When to Switch to a Synthetic Oil

[bigt61]

I found this interesting.

"It is the ester that can cause problems when you change from mineral to synthetic.

Ester base oil used alongside PAO base oil in lubricant formulation has excellent natural detergency. In other words, it will clean up varnish on component surfaces as a result of thermal and oxidative degradation of the lubricant. When you switch from a typical mineral-based engine oil to a typical synthetic-based oil, the varnish layer will be removed by the ester in the synthetic oil and become suspended. This suspended material can rapidly clog filters, block oil flow passageways and lead to component starvation. The same is true for gearboxes and other industrial machines.

So think twice about switching to synthetic oils in applications where the engine or other machine has been operating for some time with mineral oils. If you decide to make the switch, try to clean the system before making the change and then monitor it carefully once you start it up."

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28601/switch-to-synthetic

 

[HerrStig]

So stick to Group III.

 

[4wheeldog]

What sort of sludge making lube were you using before the switch? Any decent modern oil will keep sludge and varnish to a very minor minimum.......Certainly not enough to clog an oil filter.

Machinery (Using bulk industrial oils) is an entirely different animal that motor oil. This can be a concern for large, stationary equipment, which can have bulk non detergent oils used in them. The solvent properties of synthetic could present a problem there, but unless you have been running on straight "Morlube Parafin based oil" left over from the '60s, it should not be an issue.

 

[SnowDrifter]

I guess I wouldn't know. My vehicles are immaculately maintained. When I switched to an ester based oil, filter didn't look like anything out of the ordinary

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: bigt61
I found this interesting.


Nothing really new here. If you have a sludged up engine because of neglect or not using proper oil, then you need to clean it first, regardless what you do afterwards.

 

[camperbob]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: bigt61
I found this interesting.


Nothing really new here. If you have a sludged up engine because of neglect or not using proper oil, then you need to clean it first, regardless what you do afterwards.


I have to agree. If there is any noticeable amount of sludge in a modern engine, changing to a Synthetic would be the last thing Id be concerned with. As also mentioned, stationary machines can have a totally different life. We have some pumpjacks here that don't run for a year or better. Then without fail, they will run constant for weeks with the same 5 year old oil in them. Ive always used the valve cover as a rule of thumb, since that's usually the slowest flowing part of an engine. Unless the vehicle has sat for years and year where the sludge would be in the pan, IF any sludge is present, it will generally be under the valve cover. In the v-8 designs, most engines Ive seen with sludge in the lifter pan, also had some under the valve cover. Its pretty safe to say, if sludge hasn't formed in the areas of low oil pressure, it hasn't formed in the places of high oil pressure.

 

[Olas]

My Scirocco was filled with dealership bulk-fill from 82 - 94 when it sat for 7 years, and more dealer bulk from 01 - 08 when I bought it.

Switched to Redline without any clogged filters or oil starvation, no leaks appeared after the switch, everything is sweet.

Anecdata doesn't show a trend, but from personal experience I don't believe that changing from mineral to synthetic causes any problems at all.

 

[2sld3kf2bt]

This is only true when using something like seafoam to rapidly +clean an engine. Synthetic oil takes a long time to clean an engine, it won't clog your filter or any other of that nonsense.

 

[DemoFly]

Originally Posted By: bigt61
I found this interesting.

"It is the ester that can cause problems when you change from mineral to synthetic.

Ester base oil used alongside PAO base oil in lubricant formulation has excellent natural detergency. In other words, it will clean up varnish on component surfaces as a result of thermal and oxidative degradation of the lubricant. When you switch from a typical mineral-based engine oil to a typical synthetic-based oil, the varnish layer will be removed by the ester in the synthetic oil and become suspended. This suspended material can rapidly clog filters, block oil flow passageways and lead to component starvation. The same is true for gearboxes and other industrial machines.

So think twice about switching to synthetic oils in applications where the engine or other machine has been operating for some time with mineral oils. If you decide to make the switch, try to clean the system before making the change and then monitor it carefully once you start it up."

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28601/switch-to-synthetic





These statements are contradictory. This editorial doesn't give us any data.

"Cleaning the engine before switching to synthetic" would do the exact same thing a synthetic engine oil would do just at an astronomically more rapid rate. If you're afraid of synthetic oil lifting varnish and clogging oil passage ways, you should be utterly terrified to put a cleaner or a flush through an engine.

The correct time to switch to a synthetic is whenever you want, granted it makes economic sense for your application.

Grain of salt.