Oil? (i know i know, do a search)

[Ronin 09]

i do agree with you JimX, but if there is no wear, then there are no particles to blacken the oil... if it is still wearing, the particles have to go somewhere!

I perhaps didn't explain myself fully - when i had my last oil change my mechanic did an engine flush - put this cleaning agent through the oil system for 20 mins. As a result any residual bits of crap were flushed out, and basically you're left with a internally clean motor.

After filling with new oil, it would stand to reason that

1. if the oil is doing its job and protecting wear, there will be relatively few small unfiltered particles

2. the oil will stay cleaner longer, instead of being contaminated by residual particles

3. being a jap engine and having extremely fine tollerances, wear should be minimal (has anyone ever owned a honda? if you look at their oil after 10000K they still run clean)

4. again i agree with you, oil is there to both lubricate and protect, as well as clean away contaminants.

I guess what i'm really trying to say after all that is: it is possible for the oil to run clean whilst still providing perfect protection....

ahh, i think i've gone cross-eyed

[Zahos]

Everytime I've flushed mine out, I've used relatively cheap semi-synthetic oil in the car for a week, then simply done another oild change.

Works just fine that way too.

[adam 32]

i use mobil 1 semi synth 15-50

because as stated above i think most fully synthetic oils are too thin and dont provide enough protection

[JimX]

It's a common misconception that more viscosity=better lubrication. It doesn't. You only need thick oil for a worn engine. Thick oil usually won't hurt a new(er) engine, but it costs you power and economy for no reason. You're not getting any better protection out of thicker oil if your clearances are still tight.