DeTomaso Mailing List: April 98, Message #264

Found this on the MR2 forum.  I know we all went over this a while back, but
this was pretty well explained and worth reading.  Enjoy.  Tim Tullio


>I read an interesting article in Road & Track the other day. It said that
> synthetic oil seems to promote oil leaks. Has anyone ever heard this
> before? I hate to think that I'm paying $4.25 per quart just to cause my
> gaskets to leak.

Robert,
    I want you to know I have 15 years experience with AMSoil & Mobil1 and 30
+ years as a foreign car mech., not to be bragging, but to qualify my answer
to you
    The leaks refer to "false seals" created by a LEAKING SEAL, THAT , from
the INSIDE of the engine as it leaks OUT gets SMALLER and leaks LESS as time
goes on, until the leak is stopped by CRUD obstructing the leak point .
    THEn, days-weeks-month-YEARS later, you put in some oil with a STRONG
detergent ( that stays with the oil for 7.5k to 100k, depending on the oil,
the filter(s) and the vehicle use , INSTEAD of petroleum oil that LOSES it
detergent after 2 to 4k miles) and the CRUD is removed ALLOWING the engine to
leak.
    Point is SYNTHETIC doesn't cause leaks, it just UNCOVERS them.
I've had 100 people use synthetic and the AMERICAN cars (that people don't
FIX 'til they break) tend to leak at the VALVE COVERS because they're LOOSE!
The European & Japenese. cars get SERVICED ( they used to) more often. If it
doesn't leak now and it's a Japanese. car, I'd put synthetic in it.
The synthetic PROTECTS the mechanical almost TWICE as well as petroleum oils
in HEAT RANGE. Regular oil is near the limit in the modern car, as far as oil
and engine temp. go. Imagine a hot summer day, with the A/C on, stopped at a
light with an automatic trans. The underhood temp. raises the oil temp., the
TORQUE converter MULTIPLIES TORQUE. Say the fan relay or fan goes bad and the
margin for the petroleum oil is exceeded. ENGINE OVERHAUL when they hit the
GAS!
    BTW, the best SYNTHETIC oil WITHOUT a GOOD FILTER is P*SSin' in the wind.
Put sand in the oil and let it circulate without taking it out with a good
filter, see what I mean.
    You can increase engine life to EXTREMES with a BY-PASS FILTER and with
the remote mount you will be adding cooling effects with a ONE MICRON filter.
18 wheelers show FACTORY MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES at ONE MILLION MILES with a
BY-PASS FILTER system AND go 100k miles between changes. They have their oil
ANALYZED at 10-25k intervals.

John Keller
88MR2SC
86MR2NA
73 Rx-2 13B 5 spd.
Robert Hastings wrote: