Neptronix

Yeah. So i hear that synthetic is not so good on an older, well worn engine.
My '95 B18B with 155,xxx miles on it is kinda beat up.. and i really want to switch
to synthetic because all my cars have had it.

Opinions please..

300ztt

id say stay with wut ur using or do vavoline max life non synthetic i here great things about that oil!!!

Neptronix

yeah but why..
i want to use Mobil 1 Synthetic.

dc4_wHORE

i use mobile 1 synthetic oil in my 2000 ls with 133k.. no problems

lmike6453

I use Mobil1 Full Synthetic in my RS with 128k and no problems. In fact, you should see a 3-4 percent gain in HP and easier startups.

Neptronix

what year is your RS?
Yeah i am looking for more horses and better economy.

lmike6453

It's a 97, sorry. I highly recommend full synthetic at any mileage. If you have an oil leak after switching, that means that you had a problem to begin with that needs to be attended to. Another thing I highly recommend is a Mobil1 oil filter(more important than which oil you use) and magnetic drain plugs($20-25 on Ebay for Blox ones).

goota

i would have to disagree with lmike, conventional oil and synthetic oil wear differently on your engine. Changing at such a high mileage when the engine has been using conventional probably wont blow up your engine, but you will burn alot more oil.

neptronix do you go to cal poly?

lmike6453

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by goota &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i would have to disagree with lmike, conventional oil and synthetic oil wear differently on your engine. Changing at such a high mileage when the engine has been using conventional probably wont blow up your engine, but you will burn alot more oil.

neptronix do you go to cal poly?</TD></TR></TABLE>

That kind of relates to my post. If you're burning oil then something is wrong, and switching to synthetic may make it worse; you need to attend to your problems(bad piston rings maybe?) instead of "stretching them out" by using worse oil.

94lsrhd

I got a 94 ls with 159k on it and just switched to mobil 1 full synthetic and have no problems. I feel a little better power response. And it idles smoother. Also im running a mobil 1 filter.

Neptronix

At the moment i'm not burning oil ( smog test went very well and no colors out the tail pipe even in the morning, hehe ), and fixed an oil leak, which was merely the camshaft plug ( near the distributor ).

94lsrhd, how long have you been running mobil 1?

and for goota, no, i go to cuesta.

dc4_wHORE

swapping to synthetic won't blow your car up. worst case it will cause you to have an oil leak somewhere. i swapped at 99k and mine didn't blow up. i'm at 133k now still with no problems. i've also got a magnetic oil drain plug (you'd be suprised at what is in your oil pan). hope this helps

Neptronix

what's the use of a magnetic oil drain plug anyways?
to find out how bad your motor is dying, or to actually catch those little bits of metal that are shaved off?

spidy3

you can go to synthetic but once you do its not a good idea to go back to conventional after syn has been thru motor. for some reason (cant remember off top of head) it doesnt mix well that way

vanny_david

I would stay in conventional oil
because synthetic oil is thin
watch for oil leak at the rear main

lmike6453

The magnetic drain plugs catch littlte tiny particles of metal in your engine through magnetism. This helps an engine alot of the corse of 100k+ mileage.

nsxtasy

You can switch to synthetic oil (or back to conventional oil) at any time. The advantages of synthetic oil are that it provides greater resistance to breakdown when hot, and better flow characteristics when cold. The disadvantage is that it costs more. If those advantages are worth the higher cost to you, go for it. If you don't think it's worth it, don't. (I use synthetic oil in all my cars, including the GS-R with 175K+ miles.)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spidy3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can go to synthetic but once you do its not a good idea to go back to conventional after syn has been thru motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Absolutely NOT true.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vanny_david &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would stay in conventional oil
because synthetic oil is thin</TD></TR></TABLE>

Also absolutely NOT true.

Neptronix

I just had my timing belt & water pump replaced. Somehow, my idle is steadier ( not that it was too bad before ), and my engine has less of a harsh noise to it.. timing belt must have been nearly snapped off.

I have a little more faith in my engine now. Yeah, i'm gonna go mobil 1 this weekend per everyone's suggestions.. thanks!

wastedyouth2542

96 se 161,xxx miles use synthetic oil ever 3000 miles works great. sometimes i even put a quart of lucas oil stabilizer in, feels great!

p nut

I'd say unless you're looking to track your car, stick with dino. My LS has 173k miles and used dino all its life. Engine is a clean as a whistle. With the oil prices going up and up, why waste all that money?

And if you are going to switch to synthetic, please go with Amsoil, RP, Redline, etc. Don't bother with M1 crap.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lmike6453 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">In fact, you should see a 3-4 percent gain in HP and easier startups.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Please post dyno's from the same vehicle and the same day.

Neptronix

rp costs a crap ton of money.
i'm sure the others do too.

I remember paying something like 5.50/quart for synthetic. How do oil prices drive up something that is not oil based? I am almost certain that the price gap will become narrower as time goes by.

jwrape

Won't hurt the bearings but it might burn a little more oil cause it tends to be a little thinner. I've changed to synthetic before on older engines and started smoking a little and I switchedback.
Not gonna hurt either way but you just might see a slight difference in oilconsumption.

lmike6453

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by p nut &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


Please post dyno's from the same vehicle and the same day.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Just one of many test links...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5rKxmC7MdM

Neptronix

Ha.. so that's like 1-3 horsepower for us.
And longer oil life..

Not a bad deal.
I've done the synthetic switchover on many cars.. the butt dyno can tell the difference.... barely.

nsxtasy

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Neptronix &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I remember paying something like 5.50/quart for synthetic. How do oil prices drive up something that is not oil based? I am almost certain that the price gap will become narrower as time goes by.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It sounds like you are under the mistaken assumption that synthetic oil is not made from petroleum (crude oil). No worries, it's a common error. Most synthetic oils are made from petroleum, just like conventional oil, but go through a different refining process, which results in the presence of chemical compounds which were not in the original crude oil.

As noted on the Mobil 1 website:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mobil 1 website &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To understand synthetic motor oils, let’s look first at the origins of all motor oils.

Conventional oils come from crude oil that is pumped from the ground. Crude oil is made up of a complex mixture of molecules that form chains and rings of different sizes and shapes. Long chains of carbon atoms produce a thick, viscous fluid that flows slowly. Shorter chains produce fluid that flows more readily.

In an oil refinery, crude oil is separated into various fractions. These become the basis for lubricating oils and fuels. Thick tangled masses of carbon chains become asphaltic materials used in roofing tar and road work. Very short chains and ring compounds of carbon are volatile and can be refined to produce gasoline and other products.

While petroleum refining is an advanced science, small amounts of contaminants, such as sulfur and reactive hydrocarbons, cannot be completely removed from petroleum, and may end up in motor oil base stocks.

All motor oils are made up of base oils and additives. In general, fully synthetic motor oils contain non-conventional, high-performance fluids. Synthetic blends usually use some non-conventional, high-performance fluids in combination with conventional oil.

To meet the demanding requirements of today's specifications (and our customers' expectations), Mobil 1® uses high-performance fluids, including polyalphaolefins (PAOs), along with a proprietary system of additives. Each Mobil 1 viscosity grade uses a unique combination of synthetic fluids and selected additives in order to tailor the viscosity grade to its specific application.</TD></TR></TABLE>