniscanner 2.
the cooling system thermosstat opens at 80°C, and will be open fully at 90°C.
I had 3 oil analysis done by wear check, in 1/2003, 1/2004 and 6/2004,
respectively.fuel in fuel was 5.8, 3.7 and 1.8%, respectively.
I think, that the prius engine is running too cool.
any comments/suggestions?

From Brian Lohmeyer on 8 June 2004:

Have you seen any of the "quick-drain" type oil pan plugs on the market?  I have not
personally used one yet, but it would seem you could benefit from the claimed
convenience of just turning the valve to drain out enough oil for a sample.  I have
only sampled oil during an oil change, and allow some to drain out first (per the
lab's instructions) before catching a bottleful of the dark stuff.
At least it would be worth looking into for use while testing all these oils.  I
have been following your study.  Keep up the good work.

From Scott Leake on 8 June 2004:

Ran across your study/test of different synthetic oils (Mobil, Amsoil, Red
Line...). Great stuff. I wanted to check and see if you are still doing
this. How is it going?  Are you still looking for donations to help defray
the costs? Please send me the paypal info as I think I would like to help.

Keep up the great work!

From David McDonald on 8 June 2004:

MB
SINCE WE MAY BE NEAR THE END OF THE AMSOIL TEST, IS THERE ANOTHER TEST IN 
THE WINGS? I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE SERIES 2000 AMSOIL OR THE SYNLUBE 
PRODUCTS.
THANKS

From Jean-Guy LeBlanc on 7 June 2004:

I am rebuilding my 76 Dart Sport. It had a slant 6 which will be replaced with a
79/360. Now I am looking for an oil pan that will fit (centre sump) and will not
cost me an arm and a leg.

From Adam Houchen on 7 June 2004:

Ok I am in the process of putting a 2000 Grand am dash into a pontiac Fiero. It
looks great so far, just a lot of trimming here and there, but I need help in one
area. Do you know a way to get the original grand am gage cluster
(fuel,tach,speedo,and such) to work with the current fiero setup. The fiero is a 5
speed and the schematic shows the speed sensor wire going from the sensor to the
dash and then from the dash to the computer. It sends the signal at 4000
pulses/mile. The tach gets its signal from a tach filter. I am going to install a
3800 at a much later date that will give me a 99ish ECM.
but for now is there any hope to rig this up to the current stock setup?
Any help will be greatly appreciated

From Ricky Desq on 6 June 2004:

When you built the air induction system for the Mustang you never said anythin about
the wires that went to the original one.

From Sally Kris on 4 June 2004:

    Had mustang stolen.  Even the owner/operator manual is gone.  Where can I get a
replacement?

From Lee Bussy on 3 June 2004:

Hi Neptune,

First, I see you need a sponsor for the 32K test on Amsoil (if it
makes it).  I'd be glad to help defray the costs of your testing if
you let me know how.

Second, I would positively LOVE to see some unbiased testing on a V-2
motor. I belong to several Harley mailing lists and I could see where
folks there would me most interested and help with the testing costs.
I mean oil threads there are as heated as anyone else plus we have the
H-D drivel/hype they feed us about "their" oil being better.

Keep up the great work, we're watching!

From David Cooley on 2 June 2004:

I would love to see an Oil comparison on a V-Twin...
I see a lot of complaints about Harley's "SYN3" oil making engines overheat
etc, and the Valvoline VR1 20W50 I used was ok, but have now decided to try
Royal Purple...  What a difference!
When hot, the VR1 20W50 would go to practically 0 Pressure in my 92
Harley...  at cruise it would stabilize about 1800-2000 RPM at 16 PSI...
With no other mods, the royal purple 20W50 idles HOT at 12PSI and has never
dropped lower, even in higher ambient temps, and at cruise it stays at 20
PSI...

From Clinton Headtrick on 2 June 2004:

One of the most interesting revelations from your website is the one concerning
decreasing rate of engine wear as mileage increases.  While neither a lubrication or
engine expert, my experience with maintaining auto engines for over 1,000,000 miles
and reading the non-professional literature on oil and engines for almost 50 years
has given me some small reason to find the answer.  By no means is what is offered
considered to be the real reason for the reduced wear.
 
1.  Could the additive package that controls TBN not be fully mixed and/or balanced
and controlling the acid until several thousand miles after the change of oil?  It
seems possible that although the TBN is established at manufacture, the mixture is
not fully capable of immediately neutralizing.  Acid wear is chemical in nature and
would be minimally affected by the filter.
 
2.  Could the filter over the first few thousand miles actually become signficantly
more efficient and thereby remove more abrasive particles reducing particulates of
all sizes in the oil?  Fewer abrasives circulating mean less frictional wear.  The
filter would become more efficient because hole size would be reduced as the holes
would fill with particles.  Obviously, there is a point at which the filter plugs
and the element is bypassed, rendering the filter of no value.
 
3.  Similarly, could virgin oil contain more impurities than the manufacturer would
have us believe and over time the improving filter would remove the wear particles? 
This idea came about after examining the bottom of empty oil containers whose oil
had just been removed.  Some of these containers had a black grit on the inside
bottom.
 
4.  What about the possibility that the oil actually improves in lubricity over
time?  This would be contrary to my understanding of the long chains of molecules
that eventually shear down to small chains, reducing the film strength and
therefore, the oil is less slick.   Also, the buildup of acid over time should and
would normally increase acidic wear.
 
At any rate, it is good that your talent is being directed toward answers for the
rest of us in the increasingly costly and complex issue of auto maintenance.  
 
It will take legions of talented individuals such as yourselves to keep us mobile on
into the future when you realize that the age of petroleum will come to an end when
you are my age.  It seems only yesterday that I was driving through West Texas in
the 1960's and saw hundreds of miles of producing oil fields.  On a recent trip,
first in many years, the absence of these oil pumps was striking, just a few here
and there and mostly stripper wells.

From Stacey Olstad on 1 June 2004:

Hi
My name is Stacey. My husband and I have a 1968 dodge charger, that has recently had
the body restored.  The car is in the process of being painted and he would like to
have the original bumblebee stripe on the back.  The problem is that we do not know
any of the dimentions, can you help?  We know we could purchase a decal if
necessary.

Thanks

From Leonardo Pereia on 31 May 2004:

Hi there, my name is Leo and i have been looking
lately all ove the internet unbiased lab tests on
synthetic oil for a while, and as you may know i have
not had any luck. 
Everyone says amsoil is the best, but i need proof and
evidence. It will be the oil i will be using in my
cars and motorcycle (and i do know about energy
conserving oils) 
Your articles struck me as very objective and in
search of "the thruth". I do not know if you guys stop
the research, and if you did, can you possibly point
me in the right direction?
Thank you very much, eo

From Dennis Kane on 29 May 2004:

have a 2000 dodge intrepid 3.2, i use it mainly as a weekend car. has 27,065 mi.,
will sit sometimes 2-3 weeks with out moving. manual says 3months-3000miles, have
been changing every 3months, good bad or indifferent- what are your thoughts- thanks
much

From Paul Nuke on 26 May 2004:

Hi Neptune folks,

My experience, for what it's worth:  Stock 1986 Mazda RX-7 GXL, which 
I purchased as a partially repaired wreck in 1987, and completed the 
repairs.  I've always used Castrol Syntec in it, simply because it 
seems to be the most readily available synthetic on local retail 
shelves.  Maintenance, very roughly estimated from memory:

First seven years and 50K miles, I changed the oil and filter perhaps 
two or three times.

After that, I rationalized that there was no real need because the 
engine squirts a bit of oil into the combustion chambers, so the oil 
is very slowly consumed, and thus the occasional added quart dilutes 
contaminants and sufficiently maintains the quality of the oil.  The 
truth is, even though I love the car, I've had constant pressures 
that made it's maintenance seem entirely secondary - I just couldn't 
afford to take time to care for it.

But I never once failed to calculate the precise gas mileage at every 
fuel fill-up.  My feeling was that that's a key indicator of overall 
performance - if fuel efficiency is flat, then systems are not 
breaking down.  And, except when a connection in the fuel system came 
loose, fuel efficiency was consistent at about 18 MPG right to the 
end.  That end occurred last month, at 18 years of age and 115K 
miles, when, due to cooling system failures, I overheated the engine 
and evidently toasted the O-rings that isolate the combustion chamber 
from the cooling system.  Now it won't retain coolant, so it's a 
planter.  (It's too bad, because I still like the car a lot.)

