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Has Anyone Tried ZMAX?

S

SoCalZ71

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Mar 19, 2002
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Playa Vista
Did my second oil change today with 2977 miles. Did the first one at 677 miles.
Wondering if there one anyone who has tried ZMAX instead of Slick 50?

Thanks
 
Zmax, lenkite,and Avblend are all basically the same. This additive is a very refined mineral oil. Most avaition oil is mineral oil. You synthetic oil are more worthy when it comes to wear. Caution !!! If you have been using the typical oil grades over the life time of you vehicle you don't want to switch to a synthetic . Your oil seals will begin to leak. The synthetic will break away the sludge in the seals opening up larger gaps. You can alway go from synthetic to regular grade oil. Never the other way around. The key is to change your oil evry 3500- 4000 miles. My 1999 Silverado has 165,000 miles original with the oil changed frequently. Never used an additive. No oil leaks . Oil consumption is a 1 quart every 2 months due to the valve seals . I am planning on purchasing an Avalanche this month. I have done my homework on the oil additives. Plus I am in the oil refining business. Another thing does anyone still put Heet in their gas tank in the winter. The additive is just alcohol. Check your gas pumps at your local gas station you'll see that there is a alcohol additive in the gasoline blend all ready.
 
jogyver93 said:
Caution !!! If you have been using the typical oil grades over the life time of you vehicle you don't want to switch to a synthetic . Your oil seals will begin to leak. The synthetic will break away the sludge in the seals opening up larger gaps. You can alway go from synthetic to regular grade oil. Never the other way around.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, the info about synthetics causing seals to leak is a little outdated and can be misleading. There is truth to it, but there are only certain situations where it is a complete No-No..... ;D
Paraphrasing from the Motor Oil Bible:
"This misconception about synthetics was caused in the 70's and 80's when certain oil companies used poor basestocks and additives to their synthetic blends. They did not properly additize their oils to prevent seal shrinkage. Some synthetic basestocks will naturally cause shrinkage, so if proper additives are not used to counteract that problem, oil leakage is an issue. Back in those days, some synth oil manufacturers used components in their oils that reacted negatively with seals and CAUSED deterioration !!" "This is not the case with today's more advanced synthetic oils. Companies have revised their basestock and additive choices and have adjusted their blending techniques so that their oils are completely compatible with the seals in today's engines. " "That's not to say there are not exceptions. If you have a car 8 to 10 years old with more than 100,000 miles, the seals have hardened from the effects of long-term petroleum usage, and no additives will bring them back to life so to speak."

Ok now from personal experience: I switched my 1997 Suburban over to synthetic oil when it had 42K miles on it and the truck had been on the road for about 32 months. I just used an "engine oil flush" and drained and replaced. No problems at all.

In addition, I also commute in a 1993 Geo Prizm with 160K miles. It burns about a quart every 2000 miles, and I have used synth blend oils to replenish it between changes for about the last year, and it has not caused more oil loss or leakage of any sort. The oil system is not completely healthy, but Synth blend oil has not worsened the problem at all. I have put about 350 miles a week on it for two years now.

So YES, in some cases synth oil can cause seal leaks - but in most normal conditions you are safe. Even in older cars, you could probably go with a Synthetic Blend for a couple of changes before going FULL SYNTHETIC.

The Synthetic Evangelist and Apologist, Lars-ss (y)
 
:) Glad to hear that you are wanting an AV. First vehicle I have bought where I didn't go through a period of buyer's lament!

As for syn oil...from the AV owner's manual, page 6-15...
"If you are in an area where the temperature falls below
-20  F (-29  C), consider using either an SAE 5W-30
.synthetic oil or an SAE 0W-30 oil. Both will provide easier cold starting and better protection for your engine at extremely low temperatures"

I also know that GM ships the Corvettes with syn oil. while neither example above is an open endorsement of syn oil, I have got to believe (no pun intended toward the Oil Bible) that todays engines can safely use syn oil.

