AMSOIL in 96 STS with 88K

[STS127]

Would it be ok to use AMSOIL in a high mileage North*?

[codewize]

Of course. If you want to save a few bucks on Synth oil use the XL line. It's a little lower cost and it's good for about 8k. Actually 88k isn't really high mileage. If you can swing the cost go for the 5W-30 ASL line.

[jss]

The only Amsoil I have ever seen is for motorcycles. IF the Amsoil you have is formulated for bikes, it will have a lower viscosity to accomodate a bike's wet clutch. If that's the case, there are many readily available choices that are much better for automotive applications.

[Ranger]

Why not? Use whatever your favorite oil is. They will all get the job done.

[dkozloski]

Motor oil is just like cold remedies, tooth paste, and, weight loss products. If any one of them was significantly better than the rest on the market it would be the only one going.

[jholland]

I picked up a 4.0 N* with a bad headgasket from a used car dealer. He said he just changed the oil. One hour into driving it home(mistake) it was hot but not into the red, at idle the low oil pressure light came on. I put Mobil 1 in and didn't see the warning again. In the process of trying every suggested remedy leading up to the headgaskets I never saw the low oil pressure light again.

I changed the head gaskets and put in Pennsoil Platinum. The engine was misfiring badly for about a week before I put a replacement ignition module on(no misfire since). I was down 1.75 quarts and idling in traffic for about a half hour and the light came back on. A friend suggested that the oil was diluted due to misfire. I topped it up and have not seen the light again. I have not idle again for that period of time. I plan to change it this weekend.

I will never know what the car dealer put in but it definitely wasn't up to the job. I have used Mobil 1 in motors that went 280,000 with no signs of wear.

My concern is the low oil light. This is my 3rd N* and never saw it before. The engine has 90,000 on it. Appears to have been well cared for and is remarkably quite, valve train and all. I'm planning to put Mobil one back in with a AC filter. Any other suggestions?

[dp102288]

^^ After the oil change, keep an eye on the level. I wouldn't check now because of the recent problems with the engine. After you change the oil and filter, then you will know you filled it up right. If there are no problems, and the level goes down, then you know you have a leak or excess burn.

I agree with Ranger. If its certified, not too much variation among brands. The syn vs dino thing is as old as their creation.

[C66 Racing]

Originally Posted by STS127

Would it be ok to use AMSOIL in a high mileage North*?

Yes it would. As Codewize suggested, I'd recommend you try the AMSOIL XL Synthetic 5w30, AMSOIL's least expensive synthetic. This oil is specially formulated for use with cars with Oil Life Monitoring systems such as on GM vehicles. For those cars without OLMs, this oil is rated for six months or 7,500 miles of use, whichever comes first. As this oil uses a Group III, or highly processed petroleum oil, it should not react any differently with your seals as the oil you are currently using.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a PM.

[clarkz71]

Originally Posted by C66 Racing

Yes it would. As Codewize suggested, I'd recommend you try the AMSOIL XL Synthetic 5w30, AMSOIL's least expensive synthetic.

As this oil uses a Group III, or highly processed petroleum oil, it should not react any differently with your seals as the oil you are currently using.

So it's not a true full synthetic like Mobil 1 (group IV). Is it API starburst certified??

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by C66 Racing

Yes it would. As Codewize suggested, I'd recommend you try the AMSOIL XL Synthetic 5w30, AMSOIL's least expensive synthetic. This oil is specially formulated for use with cars with Oil Life Monitoring systems such as on GM vehicles. For those cars without OLMs, this oil is rated for six months or 7,500 miles of use, whichever comes first. As this oil uses a Group III, or highly processed petroleum oil, it should not react any differently with your seals as the oil you are currently using.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a PM.

Seems like a good oil....but a 6 bucks a quart one could get the full synthetic Mobil 1 and run to the full length of the OLM anyway :P Just be careful in an older Northstar running synthetic, the tend to leak a bit more from the trouble spots with that oil.

Also if your Northstar is sucking down oil/leaking it, a high mileage oil of some kind might be a better idea, I noticed that the Castrol GTX high mileage did cut my consumption down and kept my pan dry, also since adding 2 quarts of Kendall High Mileage Blend to the already regular blend my consumption has been slowed and the "seal max" seems to be working to swell the gaskets a bit, next time I plan to use all high mileage Kendall.

The engines are designed pretty good and seem to run well on pretty much anything you put in them.

