Question about going from conventional to fully synethic motor oil

[copynpaste]

I know its not good to blend different oil brands even if its just a bit left from the previous fill. Im getting different opinions on this. Whats the best way to flush to make sure all the current oil thats in it now is completely out before putting in the Mobil 1 synthetic oil? I was told from honda that you wont need to flush it after draining all the current conventional oil out. But wont there be still some left over?

Also I was told for Mobil 1, that theres better quality oil filters than honda OEM. Can you guys recommend one? cause i think honda charges like 3x the price for their filter and ive heard theres some other brands that are just as good if not better.

[Kloubek]

Ever hear of semi-synthetic? Regular oil blended with synthetic.

Are you using the same weight oil? If so, I don't see why there would be any issue. (Never heard of different weights being an issue either, but I wonder if they would combine properly or not)

[Zero102]

There is always a bit left behind. Just drain and fill with synthetic and keep using it. After 2-3 oil changes you won't be able to measure the amount of conventional oil left behind, and it will be in such a small quantity that any incompatibility between additive packages will not be of concern.

[msommers]

What do you drive? How many km's on your vehicle? Wondering why you're switching to synthetic.

As for filters: Wix/Napa GOLD/K&N

[heavyD]

Originally posted by msommers
What do you drive? How many km's on your vehicle? Wondering why you're switching to synthetic.

If the engine is old or high mileage I would advise to stick with conventional or high mileage oils. Switching to synthetic oil on a high mileage engine may bring on leaks.

[bituerbo]

Originally posted by heavyD


If the engine is old or high mileage I would advise to stick with conventional or high mileage oils. Switching to synthetic oil on a high mileage engine may bring on leaks.

This.

And dont' worry about 'flushing' if you're switching oils. The lubricants manufactuers would like you to think that there are more differences between products than there actually are.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by msommers
What do you drive? How many km's on your vehicle? Wondering why you're switching to synthetic.

As for filters: Wix/Napa GOLD/K&N

01 civic SI. 136,200km.

Was recommended by one of my mechs to switch to synetic cause it'll be easier for the car in the winter, and more life out of your engine cause it protects it better than conventional oil.

[msommers]

Honestly man, going to synthetic now is a waste of money, maybe when it was easily less than 50,000km sure I guess. I'm not really for synthetic anyways unless you have a boosted vehicle but that's just opinion.

[rc2002]

Synthetic is better in the winter time. It pours more easily than the conventional stuff so it's easier on your engine for startup if you park outside.

I notice a lot less clatter and faster cranking with synthetic in the winter.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
Synthetic is better in the winter time. It pours more easily than the conventional stuff so it's easier on your engine for startup if you park outside.

I notice a lot less clatter and faster cranking with synthetic in the winter.

Ya and its suppose to be easier on your battery too.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by copynpaste


01 civic SI. 136,200km.

Was recommended by one of my mechs to switch to synetic cause it'll be easier for the car in the winter, and more life out of your engine cause it protects it better than conventional oil.

Give it a shot just stick with the recommended viscosity and if your engine is in good shape you should be okay. Check your oil levels a little more than you normally would just in case you spring a leak or get a little more blow by.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by heavyD


Give it a shot just stick with the recommended viscosity and if your engine is in good shape you should be okay. Check your oil levels a little more than you normally would just in case you spring a leak or get a little more blow by.

WHat would you say are teh chances of getting a leak on engine like mine?

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by copynpaste


WHat would you say are teh chances of getting a leak on engine like mine?

Not likely. That fact was relevant to synthetic oils in the 70's, not todays modern synthetics.

And you can mix oils all you like. You can mix conventional and synthetic, different grades, and different brands if you wish. I buy my synthetic oil based on whatever is on sale, so I've often mixed different grades and different brands. Right now I have Castrol Syntec 5W30 and Esso XD-3 0W40 in my truck. I run my synthetics for 10,000km.

I like purolator pure 1 or Napa gold for filters, based on my research. In reality, I've never had issues with any filters I've used.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch


Not likely. That fact was relevant to synthetic oils in the 70's, not todays modern synthetics.

And you can mix oils all you like. You can mix conventional and synthetic, different grades, and different brands if you wish. I buy my synthetic oil based on whatever is on sale, so I've often mixed different grades and different brands. Right now I have Castrol Syntec 5W30 and Esso XD-3 0W40 in my truck. I run my synthetics for 10,000km.