I plan on switching to syn on the first oil change.

jst4f

jogyver93 said:
Zmax, lenkite,and Avblend are all basically the same. This additive is a very refined mineral oil. Most avaition oil is mineral oil. You synthetic oil are more worthy when it comes to wear. Caution !!! If you have been using the typical oil grades over the life time of you vehicle you don't want to switch to a synthetic . Your oil seals will begin to leak. The synthetic will break away the sludge in the seals opening up larger gaps. You can alway go from synthetic to regular grade oil. Never the other way around. The key is to change your oil evry 3500- 4000 miles. My 1999 Silverado has 165,000 miles original with the oil changed frequently. Never used an additive. No oil leaks . Oil consumption is a 1 quart every 2 months due to the valve seals . I am planning on purchasing an Avalanche this month. I have done my homework on the oil additives. Plus I am in the oil refining business. Another thing does anyone still put Heet in their gas tank in the winter. The additive is just alcohol. Check your gas pumps at your local gas station you'll see that there is a alcohol additive in the gasoline blend all ready.
Click to expand...
 
I plan on going with the full synthetic after my next oil change...and after that they will all be synthetic.....I'm still debating whether or not to use such products as Slick 50......only time will tell..... :B:
 
NJAV,
How many mile witll you when you go full synthetic? With all the talk about seating rings, waiting til' 10K, slowly introducing syn' oil, its hard to find a concrete answer with so many opinion and techniques.

Now back to oil additives. I see that, I think it was Slick 50 that got some write up here with positive results, if anyone has tried any others?

Thanks
 
The additives are either mineral oil or caster oil. The mineral oil is a crude oil by product and castor oil is from a plant. Supposely castor oil is slippery stuff. On the other hand Mineral oil has the ability to penetrate deep into the grain boundries of the metal. It stays in the metal thus always having some luberication.I don't know the heat valve for either .I am working on it. Like I stated before avation uses a mineral oil blend. I guess it has to be a pretty reliable lubricant if your are flying 2000 ft up. As for synthetics they won't make your seals leak on a new engine . I think I should of been a bit more clear with the statement I made before. Full Synthetics (not sythetic blends)in a engine that has had most of it's life time on regular base grade oil will dislodge oil/sludge deposits. This switch over will cause a clogged oil filter. No filter flow .....big problem. As far as seals go the sludge deposits are also displaced. This displacement of sludge creates a larger tolerrance between the seal and the spinning journal thus allowing oil to leak out. At our research center we had 4 vehicles with 60,000 miles plus that used regular base grade oil. We switched them over to our full synthetic oil . The oil filters were all changed after 1000 miles of driving . All were 60% or greater filled with engine /oil deposits . 3 out of the 4 leaked at the front and rear main seals . The 1 out of the 4 locked up . All the vehicle s used in the test were from private owners. All were compensated for the use of their vehicles. So if you feel lucky try it yourself. Synthetic oils are bit more pricey but well worth it if you start off with it. You don't want to switch to a synthetic on a car with a lot of miles on it.
 
The "When to change the oil" thread covers this over 9 pages...

Here's my 2 cents worth... I'm 47 years old and have been using synthetic oil since 1976 (26 years). There wasn't too much info at the beginning. My mechanic (also an auto shop instructor) recommended Amsoil as it was the only one available.

Also, to allow controlled engine run-in, he advocated a slow change-over. The first oil change should be at 1000 miles and then every 3000 miles (2K miles for 1st one) until running 100% synthetic. The synthetic is increased in 20% increments. Thus, at 3K(20%), 6K(40%), 9K(60%), 12K(80%) and 15K(100%). Then you are on track for 5K changes and will always know EXACTLY when to change. Of course, you ALWAYS change the filter!

I've used Mobil 1 (5W-30) since it was available but believe all 100% synthetics are similar.

This program seems to work. I've never had any engine problems on any vehicle I've ever owned... Zilch, zero! I believe it was Car and Driver that pulled two 350 motors from Z/28's. One had 1000 miles and the other 100,000 miles. Both were disassembled. Not one expert or mechanic could tell the engines apart.

Not one of my friends whom have used this program have EVER had an engine wear problem! Also, perhaps some of you are familiar with the Toyoto Camry Sludge Problem. The engines are failing due to sludge build-up but not one wear-failure problem with engines running synthetic.

Mobil 1 can be purchased at Costco by the case for $21.99 (6 quarts). That's about what our AVY's use. So with a Fram Extra-Guard filter, a DIY is in at under $30. Once you get to the 5K mile interval, your cost is about the same as the dealer's 3K interval on Dino.

I guess this was about a nickel's worth.

