I have almost 20k miles on my car.. 6 months old.
I figure I should switch it over to synthetic oil..
Anything I should know?
I figure I should switch it over to synthetic oil..
Anything I should know?
Any steps needed when switching a car over to synthetic oil?
- Thread starter LordJezo
- Start date
Make sure to clean up the oil on your driveway when the synthetic oil starts to bust out of every gasket that the dino oil was taking care of.
Don't listen to RJH. Engine with 20k miles shouldn't have any places for even synthetic to leak from.
I switched my 96 S10 when it had 38k and there were no problems. I switched my old GTI with 80k on the new engine and the puddles were big enough to swim in.
You should be fine.
Originally posted by: rbloedow
This is only a problem on very high mileage cars, and very few of them will experience this to begin with.
Correct.
Originally posted by: rbloedow
This is only a problem on very high mileage cars, and very few of them will experience this to begin with.
Switched to Synthetic on a 200,000 mile car and its fine. Never has leaked a drop of oil and its up to 270,000 now. Just went going from Dino to Synthetic.....its best to up the weight of the oil a bit on a higher mileage car.
Nothing. Just switch.
Modern synthetic oils do not cause seals to malfunction. It's both improvement in the oil and the seal technology.
Further, it has been shown that using synthetic in a high milage engine has little to no effect on already formed deposits. Think about it. All engine oils contain detergents(Well, not all, if you want to get technical). While it's true some synthetics may contain a more robust detergent package, it isn't going to magically clean the inside of your engine.
If your engine already leaks oil, it might leak a little more with the synthetic, but unless it's leaking like a sieve, in which case synthetic would be a waste, it isn't going to be a huge difference.
Modern synthetic oils do not cause seals to malfunction. It's both improvement in the oil and the seal technology.
Further, it has been shown that using synthetic in a high milage engine has little to no effect on already formed deposits. Think about it. All engine oils contain detergents(Well, not all, if you want to get technical). While it's true some synthetics may contain a more robust detergent package, it isn't going to magically clean the inside of your engine.
If your engine already leaks oil, it might leak a little more with the synthetic, but unless it's leaking like a sieve, in which case synthetic would be a waste, it isn't going to be a huge difference.
Well, I just got owned! In all seriousness, I have no experience using synthetic, I've just always heard it can make engine gaskets leak if put on high mileage cars.
StageLeft
No Lifer
- Sep 29, 2000
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On HIGH mileage cars that used to be the case, but mobil1 says that it is fine to use their stuff now and with recent car seals and synthetics it shouldn't be a problem. I switched the max over to full synthetic in its 40s. It doesn't leak at all although it drniks about a quart every 4k from what I can tell. I know it's not "burning oil", but the synthetic definitely seems to get caught up in the combustion chamber I guess. Er, that is burning oil isn't it
Actually there was a leak related to the oil pressure sending switch, recently replaced, so I'm checking now how the car is, but somebody on forums.maxima.org said that with mobil1 their max was drinking it and with amsoil synthetic they were not.
Originally posted by: Skoorb
On HIGH mileage cars that used to be the case, but mobil1 says that it is fine to use their stuff now and with recent car seals and synthetics it shouldn't be a problem. I switched the max over to full synthetic in its 40s. It doesn't leak at all although it drniks about a quart every 4k from what I can tell. I know it's not "burning oil", but the synthetic definitely seems to get caught up in the combustion chamber I guess. Er, that is burning oil isn't it
Actually there was a leak related to the oil pressure sending switch, recently replaced, so I'm checking now how the car is, but somebody on forums.maxima.org said that with mobil1 their max was drinking it and with amsoil synthetic they were not.
So have you noticed anything better switching from dino to syn? I've heard some people say they achieve a smoother idle / rev. and other things, but is there any tangible benefit from using synthetic oil? Get better gas mileage? "Better" for the engine? Help meh.
In a related note (I don't want to start a whole new thread for this) my '96 Sentra 1.6l will have about 57,000 miles at its next oil change. Low miles, I know. Anyway, I've been using either 5w-30 or 10w-30 dino oil depending on the season, but I'd like to start using synthetic as I'd like to keep the car for a much longer amount of time. Is it okay to just switch over to Mobil-1, or will it end up in a lot of oil leaks?
