Switching oil brands?

joemomma · Jun 14, 2022

I'm really wanting to switch oil brands for the '94. PO used regular old Pennzoil 10W-30, which is fine, but the only place I can find it is online through Amazon. None of the local stores carry the regular stuff, only the high mileage. Thoughts on changing brands to something else I can find locally? I'll stick with conventional oil, but is there any harm in switching to something else?

badass98svt · Jun 14, 2022

No harm whatsoever.

lwarrior1016 · Jun 14, 2022

Why in the world would you stick to conventional oil?

96blak54 · Jun 14, 2022

I found out the hard way what conventional oil does to a performance engine. Its like a boat anchor.

joemomma · Jun 15, 2022

lwarrior1016 said:
Why in the world would you stick to conventional oil?

I've always heard not to switch to synthetic on high-mileage applications. It's the stock 302 with 158k on the clock.

Dubsport · Jul 1, 2022

No problems whatsoever changing to synthetic...

cobrajeff96 · Jul 1, 2022

Any sludge buildup from using conventional motor oil without detergents will get knocked loose with a synthetic being that it has the detergents in it. Engine is in for a crude enema!

lwarrior1016 · Jul 1, 2022

cobrajeff96 said:
Any sludge buildup from using conventional motor oil without detergents will get knocked loose with a synthetic being that it has the detergents in it. Engine is in for a crude enema!

I don’t quite believe that. Have you ever torn down a sludged up engine and tried cleaning it? That stuff does not come off easy.

cobrajeff96 · Jul 2, 2022

Depends on how far gone it is, how much buildup and for how long. It's all variable.

PinkieT · Jul 2, 2022

cobrajeff96 said:
Any sludge buildup from using conventional motor oil without detergents will get knocked loose with a synthetic being that it has the detergents in it. Engine is in for a crude enema!

Almost all conventional motor oil has detergents, only exception are some lawn motor oils because some of the older air cooled motors required non-detergent oil or some really cheap crap I see at the dollar stores. Switching from Pennzoil or any brand name conventional to a synthetic shouldn't cause any problems at all. High mileage oils (both conventional and synthetic) contain special antioxidants, detergents, and additives that can help reduce engine wear and minimize the chances of sludge buildup. High mileage oil also helps prevent aging seals and gaskets from becoming brittle and causing leaks. High mileage oils are suggested for motors with 75,000 miles or more.