Re: quick oil question

[Michael Murphy <mmurphy@nais.com>]

Bob Davis wrote:
> 
> 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

You got me to thinking,  I'm going to e-mail my learned brother at Mobil
to see what research stuff he can send about this subject.  Several
years ago, he was involved in a project to move the Armed Forces onto
syn lubs and off MIL-SPEC (which they did).  If it's not marketing hype
or analysis paralysis and in the public domain, he should send it.

As for comment about taking it personally, if I seem'd a bit rude, pls
accept my apology. I offer the following explaination.  Last night, my
boss, a native Czech, who has been visiting (read as semi-annual you bet
your job review) provided us with a "hands-on" demo of the finer points
of Czech pilsner.  We (he, I and the ladies) consumed the entire stock
of the local beer distributor's, Pilsner Urquell.  Thank God he goes
back to Switzerland today (where he drives a Pontiac SSE).  My head
hurts.

MJ Murphy
P.S. I'm still employed, thus able to continue keeping mechanic in same
condition.