This

I switched to synthetic on my old Legend at around 390k, found the car ran a fair bit better after the switch. I never had any problems with leaks.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by copynpaste


WHat would you say are teh chances of getting a leak on engine like mine?

It really all depends on the age and condition of the gaskets and seals. I found with both my Hondas that I got slightly more blowby and with both engines the oil pan started to sweat. You may get some slight leakage at the valve cover depending on the shape of the gasket and if it's torqued down properly. Mostly pretty minor stuff. My Eagle Talon and MR2 both were leak free until I switched to synthetic then both sprang leaks which were a PITA to fix but your car being a 2001 with fair mileage should probably be fine.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by heavyD


If the engine is old or high mileage I would advise to stick with conventional or high mileage oils. Switching to synthetic oil on a high mileage engine may bring on leaks.

This is just an old myth that won't die for some reason.

If you switch, and your engine starts leaking, then you had a leak before it just wasn't leaking quickly, or was plugged up with sludge.

Back in the 70's the synthetic oils available would destroy certain types of gaskets and seals which is where this myth came from. That hasn't been the case for more than 30 years.


Synthetic oil is much easier on your engine in the winter, and generally it is also much easier on the battery / starter motor. What you can usually do is switch to a slightly lighter oil for the winter as well. For example, if you usually run 5W30 you can switch to 0W30 for the winter. It has nearly the same viscosity when warm and so it will protect just as well, but has significantly lower cranking resistance.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by heavyD


It really all depends on the age and condition of the gaskets and seals. I found with both my Hondas that I got slightly more blowby and with both engines the oil pan started to sweat. You may get some slight leakage at the valve cover depending on the shape of the gasket and if it's torqued down properly. Mostly pretty minor stuff. My Eagle Talon and MR2 both were leak free until I switched to synthetic then both sprang leaks which were a PITA to fix but your car being a 2001 with fair mileage should probably be fine.

How do you tell for leaks or what are signs? can you just check by checking your oil? when do they normally start to show up?

And im guessing you had to take yours to mechs to fix the leaks?

Well i dont know what the chances of getting leaks but i sure hope i dont.

.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Zero102

This is just an old myth that won't die for some reason.

If you switch, and your engine starts leaking, then you had a leak before it just wasn't leaking quickly, or was plugged up with sludge.

Back in the 70's the synthetic oils available would destroy certain types of gaskets and seals which is where this myth came from. That hasn't been the case for more than 30 years.


LOL. The myth you are talking about is that Synthetic oil causes leaks. That's not what I'm saying. Synthetic oil doesn't actively make leaks on it's own but has zero tolerance for worn gaskets or clearances compared to dyno oil that can fill some imperfections with larger molecules. Also in high mileage engines deposits can be the only thing keeping oil from leaking and the superior detergents of synthetic will clean the deposits and find the leak. Also if the piston rings are starting to wear you will get more blowby with synthetic.

Dyno oils are really good these days and for people that drive non-performance cars, change the oil at all the recommended intervals and use the recommended grade oil there's really no reason to change to synthetic oil. Yes it does help cold startup but not near as much as a good battery does. My wife's cars going back to the early 90's have always used only dyno oil and we've never, ever had any issues related to lubrication. There's no need to unless the manufacturer recommends it or it's a performance car that will be tracked or modded.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by copynpaste


How do you tell for leaks or what are signs? can you just check by checking your oil? when do they normally start to show up?

And im guessing you had to take yours to mechs to fix the leaks?

Well i dont know what the chances of getting leaks but i sure hope i dont.

.

If you don't have leaks present you should be okay. Your engine isn't that old or high mileage so as long as you don't have any existing small leaks you should be fine. Are you changing the oil yourself or at the dealer? Dealers will rape you on synthetic oil changes to the point where you are better off sticking to regular oil. If you are doing it yourself just get a Honda oil filter, go to Walmart (or whoever has it on sale) and get some Mobil 1 of the proper grade and have at it.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by heavyD
My wife's cars going back to the early 90's have always used only dyno oil and we've never, ever had any issues related to lubrication.

You pluralized car(s), so she hasn't kept a single car since the early 90's and so you do not have long term data to support that her vehicles have never experienced any lubrication related issues.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Zero102
You pluralized car(s), so she hasn't kept a single car since the early 90's and so you do not have long term data to support that her vehicles have never experienced any lubrication related issues.