But that failure wasn't related to lubrication, so my anecdotal 
experience is that oil maintenance with Syntec in this rotary powered 
vehicle was unnecessary.  It would have been nice, but failing to 
attend to it didn't seem to cause any degradation that I could see.

Regards

From Howard Bentley on 26 May 2004:

I just saw a guy walking out of the office with a jug of Rotella 
synthetic.  I asked him later if he had a tractor out in the parking 
lot.  He told me he puts it in his Honda VFR 750.  He also claims that 
the bike runs cooler and shifts smoother.  Ever hear of this?  At ~$12 
a gallon, it's quite a bargain.  I'm gonna try it out in my turbo car 
after I break in the engine.  How about that sister study with the 
V-Twin?  :)

From Howard Bentley on 26 May 2004:

I live in Calgary Canada where winter temperatures sometimes makes the oil
feel like treacle you are turning over.
I would really like to change to synthetic but have heard it makes seals
leak more often. I'm not sure whether this information means the swell and
leak or dry out and leak.
Do you have any experience with this information?
Please keep the website and articles coming. I have only just found the site
but will certainly be a reader from now on.
Very best regards

From Eric from Texas on 26 May 2004:

Hey I have a 1993 1500 Chevy pu and I bought a 97 vortec 350. I was wondering do
they make a conversion kit to go from multiport to the factory throttle body. Any
info would be greatly appreciated.

From Paul Nuke on 25 May 2004:

I own a 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. Recently my Jeep has started
vibrating and any random moment, usually between the speeds of 40mph and
55mph, and if Im not quick enough to hit the brakes and slow it down, it
blows a 20 amp fuse under the hood and shuts the entire Jeep down. 

Ive turned wrenchs in my own garage for awhile now, but this utterly stumps
me. Ive checked just about everything I can think of and as big as the
internet is, I can find no answer. Im tired of buying Walmarts entire supply
of 20 amp fuses, If you can help me out, please do. I appreciate it.

From Lou Vassallo on 24 May 2004:

Hello!
      I just wanted to send you a note thanking you for all the information 
on your site.  I have a 95 Mustang GT AOD with 183,000 miles on it (yes I 
bought it new).  I haven;t changed much aside from an aftermarket high flow 
catalytic converter, flowmaster mufflers and pipes, and a K&N filter, unless 
you include the three times I had the tranny rebuilt,  (lol).
     Anyway I have had a list of small problems over the last year including 
stumbling and surging idle, loss of power, ac doors not working, failed 
emmisions, and just a general feeling that the car was not running well... 
and no one seems to be able to diagnose it properly.  After a lot fo 
research (especially at YOUR site since you guys have my car :)  I wound up 
doing the following:
    Replacing the O2 sensors.  They were never replaced.  EVER.  I actually 
had a failed cat 2 years ack and had to buy an aftermarket one form Catgo 
because the OEM one was like 12 hundred bucks.. I had asked the mechanin of 
the O2 sensors should be replaced as well and he indicated that "O2 sensors 
never fail.  If they do there will be a specific code."  Yeah right.  I 
replaced the sensors and the EGR valve (and gasket.. we will come to the 
gasket thing later lol).
     After doing this, other problems seemed more pronounced.  The idle suge 
and stumble seemed to get a little worse.  INitially I thought.. HELL!  I 
have bad parts... BUT I went to your site and noticed you guys kept 
diagnosing the same problem as a vacuum leak right away.  And then I 
remebered that some time back the AC doors wihich control my air to the 
vents were acting up on and off.  The problem went away almost by itself 
some time ago.  THEY were run by vacuum....  SO I had an idea.  Reaplace all 
the vacuum lines.  Which I did.. Except for the two that run under the air 
intake plenum (My next project).
     The surging and stumbling got MUCH better.... SO I also decided to take 
apart the Mass Air and clean the sensor inside.  I took apart the Idle Air 
bypass as well (you really CAN take the thing apart and put it back together 
if you pry the metal retainers back) and its was DISGUSTINGLY filthy.  
Cleaned that too.  I got a little happy with my cleanig and took apart the 
Throttle body an cleaner that filthy sucker out too.
     Sidebar:  When I took apart the throttle I had to remove the EGR and I 
tried to re-use the gasket like your.. um friend... did in that article and 
I had perfomrance issues probably from vaccum loss.  Getting the part from 
anyone was a major pain so I bought some gasket material and cut it 
myself... BOING!  Instant performance improver lol.
     After all this I had to adjust the timing AND the idle.  It looks like 
some mechanic way back adjust them due to my car performance at the time.  
So now that everything was nice and clean and new I had to set them back.  
My current state:  VERY minor stumble,  VERY minor surge when I first turn 
on my AC.  It looks like the coltage drops a little so maybe its the 
Alternator I had replaced about a year and a half back by a local chain 
(they probably gave me a POS alternator).
     My next thing:  Replacing those two annoying vaccum lines under the air 
itake plenum.  I am going tot ake the whole damn thing apart, clean it out 
and replace the lines and gasket.  NOW that I KNOW therre are two bolts 
under the For 5.0 plate.. LOL>  Thanks for that.  Its true that no manual 
tells that to you  HAnes sure as hell didn't.  Anyway I am BETTING that 
after that my engine will run like buttter.....
     One question:  There is a thin pipe that runs from tht cat back into 
the engine.  I notices some rattingling awhile back and noticed that the 
hangers under the car and inside the engine bay on the passenger side were 
broen.  I am not sure what this pipe does except that is seems to provide a 
way back fro unused oygen and/or aother gases into the engine for emissions. 
  I created some hangars for this pipe (the original in the engine bay 
attached to one of the bolts on the header) so that there is no longer a 
rattling noise, and its more or less snug on the cat now....  Should I deal 
the connection to the cat with some pipe sealing compaound (did this with 
the cat pipe when it came loose)?  Does it matter if its airtight?  That is 
assuming form my generic description you can tel me what it is.......
Sorry for the book I wrote here.. I am a computer consutlant by trade and 
work mostly with hardware, so I am reasonable troubleshooter and can 
understand tech talk is you speak slowly enough ..lol.  Thanks again for all 
the info on your site and if you can asnwer the little question regarding 
that pipe off of the catalytic converter it would be nice...

From Jake Wyler on 24 May 2004:

Hi, I read your article about horsepower and I have a question my car (1993 acura
vigor) is advertised at 176 HP yet owners claim dyno tests closer to 202HP. Have you
heard of any reports about this and if not how can I find out. Thanks

From David McDonald on 24 May 2004:

MB
JUST SWITCHED TO MOBIL 1, WONDERING IF THERE ARE ANY RELIABLE DEGREES OF 
DARKNESS WITH SYN OIL TO TELL YOU THE END IS NEAR.
THANKS
CAMRY GUY

From Mike Nunb on 21 May 2004:

Hello,
    Just discovered your web site from a link on, of all places, a Toyota 
Prius hybrid message board.   Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.   
Which translates to hours of late nite reading.   I'm going to pass on your site 
link to another "gear head" with a big reader base.
     I'm watching your synth oil test with great anticipation since I have 
been a Mobil 1 fan since the stuff hit the market and another member of my 
Chapter is an even bigger Amsoil promoter.   Your last comment on that page teased 
of a V-twin test.   YES!!!   Bring it on!   
     Thanks,   Mike   (Among others, 1995 Toyota Supra TT and a few Harleys)

From Martin Eble on 21 May 2004:

The lower wear on the Amsoil is no surprise - note the
higher phosphorous and zinc levels. When everyone else
dropped their levels of zinc phosphate to meet the API
SL requirements, Amsoil balked. As a result, some of
their products are not API certified (not unlike Red
Line, which is not an API licensee).

If you want low wear, try the Mobil 1 Racing Oil. It
also lacks API certification:

                Mobil 1    Mobil 1
                Racing     5W-30     Amsoil

Boron           178        120       82
Phosphorus      1399       737       965
Zinc            1536       819       1113
Calcium         3024       2649      2321

The Mobil 1 10W-40 Motorcycle oil also has higher
levels of Phosphorous and Zinc.

From George Sardelis on 21 May 2004:

I have the same problem that Alexandru Tutu (july 1, 2003) was having with
his 97 GTP.  It misfires, runs good, then misfires again. It also stalls
sporadically when I come to a complete stop.  It has been doing this for the
past week.  I have checked everything.no engine codes.  Does anyone know
what may be causing it.

