1995wranglertlc
New member
Ok so im not sure if it makes much of a difference, but im due an oil change.. what kind should i buy? And does it honestly matter what kind? jeep has 170000 on it.
TIA- anthony p.
TIA- anthony p.
Oil
- Thread starter 1995wranglertlc
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signguy
New member
Does it matter what kind of oil you use? Does a hobby horse have a hickory head?
If your Jeep has 170K you've been doing a good job so far, but here are some things to consider; newer motor oils do not have a zinc additive. your um.... experienced motor needs zinc to fill wear scratches on the cylinder walls. For that reason I use Rotella T-40 Synthetic in my old engines. Yes it"s made mostly for diesel engines but it still has the additives they take out now for the newer engines.
I am a big fan of synthetic oils. Having lived in Alaska for 16 years I know how important synthetic oil is for extreme conditions starting. But even if you don't have to start your rig at 50 below. Synthetic oils maintain viscosity better than mineral based oils. That's important at 50 below or at 120 above. There's plenty of them on the market, so if your not cool with the Rotella idea I'm sure you can find one that fits your needs. Don't know where you live but if your Jeep will be operating in 90+ temps this summer, I'd go with 10w40. Good Luck!
Signguy
1995wranglertlc
New member
Thanks for the help everyone!
JohnnyO
New member
signguy is correct about the zinc, aka ZDDP. The high-mileage oils will have more zinc than regular oils but still not as much as diesel-rated oils. The Rotella synthetic 5w-40 is an excellent choice. I have seen conventional Rotella in 10w-30 at Wal-Mart but it's not real common.
You can get your used oil analyzed if you want. I do once in a while just for kicks. Costs about $25.
Blackstone Labs
You can get your used oil analyzed if you want. I do once in a while just for kicks. Costs about $25.
Blackstone Labs
Jester32
New member
Oil change eh? Maybe I should do one of them haha jk. I just learned that my old 4.0 blew up the next day after I switched to synthetic lol. Now I just run the cheap stuff and run it to the ground lol. My race engines all run synthetic though. My 4.0 l had over 400,000 kms to and they were not nice.
TheGhost45
New member
So we should run diesel oils? :S
superj
Active member
I run the cheap stuff also. Always have. Engines ran to over 300k on the bmws (that is when I sold them) and way over 200k on the jeeps. This is miles, not kilometers. The highest mileage car I ever had had 325k miles when I sold it and all I ran in it was the walmart blue container oil. No idea what the guy who bought it from me runs, nor the guy who has it now runs. We all autocrossed that car, myself for 5 years.
JohnnyO
New member
IMO on older engines with flat tappets you should run a diesel oil, or at least dump in one or two quarts of it with the regular oil to get some extra ZDDP.
Newer engines with roller lifters are fine with the newer oils with less ZDDP.
FWIW, I have learned from reading the forums at www.BobIsTheOilGuy.com, where people get used oil analysis (UOA) and post the results, that 1) Jeep engines throw off a lot of iron and 2) Mobil 1 often results in higher iron PPM than other oils in most any engine (PPM= Parts Per Million, so were not talking a lot in the grand scheme of things) so I would not personally advise using Mobil 1 in a 4-banger or straight-6 Jeep. I haven't tried it in the Jeep, or tried every oil in creation, but the bottom-line lowest wear metals UOA's I've gotten in any of my family's other vehicles came with Pennzoil Platinum synthetic.
Again, try different stuff and let the UOA's be your guide. Anything else is just speculation. Without a UOA you don't really know what's going on and what your engine likes and doesn't like.
Before you go over to www.BobIsTheOilGuy.com and ask "What is the best oil for my Jeep?" and get smacked upside the head because newbies ask "What is the best oil for my ____?" 50 times a day, just do a thread search in the Used Oil Analysis - Gas Engines forum for "Jeep" and you will find what you need.
