I recently picked up a '93 pickup 3.0, and I couldn't find much info specific to my situation. I'm going to change the oil, and afterward I will likely switch all drivetrain fluids over to synthetic. The engine has 235k on it, and has somewhat of an oil leak, not quite sure how bad it is though. It doesn't seem to burn any oil, and as far as I could tell from the previous owner, he was meticulous about maintenance.

1. I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash to run synthetic in the motor, but is there any concern with the amount of mileage that the motor has?

2. It rarely sees below 20 degrees in the winter where I live, I was planning on running 10w-30 in it as a good place to start... hows that sound?

3. Also, with regard to the transmission, transfer case and differentials, is there a favorite brand of synthetic fluid that I should choose... also, what about using any additives in the differentials? Anything else I should know about?

Also, I should mention that this is a bone stock truck, and I only plan on using it as a daily driver and occasionally on forest roads, but no wheeling to speak of.

Thanks!!

 

I also have the same truck with the same amount of miles. The previous owner was also very miticulous about maintainance (3 inches thick of oil change reciepts). I didn't change over to synthetic mainly because the truck had never had it before. Unless you want to extend your oil change intervals (as far as the engine) I would stick with regular oil. As far as differential and trans oils, I plan on going synthetic, mainly because I've done it on my other vehicles and the trans shifted a lot better with a synthetic oil (manual). I just run synthetic in the diffs for the piece of mind, I've heard it adheres better to the gears, but thats just speculation.

 

oh, 10w30 is fine. You only need additives in the diffs if it has a limited slip.

 

I have a '94 & have been running synthetic in it since @ 150,000 miles, now have 252,000 miles. I did a complete rebuild 3 years ago @ 218,000 miles & had ZERO WEAR on the cylinder walls & cam (main bearings had some issues due to coolant in the crankcase from a blown head gasket). I've used 15w-50 synthetic since 150k miles & attribute most of the non-wear to synthetic oil. I've always run it relatively hard & wanted the extra protection of the higher viscosity. As long as your pressure comes up quick & it's not incredibly cold where you are, I recommend using the highest viscosity you can get away with.

You can use any synthetic in the diffs/transaxle but only use GL-4 in the transmission or you'll have synchro issues (GL-5 is too slippery).

I ordered replacement drain/fill plugs from either WabFab or MarlinCrawler (don't remember which) that used a large hex key instead of the 24 mm bolt & have a magnet built in to catch any metal particles. They are MUCH easier to remove than the old, thin bolt design.

 

I like redline MT90 synthetic for my transmission. Switched over to shell rotella T6 5W40 synthetic about 6500 miles in my 22RE, but I had no leaks before or any oil burning issues. I would probably use the amsoil 10W40 if I could afford it but I digress...

If you have leaks already, if it was mine I would either fix the leaks then switch or just stick with some castrol 10W30 high mileage or something like that.

 

Here's an update....

I had anticipated that the motor had an oil leak because of the amount of oil on the bottom of the front end and differential.... turns out, after taking off the skid plate, that the bottom of the block and oil pan are clean and dry! It was all a buildup of oil left behind from previous oil filter changes! That thing absolutely dumps all over everything!!!

I tried covering things with a rag, but it was definitely a losing battle!

I did switch over to synthetic, and I took the recommendation of a buddy and used Pennzoil Ultra synthetic... I've always been a Valvoline/Castrol guy, but he has heard very good things about that synthetic.... any input?

 

Amsoil is supposedly the best, although VERY expensive. Mobil One gets high marks.

 

Just changed the oil in my 94 v6, 210,xxx and put in Mobile 1 5w 30. It's about to be cold for awhile. I'll go back to 10w 30 or 40 in the summer.

 

I ran Dino oil for 20 years, and I have a drip drip leak. Switched to 05/30 syn blend Valvoline. Alls good, leaks the same.

 

i've heard Penzoil is one of the crappiest oils around.

 

I'm not a penzoil fan. I run conventional 10-30 in the summer and 5-30 in the winter time. The engine has always used conventional and it runs great 193,xxx miles.