Long term data? I didn't realize that that data was required lol. What are you an Amsoil or other some other snake oil saleseman?

[msommers]

Valid point actually. However, if no problems occurred over those shorter intervals, it can be fair to say that unless one is projecting to own the vehicle for a considerable years, dino is sufficient to that user. Not only that, but if one considers the cost of using synthetic over that long of period, at what point can a new engine be put in its place if one used dino oil instead?

[Zero102]

Originally posted by heavyD


Long term data? I didn't realize that that data was required lol. What are you an Amsoil or other some other snake oil saleseman?

You only measured the effectiveness of conventional oils over the early part of the engine's lifespan. I am not an amsoil or other snake oil salesman. I am a programmer, I don't sell anything. I just like real information instead of uneducated anecdotes.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by msommers
Valid point actually. However, if no problems occurred over those shorter intervals, it can be fair to say that unless one is projecting to own the vehicle for a considerable years, dino is sufficient to that user. Not only that, but if one considers the cost of using synthetic over that long of period, at what point can a new engine be put in its place if one used dino oil instead?

When I did long-term UOA on my last vehicle I found I could safely extend the oil change interval well over 20,000kms. I would spend ~$55 doing an oil change every 20,000kms with synthetic, or I could spend $25 every 5000kms. Really the cost bias goes the other way.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by heavyD


If you don't have leaks present you should be okay. Your engine isn't that old or high mileage so as long as you don't have any existing small leaks you should be fine. Are you changing the oil yourself or at the dealer? Dealers will rape you on synthetic oil changes to the point where you are better off sticking to regular oil. If you are doing it yourself just get a Honda oil filter, go to Walmart (or whoever has it on sale) and get some Mobil 1 of the proper grade and have at it.

My mech is doing it for me. I did just that I went to honda this morning to pick up an oil filter. Did you know honda oil is $10.xx a Litre? Haha Wow 5L of that is more than 5L of mobil 1 synthetic @ walmart (which I picked up too for $42).

Honda dude said to stick to honda oil even though its conventional oil haha. I just grabbed my filter and said bye.

I got mobil 1 5W-30. I was told both 5W30 and 5W20 will do, its just 30 is bit thicker and recommended for older engines.

[Bizzareo]

Running kerosene (~.5l) through the motor for about 15 min before draining it will help. But the car wont be able to move until you put fresh oil in it (since kerosene breaks down the oil). And if you ever have to do some serious work on the engine it will be nice and shiny.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Zero102


When I did long-term UOA on my last vehicle I found I could safely extend the oil change interval well over 20,000kms. I would spend ~$55 doing an oil change every 20,000kms with synthetic, or I could spend $25 every 5000kms. Really the cost bias goes the other way.

Did you do the same UOA test with the same viscosity and grade of conventional oil?

Also, how many km's were reported when you sent it in and was it over the summer or winter months? It was determined you could go that far, not that you actually did for the analysis sample. Lastly, which synthetic did you use for submission?

What vehicle do you have and what kind of driving do you do? 20,000km highway might be possible but 20,000km city and I'd be calling your bluff pretty fast. Add to that a boosted or higher performance vehicle and you're change interval is going to be much shorter.

I mean in the same breath with everything constant but the oil, how long could conventional go in the same environment?

Either way, I'm genuinely curious about it. Would you mind scanning your UOA?

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Zero102


You only measured the effectiveness of conventional oils over the early part of the engine's lifespan. I am not an amsoil or other snake oil salesman. I am a programmer, I don't sell anything. I just like real information instead of uneducated anecdotes.

Her 91 Accord had nearly 200,000 KM's and never used a drop of oil or blew any smoke. I'm also willing to bet that I'm much more educated on the subject than you.

[01RedDX]

.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Zero102


When I did long-term UOA on my last vehicle I found I could safely extend the oil change interval well over 20,000kms. I would spend ~$55 doing an oil change every 20,000kms with synthetic, or I could spend $25 every 5000kms. Really the cost bias goes the other way.

LOL. I would rather run dyno oil and change it every 5000 km's than run synthetic for 20,000 km's. Believe it or not while synthetic molecules never change during the lifetime of the oil some the additives break down and the oil will lose shear resistance which is really important. A 5W30 oil will not be 5W30 at 20,000 kms. Guys on the EVO forums using Blackstone Labs are reporting Mobil 1 5W30 (factory fill) to be reduced to 5W20 after just 5000 miles. Of course those are performance cars getting tracked and beat on but you get the idea.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
Hate to agree with heavyd but he knows what he's talking about.
I once switched to synth on an engine with 140k on it. A few weeks later I noticed some odd noises.
The dipstick came out completely dry. I dumped all the oil I had into the engine but it was too late.
The engine was toast. This vehicle had no previous problems or visible leaks.
So be careful.

