I've got 10k on the Max, and I'm ready to switch to Mobil 1. My question is, are there any special steps I have to take when converting from using regular oil to synthetic? I got a few extra quarts to flush through once. Anything else I need to do?

 

Nope none, nada as in no extra steps. Just drain, change the oil filter and re-fill as usual.

 

Most synthetic contain dino oil as carrier. In fact this board used the word synthetic quite different from the industry. Some even try to use regular cracking as synthetic oil, so almost all oils will qualify as "synthetic." How much synthetic are in synthetic blends? Who knows? One web site has 100% synthetic as 10% to 20% dino. But stick to a good brand that has lab. and field results (if any).

On of the mech. said that with the newer Japanese cars and microhoning, he doesn't know if synthetic oils will help in engine longivity. He tore his sister 150k mile car and all were all still within spec. She just used dino oil and likely non-premium ones.

With the cost of gas, I'm switching to syn. oil.

OnTheRoad

 

Any synthetic worth a damn does not contain any dino oil. Amsoil, Redline, Mobil 1 to name a few.

Blends are not really worhth it. Either go 100% dino or 100% sythentic.

It's micropolishing that you are refering to. Actually as modern engines get more sophisticated, so must the oil. Million year old dead plants/animals don't cut it anymore.

The reason why your sister's car was good at 150k is more due to the quality of the parts(if it was a Nissan/Toyota V6) Any engine can last 150k w/ proper maintanance.

 

Check out the fine print on the back label. 100% synthetic except for carrier oil. How much dino carrier -- depends? I've been spending too much time talking to lub. engineers/chemists, even on at a premium dino oil company said that if you are at a cold temp. extreme (i.e., Canada) he would go with the synthetic. But for anti-corrosion with long term storage, he goes with paraffinic based dino oil and paraffinic base grease (his company of course). He said that it's not necessary the base stock that differ except at the extremes. A good paraffin base stock with good additives will go head to head with synthetic with good additives. It the additives that count but they cost $. A $4 per quart quality dino will be about the same as a $4 per quart syn. He gave some field test results from tractor pulls, but I'll never generate that much HP for any car. As for me, I'm going with a syn. for higher gas mileage and HP.

Also most dino oils are naphatlic base stocks with some paraffic base stock. The N are better solvents but the inpurites with uses can become corrosive. There's not a good predicative test which batch of oil will become corrosive, some studies suggesting thiols (-SH) degradation.

I've not seen any test to show that syn. oils are not sheared like dino. oil and then partially polymerizes to maintain viscosity. Maybe the data is out there but I haven't seen it.

Probable more info. that most want to know about just motor oil.

Most pople don't care if the engine last for 1,000,000 miles verse 500,000 miles. The rest of it will be gone by then.

 

Your contention is supported by my oil analysis spreadsheet at the top of the page. ULX-110, a paraffin-based dino oil, can go 10k between changes without a filter change. It would probably go 12k with a filter change at 6k. Costs the same as Mobile 1, but not as easy to purchase.

 

I heard that some company was trying to market cracked high density oil (thick dino grease made thin) as synthetic. It was "synthetized" from higher molecular weight materials. Oil life is really dependent on how you drive the car. With 1/2 mile trips in the cold with cold starts, no oil will last even 3,000 miles -- not even synthetic -- too much fuel dilution, blow-by exhaust. Well you can cook off the fuel - but your engine might be history by then.

I think most premium dino oils will last long than 3,000 mile with regular driving, but they put 3,000 mile to sell oil and to play it safe -- who want an angry customer (or ex-customer, who's engine failed due to oil dilution and fouling from cold startup with short runs.

As for claims of 60,000 miles with syn. looking like 3,000 mile with dino. -- I don't think that you can measure any significant wear at 3,000 mile unless it was poorly built or ran almost constantly at readline or bad dino oil.

 

what are the benefits of synthetic fuel?? besides longer oil change periods.. ne performance gains? or what?

 

Are you going to look inside the engine to see the wear? I misread your post. Though the 3,000 interval was total of 3,000 miles of wear.

A store is having Mobil 1 for $2.95 per quart (no limit, except stock on hand) and Castrol syn. is having a rebate?? Do understand the promo $26 case less $12 rebate? = $2.50 per quart. Is there a syn. oil price war?

What's the syn. to use inplace of 15W-40? (another car).

 

There are claims of more HP and mpg and long engine life - less repairs.

I don't know if too frequent oil changes at 3000 miles with reg. driving may actually shorten engine life by oil starvation during the start up right after the fill. The filter will be empty and oil must displace the air before getting to the engine parts. I don't like to change oil, but don't know if the mech. are doing it well (manually filling the filter with oil before installing).

 

hi everybody...i'm a long time maxima admirer...and as of tomorrow morning at 10, a new maxima driver. i'd hate to bump up an old thread and get the mods ****ed at me, but this thread is exactly what i need.

the car is a bone stock 97 gxe automatic with 60K on it. it has been meticulously kept up by the previous owner who bought it new. the car looks pretty much like it is brand new off the lot. according to the owner, he has done his own oil changes every 4 or 5K. all the miles on it are city miles, and going by how the guy looks, acts, and talks, i don't think they included that much hard driving.

my question is is it still completely safe to switch to synthetic? i cannot remember specifically where, but i've read several times that regular oil will build up deposits that will seal certain areas and when you switch to synthetic, the seals will come undone and cause teh engine to leak oil. does this still apply to modern engines like the maxima? does 60K miles mean that i should go ahead and flush the engine just as a precaution before i switch to synthetic?

 

As I understand it, the syn. stops or slows down further deposit and doesn't have much power to remove deposits. As for seals, the some old seals don't like synthetic. Never did and never will. Don't know the year that most mfg. changed to the newer type of seals. Anybody know for Nissan and Benz? If your car has an external oil leak, syn. will likely increase the leak, because of the lower viscosity.

 

Engine seal incompatiblity w/ synthetics have not been a problem since the early 80's. All makers have been using seals that are synthetic happy for years now.

A small leak will turn into a bigger one w/ synthetics. But it's mostly becuase that seal was going bad anyway.