[Ranger]

$6 per qt.

[C66 Racing]

Originally Posted by clarkz71

So it's not a true full synthetic like Mobil 1 (group IV). Is it API starburst certified??

According to industry standards, it is a synthetic, but you are correct, the XL line is a Group III synthetic and it is API Starburst certified. FYI, there is info available on the oil forums that indicate that the Mobil 1 Extended Performance line has gone to a Group III, or possibly a Group III/IV blend.

The top tier AMSOIL Series 2000 0w30 and AMSOIL SAE Synthetic 5w30 are what you call true Group IV synthetics, but they are not API starburst certified due to the extra cost of certification.

For those interested in the differences in the oil groups, here is a short primer:
The API has not come out and defined what is "synthetic", but rather, classified oils into five major groups.

Group I base oils are the least refined of all of the groups. They are usually a mix of different hydrocarbon chains with little or no uniformity. While some automotive oils use these stocks, they are generally used in less demanding applications.

Group II base oils are common in mineral based motor oils. They have fair to good performance in the areas of volatility, oxidation stability, wear prevention and flash/fire points. They have only fair performance in areas such as pour point and cold crank viscosity. Group II base stocks are what the majority of engine oils are made from. 3000 mile oil changes are the norm.

Group III base oils are subjected to the highest level of refining of all the mineral oil stocks. Although not chemically engineered, they offer improved performance in a wide range of areas as well as good molecular uniformity and stability. By definition they are considered a synthesized material and can be used in the production of synthetic and semi-synthetic lubricants. Group III is used in the vast majority of full synthetics or synthetic blends. They are superior to group I and II oils but still have limitations. Some formulations are designed for extended oil changes. AMSOIL XL Motor Oils, Castrol Syntec and many others fall into this category.

Group IV are polyalphaolefins (PAO) which are a chemically engineered synthesized basestocks. PAOs offer excellent stability, molecular uniformity and performance over a wide range of lubricating properties. AMSOIL SAE Synthetic Motor Oils and Mobil 1 primarily use group IV basestocks. PAO is a much more expensive basestock than the highly refined petroleum oil basestock of Group III.

Group V base oils are also chemically engineered stocks that do not full into any of the categories previously mentioned. Typical examples of group V stocks are Esters, polyglycols and silicone. Redline uses an ester basestock.

In the 90s, Mobil filed suit against Castrol for falsely advertising Syntec oil as synthetic, when in fact it contained a Group III, highly hydroprocessed mineral (Dino) oil, instead of a chemically synthesized (group IV or V) basestock. Due to the amount that the mineral oil had been chemically changed, the judge decided in Castrol's favor. As a result, any oil containing this highly hydroprocessed mineral (Dino) oil (currently called Group III basestock by the American Petroleum Institute) can be marketed as a synthetic oil. Since the original synthetic basestock (polyalphaolefin or PAO) is much more expensive than the Group III basestock, most of the oil blenders switched to the Group III basestock, which significantly increased their profit margins.

[submariner409]

^^^C66.......Appears your number of surfaces still equals your number of dives......The Ol' COB

[codewize]

You know I really can't figure this out. So many people have such bad things to say about Amsoil but yet they prevail in every test I've ever seen. Why is that? What's up with that one post about Amsoil being like putting sand in your engine? Where do they get this info from?

And I just learned while strolling through Wal-Mart that Havoline is a group IV oil.

[C66 Racing]

Originally Posted by submariner409

^^^C66.......Appears your number of surfaces still equals your number of dives......The Ol' COB

And I'd like to keep it that way...

Codewize,
I've been on various car forums from Vette's to SSRs to GTOs for several years now and I don't lose too much sleep over posts like that one. There are hundreds of "I lost a motor" stories out there and I've read posts like that stating everything from Redline and Mobil 1 to pick a dino oil has resulted in the destruction of something. Why these motors, tranny's, and/or diff have failed is subject to debate.

I also feel that AMSOIL gets a bad reputation in some circles based in part on its multi-level marketing method. Basically anyone can become an AMSOIL dealer and they don't need to know anything about lubrication. While AMSOIL does have a good training program (which I have completed), you don't have to complete this training to become or remain a dealer. Many people have crossed paths with a dealer that has rubbed them wrong leading to a negative impression of the product.

Although I've been using it in my racecar for three seasons now, without any lubrication related failures, as well as my personal vehicles, I've also reviewed enough real world used oil analysis reports to fully believe in the product.