Don't know why anyone would hate to agree with me. I'm usually more right than wrong.;)

[heavyD]

nm double post

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by heavyD


LOL. I would rather run dyno oil and change it every 5000 km's than run synthetic for 20,000 km's. Believe it or not while synthetic molecules never change during the lifetime of the oil some the additives break down and the oil will lose shear resistance which is really important. A 5W30 oil will not be 5W30 at 20,000 kms.

He said he had the oil analyzed and it was fine. The analysis tells you how much additive is left and if the oil has sheared out of grade, along with a list of contaminents in the oil.

And comparing results from a Evo and a Civic is borderline moronic.

[NRGie]

Why not just use normal oil with a oil treatment product like Lucas?

[heavyD]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch


He said he had the oil analyzed and it was fine. The analysis tells you how much additive is left and if the oil has sheared out of grade, along with a list of contaminents in the oil.

Great let's see tha analysis then.


Originally posted by CapnCrunch
And comparing results from a Evo and a Civic is borderline moronic.

Which is why I said this;


Originally posted by heavyD
Of course those are performance cars getting tracked and beat on but you get the idea.

Moronic is all the supposed oil experts on the internet that got all their education from Amsoil websites. Join the oil forums learn and stfu please as the OP asked a question and I answered him and now the oil police has completely sidetracked the thread.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/

[heavyD]

Originally posted by NRGie
Why not just use normal oil with a oil treatment product like Lucas?

All certified oils contain all the necessary additives right out of the bottle. Oil treatments aren't necessary unless your engine is in poor condition/low compression and you want to gum it up to reduce blowby or leaks.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by msommers


Did you do the same UOA test with the same viscosity and grade of conventional oil?

Also, how many km's were reported when you sent it in and was it over the summer or winter months? It was determined you could go that far, not that you actually did for the analysis sample. Lastly, which synthetic did you use for submission?

What vehicle do you have and what kind of driving do you do? 20,000km highway might be possible but 20,000km city and I'd be calling your bluff pretty fast. Add to that a boosted or higher performance vehicle and you're change interval is going to be much shorter.

I mean in the same breath with everything constant but the oil, how long could conventional go in the same environment?

Either way, I'm genuinely curious about it. Would you mind scanning your UOA?

I don't have the UOAs with me any more, they are filed away and I am in the middle of moving so I'm not digging stuff out.

The vehicle in question was a 2005 VW Golf GLS TDI, with the 1.9L pumpe duse motor. Factory interval is 16,000km, and during the warranty period I changed it exactly as per schedule (within 50km). For the last 3 change intervals I did UOA with the change, in all 3 cases it came back perfectly fine for continued use, lots of TBN left and it was still within grade.
After the warranty expired I had the car tuned and stretched one interval to 20,000km, one to 24,000km, did UOA on both, and both came back fine for continued use, but my brain said 24,000km was just too long and I didn't push past that out of paranoia. I set my desired change interval to 20,000km and another sample later it still came back fine. After that sample I sold the car, but that gives 112,000km of sampled oil data.
The oils in question were Elf (later total quartz) 505.01 and 507.00 oils. All of the 16,000km+ samples and change intervals were done on the 507.00 oil.

The driving was a mixed bag, one sample would be winter, one would be summer, one would be all city, one would be nearly all highway. I want to repeat, in every case the oil analysis came back suitable for continued use, and no changes were ever done before 16,000km. The car was running (IIRC) 16psi boost stock and we turned it up to 24psi (with as much fuel as possible without any smoke) when the warranty ran out. I was never gentle on this car either, I liked to use it to its full capacity, sometimes towing 3000+lb trailers through the mountains between calgary and vernon, or vernon and burnaby. On one of the samples I was pulling a 3700lb trailer up the coquihalla, which was ~5-6 minutes of 4400RPM WOT in 3rd gear, and that UOA came back suitable for continued use as well. All of my UOA's were perfomed at Metro Tech Systems here in Calgary.


On my current car I have been running Mobil 1 5W20 and changing it every 6000km as per warranty, but when the warranty runs out I doubt I will change it at under 20,000km.