From David Burgess on 18 May 2004:

I only have one problem with your site - I cannot log off!  Too interesting!

That is not to say I agree with everything you say.  I do like your practical
approach and you get to a plausible and entertaining conclusion in almost every case.
Yes - everyone should learn to drive a manual for the direct feeling and fuel
economy.  We recently bought a Focus ZTW 2.3 PZEV, one of the last of this breed, but
it came as an auto.  There were no manuals on the East Coast!  Of course, Ford likes
auto's - they get about $800 more for them. Does it cost more to make an auto? 
Possibly, but not more than 50 bucks, I think.  After it is built, it costs no more
to transport, service, clean etc., and only a smidgeon more to finance the stock and
recompense the dealer, so most of the $800 goes directly into Henry's pocket.
Halliburton and Exxon etc. like auto's too - they sell more fuel.

Talking of fuel, I do not agree with your essay on trucks and fuel prices.  I copied
your data (great job of getting it together - thanks) into Excel and massaged it a
little. First of all, we agree that fleet fuel economy changes slowly, so why not
"smooth" the price data? I did this with an "infinite impulse response" filter from
signal processing - it is equivalent to an R-C filter in physical circuits.  (Or a
dashpot (ideal) and a mass in mechanical systems.  Very much like going over a bump
in a car.)  All you do is to add a fraction of the new data to the old data less the
same fraction.  The smaller the fraction the greater the smoothing, and the greater
the delay.  (Very similar to your fleet fuel economy figures.)  I used 1/3 and 1/5 as
trial fractions, 1/3 smooths the data nicely, and introduces a delay of only 1-2
yrs., so I ignored the delay.  Now look at what we get!  The chart in the attached
Excel file is normalised to the first data point (1989) and then expressed as
differences by subtracting 1. The only effect is to show the data more clearly.  (See
attached file: Fuel comparison.xls)

We could do all sorts of fancy analysis to get a correlation coefficient, probability
that the correlation is by chance etc.  The graphical result is very impressive to an
unsophisticated viewer, so let us stick with that.  It would be interesting to get
2001-2003 data, I suspect the apparent drop in price over the years would disappear.

Soooooo - not only does fuel economy affect fuel prices, but we can take a swag at
the ratio (correlation coefficient) - roughly an 8% improvement in fleet fuel economy
reduces prices by 5%.  Actually, we do not know that it is not the reverse: fuel
price affects fuel economy.  I suspect it does in the long run, and certainly will
when the oil runs out.

Pace, lies damn lies and statistics!  But you do say that increased driving may
affect the results - and the oilco does not care if you fill up a Focus and drive 300
miles or a Suburban and drive 120 miles, it still sells 10 gallons.  On this slightly
shaky basis, we might expect that if we (all) drove 8% less, fuel prices would drop
5%.  That makes the "I'll just go down to the grocery to get a...." very expensive!

Hope you are still enjoying your Impreza.  Many years ago, my experience was from a
UK Ford Escort (when it was RWD) to a Morris 1100, so I learned that FWD was very
much better than RWD. Newer RWD's are, I am sure, much better, but, I submit, at a
higher price (Merc's, Jags and Bimmers etc. - RWD GM's and Crown Victorias are still
HOJ's IMHO).  Here in NC, a good FWD will cover all but the odd day or so per year
(no changing tyres), so I do not need 4WD. If I really did need 4WD, the Impreza
would probably be my choice too.

Sorry to yadder on so much.  Thanks for the practical stuff - synthetic oil,
additives etc.  A great public service.  Long live Paradise Garage.

It was a pleasure to hear from someone with something to say besides "what is the firing order on my 1986 Oldsmobile Firenza?"

From Efrain Siller on 18 May 2004:

Hi, I just find your webpage, I'm really interested in the oil study, I
have always used dino oil (castrol GTX) and since I believed that having
new oil was better I changed oil and filter every 2000 miles, Thanks to
you I am doing that no more, now I want to change to synthetic oil, what
do you think about castrol syntec( I already bought 5 quarts of that
oil), the next time I guess I will use mobil1.  What do you think about
K&N high flow filters or mobil 1 filters, are they good?
Thanks, and keep the good work with the oil study

From John Potocki on 15 May 2004:

I am becoming more and more convinced that a customer's wealth and wisdom 
are inversely proportional.  Some who are damn rich are just damn dumb 
too.  If you could bet on this in Vegas you would always win.  Win big too.

We make four products, soon to be five; two we advertise on our web site 
and two are made exclusively for professional drag race teams, strictly 
nitromethane teams. The products we make that are drag race related are 
either just ordered and paid for promptly; granted the nitro teams 
have  money, still it is expensive stuff.  The other drag racing stuff 
available to everyone is met with either "ship them" or "don't ship 
them."  What could be easier?

I love dealing with these people.  It is either 'yea' or 'nea' - no in 
between.  No BS.  They usually do their homework before calling.

Then there is our main product which is aimed at high end, to very high 
end, performance/sports cars.  I will just say it protects the tires.  The 
majority of these people act like you are killing them with the cost of the 
product which is less than one rear tire and guaranteed for life!  Typical 
scenario: " Hi, I have a Ferrari/Porsche turbo/Viper and I am interested in 
your product.  Does it work? Yes.  How does it work?  Well, we now know 
they didn't go into the web site so we explain for 15 to 30 minutes how the 
product works and the fact that patents are not issued for ideas anymore 
etc.  You MUST prove efficacy and economic need to get a patent these 
days.  All is fine so far.  How much?  This is when they die, have strokes, 
go ballistic or just hang up.  They cost $344 delivered.

$344.  What!!!!!!  You're killing me!  I can get a house for that or a 
garage. yada-yada.  We tell them to price one rear tire for their 
Porsche/Ferrari. Viper etc. and they will see they are not really that 
expensive considering the life time warranty.  I must tell you the more 
expensive the car, the worst these guys act - really.  Then their is the 
kid with the Z-28 or Bullet Mustang and they say," Hey that's cool. Ship 
them."  Go figure.

Advertising - we won't even go there; spread most of these guys with 
Preparation H and they would vanish!

Finally there is complete stupidity.  (Customer calls) "I spilled some gas 
in the driveway and some got on your product as some went into the garage 
and when I dropped my cigarette it burned the blacktop and one of the 
pads.  It's guaranteed for life so will you send me one 
pad?"  No.  "&%#$%*(^#@^&%# you said they were life time warranted."  They 
are but not against setting them on fire with gas.  By the way how did you 
do that?

"Hell, I was filling the John Deere and I sort of wasn't paying too much 
attention and it started to run everywhere so I pushed it out of the way 
and dropped my cigarette in the process.  The SOB caught fire and your damn 
pad burned like hell,"  Really? Sorry but we don't warranty against fire.

I am on 89 car web sites and I will tell then you guys are thievin' sons of 
bitches, I will have you put out of business, I will call my lawyer, my 
mother - - yada-yada,"

And to think I retired from a medical profession to deal with this from the 
"creme de la creme" of the automotive world.  What in hell was I thinking?

Then again, perhaps I will either sell the patent or assign it and they can 
deal with the automotive elite.

From Patrick Gallaher on 13 May 2004:

I purchased a 71 Barracuda that came with a 440 in it. The problem is that the 440
came out of a GTX and did not have all of the brackets and pulleys with it. What is
there I do not know is correct or will work. This is a whopper of a puzzle for me.
The water pump pully only has one groove and the altenator has two grooves, while
the Crank pully has 5 grooves. The lower radiator hose hits the oil filter when
routed to the radiator and the power steering pump will not fit with the water hose
AC compressor and oil filter in the way. Does anyone know where I can find a picture
gallary or diagram of the pully and belt system for a 71 Cuda 440 with Air. 

