has anyone had any problems switching to synthetic oil from regular??
i got 125k, and the oil changes have been every 3-3500 or so. has anyone had any leak problems??
i wanna get the most outta the engine, but at the same time don't want to kill it by putting synthetic in it. and if i do switch and have leaks, can this be fixed?

and last but not least.....any opisions on that prolong oil stuff on tv?? i am not planning on using it, but i have someone who is wondering about it

thanks guys!

 

I was wondering the same thing because I habe a 95 Se with 123k miles on it and was wondering if I should use regular 10-30 or Mobile 1 Synthetic

 

I had no problem switching to Mobil 1. I only have 44,000 kms (27,500 miles) though.

 

I've had no problems with the switch. I did it in January just short of 100k miles.

 

You can swtich to synthetic, even on high milage cars, generally it is not advisable to do so on older cars (8+ years), but I haven't seen anything to indicate that high milage newer cars would be affected...

 

You won't kill the engine by putting synthetic in it. If the car has been well maintained, and it sounds like it has, you shouldn't have any issue by switching. The worst case scenario would be leaky seals, which can be fixed by either replacing the seals or simply switching back to conventional oil.

 

i made the switch on my 95 max bout 2.5 years ago and havent had any problems..the only thing is that when i talked to a mechanic at nissan he said that the only plus was that you get 2k more miles between oil changes but there really isnt a difference except in the money you will spend..oh and once you go synthetic you cant go back unless you take the engine block out clean it and start all over again then your talkin bout money but the best thing to do is call nissan and ask..thats what i do..


holla!!!!

 

1. The guy at Nissan is an idiot. The advantages are better cold weather start protection and much better resistance to oxidation and shear stability at higher temperatures. Oh, for forgot to mention the fact that you'll get slightly better gas mileage and a little (very little) extra power as well. But the guy at Nissan is right, there are no real advantages

2. All you have to do to switch back to regular oil is drain the synthetic and fill with conventional oil. It's a simple oil change. You don't have to clean anything, especially taking the engine apart, to switch back. In fact, synthetics do a much better job as a detergent vs. the conventional oil so you're engine will be CLEANER with it in than without.

3. Did I mention that the guy at Nissan is an idiot?

 

Theoretically, my understanding is you don't have to change synthetic oil until it "looks" dirty. Because synthetics don't break down like other oils.

No, I don't actually do that and never would. But, instead of changing my oil 4 times a year, I only do it twice. You save a little money there - granted it's not much because of the higher cost.

Additional benefits include a cooler running engine - which means better mpg's, performance, blah, blah, blah. Is it significant? Will the difference be profound? No.

Bottom line is - it's just better for your engine and you can be more flexible with your changing routine.

 

Yes the Nissan guy is an idiot.

 

Actually, the color of the oil has nothing to do with its ability to protect the engine. I noticed recently that both the Pennzoil and Mobil One synthetics I have in my garage pour slightly dark out of the bottle, unlike the Chevron oil I also have, which pours out almost clear.

You should stick to a mileage interval for synthetics. If you normally go 3000 on normal oil, go with 5000 with synthetic. The oil analysis spreadsheet on the sticky indicates you can go much longer (8000 miles or more) on Mobil One if you do a lot of highway driving.

As for benefits of synthetic. I think 99% of the time, there is no difference. It's those -20 below cold morning starts and half an hour idling with the AC on in gridlock where I feel good about using synthetic. But for driving 75mph on the highway, there is hardly any difference. I did not notice any additional power, fuel economy, or engine smoothness when I switched from normal oil to Mobil One.

I do notice that when I change my oil, my engine starts smoother, but that's due to new oil, not that the engine is synthetic.

 

thanks a lot i guess i almost got beat in the head!!!!

 

When Changes to Mobil one do I have to do anything to the car. DO i just do a standard oil change or is there som kind of flush I should do first?

Thanks

 

If the car has had regular oil changes and has been well maintained, a normal oil change is fine. If the car has been neglected at any point an engine flush will help dissolve and disperse any sludge that has been built up in the engine and carry it out with the old oil.

 

I do not want to start a debate, but is mobile one the best (synth) or is AMSOIL better?

Thanks

 

Both are very good, some say one or the other is better... Maybe once there's more data collected and analyzed, we can make a clear call on that for sure...

 

Well, it depends on where your priorities are. If you want the best possible protection over the long haul, Amsoil is the way to go. For the 3K mile crowd, Mobil is a viable alternative. I'd still give the edge to Amsoil over Mobil's Tri-Synthetic formula, but their Supersyn may be a different story.

Something else I like about Amsoil - It's 100% American. The company is based in WI and is not affiliated with any foreign oil interests.