If an engine is partially worn out and has lots of blow-by it will spoil the oil faster. If your engine has run on conventional oil its entire life and you switch it at 100,000 or 200,000kms, don't expect to be able to go over 10,000 or 15,000km without the oil depleting its TBN or going out of grade. If you start an engine on a decent synthetic and keep it on them for its entire life you should have no issues taking your change intervals over 20,000km for the life of the engine (a life which will be substantially longer than that of an engine without synthetic oil).

[msommers]

Originally posted by Zero102
The vehicle in question was a 2005 VW Golf GLS TDI, with the 1.9L pumpe duse motor. Factory interval is 16,000km

Sorry man, but I stopped reading there. I may read more of it later. Your previous comparison of 20,000km to 5,000km is kinda out the window at this point.

Regardless, I'm at such low km's I'm considering going synthetic because of the benefits in winter, they're undeniable but at what cost. I need to decide how long I'm going to keep this car for. It's N/A but regular baseline dynos get ~240-250 rwhp so it's decent-ish. The problem with the engines is that oil consumption is an issue if you're revving moderate to high. I'm wondering if adding synthetic will increase blow-by. Installing a quality catch can I picked up off a vette' site when it gets here. I think German Castrol is on sale at crappy tire tomorrow too for 45% off, so it's really got me thinking about switching.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by heavyD


Great let's see tha analysis then.



Which is why I said this;



Moronic is all the supposed oil experts on the internet that got all their education from Amsoil websites. Join the oil forums learn and stfu please as the OP asked a question and I answered him and now the oil police has completely sidetracked the thread.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/

I've been on that site a lot longer than you. What exactly did I say that makes you think I need to learn more?

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by heavyD




Which is why I said this;

Of course those are performance cars getting tracked and beat on but you get the idea.





So what exactly was your point? What idea are you trying to get across to us? You're saying oil wont last 5000 miles in a turbo tracked car, but because it is tracked it doesn't matter, but in a Civic it still matters?

I'd love to learn something from you here. You seem to think you're wise and informed. So what exactly are you saying?

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
Hate to agree with heavyd but he knows what he's talking about.
I once switched to synth on an engine with 140k on it. A few weeks later I noticed some odd noises.
The dipstick came out completely dry. I dumped all the oil I had into the engine but it was too late.
The engine was toast. This vehicle had no previous problems or visible leaks.
So be careful.


Fuuuuck this is the last thing i need to hear right now. Now im really second guessing if i should be going synethetic since mine has near the same mileage as yours (136km).

Should I just refund the mobil 1 5W30 i bought yesterday?

[Zero102]

Originally posted by msommers


Sorry man, but I stopped reading there. I may read more of it later. Your previous comparison of 20,000km to 5,000km is kinda out the window at this point.

Regardless, I'm at such low km's I'm considering going synthetic because of the benefits in winter, they're undeniable but at what cost. I need to decide how long I'm going to keep this car for. It's N/A but regular baseline dynos get ~240-250 rwhp so it's decent-ish. The problem with the engines is that oil consumption is an issue if you're revving moderate to high. I'm wondering if adding synthetic will increase blow-by. Installing a quality catch can I picked up off a vette' site when it gets here. I think German Castrol is on sale at crappy tire tomorrow too for 45% off, so it's really got me thinking about switching.

Why would my 5000 vs 20000 comparison be out the window, because the factory recommends something longer than 5000km? Check over on the TDI club forums, there are tons of people there who still do 3000mi/5000km change intervals because they believe the factory recommended change interval are designed to make people replace engines so the car manufacturers make more money. When I owned the car the VW dealerships called me every 5000-6000km (or how when they estimated I had traveled that far) to remind me to come change my oil. The reason the change interval is longer is because VW requires synthetic oil for the TDIs, not because there is something different about this engine which makes oil last longer in it.

There is nothing about this engine that makes it easy on oil, it is in a turbocharged engine, running 8psi more boost than stock with oil that is full of microscopic abrasive particles (soot) that destroy the oils lubricating properties as well as its TBN.


As for synthetic oil increasing blowby, if you want to avoid this problem then read the spec sheets for the oil you are using, and select a synthetic oil which has a similar viscosity when warm.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by copynpaste



Fuuuuck this is the last thing i need to hear right now. Now im really second guessing if i should be going synethetic since mine has near the same mileage as yours (136km).

