Automotive Forums

where do i go to get an engine flush? can i do it myself and how? i have an 06 Civic Si and planning on changing my oil soon to either amsoil or mobil1....still deciding. would u recommend flushing out the break in oil before switching to synthetic or is it ok for now? AMSOIL or MOBIL1?!?! such a tough decision....  

I have done quite a bit of research about this question - before doing the switch myself.  What I decided to do was use Mobil1.  I used regular oil for the first 5000 miles to allow the rings to seat well. I then drained one quart of oil and added 1 quart of synthetic.  I'll run it blended like that for 2000 miles.  Then I'll go straight Mobil1.

Hope that helps.  

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where do i go to get an engine flush? can i do it myself and how?



I have been using synthetic oil since 1975 and have never used any engine flushs.   I would not do it on a new car like this, it totally unnecessary and could do more harm than good.


Good synthetic oils like Amsoil and Mobil 1 can go much longer and you do not need to change them at 3000 miles.  Do not take the advice of someone in the business of selling oil or oil changes.  They want to keep you coming back every 3000 miles and that is foolish.  

Synthetic oils have been around since 1972 (Amsoil and Mobil 1) and those are the best ones to use.  All the others are just now jumping on the band wagon.

fyi-My 2005 CTS came from GM with Mobil 1 in it, so much for break-in with synthetic. Just another myth that persits about synthetic oil.  [I went 7000 miles on the OEM Mobil 1 before changing and only because I was going to store the car over the winter (5-6 months).]

btw-The Quick Lube people hate synthetic oi.  They consider it a crime to go longer than 3 months or 3000 miles and that is unethical.  

Synthetic oils offer special additives in the oil. Synthetic oils are because the oil is made through a chemical instead of a natural process. this allows for chemicals to attach to the oil molecules to perform better lubrication and prevent increased wear. They have additives that improve viscosity in lower and higher temperatures. i suggest if you use sythentic oil that you keep using it throughout the life of the car, it may cause oil consumption later down the road by natural oil being thinner and seeping past the rings.  

Everyone else has weighed in, so here's my two cents: New, used, or parked I would NEVER put anything but full synthetic oil in my cars, trucks, lawnmowers, chainsaws, posthole diggers--any internal combustion engine. I drive an 89 dodge van with 290k on it--switched it to synthetic at about 70k--and the original engine is intact--only a water pump in all those miles. Our other vehicles all run synthetic. I change at 4-5000 miles in the vehicles, 50 hours in the tractors (I have hour meters on all equipment), and use synthetic at the recommended mixture (usually 50:1)on all two-cycle stuff such as chainsaws and posthole diggers. I buy Walmart's house brand, TECH 2000 (from Quaker State, I believe) at $2.50 per quart in 5-qt. jugs.

And it costs me NO MORE than ordinary oil in a top brand. WHY? Quite simple. Every vehicle I have changed over to full synthetic has had an increase in mileage. The 89 van went from 16.5 mpg to 17.8 average; my wife's 93 Buick went from 28-29 to 30-31. This more than pays the difference in price. So ignore all the experts who pooh-pooh synthetic--they may be technically correct, but us practical people know the real truth. My chainsaws seem to last forever; the posthole digger starts and runs perfectly with over 300 hours on it; a cheap Murray lawn tractor with B&S 21hp twin has over 2500 hours and runs like new. So get real: Full synthetic does NOT cost you extra--it SAVES YOU MONEY.

And incidentally, I also use full synthetic grease (Mobil) and gear oil in all vehicles. The grease is hard to find (only at AutoZone in this area), but Walmart now has the 80-85 weight full synthetic gear lube.  

Wow, you guys are all over the board on this oil issue.  I too change my oil more frequently than the manufacturer calls for.  I have an E55 and an M3.  I use only Mobil 1 and change the filter each time.  Both of these cars require synthetic oil, so mineral is not an option.  As for using synthetic in a new Honda none of you noted the reason Honda has increased the oil change intervals.  They have done it because the cars run so clean there are very few contaminates due to combustion.  These cars are all LEV, ULEV, or P-Zero cars.  Oil technology continues to improve, but it's the engine technology that is pushing longer oil change intervals.  I have personally talked with engine engineers (silly sounding title) at Honda and they tell me that few vehicles in the US are considered by them to be run under "severe service" conditions.  They say most every Honda (and Acura) can be operated for the long term using their recommended service schedule.  Should you use synthetics?  Well, how long do you intend to keep the car?  If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a long period, I'd definitely use synthetic.  If you're going to dump it at 60,000 or 80,000 mile, you probably don't need to.  Oil filters are another issue.  I'd stick with the manufacturers filter.  I've never had anyone convince me that a Fram or any other brand is as good or better than the OEM.  In fact some manufacturers like Toyota have features you can't get anywhere else.  Toyota has the common by-pass valve found in most fliters, but it also has an anti-drain back valve.  Depending on filter location and position, some filters will allow the oil to drain back to the pan when the engine is shut down.  Toyota's filter prevents this and you never have a "dry start."  More than 80% of engine wear occurs at start up, that's why cars with high mileage that have been driven on longer trips are generally in much better shape than city cars with lots of engine start-shut down cycles.  I also have a 2000 Nissan Frontier truck with 107,000 miles on it.  It has run on Mobil 1 since its 4,000 mile oil change.  I have changed the oil using the Nissan filter every 4,000 miles.  It uses no measurable oil between these changes and you can put your finger inside the fill tube and it will come out clean with no goo or mess.  Internally, the engine is spotless.  I'll likely have this truck until 250,000 miles.
One last thought.  Forget crankcase flushes.  They are nothing short of a scam, like additives.  If your engine is so dirty you need a flush you should sell it and take better care of your next vehicle.  