 

what about valvoline synthetic is it worth putting in my engine?

 

Converted 5 family cars to Amsoil 0W-30 in August of 2001. Always used Amsoil Flush with conversion on all cars. No problems with any of the cars. The 97 SE had 121,000 miles on it. The Honda Civic, 1996 DX had 101,000 miles on it. No problems so far. The 97 GLE had 40,000 on it. Again no problems! The Amsoil Oil Flush costs less than 5 dollars, tell why you wouldn't do it at that price. Also converted 98 Civic EX VTEC 40,000 miles and 2000 Altima GLE at 21,000 miles. All cars run quieter and performance has improved. I will be converting a friends 82 Corvette to 0W-30 this weekend and plans are to use Oil Flush (41,000 original miles) as well. I will also be doing oil analysis with Amsoil Oil Analysts. They do for $14.00 what Blackstone charges $28.00 for. I'll be submitting the results to Forum when tests are completed.

 

This is great information. Please keep "us" posted....

 

where can i get the amsoil test kit from and where does it have to be sent?
how long did it take for the results back?

i am definetly gonna switch next oil change....i just want a test to compare the synthetic to the regular oil

 

I can get the test kits for Oil Analyzer's, considering they are affiliated with Amsoil. They want you to pay for the kit upfront unlike Blackstone, who you pay when the sample is sent in. You can order the oil and the kit at once if you'd like.

 

I wouldnt change to sybtetic with high miles. The seals might start leaking. Why do something to the car if its not broken. The car runs fine with normal oil so why f.uck with it. If the car was new then I would go with syntetic but only after 3K miles cause the car doeasnt break in properly with syntetic.

 

Ummm, a car will break in with synthetic. It just takes longer. Want proof - BMW, Porsche and the Chevy Corvette use a synthetic as a factory fill.

High mileage isn't the reason seals might start leaking. It's the extra detergency of the synthetic washing away the sludge formed by conventional oils that cause the leak. This is more likely to occur on a poorly maintained vehicle, not necessarily a high mileage one.

 

true but why experiment?

 

Because the benefits that synthetics can provide outweigh the risk that there might be a problem.

 

Actually if you use reg oil and change it regularly it is the best. Syn oil lasts longer because it doesnt break down but it still gets contaminated with all sorts of ****e... think about it would you rather have contaminated oil in your engine for 3000 miles or 8000 miles....conclusion...BEST solution is to get reg oil and change it often...but if you dont have time syn is still good and i would recommend it as well...other than that i agree with everything y'all said....ps-i dont know much but i learned this from the Car God

 

When I bought my '87 200SX (VG30E engine) in '96, it had 106k. I switch to Mobil 1, and it had a slow leak. I don't know whether it is due to the switch of Mobil 1, or it was there before I got it. It was a very small leak so I just ignore it. Oh... the leak is around the gasket (or seal?), so yes it is fixable.

I will stay away from Slick 50, Duralube, Prolong, or whatever oil additives....

 

That's why you need a good filter and a need to change it when recommended, especially if you are extending the intervals significantly. I'd much rather have to change the filter and keep the benefits of synthetics.

Keep in mind, the filter change only applies if you are going to extend past 7500 miles. There are many people here who have gone this interval on synthetic with excellent results, meaning no excessive contaminants circulating through the system. Have you seen the spreadsheet? http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=100060

 

karguy,


I apologize for failing to respond to your PM. I keep forgetting to do so. I look forward to getting your results.

 

The question of whether or not to use Prolong was also brought up.

I would definitely NOT use Prolong. Prolong is made from Chlorinated paraffin’s. The compounds Chlorine ion has been shown to combine with water vapor to form hydrochloric acid in the engine. Very bad!!

 

I just ordered amsoil 10w-30 (thanks to iwannabmw ) You guys were talking about intervals going from 3000 mi to 5000-8000mi. Amsoil claims it will go for 25000 or a year. That seems a little too long. Am I wrong, or is Amsoil really that super? Peace.

 

You CAN go 25K, but only depending on your driving conditions. If it is all long trips on the highway and you change the filter at 12.5K, the will make it no problem. For most people on this board in particular, that interval is way too long. I believe Bill has put the most miles on the oil with favorable oil analysis results. I'm going to drain mine at 8K to have it analyzed, the same interval I used Mobil 1 for, to try to compare the two under my conditions, and then decide on what I want to extend the interval to from there. I'm thinking for what I do with the car 10-12K is probably a reasonable number for me. For anyone else who drives mostly long trips, I still wouldn't recommend extending the interval much past 8K unless you use oil analysis reports.