Should I just refund the mobil 1 5W30 i bought yesterday?


Why wouldn't you just use it, and check the dipstick at every fillup, as you should be doing in a car with over 100,000km? ;)

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by Zero102



Why wouldn't you just use it, and check the dipstick at every fillup, as you should be doing in a car with over 100,000km? ;)

Cause RedX killed his engine he said when he went synthetic.

Im suppose to take my car to my mech tonight to get the oil changed. But i really need to check to see if i have any leaks in it now before i go ahead with anything.


Originally posted by msommers
Valid point actually. However, if no problems occurred over those shorter intervals, it can be fair to say that unless one is projecting to own the vehicle for a considerable years, dino is sufficient to that user. Not only that, but if one considers the cost of using synthetic over that long of period, at what point can a new engine be put in its place if one used dino oil instead?

Well im wanting and planning on keeping this car for as long as it lasts, if i can get 8yrs out of it ill be happy. Would that even be possible by running conventional honda oil in it the entire time?

How much truth is there to it that syntehtic oil makes engines live longer? and why are dealers so against (at least honda) using synetic? THey said Honda Oil will make engines live just as long as using synthetic, but not sure if theyre just bullshiting me or what cause we all know how dealers are...they pretty much look down on anything thats not an OEM product.

[Cooked Rice]

Come on dude! It's called checking your oil! Do it every time you fill up at the pump, I am sure you can at least do that yourself can't you? He killed his engine cause he didn't check it regularly enough! Don't be lazy. Synthetic or no synthetic it's something you have to do, or you can easily ruin your engine regardless if your using wal-mart shit mix, or the most premium ester based synthetics.

:closed:

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
Come on dude! It's called checking your oil! Do it every time you fill up at the pump, I am sure you can at least do that yourself can't you? He killed his engine cause he didn't check it regularly enough! Don't be lazy. Synthetic or no synthetic it's something you have to do, or you can easily ruin your engine regardless if your using wal-mart shit mix, or the most premium ester based synthetics.

:closed:

I do check my oil, never said i dont. In fact I just checked it 2 days ago. Sorry dumb Q coming...so how do you check for leaks by the oil reading? or is sticking cardboard under the engine while it running the best trick?

[rc2002]

Originally posted by copynpaste


I do check my oil, never said i dont. In fact I just checked it 2 days ago. Sorry dumb Q coming...so how do you check for leaks by the oil reading? or is sticking cardboard under the engine while it running the best trick?

LOL. If the dipstick shows less oil each subsequent time you check it, you're losing oil.

You would have to be blind to let your engine die of oil starvation. You should see a puddle of oil under your car if your engine leaks. If your engine doesn't leak and your car is consuming oil then you should notice blue smoke coming from your exhaust.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by richardchan2002


LOL. If the dipstick shows less oil each subsequent time you check it, you're losing oil.

You would have to be blind to let your engine die of oil starvation. You should see a puddle of oil under your car if your engine leaks. If your engine doesn't leak and your car is consuming oil then you should notice blue smoke coming from your exhaust.

ok thanks for clearing that up dude, i appreciate it. I was just thrown off by red01 cause he said he never had leaks prior to switching to synetic and never said he didnt check his oil regularly.

Cooked rice im not sure where you got that, that red01x didnt take care of his oil?

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by copynpaste



Fuuuuck this is the last thing i need to hear right now. Now im really second guessing if i should be going synethetic since mine has near the same mileage as yours (136km).

Should I just refund the mobil 1 5W30 i bought yesterday?

Just pick whichever one you like. Neither one will make your engine blow up, and you probably wont notice a difference. You obviously arent interested in researching anything, so just do what the dealer tells you and your engine will last a long time.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Zero102
Why would my 5000 vs 20000 comparison be out the window, because the factory recommends something longer than 5000km? Check over on the TDI club forums, there are tons of people there who still do 3000mi/5000km change intervals because they believe the factory recommended change interval are designed to make people replace engines so the car manufacturers make more money. When I owned the car the VW dealerships called me every 5000-6000km (or how when they estimated I had traveled that far) to remind me to come change my oil. The reason the change interval is longer is because VW requires synthetic oil for the TDIs, not because there is something different about this engine which makes oil last longer in it.

There is nothing about this engine that makes it easy on oil, it is in a turbocharged engine, running 8psi more boost than stock with oil that is full of microscopic abrasive particles (soot) that destroy the oils lubricating properties as well as its TBN.


