[net.consumers] Synthetic oil

larry@plx.UUCP (Larry Sharpe) (04/23/85)

Does anyone have any comments and/or information on using
synthetic oil in a turbo equiped car? 

trz@drume.UUCP (ZehrbachT) (04/23/85)

     Having just bought a turbo I too am interested in this subject.  Unless
I am convinced that what I am doing is wrong, I will continue with my
current practices.

     The main concern of oil in a Turbo engine is oil-breakdown, not dirt.  
Because of this you need: 
              A) an oil which resists breaking down
              or           
              B) to change oil very often

     Since I am very concerned about my car's welfare and don't know 
who or what to trust, I have decided to choose alternative B, and change
the oil in my car every 3000 miles (the first change being at 1000 miles).
     Taking this approach can be very expensive if a synthetic oil is used,
so I use a regular(?) oil that is formulated for Turbo engines (as I understand
it, if you don't use synthetic, you'd better get a regular oil which     
the manufacturer explicitly states is for Turbo use).  I figure that the oil
should last at least 3000 miles and I am fairly safe in using this strategy.

     Am I correct?  If someone can find fault in my strategy, please feel free
to state your reasons why you think I'm wrong.  If I'm wrong I don't want my
car to pay for my ignorance.

     By the way, in case you did not know, it is vitally important to let your
engine (the Turbo-charger, actually) cool down before you turn it off.  More
specifically, you should not run your Turbo for at least 30 seconds before 
you turn off the engine, otherwise the intense heat will not be dispersed from
the turbine and nasty things can result.  A practice I have implemented is to 
drive the car very easy the last few miles before I shut it down.  Otherwise, 
you had better sit in your car and let it idle for thirty seconds before you
turn it off, this allows the engine oil (and engine coolant, in the case   
of my car) to cool the turbine down.



                                     Tom Zehrbach

jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) (04/25/85)

There was an article by Smokey Yunick in Popular Science magazine back 2 or
so years ago, discussing the merits/disadvantages of it.  His conclusion
was that, while it was a good lubricant, it was not cost-effective because
one of the major functions of oil is to carry off dirt & contaminants from
inside the engine when you change the oil.  It was claimed that the better
lubricating properties of the synthetic oil made it less necessary to
change oil for this reason, but he said he felt that was an untested claim
and risky to rely on as a result.
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