Allanlester Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 We have a 1990 Subaru Loyale 1.8 liter with push button four wheel drive with 207,000 miles. I have been using Penzoil High Mileage 5w-30. I've reduced the oil leaks to the point that I do not see any visible leaks beneath the engine on the ground. This I have done simply by replacing the valve cover gaskets, and 'breather' tubes atop the valve cover gaskets. The oil consumption is about one quart every 2,000 miles or so. Though I did not replace the oil pan gasket I did tighten as many of the bolts I could comfortable reach. I have recently been advised by an Amsoil rep. to perform an engine flush using their Engine and Transmission Flush and then use the Amsoil OE 10W-30, and a WIX filter. After 3,000 miles repeat the process. A mechanic at a local shop advised against that because of the molecule size of the Amsoil product, they are all the same(smaller???) as compared with the Penzoil. The result would be more leaks. Any thoughts/experience folks have to offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I've been running Amsoil in my cars since 1988 or so. I use 10w40 in the engine. I have a 3AT transmission that I've run their ATF in since it had 15,000 miles. It now has over 200,000 miles, never had to do anything to it except replace the vacuum modulator. I can list more of my experiences later, when I am home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The FNG Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 You can do it if you want, but I probably wouldn't do it. One of the primary functions of oil is to seal. So with the above described process on an engine that has been relying on standard oil for it's extensive life, you are double washing any sealing that the oil has caused. Essentially, there is buildup in your engine and some of that buildup may be plugging a leak. If you flush it with an oil that has cleaning properties then fill it with a synthetic oil (known for their detergent properties), expect leaks. And yes, the molecules of synthetic oils are more durable, more "slippery", and much smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I did the flush stuff years ago, but don't bother any more. I never had a problem with leaks because of switching to synthetic. By around 100,000 - 150,000 miles, all of the EA82s I have began to leak more and more. Switchover mileage range from 15,000 to a bit over 100,000. The ones I got with high mileage were leaking with whatever oil they came with. I have one engine that at 15,000 miles, I switched to Amsoil synthetic. I also installed their bypass filter, and use their spin on filter. NEVER changed the oil, only added new as needed. Around 150,000 miles, I disassembled that engine to do a reseal. I saw nothing unusual on the cylinder walls. Hone marks still there, as they have been on the other EA82s I've disassembled. I checked the clearance on the connecting rod bearings, they were still in normal spec. with no marks / wear. Hard to say exactly - but they looked better than the other ones I've looked at that ran regular oil longer. Was it the oil, or other stresses? I don't know. This next one happened years ago - I had another engine, that I had switched to synthetic. Much later, it had a sneaky coolant leak, and got run hot with low coolant. For some reason I still can't figure out, somehow I missed the idea that I had blown the head gasket. For about 4 days, I was trying to figure out why I couldn't get the air out of the coolant system, and where all the water was going. Turned out, it was going into the crank case! When I finally figured it out, I had about 2 gallons of oil and water mixed in the 1 gallon crank case.... I made a total of 8, 30 mile trips on the highway during that time. When I disassembled it to reseal, it wasn't as good as the 15,000 mile one, but still ok. It had a lot more miles on it before I switched it. Was it saved because of the synthetic oil? I honestly don't know. I'd be curious to hear if anyone else had an engine survive 50/50 oil & water at highway speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Loyale Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I just think that EA82 engines (non-turbo) are hard to kill. Their performance may degrade, but they still chug along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 oiling is not the weak link of an EA82. Keep something vaguely oily (A friend of mine with a particularly leaky EA82 uses the used oil that comes out of his other cars....) in it, and you won't have any problems. IMHO, fancy oil is a waste of money on it. Also, I've heard many times that Amsoil is just Mobil1 with a markup.... I work/live just a few miles from the factory, and people here love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I had another engine that after a bad overheat, and reseal, burned oil like crazy. Like 1 quart per 10 gallons of gas. I used cheap oil, surplus oil, used oil, old ATF, [always mixing stuff though] for years and many miles. It always passed emissions, which used to surprise me. It also had a bypass filter added. I ran it until one of the heads cracked. I haven't disassembled it enough to check the bearings yet. Yeah, Amsoil is pricy. It was around LONG before Mobile 1 though. I do remember seeing something comparing Amsoil & Mobile 1 years ago, don't know if I could find it again. I agree, a lot of the benefits and claims of fancy oil may not be worth it. I began using Amsoil around 1988. Why I switched: With the bypass filter, and the finer engine filter, no changing oil needed. Back when I did it, I did the ROI calculations, and it was worthwhile solely based on that. I don't miss changing oil either. Never found any problem related to oil / gunk / whatever. The other was cold weather starts. It's not super cold often, but when it is, it doesn't matter. The most noticable changes I found were when I switched to their synthetic gear lube in my 4 speed - it shifted as freely at 0 degrees as it did in the summer, even right after starting. The 3AT cars I moved to later, shift better cold with the synthetic ATF. I've got a couple of 3AT transmissions with over 200,000 miles and no repairs. But like the engine stuff above, I do not know if that is common for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 It was around LONG before Mobile 1 though.Let me clarify....the re-branded Mobil1 thing is fairly recent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 There is no harm in switching to a synthetic. Old man tales need not apply. If the engine leaks, fix the seals! I am using mobil 0w40 in all my soobs in place of 10w40 as it is appropriate for winter -20 and below as well as full hot summer such as a 10w or 15w40. It actually reduced consumption in my 98 ej25d 135,000 mi over a 5w30. And 5w30 is not recommended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper 157 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) check out this test that amsoil did http://wpc.1c96.edgecastcdn.net/001C96/G-Items/Performance%20Testing%20Archives/g3115-2013-current/index.html they tested several different synthetic oils and theirs came out on top almost every time. Now I know that companies will lie for marketing purposes, but after seeing this report and hearing almost no negative stuff about Amsoil, I think its safe to say that this test is accurate. Edited January 12, 2015 by Sapper 157 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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