Switching from conventional to synthetic oil?

[mob]

hmm after reading all the replies, im still kidna lost, in the end can u change from cenventional to synthetic?? i would like to know also, is synthetic better because it like cleans your engine and stuff? and why does it cause leaks? i think thats what it does unless i missunderstood, just a few questions i had

 

[HISSIN50]

hmm after reading all the replies, im still kidna lost, in the end can u change from cenventional to synthetic?? i would like to know also, is synthetic better because it like cleans your engine and stuff? and why does it cause leaks? i think thats what it does unless i missunderstood, just a few questions i had

yes you can. people in here are quibbling over the fact that the high amounts of detergent in synthetic might clean some gunk out of the seals and allow a little [more] oil to leak. ive never heard of it causing any more trouble than that (not like an entire seal takes a dump).

i would take better lubrication/protection over an extra drop of oil, any day (i live in what would be considered an extreme climate).

 

[mob]

well thats good to know, so synthetic is actually better then conventional and is ok to use? especially in a highmileage car? i dont mind a few drops of oil in the garage everyday but i dont want a puddle the size of my foot one day that wouldnt be to good, are there any other good ways to clean your engine? ive seen somethings on tv that like cleans all your cyclinders or something like that

 

[HISSIN50]

well thats good to know, so synthetic is actually better then conventional and is ok to use? especially in a highmileage car? i dont mind a few drops of oil in the garage everyday but i dont want a puddle the size of my foot one day that wouldnt be to good, are there any other good ways to clean your engine? ive seen somethings on tv that like cleans all your cyclinders or something like that

like i said, i have not heard of a seal totally taking a dump. if you run syn and get some horrible leak, the seal was likely on its last leg. i guess you could say that running syn might make you do maintenance that should have been done a while back (same as if you had old thick coolant and changed it, and the new thin clean coolant leaked in the radiator - the new coolant did not cause the leak, the old coolant masked it).

some guys swear by running ATF for a few hundred miles before oil changes. such people are much braver than i.

 

[mob]

whats atf? sry its probaly a dumb question

 

[87fast]

i used valvoline vr 50 and it saved my engine when the oil pump locked up but i wouldnt recommend driving as far as i did with no oil pump

 

[87fast]

automatic transmisson fluid

 

[mob]

o ok, what did hissin mean when he said some guys use atf a few hundred miles before changing oil? didnt get that sry

 

[87fast]

from what ive heard and seen it can expand your piston rings but not a good idea from my past experiance

 

[HISSIN50]

o ok, what did hissin mean when he said some guys use atf a few hundred miles before changing oil? didnt get that sry

ATF is very viscous and has tons of detergents. it cleans out varnish and sludge.
Mob, not a dumb question, BTW. ask away and learn. we have all been there (learning. im still in car kindergarten). if a question bothers someone or seems mundane, they can pass it up and let someone else answer. dont feel bad for asking (IMHO).

 

[Michael Yount]

atf - could be the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but it's probably automatic transmission fluid.

Hissin' - my other brother Darrel has the PowerStroke...

Casey's example points out - leaks on high mileage switches to syn don't always happen, but they happen often. Unfortunately the ONLY way to know what's gonna happen to a particular car is to switch it and see. And if it does, there's no way to predict if a switch back will cure the leak. Once again, it's a try-it-and-see deal.

 

[Daggar]

like i said, i have not heard of a seal totally taking a dump. if you run syn and get some horrible leak, the seal was likely on its last leg. i guess you could say that running syn might make you do maintenance that should have been done a while back (same as if you had old thick coolant and changed it, and the new thin clean coolant leaked in the radiator - the new coolant did not cause the leak, the old coolant masked it).

some guys swear by running ATF for a few hundred miles before oil changes. such people are much braver than i.

Ditto Hissin... thought I'd said the same thing waaaaaay up there using different words.

 

[88stangmangt]

i still wouldnt go by color because when you change your oil once you put the drain plug back in you have anywhere from 1/2 to 1 quart of oil still left in your pan. so as soon as the other mixes it is gonna be darker again...........so then you would be changing it every 1,500.

 

[FastGT94]

For the record, I have 109,xxx on mine and when I did the H/C/I, (100 miles ago) I still had the honing marks on all the cylinders and zero sludge buildup.(Dino oil)

No plans to switch here (Valvoline 10w30 regular oil and Motorcraft FL1A every 2,500). I've had the car since 54,xxx miles and its made about 50 1/4 mile trips in the past 4 years and gets floored at least once per time I drive her. The only oil that gets burnt is cuz of our crappy PCV system sucking oil into the intake. Only leak is the good ol Rear Main Seal (What 5.0 doesn't?)

Now if I got a new engine, I would prolly consider synthetic after break-in. But on my current combo, why change what works? My 2c...

 

[timewarped1972]

atf is something aod owners and the goverment know about. if you work for the atf thats the dept of alchohol,tobacco,& fire-arms.........for us aod owners, better known as automatic transmission fluid..........and yes, you ARE ALL CORRECT about not using color per say to judge the oil.....it's just me.......never said i was sane........lol..........however, i want all of you to promise me something, next time you go look at a car your buying, look at the oil pressure guage to make sure oils in it, and when you check the dipstick to see how much is in it that you will positively absolutly not care what color it is............lol, promise???

 

[mob]

ATF is very viscous and has tons of detergents. it cleans out varnish and sludge.
Mob, not a dumb question, BTW. ask away and learn. we have all been there (learning. im still in car kindergarten). if a question bothers someone or seems mundane, they can pass it up and let someone else answer. dont feel bad for asking (IMHO).

thanks alot man, so ur saying that they put the atf in there oil?? like to clean the engine or something?

 

[timewarped1972]

some people will run atf in the engine to help clean deposits ( which are probably due to not changing the oil often enough, lol ) because atf is a solvent as well as an oil...........although i hear doing this can effect the color........lol.................sorry had to say it....

 

[HISSIN50]

Ditto Hissin... thought I'd said the same thing waaaaaay up there using different words.

i read a thread once, the first time i reply. thereafter, i see the newer posts and respond to those (hopefully remembering the original drift of the thread).

since someone had asked about it again after your post (i was quoting him), i assumed that even if it had been touched upon earlier, it was still a bit foggy - hence my reply and apparent redundance. it was not any knock on you or anything like that - i just respond to new posts. also, i used to not post if someone already said what i think about something - but ive found in my threads that i like it if everyone gives their two cents worth (esp on threads like this, which have lots of varying opinions and lots of info floating around in each post). even though redundant, it helps show a consensus.
so i did not mean to step on toes - we be cool.

 

[Daggar]

it was not any knock on you or anything like that - i just respond to new posts.

Yeah... we cool... I wasn't knockin cuz I thought you were knockin. I was just reiterating your reiteration. LOL

 

[Ray III]

Irv Gordon has over 2 million miles on his 67 Volvo - 1.4 million miles on the same head/valve job, all 2 million miles on the stock bottom end/rings

Whoever that guy is he must not have much of a life for the last 35 years if he could put a car through that many miles. A dump truck built in 1980 that sees daily use would only have 600,000 miles on it by now.