Best regards, Gary
 
AS far as the Slick 50 goes....I believe I will wait until the 25,000 mark....I believe the call for adding the stuff every 25,000 miles or so.....As far as synthetic goes....I'm going full synth....from here on out....currently have 6.980 miles.....I'm pretty sure everything is seated correctly at this point.... :B:
 
:eek:AVYNUT, WHAT IS THIS COTSCO. Is this a auto chain store. Have not heard of them in Lousianna?
i checked autozone today when i bought my silverstars and they wanted 29.99 for a case (6quarts). thought that was kind of high.
i just went fully synthetic at 6100 miles with the mobil one 5w-30 and have 3000 miles on it and have not used a drop also have had increase in fuel mileage, but the oil change cost 54.00 at the chevy house. looks like i will start doing my own oil changes again.
thanks for info
zeeya
 
Zeeya,

Costco is like a SAMS Club....HTH
 
I think I will go synthetic. I've got 4,500 miles miles. Did my first change at 3,000. I'll use the run-in mehtod to 15,000, then full synth every 5,000 like AvyNut says.

Always been a religious 3m mile dino oil guy before but sounds like AvyNut's been there, done that! Plus us late 40's guys gotta stick together (I'm 48!).
 
SoCalZ71,

Getting back to your original question, I have used Zmax in a couple of my older vehicles and I can say it works better than Prolong, Slick 50, Restore, etc. (at least for me). They both have over 100K on them, and I can definitely tell the difference when I add it in every 6 months or so, can notice the engines run smoother and get a slight increase in gas mileage.

However, I have not used anything like these products in my Avalanche. I am right about 7K miles now and plan to change at 10K for the last conv. oil change. Then at 13K or so, I'll probably go to either Royal Purple or Mobile 1. May end up trying both and see which one provides the best results. Will be doing with same with my wifes new Elantra pretty soon. Doubt I will use any additives in the newer vehicles though especially after they are running on synthetic.

I know there are guys on here that know a lot more about oil than I do, but my opinion is if you're going to use full syntheic, putting more additives in is a waste, and you probably won't see much benefit from it. Synthetics are already treated with enough additives to do the job. If you decide to stay with conv. oil, then using additives like Zmax make more sense. I would also recommend Tufoil (check out the links page). That's some pretty interesting stuff. Additives also make sense for older higher mileage cars like I have.

Hope this helps and good luck.

David
 
My dealer is adding something to the oil called Krex. I have not heard of it before.Has anybody out there had any experience with this stuff? The hook is that if you keep up the oil changes at 3000 miles or 6 months which ever comes first, your engine warranty is extended to 100,000 by Krex (try collecting on it, right?) The dealer hasn't raised the oil change price and it is not listed as an extra charge.
 
i use zmax  myself adding the three pack every 6 months.( oil, tran, gas) and the two pack ( gas, oil) every change i'n full synthetic as well. since i got her.
 
time to bring this back up ....

I'm seeing a lot of infomericals on it .... and how much of a great product it is ...

I see it is actually owned, or at least Bruton Smith is the chairman of the board, at ZMAX ....

I want to know if anyone has/is using it and if it is worth the money ....

I starting to get sucked in to the hype and don't want another snake oil ....

I already got sucked into the Tornado years ago ...  :2:
 
Intimidatoruag said:
time to bring this back up ....

I'm seeing a lot of infomericals on it .... and how much of a great product it is ...

I see it is actually owned, or at least Bruton Smith is the chairman of the board, at ZMAX ....

I want to know if anyone has/is using it and if it is worth the money ....

I starting to get sucked in to the hype and don't want another snake oil ....

I already got sucked into the Tornado years ago ...  :2:
Click to expand...

John,

Wow...this is an oldie! Don't really have anything to add to my post from 7 years ago. I would still use it in high mileage engines but not my AV (only 36K right now) to see if it helped but regardless of whether some people think its the best thing since sliced bread or if some think it's complete snake oil...judge for yourself. I did see it help run smoother and get a little better gas mileage in an old Corsica that I had and an old Accord. I won't be using it in the AV since I have been running Royal Purple and will continue to so it would most likely be a waste for me and probably for anyone else using a good quality synthetic. I doubt your new AV has many too many miles yet (even with those trips to NC  :wave: but if you have an older car with high miles I'd give it a shot and see if it helps.
 
I rememeber years ago I put Zmax (got a free sample) in a car I had and I lost 4 mpg  :p
 
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