Different Oil Help Cold Tick

MississippiTitan · 10-09-2006, 07:09 PM

In the mornings when I first crank it up it will knock, tick bad for about 2 seconds then run smooth. Would switching oil help this? Maybe to Synthetic? The dealer does my oil changes and Im not quite sure what oil they use.Its really not that big of a deal becuase my Chevy's had CSK and I drove alot with it doing that and it seemed to run fine down the road.

KYDeepwater · 10-10-2006, 04:24 AM

It depends to some extent on what oil is in there now. A lot of places use10W30, which is a 10 weight at room temperature (actually 100 F) and is the thickness of a 30 weight at running temperature (200 F). Dropping to 5W30 will give you a thinner oil at start-up and improve the initial pumpability of the oil. Using a synthetic oil will provide stronger boundary lubrication of the oil, which allows it to stick to the metal inside of the engine better and will reduce the ticking somewhat. Synthetics leave a thin film of fluid (a mixture of ester, polyglycol, and alkylated naphthalene) on the metal surfaces inside the engine. The polyglycol and naphthalene have strong polarity, meaning they are attracted to iron surfaces, and tend to stay there, giving coverage and "instant" lubricity upon starting the engine. This is the main advantage of synthetics.
Most oils you buy today use additive packages from Lubrizol, or Ethyl Corporation, among others. The package would consist of anti-wear additives, oxidation scavenger additives, viscosity modifiers, dispersants, and sometimes detergents. The SAE certifications for oils are very expensive to prove, and therefore Lubrizol, and Ethyl etc. provdes a pre-blended package to meet the various ratings for engine oils. This is how so many small marketers can provide oils that meet the SAE requirements.
You might want to make sure you have a 5W30 oil, and if the problem persists, see a dealer if under warranty. A synthetic also would help also, but if you have excessive weart, you might have some ticking no matter which oil you use. If it stops completely once the engine warms up, this should do the trick. I use Mobil 1 5W30, and Syntech 75W140 in mine. I spend about $85 dollars every 7,500 miles on oil, filters, etc. but feel that it is worth it to me. Since I do all my own oil changes, I know exactly what is in there. I have done a few oil tests on the used oils, and have low metal wear levels in both the engine and the rear differential so far.

sudden urge · 10-10-2006, 08:13 AM

Bought Pennzoil 5w-30 on rebate for $1.09 a quart plus Nissan oil filter. Approximately $15 for complete oil change and it's as quiet as a mouse. $85 will get me over 5 changes and a hamburger with fries.

Quartz · 10-10-2006, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYDeepwater

It depends to some extent on what oil is in there now. A lot of places use10W30, which is a 10 weight at room temperature (actually 100 F) and is the thickness of a 30 weight at running temperature (200 F). Dropping to 5W30 will give you a thinner oil at start-up and improve the initial pumpability of the oil. Using a synthetic oil will provide stronger boundary lubrication of the oil, which allows it to stick to the metal inside of the engine better and will reduce the ticking somewhat. Synthetics leave a thin film of fluid (a mixture of ester, polyglycol, and alkylated naphthalene) on the metal surfaces inside the engine. The polyglycol and naphthalene have strong polarity, meaning they are attracted to iron surfaces, and tend to stay there, giving coverage and "instant" lubricity upon starting the engine. This is the main advantage of synthetics.
Most oils you buy today use additive packages from Lubrizol, or Ethyl Corporation, among others. The package would consist of anti-wear additives, oxidation scavenger additives, viscosity modifiers, dispersants, and sometimes detergents. The SAE certifications for oils are very expensive to prove, and therefore Lubrizol, and Ethyl etc. provdes a pre-blended package to meet the various ratings for engine oils. This is how so many small marketers can provide oils that meet the SAE requirements.
You might want to make sure you have a 5W30 oil, and if the problem persists, see a dealer if under warranty. A synthetic also would help also, but if you have excessive weart, you might have some ticking no matter which oil you use. If it stops completely once the engine warms up, this should do the trick. I use Mobil 1 5W30, and Syntech 75W140 in mine. I spend about $85 dollars every 7,500 miles on oil, filters, etc. but feel that it is worth it to me. Since I do all my own oil changes, I know exactly what is in there. I have done a few oil tests on the used oils, and have low metal wear levels in both the engine and the rear differential so far.

Wow! That's way above my head, but it makes me feel better about using Mobil 1.

KYDeepwater · 10-10-2006, 10:23 AM

The $85 includes the air filter, 7 quarts Mobil 1 5W30, 3 quarts Supertech 75W140, oil filter, injector cleaner. It has worked for me. Any oil that meets the SAE specification will work as long as you change the oil regularly.
We had a guy here at work who had one of the orignal Dodge Caravans, 4 cylinder. He used Mobil 1 and changed once a year in November, then changed his filter and topped off in May. He did about 22,000 miles per year. When he sold the van to his brother, they did a compression test, and the worst cylinder was 96 % of new, at 140,000 miles. No work was ever done to that engine, except maintenance. If it works on an engine like that, it has to be good for one that was put together way better (ours) than a Dodge 4 cylinder.

kman · 10-10-2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYDeepwater

The $85 includes the air filter, 7 quarts Mobil 1 5W30, 3 quarts Supertech 75W140, oil filter, injector cleaner.

you change your differential oil every 7500 miles?!

MississippiTitan · 10-10-2006, 04:18 PM

i looked on my tag and it said 10w30 but no brand name

KYDeepwater · 10-11-2006, 05:14 AM

I have access to an oil analysis company through work, so I have been testing Mobil 1 versus the supertech from Wal-mart. The Mobil 1 seems to have some visual advantages, it wasn't cloudy like the Supertech after 7,500 miles, but the wear metals were virtually the same. I have had around 100 ppm iron in the oil each test since 15,000 miles. I plan on now going to use the Mobil 1 75W140 for 15,000 miles to see if anything in the oil testing changes. I figure it is worth $30.00 to change it since there has been a lot of concern over these rear ends. From what I have seen here, most of the problems with the diff's have been the locking rear diff's, but there were some regular ones that failed. I have had the PML aluminum cover on since last May; this past weekend we pulled the boat 140 miles from the lake to the house, and I could place my hand of the cover when we got home without it being too hot.
The manual recommends 5W30 for our engine. I would try that and see if it improves the ticking.