Thanks

From Skip Aldrich on 13 May 2004:

Hey Brian,
            First I would like to commend you on a very well run testing procedure
with no hype and just the facts. I'd like to offer a couple of  ideas to
consider.
            The first being when everything is normal, the results should be boring.
            The attachment is the official Amsoil specification sheet for the test oil.
            Where one oil shines over another is when everything is not normal, such
as when a hose blows and overheating results, during cold weather
startup, while towing. The most dramatic advantage to synthetic is the
way it performs during a crisis. Note the spec sheet for these items.
            The next item is filter quality.  I understand you must use the same
filter for both tests but I call your attention to the spec sheet below
for Amsoil SDF oil filters. The graph at the bottom is very informative.
The Napa Gold filter is the worst for capacity of those tested and 3rd
from the worst for efficiency. If either an Amsoil filter or a Mobil 1
filter were used in the test, both oils would test better and last
longer. Note the Amsoil recommendation for change interval is 12,000
miles under normal use. Yes I am an Amsoil dealer and have been using
their products since 1973.  I hope this all makes it to you.
            If something looks missing let me know.

            Super Duty Oil Filters
              Offer all-around better filtration and protection than conventional
filters. Full flow design for extended drain intervals and severe
service. Contains a high-tech blended filtration media composed of
cellulose, synthetic and glass fibers. The media sets the Super Duty
apart from conventional filters in capacity, efficiency and service
life. Delivers superior filtration and protection. Product Code: SDF
           
            PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
            The AMSOIL Super Duty Oil Filter (SDF) is designed to provide maximum
filtration while meeting the high flow demands of modern automobiles.
The AMSOIL SDF contains a special cellulose, synthetic and glass blend
media that offers the best possible balance of long life, high capacity
and overall efficiency.

            Traps Dirt Throughout Media Thickness
            The AMSOIL SDF has a lofted fiber depth-type media that traps dirt
throughout its entire thickness for exceptional filtering efficiency. It
keeps oil clean and free of wear-causing contaminants. The AMSOIL SDF
Oil Filter provides up to 100 percent more capacity and up to 20 percent
greater efficiency than other filters provide. It is ideal for use with
extended oil drain intervals.

            Built for Rugged Performance
            The AMSOIL SDF has a heavy-duty case of drawn steel. The case is
double-crimped at the base with rolled-under seaming to withstand
extreme pressure surges and road shocks.

            Assures Oil Flow with Relief Valve
            On most filters a relief valve is provided to assure ample oil flow. It
prevents oil starvation in the engine in the event the media becomes
saturated.

            Prevents Oil Drainage During Engine Shutdown
            On filter installations where the mounting is sideways or upright, dirty
oil could drain out of the filter when the engine is shut off. The
AMSOIL SDF has an anti-drainback valve that keeps trapped contaminants
in the filter when the engine is not running.

            APPLICATION
            AMSOIL INC. recommends changing the AMSOIL SDF according to the
following guidelines.

            In gasoline-fueled engines using any AMSOIL motor oil except AMSOIL
XL-7500 Synthetic Motor Oil, change the filter at 12,500-mile or
six-month intervals. In gasoline-fueled engines using AMSOIL XL-7500
Synthetic Motor Oil, change the filter at 7,500-mile or six-month
intervals. If a Hastings or other filter is used, filter should be
changed at manufacturer recommendations.

            In diesel-fueled large truck engines, change the filter(s) at the engine
manufacturer's recommended oil change interval. In diesel-fueled light
trucks, including pickups and vans, change the filter at 7,000-mile or
six-month intervals.

            When using an AMSOIL Oil Filter with conventional motor oils, refer to
the owner's manual for the recommended oil filter change interval.

From Calvin Kim on 12 May 2004:

Good or Bad?
While they are purported to have absolute filtration capacity down to 35
microns, I wonder if that's too big for a standard
auto/motorcycle/insert_machine_here engine?
Here is some information (from a press release) about them:

SCOTT'S STAINLESS STEEL OIL FILTERS FOR ROAD AND OFF-ROAD BIKES

The last oil filter you should every have to buy
It's reusable!  You only need one for the life of your bike.

Superior Filtration:
Made from laser-cut, medical grade, 304-type stainless steel micronic filter
cloth, to provide unmatched protection against oil contamination and
resultant engine damage.   Rated filtration at 35 microns "absolute" which
is many times better than most "good" paper and brass filters.  A white
blood cell is approximately 25 microns. The stainless steel cloth filters
out particles below the limit of human visibility.  Unlike paper filters,
this is an absolute filtration spec, meaning nothing larger should pass
through the filter (paper elements are rated on an average or percent of
efficiency, meaning they CAN and DO pass much larger particles through the
filtering element.

Cleanable and reusable:
Simply remove the filter, rinse it in clean solvent and replace it, you're
done.
The filter can be cleaned with solvent, kerosene, aerosol carburetor
cleaner, or any other degreasing agent, even common dish soap.  Blow air
through the filter from the inside out to remove any small particles or
cleaning agent from the screen.  You can even claim your doing your part for
the environment by not sending used filters to the landfills.
 
Consistent flow under all conditions:
Stainless steel will stand up to the stress of heat, high pressure and
physical handling much better than paper or brass.   This filter maintains
consistent flow under all conditions including cold start up and under
extreme heat.  This filter flows 7-8 times more oil than most filters.  A
one inch square of this micron filter material will flow 1.9 gallons of 90
weight oil per minute at only 1 psi pump pressure (70 degrees F).  Our
standard filter size is 30 sq. inches which equals the flow of 57 gallons
per minute!  Standard paper filters do not flow well when the oil is cold,
which can cause the bypass valve to open, allowing unfiltered, dirty oil to
enter the engine!! 

Construction quality: We use only the highest quality materials in this
product.  We use aircraft quality aluminum for the end caps. Our pleat seams
are welded, not glued, like paper filters.  Some other mesh type filters use
epoxy on the pleat seams which is a risky way to secure the pleat.

Unaffected by Water, Heat and Pressure:
This filter is capable of withstanding extremely high pressure and flow
rates. It is also unaffected by Water, Heat and Pressure, unlike standard
paper filter material which swells in the presence of water, closing off
filter pores and reducing flow.  This is especially important because
engines occasionally get condensation inside the crankcase.

Early Detection:
By allowing you to inspect the debris that is in the filter you can monitor
your engines condition, avoiding minor and even worse, catastrophic failures
before they happen.

What is a Micron?  A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter.  That's about
.00003937 inches.  A white blood cell is about 25 microns.  Our filter
catches some pretty darned small stuff that wants to hurt your motor and
would be flying around in there if your using anything else.

So who uses this type of filtration?
This high tech filter technology is widely used in all types of auto racing
including Nascar, Cart, Formula 1 and the Aerospace industry where
filtration is of the utmost importance.

What does it fit:
We have filters for just about every 4-stroke Road Bike, ATV, Off-road Bike,
Snowmobile and Jet Ski made.

Things to think about:
Next time you are fanning your clutch think about all that tiny debris that
is created from the clutch and gears meshing together, spinning around in
your motor's vital parts. If you really care about the life of your motor
and consider the cost of loss of time associated with a current day 4-stroke
motor, then you need one of these filters. It's even transferable in some
cases to you next bike. I used the same filter in my last three bikes, and
it's still like brand new.  There's simply nothing to wear out.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
You can visit our website at www.scottsonline.com for more pictures and
information.
To order your new filter, you can call us at 818 248-6747 or order on-line
on our website.

From George Mertz on 5 May 2004:

I will sponsor the Oil Analyzers for your testing. Please let me know 
how to get the money to you. I will send either a check (if that's OK)
or money order. Just let me know how much, who to make it out to and 
where to send it.

Love your website. Found it by reading the forum at LosAngelesGasPrices.com

From Akom on 5 May 2004:

I'd like to help with the oil study,

Where do I send paypal money, and is there a set amount that is customary to
send?

I've been thinking of doing this very study (perhaps not this elaborate) for
some time, but now that I've found the site, I'd rather sponsor you guys since
you're doing a better job and are further along.

My oil experiences:

I've actually been using Amsoil 5w-30 for years in 3 cars and one bike, for a
total of at least 120K miles, without analysis and I've kept it in for 20K
miles at a time.  One car (87 Pulsar) eventually was consuming a quart per 100
miles (by 150K miles - but I rebuilt the head and not the engine so I should
have expected this) and was donated, but the others seem to be doing fine - 95
Integra GSR w/105K and a 95 Corolla w/120K.

The bike (79 CX-500 with 10K on it) actually had the oil in it for 3 years and
6K before I just got worried and changed it, and the oil didn't even look
black.   Perhaps I (read: you) should do a study on synthetics left in low-use
engines for a long time.  I'd love to change the oil in the bike once a decade.