As for synthetic oil increasing blowby, if you want to avoid this problem then read the spec sheets for the oil you are using, and select a synthetic oil which has a similar viscosity when warm.

Fair enough, thanks for the clarification.



Originally posted by copynpaste


Cause RedX killed his engine he said when he went synthetic.

Im suppose to take my car to my mech tonight to get the oil changed. But i really need to check to see if i have any leaks in it now before i go ahead with anything.



Well im wanting and planning on keeping this car for as long as it lasts, if i can get 8yrs out of it ill be happy. Would that even be possible by running conventional honda oil in it the entire time?

How much truth is there to it that syntehtic oil makes engines live longer? and why are dealers so against (at least honda) using synetic? THey said Honda Oil will make engines live just as long as using synthetic, but not sure if theyre just bullshiting me or what cause we all know how dealers are...they pretty much look down on anything thats not an OEM product.

Look at BITOG and search around of what oil people with your engine find the most effective. One oil for one engine is going to perform differently than one for another. Dino oil is still quite good, it's not like it's going to grenade your engine or shorten the life of it by 10 years or something stupid. How many civics have blown up from using dino oil instead of synthetic? Civics are extremely popular, you would have heard something by now if that were the case. Use your judgement.

I honestly think you're getting a little too worried about a whole lot of nothing at this point.

[gretz]

Oil is generally the same shit, different pile... if the cars going to blow / leak everywhere, the type of oil is going to do little to make it worse...

In my cars / toys, depending on if they need a tune / how they are running, determines what oil i'm going to put in... hell, i've used 10W30 in Honda transmissions for years, no synchro / heating issues etc... OMG its not gm synchromesh lol...

Turbo cars tend to break down conventional oil faster, but conventional oil tends to seperate itself from gas / fuel better than synthetic... If you don't have a tune / are running pig rich - conventional oil all the way... I've switched from conventional to synthetic and back multiple times in the same car - no issues, only love lol...

I usually buy the cheapest oil possible for my daily ($9.47 for 5L of valvoline baby), and only whats on sale for synthetic... Like I said, same shit different pile...

I'm very real about everything I do, the only thing I consider is the average temperature the car is going to be running in... determines the weight of oil for easier cold starts etc... I run 5W30 in all my vehicles, hot or cold...

If you are that worried about what oil is going in your car, it leads me to believe something else is wrong with it > or you wouldn't be so worried about it...

Like I said, if its going to shit the bed as a daily driver, the type of oil you put in won't save it...

[Cooked Rice]

Originally posted by copynpaste


ok thanks for clearing that up dude, i appreciate it. I was just thrown off by red01 cause he said he never had leaks prior to switching to synetic and never said he didnt check his oil regularly.

Cooked rice im not sure where you got that, that red01x didnt take care of his oil?

Hate to break it to you, but if you somehow lost 2-3 liters of oil within one tank of gas you have bigger issues and it's not because of what oil you had in the motor.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by msommers


Fair enough, thanks for the clarification.




Look at BITOG and search around of what oil people with your engine find the most effective. One oil for one engine is going to perform differently than one for another. Dino oil is still quite good, it's not like it's going to grenade your engine or shorten the life of it by 10 years or something stupid. How many civics have blown up from using dino oil instead of synthetic? Civics are extremely popular, you would have heard something by now if that were the case. Use your judgement.

I honestly think you're getting a little too worried about a whole lot of nothing at this point.

I have searched around other civic forums and most are saying 5W30 is the best. Even though 5W20 is the recommended viscosity in my owners manual, bu 5W30 is big better in colder temps and protects the engine bit more due to bit thicker viscosity.

My mech also said to go with 5W30 even though ive been running 5W20 all this time.

[benyl]

Block heater. Use it for cold starts.

/thread.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice


Hate to break it to you, but if you somehow lost 2-3 liters of oil within one tank of gas you have bigger issues and it's not because of what oil you had in the motor.

Red01X was losing 2-3L of oil? ok didnt know that, thanks for clearing it up.

[Cooked Rice]

Originally posted by copynpaste


Red01X was losing 2-3L of oil? ok didnt know that, thanks for clearing it up.

How else does a dip stick run dry?

[Zero102]

For the dipstick to be totally dry you would have to lose at least 2L in most engines. For the engine to destroy itself you would have to lose oil pressure which typically means being down 3 or more litres and driving with the oil pressure light on. He also said it happened after a few weeks which means he did not check it regularly.