I recently rented a 2006 Impala that had an oil life monitor according to the owners manual it relied on engine rpm  (gearing would have an effect) I had a pretty good mixture of driving styles (city, highway, stoplight dragging, etc) when I behaved the monitor didn't change much it changed a little during city driving, barely on the highway, and drastically when I was having fun (do you like to have fun?). This gave me a new perspective on oil life. probably why racers change oil on each pass and they always use synthetics for horsepower benifits not so much for protection qualities. it depends on what you want from the oil and your driving style whether or not its overkill  

I ran diesels for years in tugboats and there is absolutely nothing wrong with running diesel oil in a gasoline engine. Why would I do this? Look at the API circle and the S stands for spark ignited engines and if there's a C it's for compression ignited engines. Diesel oil contains a better additive package consisting of detergent and other cleaning agents to keep the diesel engine clean because when diesel fuel burns it leaves so many contaminants behind. The C diesel oil has additives which trap the dirt and carry it to the oil filter better than S designated oils.

Fact of the matter is, you do not really need to use C oil in a gas engine, but since it has better cleaning qualities, why not use it? For many years and many miles I ran diesel oil in our Ford pick up and car and never a problem. We get a new vehicle run it on what they say for 10K miles then go diesel oil changing oil & filter every 5K mi or every six months, whichever comes first. My choice is Shell Rotella T Multigrade diesel oil. http://www.rotella.com/products/

By the way, if you're really hung up on full synthetic oil, WalMart sells their SuperTech brand for $12.25 for five quarts, made by Warren Oil Co and about half price of Mobil1 and meets the same API specs.  

I fully agree with the ones supporting full synthetics. I have a 2000 Chevy Z71 and a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville. I use Mobil 1 in both. I normally run about 6000 miles between oil changes. I work for a quick lube center and will tell you that they recommend 3000 miles so that you will keep coming in more. More money for them. However, with more and more auto makers starting to recommend the higher mileage between oil changes, I feel that the quick lube industry is gonna have to give in and follow suit to keep trust with customers.
For those reading this, I happen to be conducting an oil change survey on my website and would greatly appreciate your help. It only takes about 2 mins to complete and I ask for no personal information. http://www.acabinontheriver.com/survey

This is for personal intrest and a project for one of my college classes.
Thanks  

I use synthetic 10-30 mobile 1 mostly.  I only use 5-30 from Nov.-May!
Extended oil changes are Bogus!  I have many high rev. 4 cylinder engines.  When I pull them into the shop for my 3000 mile oil change, They don't rev nearly as quick with a little blip on the gas.  When I pull them out, Just a little blip and the RPM jumps up instantly.  Put it in gear and it feels like I got 10 or 20 extra Ponies!  It's a no brainer! Duh!  You all can feel the diff. too! Don't ignore what you know! Nevada has a lot of dust in the air I'll agree.  "Ground up rock"  But it's obvious that something is creating engine drag at 3000 miles and equally obvious "THAT SOMETHING IS DIRTY OIL!"  DRAG = WEAR!  I like people that say you shouldn't switch to synthetic if you've run non for a long time.  No brainer again!  What is better? Regardless of what your engine has been thru, No metal contact in your engine or a little bit every now and then?  Therefore 10-30 and synthetic at 3000 mile change intervals.  

synthetic oil is far superiore than coventional mineral dinosour oil the benifits to synthetic are the following: faster flow ability at start-up to the engine especially under extreme cold weather cranking also its shear stable  at extreme hot engine heat & cold also has much more cleaning detergents to maintane engine clensceaness also synthetic oil doesent not tend to sludge up like dino oil and the best part of synthetic oil is not only can you go a little longer in-between oil changes but you can actually gain 3-5 horespower by just switching over!  

ehehehehe...this is funny. I've got a 2003 Trailblazer that I had Mobil 1 put in after I bought it....I've put around 3200 miles on since...the oil looks as good as new. I was going to change it at 3000 but from what I've read and heard, I should be good to at least 5000 miles...especially since Mobil 1 is  alittle over $5 a quart at Wally World...

On the testing part of the oil, I was a mechanic in the army....everything from Humvees to 5 ton trucks. We changed the oil regularly in the hummers during services, but when it came time for our duece and halfs and 5 tons, we would run the trucks till they were good and hot...There was a spigot on the drivers side of the engine we would crack and fill an AOAP bottle to send in to be tested....the oil was black, nasty as could be, but I never, never changed the oil in any of those trucks. How old was that oil? Anyone's guess, I'd imagine. I expect though, since most of those trucks took 5 gallons of oil or more, Uncle Sam may have thought it would be cheaper in the long run to replace the engines when it came time than change the oil....who knows???

Later
Phil  

Its seems there are some individuals that just seem to have a hatred for synthetic oils and will do everything to discredit the products.

Btw-I have used synthetics since 1975 and only change once a year since then.  

amsoil is the best and it does what they say it does  

try amsoil and run it a little longer. depending on your car and its condition 5-30 would be better and you can swithch to amsoil anytime.