PS: Any reason why nobody has mentioned Castrol Syntec?  Did someone prove it to
be such crap that it isn't worth mentioning? :)

From Paul Kay on 4 May 2004:

I'm currently rebuilding an 84 s10 2.8 liter v6 and I've encountered some trouble. I
own a haynes manual and a chiltons manual but i cant figure out were the hoses on
top of the motor go. i had help tearing it down so i dont know where they go. there
are no online diagrams of the hoses and im stuck. i needed the truck running last
month but im in a huge jam. please help.

From Ed Barnett on 3 May 2004:

I'd be please to help you folks with your oil analysis and also to
contribute $20.00 to the effort. I just transferred some money to my paypal
account which money will be available in 3-4 days.

In the mean time I have a number of vehicles, all on synthy, anyone of which
could be used for study. Vehicles are:
Porsche 911-2.7 liter
Ford F-350 Powerstroke
2003 Subaru 3.0 liter

Let me know how I can help.

From Kay Pendergast on 3 May 2004:

Neptune,
Your synthetic oil test is great, I was also wondering about a couple
other synthetics that claim extended intervals.
I ran across a website (www.motrlube.com) that claims 40,000 mile
intervals, have you heard anything about them?
They are a pure 100% synthetic with PAO's, not a blend with dino or
ethers like most synthetics.
Perhaps they could be your challenge for the gentleman that wanted to
see Royal Purple compariso

From Lord Garnit on 30 April 2004:

Hi Great site..I just sold my recen't car which was a 91 FB V-6, And have since
picked up an 83 T/A 305 4bbl that had sat for 8yrs, I did all the major tune up
stuff smog/electric. The car runs and drives....But it has a weird vacumish noise,
and when i press on the gas peddle while driving it loose's power and feels like
it's going to die?. i know nothing of Carburators or vacume diagrams..Could you give
me some pointers on what it might be? Thank You.

From Doug Wilson on 29 April 2004:

hi my name is doug,
I own a 1954 chevy Bel-Air, and we just started hearing a knock in the 
engine, so we went to our friend, and we bought a chevy small block 400 or a 
  350, we are not sure, but anyways, we are going to put the V8 into the 
Bel-Air, and take out the strait 6, but there are no moter mounts for the 
V8, where can i get a conversion kit for the 54, so that the engine will 
fit??
Any info will be greatly appreaciated

  thanks

From Bill Winney on 29 April 2004:

Gents,
 
I have a 2001 Mustang with the 4.6 L dual overhead cam engine.
Purchased new with 3 miles on it.
 
At 8 miles (yest just the ride home from the dealer) I changed the
filter and put in Mobil One 5W-30.  Then changed Mobil One & filter at
322, & 1822 miles.
 
At 796 miles I installed an oil cooler and two filter oil manifold.  
 
At 1822 miles I installed an electric Prelube oil pump.  System volume
is now 8 qts vice the OEM 5 qts.
 
At 4007 miles I installed an Oil Guard Bypass flow oil filter and
commenced sampling oil.
 
I have since accumulated a total of 98,400 miles on this car & engine
with samples about every 3,000 miles.
 
After I commenced taking samples I drew the conclusion that I could
extend the change interval from every 3000 miles by sampling every 3000
miles and changing the oil when the results indicated a need to.
 
I gradually increased the change interval from 3 to 6 to 9 to 12 to 15
to 18 to 24 thousand miles.  On the recommendation of the analysis lab I
have now shifted to changing the filter at about 24 thousand miles and
topping up the oil.  I am now at about 30 thousand miles since last
total change.  I did change the filters at 24 thousand and topped up 3
qts added for the oil lost from the filters.  I suppose you could call
that a partial change.
 
I have tracked the oil results and they indicate little wear.  (yes I
have recorded all of them in a spreadsheet and plotted key results to
follow trends)
 
Mobil One 5W-30 and 0W-30 have been used exclusively since 8 miles.  I
prefer the 0W-30 since it gets to the bearings faster at start up.
 
I believe the bypass filter with its 1 micron filtration capability to
be a real contributor to the good wear performance of this engine.  A
point you did not address in your article was the particle size
capability of filters.  About the best you see in full flow filters is
25 micron size.  The connecting rod to crankshaft bearings in my engine
are 8 microns.  From this I concluded that the oil life could be
reliably extended and did so as mentioned above.
 
I concluded that I need more than a really good full flow filter and
decided that the Oil Guard unit was the best choice for me.  This bypass
filter in combination with the prelube oil pump gives a real good
combination in reducing engine wear.

From Larry Turner on 29 April 2004:

Howdy -
I run a Oil Analysis business and have been posting the results of the
tests for over a year.  Last Oct I began to get behind entering the data
from my customers but I hope to get caught up soon.

Actually I sell the Oil Test Kits and use a lab near Chicago to do the
tests - they've been in the testing business since the early 60s.  Feel
free to look at my data and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

For oil test info - http://members.rennlist.com/oil/
The above page is a index to Oil Test Results, a page telling how to
evaluate the info and some other informational stuff.

Let me know if I can help in anyway.  BTW, have you tested relatively
new cars?  We've found cars with less than 6000 miles on the engine have
high levels of metal contamination.  I believe it comes from the
assembly and manufacturing process and I believe the car manufacturers
are doing the public a dis-service when the *DON'T* recommend a oil
change early in the life of a engine.

If I buy another new car I'll definately change all the lube oils at
3000 miles.

Take care

From Abdul Hassan on 27 April 2004:

Hi.  "send in comments, or more often, beg for help" oh yeah, you bet on
this one!  so I was wondering why you guys were a lil' bit lazy to mention
what color exactly is the oxygen sensor wire required to hook up to the
air/fuel ratio gauge and where inside the Mustang is it located?  I don't
think it's worth buying a 94 Ford Mustang EVTM just to check for one little
wire, when there are good people like you willing to help desperates like
me!  Your help is highly appreciated.  Thanks!

From Matt Bickhard on 27 April 2004:

I noticed that the data show a decrease for 3000mi in the viscosity of Amsoil but
the graph shows an increase.  Am I missing something?

Toodles

From Candis Hagler on 26 April 2004:

My fiance has a Mustang Coupe (I belive a 68) that he is wishing to do a convertible
conversion to.  The problem is that we have been unable to find anyone who does
Mustang conversions.  Can you help?

From Bruce McCaskey on 25 April 2004:

Hey.

http://www.wefilterit.com/

and 

http://www.bypassfilter.com/index.htm

both have toilet paper oil filters. I've seen in
several places on the web people talking about never
having changed their oil for the (long) life of their
vehicle. Is this on the level? What does it mean, if
true, for the oil comparison study?

I wasted a huge amount of time on your site today
quite enjoyably. BTW THurber had a great story about
Scotties called "The Dog Who Bit People".

From Carol Evans on 25 April 2004:

i need a breakdown diagram of the anti-theft system on a 1991 camaro. HELP Thanks,

From Travis Schneider on 23 April 2004:

I am looking to build a 318 for my 1983 Dodge D250.  It currently has a 318
but I want to build another one.  I have found a 318 block from a 1968 auto.
I know they are both LA blocks.  Will I have any trouble bolting it up?

From Ronn Lickwar on 22 April 2004:

Good morning!

I really enjoy following your synthetic oil life study.  If you would be 
wiling to test the NAPA Fully Synthetic Oil I would be willing to pick up at least 
half of the cost for oil and testing.  Would you please contact me if you are 
interested?

From Robert Alexander on 22 April 2004:

Hi, Brian:

Have you received any results yet on the last AMSOIL sample?  One of the reasons I
was interested in the Tribomaxx oils was their claim that their high TBN sustains
over time.  I haven't been impressed with either Mobil 1 or AMSOIL with respect to
TBN resiliency.  If I remember correctly, your AMSOIL sample is already down to 3.3
on the TBN scale.  By the look of it, AMSOIL may not make it to the 18,000 mile
benchmark that Mobil 1 set. 

Are you burning more AMSOIL than Mobil 1?  If so, that might help it get to the
18,000 mile mark (by having to add new oil along the way).

Are you using AMSOIL's SDF filter?  Did you use Mobil's filter when you tested Mobil
1? 

I've considered analyzing Delo 400 (for my Power Stroke F-250), but using an AMSOIL
SDF filter for the testing instead of Ford's.  The key to this issue may be more a
matter of filtration than it is the make-up of the oils.  I'm sure that it's more
than just filtration; but, if I could get 7,000 miles (or 6 months) out of Delo by
using a high end filter or filtration system, I'd be happy.

