My Question is, is there any way to switch from regular motor oil to synthetic safely? Hopefully it's one of those things where it's never too late to start.

Thank in advance for the responses.

 

You can gradually add the syn oil.

at you next oil change put 3qts regular, 1qt syn. Then at the following oil change put 2 regular and 2 syn. etc....

Its perfectly okay to mix them, after all they already sell blended oils. But its cheaper to do it yourself.

 

what would happen if you were to all of the sudden go to all synthetic?

 

you could get oil leaks because the synthetic will disolve and break apart some of the deposits that form around your rings. They should eventually seal since the synthetic is supposed to help prevent leaks. If you want to do a full switch, get the engine oil flushed at a shop. They will usually treat the seals with some chemical and then the yntetic should work fine.

 

Amsoil's website also recommends using their engine oil treatment before you switch to flush out all the old deposits.

 

Here is my concern:
Whenever I change my oil I use OEM oil filters. Because I never want to encounter the dreaded VTC problem, and I think using an OEM oil filter helps prevent this. Like I said, I was browsing through Amsoil's website, and they suggest using their filter if you are using synthetic oil. This is because of the prolonged period of use (for example 7500 miles instead of 3000 miles per oil change). Wouldn't our OEM filters need replacing before the synthetic oil needed changing, or on the other hand could using the Amsoil filter not provide the anti-drainback protection that our OEM filter has?

 

would doing a synthetic switch on a manual transmission require the same steps to switch it over?

 

no comments on this? Any VE synthetic users out there?

 

I'm in the middle of the switch. I just changed my oil today and used a syn. blend(b/c i'm cheap). I would use some type of oil system cleaner before switching, the type you pour in your engine and let the engine run for 5-10 min before changing your oil. I don't know of any i just took what we had at work made by EverWear. The myths about the syn. oil causing leaks by breaking down seals and things are true if this were about 5 years ago. They have synthetics out there made for higher mileage cars. I switched my dads 90 Seville at about 160K and its now at 180K a year later with no problems at all.

 

What kind of filter are you using? How long of a change period are you going to go for?

 

I just switched to Amsoil for the winter and still use OEM filters. I am simply going to replace the filter at 3000 miles. Since it is above the oil pan, only a little oil will be lost, and I bought an extra quart to compensate for this.