Re: quick oil question

[Bob Davis <bob@segNET.COM>]

At 01:14 PM 8/24/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Bob Davis wrote:
>> 
>> >
>> >I contacted my brother, who works for Mobil Oil (Industrial Lub Div) and
>> >his response was:
>> >       Syn oils are highly detergent, ergo they act like an engine
>> >        flush on first use.  If the engine is tight, that's no
>> >problemo.      If however you suspect or know of problems, you ain't seen
>> >        nothing yet i.e. you'll be mopping up the garage floor.
>> <SNIP>
>> 
>> >If the engine is in good shape, do it, if you suspect a problem or poor
>> >maintenance, DO NOT!.
>> >MJ Murphy
>> 
>> Isn't this kind of an "ignorance is bliss" way of looking at things?
>> 
>> If the seals are going, why wouldn't you want to know about it?   If you
>> fix it now, you might go a long way toward avoiding a major repair down the
>> road.
>> Additionally, I've been lead to believe that, after the synth removes the
>> crud, it will rejuvenate the dry, shrunken gaskets and the leaks will abate
>> (if not stop).
>> 
>> Not doing something because it will _reveal_ problems is a lot different
>> than not doing something that will _cause_ problems. (For your sake, I hope
>> you don't extend this philosophy to your brakes.)
>> 
>> Bob Davis
>> bob@segNET.COM
>
>Harley clearly knew the possibility for problems, I merely passed on a
>comment from my brother who probably forgot more than we know about syn
>lubricants.  

Never called his expertise into question -- I agree with him (not that my
agreement in any way confers some kind of validation of his expert status.)

>
>Re: bad seals and magical powers to heal tired gaskets . . . with or
>without syn oil change, when a seal starts to go, you know it.  And if
>syn oil's power to heal gaskets were true, why then do many gaskets,
>that worked fine otherwise begin to hemmorage oil after a switch to syn

To quote a fine source:

>
>>> >       Syn oils are highly detergent, ergo they act like an engine
>>> >        flush on first use.  If the engine is tight, that's no
>>> >problemo.      If however you suspect or know of problems, you ain't seen
>>> >        nothing yet i.e. you'll be mopping up the garage floor.
>

Given time in contact with oil, it seems that _some_ gaskets will swell
back to their original thickness.  This is just what I've heard (I'll try
to dig up the source).
My point was that all of the goop left behind by dino-juice can hide
deteriorating gaskets to a degree because it clogs up the leaks, and that
when the goop is cleaned away by the synth, the problem is uncovered.  

To my mind, this is a good thing.  Keep in mind though that I'm one of
those psychos who clean their engine regularly so that I can catch any
leaks easily and prior to a big malfunction.

>
>And my brakes are fine thank you, and I'll bet so are Harley's.

Don't take what I said personally.  I was just pointing out that, while you
certainly wouldn't neglect your brakes (or other bits that keep you alive),
there are other maintenance issues that seem to get neglected by a lot of
people -- in spite of their long term impact (CV joint boots fall into this
category).

BTW, to avoid another synth-oil thread, and as punishment for even touching
the subject, I am now going to read every synth-oil related post in the
archive and will not re-surface until I am done.  See you all in December.



Bob Davis
bob@segNET.COM