I can buy a gallon of Delo for $7.00.  That's about 1/4 the wholesale cost for
AMSOIL's Series 3000 5W-30, which is one of their diesel oils I've considered using
during winter.  Money is a consideration.  It adds up in a hurry when changing out
14 qts. at each change interval.  :-(

Actually, I might do this test over the next 6 months -- for comparison with your
synthetic results.  I'd start May 1.  I'd do either a 3000 mile analysis or one at 3
months on August 1 (which ever comes first); then, pending those results, do either
a 4500 mile test or one at 4.5 months.  If I get past that point, then I'd shoot for
either 6000 miles or 6 months.  AMSOIL suggests changing filters at 6 months anyway.
 If I were to get to 6000 miles with some promise of going farther, I would shoot
for 7000, regardless of whether I exceed the 6 month mark or not.

A lot of conditions in this process, but I would need to focus on them.  I don't
want to screw up my rig just to see how long I can go without an oil change.  The
Power Strokes tend to run sooty, so I would need to heed the testing results and be
diligent about the testing cycles.  

This wouldn't be like comparing apples to apples with respect to your study, but it
might be an interesting cost comparison.

Other oils to study?   There's always Royal Purple and Redline, which I'm sure you
and other interested parties have considered.

By the way, I'm still going to call a guy who has some Tribomaxx inventory left and
ask him about his experiences with the oil and the company.  Just for the fun of it.

From Robert Alexander on 22 April 2004:

Well, Brian, this is becoming the continuing Tribomaxx saga.

I called the manufacturing plant (AMPTRON Corp.) and talked with a technician whose
name is Deo.  He may also be the designer/owner of the patent and plant.  I don't
know.  But he put my mind at ease with respect to the additive concern I had shared
earlier this morning.  In short, he is interested in having Tribomaxx be a
participant in your study.  He only asks that his sample be the last one studied
because he was concerned that the lubrication film his oil creates would advantage a
competitor who might follow his test.   

I told him I would have you call him if you are interested.  His number is (402) 391
0602, and they're on Central time.   

They've been selling Tribomaxx for 9 years here, in Europe and in Asia.  They may
have a super product (or not), but if so, I think their marketing system is limping
along here in the States.  I think they've probably tried to do the AMSOIL marketing
model (pyramid sales program), but haven't gotten it well established. I'm guessing,
though.   

AMPTRON has disassociated itself from the Phillipines distributor, DMX Technology
Corp., because of "a matter of integrity".  They have connected with another
distributor there.  Deo is getting me a couple of U.S. distributors' phone numbers
so I can talk to them more about the marketing and technical materials that are
available. One is in Colorado and the other in Phoenix.  Interestingly enough, the
distributor in Phoenix uses a 0W oil all year 'round because it gives him great
mileage.  The lubricating film of that oil would have to be awfully good for that to
be successful.  Chriminey!  That's 120 degrees down there in the summer.

Incidentally, with the exception of some custom made products like the one he makes
for the Phoenix distributor, their oils are single grade only (typically 20 weight).
 That made me a bit nervous because I'm looking for an oil for my Power Stroke
diesel.  He explained that all other oil companies base their lubrication on the
viscosity of the base oil, i.e., the heavier the oil, the greater the lubrication
effect.  With Tribomaxx oils the base oil is a secondary lubricant.  The primary
lubricants are the EP additives which create a lubricating film on the engine parts.
 Their base oil is a carrier of the primary lubricants rather than a lubricant
itself.

Don't be alarmed.  They don't use PTFE or chlorine or other clogging or acid forming
additives.  The profile of this stuff seems too good to be true.   

I think it's worth talking to this guy.  Among other things he said AMPTRON
guarantees their oils.  He said he knows of no other oil manufacturer who will
guarantee their products.  If you do call him, you can ask him about their guarantee
and the various advantages of their oils.   

He was not forthcoming with the technical data.  Maybe he was wary because I called
him out of the blue and started asking him all kinds questions about his product. 
Maybe he thought I was looking to sue his corporation or something.  He didn't act
that way, though.  At any rate, I told him about your study, that yours was the test
car, and that you weren't likely to put anything in your engine that didn't have
some technical back up material which guarantees you that your car won't be damaged
by his product.  He told me again about their guarantee.

For what it's worth.   

I think Tribomaxx might be a good candidate for your study.  It's different enough
from all the synthetics to pique my interest.    . . . But then it's not my car.   

The cost of the oil is $15 per gallon.  Not bad as synthetics go.  He mentioned that
they have a purchase program they work out of their manufacturing plant which is
based on the purchase of a Premo-lube by-pass filter system ($165 for cars).  The
consumer buys the system and they provide the oil free.  Obviously, they are
distributing for Premo-lube systems.   

I asked him if they sell their oil without that system, and he said sure.  If you
decide to include Tribomaxx in your study, I suggest you use the AMSOIL filter so
that you are testing the same circumstances in all cases.  Do you already have a
by-pass filter system?  That would make it easy

I read your exchanges with the Synlube guy.  I don't think Tribomaxx will be a
repeat of that scenario, but I'll have to admit, this saga does get more and more
interesting.

You're probably wondering, "who is this guy who has all this time to putz around on
the computer all day"?  (meaning me)  I'm just a guy who is home from work with a
nasty respiratory flu (second time this year), and I'm bored out of my skull.  Plus,
I'm really interested in synthetic oils.  Don't ask me why.  I don't know.  I do
know that I like the prospects of Tribomaxx being environmental friendly.  That
warms my heart -- as long as it does a good job of lubricating my vehicles.  I think
this environmental side to Tribomaxx might warm your heart too, given your comments
about the O Pine tree.  

From Robert Alexander on 21 April 2004:

Forget my suggestion about Tribomaxx oil.  1.  They appear to have folded their
tents in the States -- or if not, they are on the verge of doing so;  2.  I've just
received some technical information about EP additives which indicates that their
additive approach may be harmful to non-ferrous metal parts in our engines.

So much for that.   

Sorry to have taken your time.

From Robert Alexander on 21 April 2004:

I just found a source for Tribomaxx in case you are interested in testing this oil. 
I don't know how much it is yet, but I'll find out tomorrow.

From Robert Alexander on 21 April 2004:

I've been lurking on your site for about a week, having become interested in your
synthetic oil life study project.  I've recently been reading about AMSOIL and
actually took the plunge and installed some AMSOIL ATF in my ZF 5-speed manual
transmission (for Power Stroke Ford F-250), with very positive results.  In case you
were surprised by my using the ATF for a manual transmission, that transmission is
spec.'ed for ATF.

Because of my brief experience with AMSOIL ATF, I have become very interested in
their products, but also in synthetic oils in general.   

That said, I found a website that presents information about a synthetic oil brand
formulated and manufactured in the Phillipines.  It's called Tribomaxx.  The
Phillipine company which produces this product is called DMX Technology Corporation.
 Their website is   www.dmxtechcorp.com .   

I mention this for several reasons:   

Their technology is purportedly different than any other presently used in the
industry.   

Secondly, they claim to have achieved a TBN of 16 and that it sustains over time.   

Third, they also claim that their product is environmental friendly in that they
don't use additives which are caustic and poisonous to the environment as are those
used by the industry.   

Fourth, they claim -- surprise, surprise -- that their product(s) will outperform
the synthetic oils presently marketed by the major oil corporations, such as Mobil
1. (Don't know if their claim includes the AMSOILS, the Royal Purples and the
Redlines of the world).  Specifically, they mention heat resistance and TBN
resiliency as two areas in which they excel. There are more.

Finally, it might be really interesting to obtain some of their product(s) and
include Tribomaxx in your study, given their claims.  Personally, I'm interested in
their claims that Tribomaxx oils are chemically environmental friendly, and that
their oils are particularly light weight for heavy duty applications.  While this
latter point is not too unusual in that products like AMSOIL's Series 3000 5W-30 are
also light weight for, say, commercial diesel use, the Tribomaxx chemistry is
unusual by comparison, at least by claim.

The difficult part might be obtaining the oil.  DMXTech does state on their website
that select Honda, Toyota and KIA dealerships have the Tribomaxx products, although
I don't know which dealerships -- or even if these dealerships are in this country. 
But DMXTech says they have developed a partnership with ConnocoPhillips, so CP might
be a source.    