Was it bad timing that happened right after the switch to synthetic? Sure
Was it related? Very unlikely

[heavyD]

Originally posted by copynpaste



Fuuuuck this is the last thing i need to hear right now. Now im really second guessing if i should be going synethetic since mine has near the same mileage as yours (136km).

Should I just refund the mobil 1 5W30 i bought yesterday?

I'm assuming that your car currently doesn't consume any/very little oil between changes? If that's the case just get it done. Really. Try it out and see how it does. I highly doubt you would ever spring a leak that could end up catastropic. Just check your oil a little more than you normally would. It's really not that big of a deal for your car as I said before as the mileage isn't that high for ten years old. Worst case scenerio is that you consume a little bit of oil. If that happens just switch back next change.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by heavyD


I'm assuming that your car currently doesn't consume any/very little oil between changes? If that's the case just get it done. Really. Try it out and see how it does. I highly doubt you would ever spring a leak that could end up catastropic. Just check your oil a little more than you normally would. It's really not that big of a deal for your car as I said before as the mileage isn't that high for ten years old. Worst case scenerio is that you consume a little bit of oil. If that happens just switch back next change.

Ok cool thx, ill do the change tonight!

On Honda oil they recommended changes every 6k km, I did them every 5k km. With synethic i was told it should go 2x the duration over conventional oil, so 10,000km?

[gretz]

You are thinking into it too much... Its not the end of the world if you go over the "recommended" interval. Change it when it looks broken down / brown / when it needs it really

[01RedDX]

.

[01RedDX]

.

[copynpaste]

K thanks. I got my Mobil 1 put in today as well as a coolant flush.

Ill check the oil every day for the first month, a month should be enough time to tell if its leaking or i get blowby rigth? What the hell is blowboy?

So how many kms can you generally go with synthetic between changes? just roughly...

[msommers]

Originally posted by copynpaste
What the hell is blowboy?

:rofl:

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by msommers


:rofl: oops i meany blowby haha.

Anyways still not 100% sure when you should change your oil with synetetics. Obviously honda wouldnt give me an answer.

I was planning on doing it the same as the old honda oil - evry 5000km but then i read it can actually be bad if you change your oil too much.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by copynpaste
oops i meany blowby haha.

Anyways still not 100% sure when you should change your oil with synetetics. Obviously honda wouldnt give me an answer.

I was planning on doing it the same as the old honda oil - evry 5000km but then i read it can actually be bad if you change your oil too much.

You can easily run that oil for 10K.

It's not bad to change your oil too much, its just a waste of time and money.

[CapnCrunch]

And chances are the Mobil will get dark very fast. It will still be good for 10k, but most people freak out seeing dark oil and will want to change it. But it's just cleaning your engine.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by 01RedDX
No, I will reiterate that my engine DID NOT have any issues prior to the switch. The oil loss was definitely caused by the switch to synthetic, so you guys are wrong. However, in the weeks after the switch I did a lot of driving, probably about 2000 km before I checked the dipstick.

The engine was a 1ZZ-FE Toyota engine.

Did you ever find the real root cause of the issue? Did it eat all the oil from blowby? Did a seal fail? Where did the oil go?

[Zero102]

Originally posted by CapnCrunch
And chances are the Mobil will get dark very fast. It will still be good for 10k, but most people freak out seeing dark oil and will want to change it. But it's just cleaning your engine.

Also, this x1000. Yes, the oil will get dark during the oil change interval. This does not mean it is "done for", "no good" or at the end of its life. So many people freak out and change perfectly good oil for this reason. Fresh oil actually has higher wear rates than lightly used oil because the additives take time to set up.

That said, on the first switch to a synthetic oil I would usually recommend using some kind of engine flush with the old oil in the crankcase before switching, and running a normal change interval for the first fill to help flush out any of the crap left behind that gets freed up.

After that, doubling conventional oil change intervals should be safe with almost any synthetic oil in almost any engine.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by copynpaste



Fuuuuck this is the last thing i need to hear right now. Now im really second guessing if i should be going synethetic since mine has near the same mileage as yours (136km).

Should I just refund the mobil 1 5W30 i bought yesterday?

I was just reading on Bitog about a Toyota Sequoia (or whatever its called) that ran M1 5W30 for 21000 MILES. It stayed in grade (thickened a bit), had very low wear numbers, and still had active additive left. Pretty impressive.