so i am getting the motor replaced in my 2003 dakota quad cab. i am going to use break in oil for the first 1000 miles and then i am thinking that i am going to switch to fully synthetic. i was just curious as to a good fully synthetic to use?? i normally use valvoline in all of my vehicles. also what oil filter is strongly recommended? if i use fully synthetic should i do every 3000 miles or every 5000?? i just dont want engine sludge to build up like i have been hearing about with the 4.7L engines. any suggestions appreciated. thanks!!

 

Fram XG16 you can buy at Walmart. Before you slam Fram, check out the grade sheet:

check out:
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articl...lterstudy.html

Then this page if you missed it:
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articl...gradesheet.htm

As for intervals, I've read synthetic can go 10K, I use the high-mileage blend and change every 5K. I have 210K miles.

Many opinions... so you will go with what you know. perhaps the grade sheet will help you with actual test data.

 

Depends on your taste and opinion. Always use Fram filters and Castrol synthetic about every 7000 miles.

 

No offense to Robbadodge or mmguy but there are much better filters and also much better deals on oil out there right now. Just a few I can think of...

Autozone is blowing out Quaker State Ultimate Durability full synthetic oil at $2.00 a quart. They are also blowing out Pennzoil Ultra full synthetic at $4.00 a quart. These are supposed to be national sales but I have heard of some stores not offering the blowout prices. It is still worth a look if you have any Autozone stores in your area. The QS and Pennzoil synthetics are both excellent quality oils that will easily run 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Some guys even run them out to 10,000 miles with no problems.

If you like Valvoline, try your local Napa. They have their Napa house brand full synthetic on sale at $3.49 per quart. They have a deal for 5 quarts of Napa synthetic and a Napa Silver filter for $19.99, or you can upgrade the same deal to a Napa Gold filter for $22.99. Napa synthetic is nearly identical to Valvoline SynPower full synthetic. It is made by Ashland, which is the same people that make all of the Valvoline branded oils. The Napa Silver filter is made by Wix to Napa's standards, and the Napa Gold filter is just a re-branded regular Wix filter. The same goes for Carquest branded oils and filters. All Carquest oil is made at Ashland, and Wix makes the Carquest Red and Blue label filters, the Red is the same as a Napa Silver and the Blue is exactly the same as a Wix/Napa Gold. Carquest is usually more expensive, however they are running a rebate deal on Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic and they are running a $19.99 deal for 5 quarts of Valvoline conventional and a Red Label filter through the end of May. You can also get great prices on Wix filters from www.rockauto.com, they sell Wix for about $4.80 each, even less if you buy a case, but watch the shipping prices, Rock's shipping charges can get crazy depending on where it ships from.

You can find deals on synthetic oils at Walmart, especially if you like using the 5+ quart jugs. WM also sells the Mopar filters, those are made by Purolator and will do fine for 3,000 to 5,000 miles, some guys run them even further than that. Valvoline is a fine oil, personally I prefer Quaker State Advanced Durability conventional. I use QS and a Purolator Classic or a Carquest Red filter and change my oil every 3,000 miles or 6 months, which ever happens first. I do not care for synthetic oil, but I love how smooth my old 3.9 runs on QS conventional. My engine burns about half a quart every 2,500 miles. QS conventional has a good amount of molybdenum in it, that is good to protect moving parts. QS also has a lot of boron in it, which is very beneficial for engine seals.

Truthfully, just about any good oil and good filter will do OK for a normal oil change interval. Personally I am old school and will not extend past a 3,000 mile oil change interval. I have almost 156,000 miles on my truck now and have always changed at 3,000 miles. I figure it is cheap insurance. That is my 2 cents on it.

You can learn more than you ever imagined about different types of oil and filters at www.bobistheoilguy.com. You can also visit the Petroleum Quality Institute of America site at www.pqia.com to check out the different contents and composition of many different oil brands, and you can read the comparisons to find out how they really stack up against each other.

Jimmy

 

I change mine every 5-6k miles with either a Mopar or Wix filter and synthetic oil (but not always the same brand). Right now, I think I'm running Castrol.

 

Every 8 to 12 months synthetic and filter Mobil 1 I don't drive all that much and its city driving.

No sludge ever

 

None taken....

Some even say, the wrong lube is better than no lube at all.

Cheers! ;-)