Check out their website.  If you are still interested after having done so, contact
me, and I would be happy to do some research on how to obtain their 5W-30 and/or
their 5W-40 oils for study.  I would pony up the bucks to do one of the sample
analyses at least.  :-)

Just a thought . . .

From Alex Kimmey on 20 April 2004:

I was noticing in your garage sale section you said you blew up your AODE
Transmission How did you do that? I have a 1995 Ford Mustang Gt with an AODE
transmission too, anything could warn me about would be greatly appreciated

From David McDonald on 20 April 2004:

HEY M B
HERE IN TEXAS MANY FOLKS ARE USING MOBIL 1 10W30 INSTEAD OF 5W. OUR WINTER 
LOWS ARE 35 WITH A FEW 25s AND OUR HIGHS FOR HALF THE YEAR RUN ABOVE 90. ANY 
RESERVATIONS ON 10W FOR THE CAMRY V6 ?
THANKS
CAMRY GUY

From Spike Lee on 19 April 2004:

Hey Neptune people,
I had fun reading your synthetic oil study results.  You have interesting content on
your site.  My main problem with is that I think cars are too big & boring.  I'm
looking for synthetic oil change intervals for my water cooled BMW motorcycle (K75).
 I'll soon be riding from West to East coast (USA) --again & I wonder how long the
20-50W Castrol (R4-superbike) full syntho oil will give me good protection??  I've
learned from your article that there is a Total Base Number and that measuring
certain aspects of the oil is the way to know when it should be changed.  Perhaps if
I asked a dealer or a Castrol representative,,,,I might get some specific change
interval recommendations???  Nah, why bother, I can find many conflicting opinions
on the Internet!  Anyway, your site gave me the best ballpark guesses so far for my
question.
Thanks,
Spike

From Peter Hetherington on 17 April 2004:

hi

 I'm looking to install a 2.4 celica and 5 speed box into a triumph spitfire Mk 3
can you suggest mild mannered performance engine mods.  It must have good idol and
good street drivability all this to be done on a shoe string budget.

I look forward to reading any information you can supply.

Thank you

From Greg Allard on 16 April 2004:

How exactly do you take your oil samples?  Do you suction it out of the
dipstick or open the drainplug quickly?  Please let me know.  Thanks!

From Angie on 15 April 2004:

First a big THANK YOU on your great job of mechanical web-advice! 

Q: 

My 1989 Chevy Silverado C3500 w/a 454 engine overheats even during cool outside
temps. I am the original owner, have not abused the vehicle, seldom drive past 60mph
when hauling a 4-H gooseneck cross country. 

Replaced: Radiator, Hoses, belts, wires, plugs, heatshields; temperature gage,
sensors, thermostat (195F reg, changed to 180F). Also checked for possible clogs in
exhaust manifold area as the engine temps readings are higher on the left side of
the block than the right. The pipe to the exhaust system glows (R). I took the truck
to GMC experts for diagnostics, checked out fine - they have no explanation either.
Performance is top notch - smooth, no unusual engine noises etc. 

As long as the truck is running, it indicates a normal temp; however, if I turn it
off, even after letting the engine idle for a few minutes and reducing the heat
accumulation under the hood by turning on the heater full blast, it will heat up
over 210F once shut down. Then I have trouble getting the truck started again.
Current temps here in CA are only 85F so far.........Thank you for your advice. 

Chevy Truck Lover

From DJ Riehm on 13 April 2004:

Im a 14 year old kid from iowa...stumbled acrossed your site researching 
mustangs from 94-95. I like the newer looking body but still has that great 
5.0.  Whats a reasonable price to buy a gt coupe like Joshs?  Im really 
impressed with your site!

Kindest Regards,

The Iowa Kid

From Robert Anderson on 13 April 2004:

Hello,

I am an owner of a 75 Dodge Truck.  I had little automotive knowledge 
when I purchased the truck.  After many frustrations and a motor 
rebuild, I have it running fairly well.  It has a 440 with and Edelbrock 
750 cfm carb and the Edelbrock performer 0-4500 rpm intake.  My major 
irritation with this truck is the wiring.  Being someone's garage 
special the wiring is a mess.  I have replaced the alternator, the 
voltage regulator, the electronic control module and yet it continues to 
overcharge batteries and cause me problems.  I am trying to get it 
totally rewired but have been unable to find a replacement wiring 
harness for it.  The closest I have come is a Universal Truck 12 circuit 
harness from painless performance.  Does anyone know where I might find 
a harness specifically for Dodge?  Or should I just stick with the 
Universal harness? 

Thank you kindly

From Mike Chris on 12 April 2004:

Have you done any evaluation of Lubeguard ATF additives?

Thanks

From Phil Twentyninevee on 12 April 2004:

I have a 87 Bonneville that has been hard to start lately. Was occasionally 
getting a code 34 for a while, which resulted in bad hesitation and little 
acceleration. Mechanic changed the fuel pump & filter. I changed plugs & wires, 
air filter, mass air flow sensor and oil. I don't get any codes but, I still 
have trouble starting it. It takes 10 to 12 seconds to start, sometimes I turn 
key off and the second try it starts faster. It will start right up if left for 
only a couple of minutes, but when left longer, still cranks a while before 
starting. Than

From David McDonald on 12 April 2004:

THANKS FOR THE GREAT INFO. NOW I WANT TO ASK ABOUT STARTING A V6 TOYOTA ON 
SYNTH AFTER USING DINO FOR 65K MILES. ANYTHING EXTRA TO DO MAKING THE 
SWITCH?
THANKS
CAMRY GUY

From Dana Lodico on 7 April 2004:

Just curious, I have an oil only cooled turbo car, so my oil temps are far
higher than an N/A car (or so I'm told).   How will this effect things?
I'd be interested in seeing that study.

From Christina-Marie Johnson on 6 April 2004:

Can you help?  My friend has a problem with his top and needs to find the
manual override.  I drive a Saab convertible and have used by manual release
before, which is located at the very front of the trunk.  Where is the
release for the 2000 Mustang top?  I appreciate any help you would be able
to give!

From Brett Schulte on 6 April 2004:

Been following the oil study.  Do you have any initial impressions?  The
metals look lower, but then again the engine is moe broken in so I'm not
sure that means anything?

Any measureable difference in mileage?  Lower temps from the reduced
friction?  Are you gonna dyno it for horespwer gains?  Is it true you can
even use it on pancakes?   ;)

From Jed Robinson on 6 April 2004:

I was reading your article about ozzys newest cd down to earth. I thought that you
were very hard and that you seem not a real ozzy fan. Zack Wilde is one of the best
metal guitar players around. I've heard him live. The drums and bass are awesome.
And you said the weren't good enough to be around. the drummer is still there and
bass player is now playing for METALICA. Next time you analyze something think about
what you are saying.

From Mike Burdick on 3 April 2004:

Are you going to be testing the Royal Purple as well?

Every test that we have seen the Royal Purple far out performed EVERY oil it
went up against.

If you can not find it in your area we can find the closest location for
you. And you never know, if you contact them they might even help with
supplying some oil for the testing since they know it will do so much more
that the others. Then again, that might be something you wouldn't want to do
so that there would not be anyone saying anything about being supplied the
oil of the one that tested the best.

But we would like to see your real world testing done with the Royal Purple. 

Thank you

From Jim Afaganis on 1 April 2004:

Re: Synthetic Oil Survey & Napa Gold Filters

I read with interest your synthetic oil survey.  I hope I have reached the right
contact person for this email.  If I am mistaken, please disregard this email.

In your faq I found the following exchange:

"So you're using NAPA Gold filters? Any particular reason? And didn't your site used
to say you're using Wix filters? 
Hey, that's three questions! We are using NAPA Gold filters. Our choice is one of
convenience, though the test results we've seen show this filter to be decent for an
off-the-shelf filter. We're not ashamed of it. The site used to say we were using
Wix filters, but we changed it when we looked under the car and found out that we
were actually using NAPA Gold filters. All oil has been and will be tested using
this type of filter.

Well, that's an embarrassing mistake. You probably feel pretty stupid. 
Yep."

According to my Napa outlet, you shouldn't feel stupid at all.  They tell me that
Napa Gold oil filters are made by Wix.  That is why I buy them.

Thank you for the great research work.  The information you've provided is much
appreciated.

