5w30 to Synthetic

[Xcalibur00]

Im about to go from regular to sythetic oil.
I have a 2000 Sport...
Is this a good idea (someone told me that your valve seals shrink from sytnthetic...is this true?)
Whats the best way for all of the old oil to drain out before I put the synthetic in?
Which is the best synthetic for the 4.0 SOHC?
Anything else I should consider before I go ahead with this?
Thanks

 

[mosinman]

synth

Just change oil like regular but fill with synth. You do not have to flush or get every last drop of old oil out. Synth oil does not shrink or damage any seals. Mobil 1 is the most popular synthetic. Of course, people will live and die by their choice of oil, insisting only their brand is the absolute best.

 

[Sid Daley]

I changed mine 6 months back and I've had no issues
whatsoever and mine is a 1997 sohc that had 155,000 km at changetime..

Sid

Originally posted by Xcalibur00
Im about to go from regular to sythetic oil.
I have a 2000 Sport...
Thanks

 

[Xcalibur00]

so there shouldn't be any major concerns...thats good to know.
Steve and Sid...thanks alot. Have a good holiday.

 

[aldive]

By all means make the switch.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Re: synth

Originally posted by mosinman
Of course, people will live and die by their choice of oil, insisting only their brand is the absolute best.

NOT TRUE! As long as its Castrol GTX. You should be fine.

Btw- Castrol GTX is $0.88 at Pep Boys with rebate right now.

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

yeah i hear Castrol Synthetic is really good,

if i ever use Sythetic i will most likely use the GTX

 

[Brans Freestyle]

if your engine has over 15k or so miles, shouldnt you just use regular oil, since the effects of using synthetic wouldnt make a difference?

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by Brans Freestyle
if your engine has over 15k or so miles, shouldnt you just use regular oil, since the effects of using synthetic wouldnt make a difference?

NOT

 

[mosinman]

synth

Synthetic oil has the same qualities wether you engine is new or has 100,000 miles. Your engine doesn't "take" to one kind of oil and "resist" another. Its just oil. No Voodo or mysterious rituals involved. Synthetic just has better specs than convential is all. Wheter you need the extra level of performance is up you and your wallet.

 

[justsearching]

Originally posted by Brans Freestyle
if your engine has over 15k or so miles, shouldnt you just use regular oil, since the effects of using synthetic wouldnt make a difference?

Which benefits go away after 15K?

-Potentially longer change intervals (with monitoring)
-Better performance at temp extremes:
Starts easier cold,
Gets to important parts more quickly at startup, even cold,
Stays there (doesn't fail as quickly) even in extreme heat,
-Better add packages usually meaning:
higher detergency, cleaner engine,
better antiwear/ep characteristics,
better (slower) aging,
fewer deposits,
etc.

Generalizations of course, but a good synth is much better than the average dino. Unfortunately it isn't guaranteed. The term "synthetic" has been diluted by marketers to include non-synthetic base stocks. This along with blending choices means some synths don't perform as well as the best dino's even if they cost 3x as much.

Anyway, I've heard the "don't switch after x miles" argument before but never with so few miles. The only time it doesn't make sense to me is for vehicles near the end of their service life. For instance, if it's dying or I'm dumping it within a year there isn't much point in going through the switchover regimen. Another case might be if you make 100% short drives all year long which leads to water & rapidly exhausts the additives. Whatever the oil you'd need to change it every few months to purge contaminants.

Dave

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by justsearching
Which benefits go away after 15K?

Whatever the oil you'd need to change it every few months to purge contaminants.

None.

I have used synthetic for 20k miles with excellent oil analysis test results.

 

[justsearching]

Originally posted by aldive
None.

I have used synthetic for 20k miles with excellent oil analysis test results.

Perhaps you could read the rest and not quote out of context?

 

[justsearching]

Well that was butt-headed of me. Aldive, I apologize for my message. It has been one very interesting pre-holiday day and impatience got the best of me.

Better might have been to clarify my last sentence:

"In these Aunt Minnie* situations it's wise to change oil within 90days regardless of mileage which means $$ for a good synthetic. In this type of driving the oil never or rarely reaches optimum operating temperature which is required to burn off unburnt fuel and water (from condensation and as a combustion byproduct). This accelerates oil oxidation and the production of acids, deposits, and means a reduction in lubricating qualities. The remedy is to either overload the oil with additives that better combat these contaminants (expensive) or just change it out more frequently.

Dave

*"Aunt Minnie driving" coined by a 1998 study funded by Mobil. Available as SAE Paper 981444: "Advanced Synthetic Passenger Vehicle Engine Oils for Extended Oil Drain Performance"

 

[Xcalibur00]

I went ahead and used Mobil One...it runs fine...no leaks or anything...ill try Castrol the next 10K...
Thanks for the feedback everyone

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

ok as long as we are talking about Synthetics,

i see they have products out there now that say you only have to change your oil every 7500 miles!!!!

even if i'm going to use synthetic i'm still gonna change it every 3000, regardless if its meant for 7500 miles, cause its just insane not to change it every 3,000 miles

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by Ford_Racing_Guy
even if i'm going to use synthetic i'm still gonna change it every 3000, regardless if its meant for 7500 miles, cause its just insane not to change it every 3,000 miles

Why is it insane?