StageLeft
No Lifer
- Sep 29, 2000
- 70,150
- 5
- 0
redhotjrm - I've not noticed but I wasn't really looking for it. Supposedly it can increase gas mileage a percent or something. Really I did it for engine longevity since I aim to keep the maxima a long time
My sentra I'm putting in 10w-30 valvoline max life dino because the thing leaks a good bit and hopefully that stuff is holding back the tide of oil flow onto the ground
Mobil1's website I do believe says that it's no problem and you can in fact switch to syn and back and forth between it and dino.
My sentra I'm putting in 10w-30 valvoline max life dino because the thing leaks a good bit and hopefully that stuff is holding back the tide of oil flow onto the ground
Instead of classic oil (dinosaur juice!) that's taken from the ground and refined synthetic is made in a lab. I don't know anything about how they're made, but unlike regular dino oil synthetic will not wear with time, or at the least not as quickly. You still need to change oil since it will still get dirty from carbon deposits and engine bits and pieces, but unlike regular oil it won't fall apart over time from friction and heat.
It will... but at much higher temperatures than normal oil.Originally posted by: Skoorb
redhotjrm - I've not noticed but I wasn't really looking for it. Supposedly it can increase gas mileage a percent or something. Really I did it for engine longevity since I aim to keep the maxima a long timeMobil1's website I do believe says that it's no problem and you can in fact switch to syn and back and forth between it and dino.
My sentra I'm putting in 10w-30 valvoline max life dino because the thing leaks a good bit and hopefully that stuff is holding back the tide of oil flow onto the groundInstead of classic oil (dinosaur juice!) that's taken from the ground and refined synthetic is made in a lab. I don't know anything about how they're made, but unlike regular dino oil synthetic will not wear with time, or at the least not as quickly. You still need to change oil since it will still get dirty from carbon deposits and engine bits and pieces, but unlike regular oil it won't fall apart over time from friction and heat.
It is exactly what the name says. Man-made oil. It is superior to conventional oil in ALL ways.
People, synthetic oil isn't some mysterious concoction. You can change back and forth if you want to. You can even mix it up if you want to. It doesen't matter, all engine oils are fully compatible with eachother.
As for the benefits..
They mostly go undetected. Yes, you will get better gas milage, probably a whopping 0.05mpg. Yes, you will gain horsepower, probably 0.1%. Yes, your engine will last longer given the same treatment vs. conventional oil.
I say this in every thread oil though, and I really stress it..
It does NOT matter what oil you use if your air and oil filter are not doing their job!. Any and all oil becomes worthless if there are solid particles in it.
Todays conventional oil is very good at lubricating. If you use a high quality air filter(NOT K&N), and a high quality oil filter, you will have no problems lubrication related as long as you change the oil and filters at the correct intervals.
Synthetic along with a good oil and air filter is just added protection.
Before everybody flames me for dissin' on the K&N's, they are good filters for their purpose, but unfortunately due to the laws of physics.. two air filters with the same surface area, except one flows more CFM.... Which one do you think filters better?
K&Ns are great for added performance(I guess), but they are NOT great if you care about what your engine is eating. Your air filter is the first line of defense. Anything that makes it past that will eventually end up in your oil, where your oil filter has to deal with it. If it cannot, it goes to work, eating your engine from the inside out.
This is especially important (at least IMO) here in Arizona. The heat from just driving to work in weather that's in the neighborhood of 115 degrees is brutal. Toss in the heat from blacktop/cement and direct sunlight, and you have yourself a hood to cook burgers on at a tailgating party.
Indeed, but it's not really due to the blacktop being hot, or the hood..
The engine dissipates its heat to the air through the radiator.
Just think about CPUs. The hotter the ambient air, the hotter the CPU will run, because the air passing over the heatsink won't collect as much heat.
Same thing for an engine.
There isn't much point to change to synthetic... personally rather than waiting twice as long for oil changes, I'd rather change the oil more often. There is crap in there anyways and its better to get it out asap.
Originally posted by: Skoorb
What about regular changes with synthetic?
yeah but synthetic oil is expensive.... you must be rich!! WHERE is Mrs. Skoorb? She needs to beat some sense into your money wasting habits!!!
Don't do it if it will void the warranty of the car. Also, for new cars warranty forces oil change to be at periods recommended for natural oils, not synthetic. So you will use just as much synthetic oil as you would use natural.
my .02$
Calin
my .02$
Calin
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