From Gary Stein on 1 April 2004:

I love the site! I have 70 and 72 Roadrunners. 
I have a steering column that came from a 71 Satellite, and I was wondering how I
could tell if the car was power steering or manual. I heard that one had a longer
steering column. The car is gone, so I need a way to measure the column or find out
by some other method.

From Laurent Delfosse on 31 March 2004:

Hi,
            Your website is very informative, thanks for the reviews so
far.  I was doing research on oil testing on Google, and I've already
purchased some kits from http://www.oillab.com 
I noticed they aren't included in your Lab test page
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/labtest.html   Maybe you want
to add them, or is there something about them I need to know?
 
Thanks

From Richard Morris on 29 March 2004:

I enjoyed your syn-oil article.
I am curious who is cozy with the oil manufacturers just a little too much.
You mentioned Oil Analyzers being closely tied to Amsoil but they seem to be on the
up and up.
Just curious.
Thank you.

From John Potocki on 28 March 2004:

This is apt to be a bit long - sorry.  Mobil 1 has been used in all of my 
vehicles since 1986 and I have a lot of them; however, there is some 
pertinent history that should be told about Mobil 1.

Once they got the additive package straightened out, we assume you know the 
initial problems, it became a great oil.  In 1996 the gov't, in their 
meddling wisdom, mandated that phosphorus be dropped from approx. 1600ppm 
to 800ppm for all *energy conserving oils* - not good. They did this 
because next to lead, phosphorus is the most harmful thing to catalytic 
converters and the goal is for a 150,000 mile converter. Phosphorus is the 
single largest lubricant of valve trains and getting valve train life 
without it is not very easy. NOTE :( 15w-50 has always had and will always 
have 1600ppm of phosphorus because it is not an *energy conserving* oil.) 
To help with this potential problem they went to the Tri-Synthetic which I 
will not comment on at all.  Yeah,  I just did.

With the advent of SuperSyn they have a good handle on the problem but 
there are two variables that none seem to discuss: viscosity at 212 degrees 
and viscosities for different blends.  Their 15w-50 has the highest 
viscosity of all of their products; next is the 0w-40 "European Spec" Mobil 
1. This oil is also*energy conserving*.  It's viscosity is significantly 
higher than any of the 30w oils and it has a phosphorus level over 1100ppm 
to boot; hmm, best of both worlds??

We use Mobil 1 in six different applications: to Lincoln V8LS's, one 388" 
Lingenfelter Vette, a Reher-Morrison 522" drag/street motor and a Ford 
F-250 diesel.  Now the interesting part.  The cars get the 0w-40 until out 
of warranty and then they get the 15w-50 and we have had no problems here 
in Pennsylvania - ever.  The drag car uses the 0w-40 and we run it cold as 
per Reher's recommendations and we shift at 7300rpm; again, no 
problems.  Yeah, this makes you cringe -cold oil and 7300rpm- but no 
problems.  Now as to our trannies . . .

Prior to this we have used it in about ten vehicles and one, a 93 Town Car, 
has had NOTHING but the 15w50 since the first change and it has about 195K 
on the clock now - no problems to the engine at all; well, an alternator.

In the diesel that holds 15 qts. we leave it in for 10,000 miles with a 
filter change and oil touch up at 5,000 miles.

Anyone using a polyol acid ester or a dibasic acid ester synthetic is 
poorly informed: most polyalphaolefins are decent and right now, from 18 
years of experience we thing the Mobil1 is the best.  Oh, on the "car tips" 
page of our web site at www.tirecradle.com we talk about how the four major 
types of synthetics are synthesized.  Do you really want an acid and an 
alcohol reacted oil in your car?

Finally, Reher-Morrison did an oil test of their own and found that Royal 
Purple made the most power but it fell apart above 180 degrees.  It may 
have been their race only formula, I do not know.  Mobil 1 lubricated well 
at " 160 or 320, it still was a great oil with no problems".  Reher motors 
are not cheap either.  They recommend Mobil 1 unless it is drag 
only.  Sound wisdom

From Mike Austin on 28 March 2004:

Hey there!
   I just bought a 2004 Intrepid SE.  Current stereo is fine,  All new Pioneer
speakers throughout.  But, I want to add an amp and cant find the power
antenna/switch lead so I can power up.  Everything else is done.  Thanks in
advance!!!  Great site !!!!

From Tom Tad on 26 March 2004:

Hey, i love your site, very helpful. I was curious, i picked up a 5.0L 
firebird formula with tbi. What is the easiest way to switch this into a tpi. Im 
only 16 but my neighbor is a mechanic so he can help with the switching of parts. 
I have searched up and down the net and no one had a tbi to tpi conversion 
page. Also, one more thing, do they make stroker kits for 305's? I havent seen 
any and was hoping i wouldnt have to drop a new engine in.
Thanks a bunch and good luck with your site

From Bob Tackett on 26 March 2004:

Hey Brian,
I was wondering where you got your stats at.  A friend of mine told me that,
per hour of activity, people are 40 times more likely to die while horseback
riding as motorcycling.  I'd like to find the stats on powered paragliding,
and compare that to per hour mbiking or hbacking.  Age breakdown would be
excellent also.

Thanks for any help,
Bob Tackett
Mississippi Forest Products Lab
MSU, MS  39762

From Jimmy Mac on 24 March 2004:

Hi, I read the article on the Power Brake Booster for the Dodge Truck. I have 
a question for you. I have a 82 Truck with Disc brakes. I want to upgrade 
with a Power Brake Booster W/Master cylinder. ( truck does not have) Am I going 
to run into any problems, like maybe the brake arm will be to short to work 
with the power booster. I am replacing all the hard lines, and all brake cables. 
Thanks!

From Robert von Stockhausen on 23 March 2004:

I found your on line site you seem to offer great advice, and I am in desperate need
of just that. I am new to learning about cars so my knowledge is limited, I seek you
opinion on a difficult situation with a recent acquisition.

I just got screwed on a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Formula, I got on line. Seller said it
had a 400 engine and 400 auto transmission, it did originally, but that was not what
is in it now; now it appears to have an later model olds 305 or 308 v-8 which runs
but poorly and the transmission is all but shot, the job was poorly done engine does
not fit properly , has vacuum hoses which are just plugged or hanging and the
electrical system is a mess. Ideally I would like to have a 350 chevy small block
and a 350 manual trans mission put in. I hear they are reliable, fairly easy to work
on, and have plentiful as well as inexpensive parts both custom and stock, but I
hear this would take extensive and expensive conversions, even if I went with a less
desired auto trans. In the long run would this still be the best option?

I want/ need to get it up and running quick but I spent all my $ on purchasing the
thing, so I ‘ll have to go with the most economical approach. I suppose that would
be the 400 which it was originally set up for? but I ‘m not sure , and being this
will be a daily driver I would like more emphasis on the fuel economy. I hear they
also installed 350 Pontiac engines in the 76’s but would that have the same mounts
as the 400? 

I need some serious help and I would value your opinion in the matter highly.

From John Russell on 23 March 2004:

Hello,

Great study!  I read the Mobil 1 test and the start of the Amsoil test tonight.  I'm
about to replace the motor on my Honda Civic and plan to immediately start using
synthetic oil.

A couple of questions:

1.  I guess this should be obvious to me, but how do you change the oil filter
without changing the oil?  Do you drain the oil, then change the filter, then pour
the old oil back into the crankcase?  If so, I assume you don't drain the oil from
the filter into the drain pan.

2.  It seems I read somewhere that a new engine should run petroleum-based oil for a
certain number of miles so the engine gets a chance to break in correctly.  Do you
have an opinion on that?  I want to treat this next engine I buy the right way by
using a synthetic oil as soon as possible, but maybe it would be a mistake to start
using it too early.

3.  I see there are magnetic devices for sale that clamp on the oil filter in order
to trap the smallest metallic particles to help reduce engine wear.  Maybe a little
off-topic...  Do you think these would be worthwhile?

Thanks, I'll be checking your web site for updates on the oil study!

From Matt Bickhard on 22 March 2004:

Brian:

I believe there are just two ways I can think of to isolate the oil brand from the
natural wear of the engine:

        1) following the Amsoil run, repeat the test with Mobil 1.  If the wear
		responses
are higher than the initial Amsoil results, then oil would likely be the causal
factor.  If they stayed the same, then I think the decrease in wear responses would
be attributable to the natural engine wear and one could probably conclude that
Mobil