JohnnyO,
I've been running Mobil 1 (and their filter) since I got my Jeep, mainly because I had heard it was the best synthetic, but now you've got me thinking. Long story short is that I've ordered some used oil analysis kits from Blackstone.
I've been running Mobil 1 (and their filter) since I got my Jeep, mainly because I had heard it was the best synthetic, but now you've got me thinking. Long story short is that I've ordered some used oil analysis kits from Blackstone.
JohnnyO
New member
Mobil 1 is excellent stuff but no one oil is the best in every application. For example I tried Mobil 1 Truck & SUV in my previous Sport Trac, you'd think it would be "better", but the UOA came back absolutely awful for wear metals, much worse than plain ol' Mobil 1. That's not to say it wouldn't be okay in a different engine.
Get one UOA with your Mobil 1 then switch to something else, like Pennzoil Platinum or Valvoline Synpower, run it for the same miles, and see what the UOA says. In my wife's Taurus there was virtually no difference for 5000 miles between Mobil 1 and Motorcraft oil that costs half as much, so now it gets Motorcraft. Again, a lot has to do with the application. A Ford 3.0 Vulcan is simply a low-stress engine that isn't hard on oil. You could fill the crankcase with peanut butter and it would be fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bagging on Mobil 1. I use Mobil 1 0w-30 Fuel Economy Formula in my new Sport Trac and the UOA's are fine (it needs all the mpg help it can get). I routinely run Mobil 1 or Pennz Plat in my dad's Cadillac for 10,000 miles a crack and it's fine, but then Caddys hold 7.5 quarts of oil too.
A UOA will also show the presence of fuel dilution, water, and coolant (if any, 0 is good) so you can get an early jump on head or intake gasket or other problems before they cause more damage. If the silicon is high, then the flashy open-element cone air filter isn't doing the job.
I don't bother with a UOA after every oil change. At this point I'm kinda to where I know what my vehicles like so I stick with it and get a UOA once a year.
Sorry to run on.
Get one UOA with your Mobil 1 then switch to something else, like Pennzoil Platinum or Valvoline Synpower, run it for the same miles, and see what the UOA says. In my wife's Taurus there was virtually no difference for 5000 miles between Mobil 1 and Motorcraft oil that costs half as much, so now it gets Motorcraft. Again, a lot has to do with the application. A Ford 3.0 Vulcan is simply a low-stress engine that isn't hard on oil. You could fill the crankcase with peanut butter and it would be fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bagging on Mobil 1. I use Mobil 1 0w-30 Fuel Economy Formula in my new Sport Trac and the UOA's are fine (it needs all the mpg help it can get). I routinely run Mobil 1 or Pennz Plat in my dad's Cadillac for 10,000 miles a crack and it's fine, but then Caddys hold 7.5 quarts of oil too.
A UOA will also show the presence of fuel dilution, water, and coolant (if any, 0 is good) so you can get an early jump on head or intake gasket or other problems before they cause more damage. If the silicon is high, then the flashy open-element cone air filter isn't doing the job.
I don't bother with a UOA after every oil change. At this point I'm kinda to where I know what my vehicles like so I stick with it and get a UOA once a year.
Sorry to run on.
JohnnyO
New member
You're welcome. Happy to help.
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JohnnyO
New member
For the last oil change on the Jeep I went with Shell Rotella 10w-30 synthetic blend and a Wix filter. It is a diesel-rated oil but is also SM-rated for gas engines. Being diesel-rated it should have more ZDDP than gas-only oils and better for flat-tappet Jeep engines.
This choice was seconded by the oil geeks at - Bob is the Oil Guy.
I will get a used oil analysis after 3000 miles and report back. I sent in the regular Pennzoil that I drained out to use for comparison. I had been running Pennzoil to use for two Auto-RX clean and rinse cycles.
This choice was seconded by the oil geeks at - Bob is the Oil Guy.
I will get a used oil analysis after 3000 miles and report back. I sent in the regular Pennzoil that I drained out to use for comparison. I had been running Pennzoil to use for two Auto-RX clean and rinse cycles.
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