conventional oil -vs- synthetic?

M

markmando

New member
got a 2003 accord v6 with 40,000 miles on her.

she's only been fed regular motor oil.

wondering if switching to a synthetic would be wiser.



just curious what the collective wisdom here thinks.

synthetic's better than conventional oil? yay or nay



thanks for any input.
 
I personally am willing to pay more for synthetic. I feel comfortable knowing that the oil will perform well and would be able to go with longer drain intervals if I need to do that. With that said, Autozone has a great deal on Mobil Clean 5000 right now. 5 quarts plus a fram filter (i know not everyone likes Fram) for $10. Mobil warranties Clean 5000 for 5000 mile drain intervals. http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/in_our_stores/in_our_stores.jsp



I would say that if you stick with a reputable brand(dino or synthetic), and follow the maintenance guidelines that you'll be fine. Check out Bob is the oil guy for enough oil info to make your head spin.



http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
 
Since my initial break-in (about 7500 miles) I've put nothing but Mobil1 in my car and it's still kicking strong with zero engine hiccups at 80k hard miles and a less than perfect oil change interval (up to 5k at times, I prefer to keep it around 3k). I think for a car with moderate mileage, such as the 40k Accord, a switch to synthetic at this point may not be a bad idea, but may not net any measurable gains in any arena. My brother has two accords, (224k and 130k), that have seen nothing but regular oil and periodic (at best) maintenance and they are still kicking.



I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that once you switched to synthetic is was best to stick with synthetic and not go back to standard oil. I don't know why, that's just what I remember hearing a long time ago.
 
Synthetic oils don't break down as conventional oils do in these ultra-hot running Japanese and many modern engines...short change intervals can't overcome hi temp oxidation.
 
tom p. said:
Synthetic oils don't break down as conventional oils do in these ultra-hot running Japanese and many modern engines.
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What type of coolant are they using in those ultra-hot running engines?
 
It's my understanding that changing over the synthetic from conventional can lead to leaks? :nixweiss



Whatever the case, I switch my conventional oil every 3 months regardless on my 96 Civic.



Outside of routine scheduled maintenance, new tires, brakes, exhaust and timing belt, I have never had a mechanical problem :up



Oh god, where is some wood to knock :p
 
Black240SX said:
What type of coolant are they using in those ultra-hot running engines?
Click to expand...



Ethylene Glycol, baby! The coolant's not the problem, the narrow oil passageways are!
 
Spilchy said:




Oh god, where is some wood to knock :p
Click to expand...



Spilchy, man, you keep doin' what you're doin'! These issues are far more prevalent with late model cars. 1996 Civic? No problem, stick with the dino lubes! :xyxthumbs Valvoline has an excellent hi mileage oil (Maxlife, syn and non-syn versions) that have high doses of anti wear additives...it would work well in your app.
 
Spilchy said:
It's my understanding that changing over the synthetic from conventional can lead to leaks?
Click to expand...



Yeah, I've had that happen, especially notably with the XJS. That one's a lot happier with dino.



I've also had my lifters bleed down faster with synthetic (couldn't park one 5-cylinder on a hill without it happening).



But there's no denying its superiority when it comes to holding up under extreme conditions (and guess what I use in the A8/S8 and any custom built engines ;) ).
 
I personally would not recommend changing from a Mineral Oil to Synthetic after that many miles. You may get a reaction between the oils which could cause a few problems, eg. the motor may start to use oil or you may get a sludge.



I will wait and see if my comments get a reaction, eh?
 
40,000 is nothing! There won't be any reactions. Only real issue that I know of is that the cleaning properties of the synthetics will lead to a large increase in leaks if your seals are old/worn and already leaking some (ie, a car like mine). If you switch to synthetic, there is absolutely no need to change the oil before 6,000 miles in your car. Ends up making the prices much more comparable, especially when you consider the time it takes.



OTOH, your accord would probably go a quarter million miles with olive oil in the crankcase!
 
I changed my Mazda over to synthetic at approx. 100,000 miles. Absolutely no problems and runs much, much smoother with a 2-3 MPG increase. Starts smoother in the freezing winters and the engine runs much quieter. The closest thing to any engine problems I have had was valve cover gaskets that had to be replaced when I bought the car, long before I switched it over to synthetic. The car now has over 160,000 miles, still no problems and no leaks. I run Amsoil, change the oil ever 10,000 miles and the the filter every 5,000.



Now where's that piece of wood Spilchy was looking for :)
 
Spilchy said:
It's my understanding that changing over the synthetic from conventional can lead to leaks? :nixweiss



Click to expand...



What happens is that the synthetic oil usually has a superior additive package that will clean your engine of any deposits and/or sludge buildup. That cleaning *may* expose problems that you didn't know you had, usually at the valve stem oil seals. In the old days, the valve stem seals would tend to bulge out/expand from synthetic oil and not properly seal. That being said, most modern engines are equipped with better seals using better materials and you shouldn't have any oil leakage or increased oil usage problems regardless of what oil you decide to use or switch to.
 
thanks guys for all the info!

think i'm gonna give synthetic a shot.

saw a news program over the winter talking about sludge build-up.

scary stuff.



this accord is the first car of mine that isn't a handme down.

it's my baby, and i don't want anything bad to ever happen to her.



from the posts it sounds like the synthetic will clean out the engine which is big plus over conventional.



just curious,

how much ya think a synthetic oil change usually runs?

pay around $45 now.



thanks.
 
markmando said:
thanks guys for all the info!

think i'm gonna give synthetic a shot.

saw a news program over the winter talking about sludge build-up.

scary stuff.



this accord is the first car of mine that isn't a handme down.

it's my baby, and i don't want anything bad to ever happen to her.



from the posts it sounds like the synthetic will clean out the engine which is big plus over conventional.



just curious,

how much ya think a synthetic oil change usually runs?

pay around $45 now.



thanks.
Click to expand...



Bobistheoilguy is really the best place for choosing and using oil but it is not the oil which has the biggest difference, it is you. If for example the engine is thrashed from a cold start there is no oil made which will help
 
Actually I learned about synthetics from my sister years ago. She said that her mechanic recommended them and she always put them in her 4-runner. I once checked her oil when it had 5k miles since the last change and the oil was CLEAR! I've been using them ever since.
 
Do not expect a synthetic to clean your motor out after a couple of oil changes. They may not do anything for more serious sludge problems. If you do have a sludge problem there are specialized products designed to remove it. Two that come to mind are Auto-Rx and Lubecontrol's LC20. I have used both with good results on everything from the Mustang down to our riding mower.



www.auto-rx.com

www.lubecontrol.com



You can find a lot more information on both products on the forums at www.bobistheoilguy.com
 
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