Synthetic in older engines

[silverrat]

Some people do not like using Synthetic in older engines. I used Syntec 5w30 I got for free and I experienced a rear seal leak got worse. I am now on PYB 10w30. I changed my oil last on Jan 11. I have driven a little over 3000km since then. 1993 Honda Accord 2.2L, 273,000km. I drive every day though, it used to be shorter trips but now I drive on the highway both ways to work. I top it up whenever it is low. I have probably added a little over 2 liters since the oil change. I did change the oil filter last month though.

I got a jug of Pennzoil Platinum 10w30 from Walmart for cheap. Will it help oil consumption? Is there a chance the detergents will clean up the inside of the engine to the point it will start leaking from seals?

Is it worth keeping the syn oil for winter? Although it is 10w30, will it be better for cold starts? Or should I switch to pyb 5w30?

I also maintain a 1995 Civic 245,000km, but that gets more mileage. I changed it's oil at the 6 month/8,000km mark, but I also had to add 2 liters to it as well.

Is it okay if they are burning oil as long as I keep it topped up? Or should my goal be to find an oil that will not burn off?

Ben

 

[hate2work]

Why not try one of the HM oils? This what they are designed for....kinda.

 

[silverrat]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

Why not try one of the HM oils? This what they are designed for....kinda.
\

I used Maxlife 10w30 but that burned off too.

 

[Warstud]

I started using PP in my truck with well over 100,000 miles and it was usually in the winter. I did notice some leakage at first but since stopped. Within the 5500 miles of driving I had minimal comsumption and had to only top off once. After I changed it out I put chevron supreme in and the consumption increased and had to top off twice within 3000 miles. I say put it in now and see what you think and if you like it buy another for winter.

 

[JHZR2]

depends upon the quality and previous maintenance of the vehicle. Ive converted MBs to syn without use or leakage at mileage up to 200k. Ive also done our toyota at 160k and ditto for our integra,
no issues with any.

Frankly, I have found mainline honda products to be oil burners and only so-so quality, so it does not suprise me.

 

[addyguy]

Yeah, older Honda's tend to be oil burners. If the engine runs well, just keep it topped-off and the car will run for a long time.....

 

[NismoMax80]

thought everyone knew that SYN simply cleans away the gunk that hides leaks and bad seals?

SYN isn't the problem with old cars. It simply shows you where the problem has been you have not been aware of for who knows how long.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: NismoMax80
thought everyone knew that SYN simply cleans away the gunk that hides leaks and bad seals?

SYN isn't the problem with old cars. It simply shows you where the problem has been you have not been aware of for who knows how long.


Exactly. The rear main was bad in that vehicle before the synthetic was used. Just cleaned the gunk out that was sealing it up.

A High Mileage oil may help it. I would probably give this stuff a try myself. It is supposed to work pretty good( probably the same idea as the special additives in HM oils but more concentrated )...

http://www.barsproducts.com/1050.htm

 

[Craig in Canada]

When I had my 1990 Integra, I switched to synthetic at 120,000km. No leaks, no issues. I ran that until I sold it in 2001 with 155,000km.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: NismoMax80
thought everyone knew that SYN simply cleans away the gunk that hides leaks and bad seals?

SYN isn't the problem with old cars. It simply shows you where the problem has been you have not been aware of for who knows how long.


Seriously? I thought that was an old wive's tale. I've read a million times on this forum from some pretty knowledegable people that you can switch to syn anytime without problems.

Now you come along and say there IS a problem switching to syn?

 

[2003f7]

I switched to synthetic in my 01 GP at 94,000 miles. The car now has 115,000 miles with no leaks. I just switched my 74 Monte with 110,000 miles on the original SBC 350 over to RP this summer with no leak to report yet.

 

[harry j]

MY 1993 Civic had it's first synthetic oil change at 118,000 miles. Now with 273,000 miles, it still doesn't leak or burn any oil.

 

[speedbump47]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

Seriously? I thought that was an old wive's tale. I've read a million times on this forum from some pretty knowledegable people that you can switch to syn anytime without problems.

Now you come along and say there IS a problem switching to syn?

It's not the synthetic that's the issue; it's the underlying car. So, technically, switching to syn should pose no problem if your vehicle is in good shape, regardless of mileage.

Kind of like when people started switching to HDTVs and complaining about the picture getting worse. They were using the same [censored] cable feed to display on something that was a lot better at showing nuances/subtleties. The TV was good, it just provided a clearer picture of the [censored] put into it.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: speedbump47
Originally Posted By: hate2work

Seriously? I thought that was an old wive's tale. I've read a million times on this forum from some pretty knowledegable people that you can switch to syn anytime without problems.

Now you come along and say there IS a problem switching to syn?

It's not the synthetic that's the issue; it's the underlying car. So, technically, switching to syn should pose no problem if your vehicle is in good shape, regardless of mileage.

Kind of like when people started switching to HDTVs and complaining about the picture getting worse. They were using the same [censored] cable feed to display on something that was a lot better at showing nuances/subtleties. The TV was good, it just provided a clearer picture of the [censored] put into it.


What I'm saying is that this is the first time I've seen a caveat given when talking about switching to syn. All that ever gets said is "Switch with zero problems". Whenever someone brings up that they heard switching causes seals to leak, everyone says that's not true. Now you come along and tell us that it COULD cause problems.

I'm thinking about putting syn in our 1980 V-6 Citation, but maybe it would give me more trouble than it's worth. Guess I'll have to think about it some more...

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: hate2work


What I'm saying is that this is the first time I've seen a caveat given when talking about switching to syn. All that ever gets said is "Switch with zero problems". Whenever someone brings up that they heard switching causes seals to leak, everyone says that's not true. Now you come along and tell us that it COULD cause problems.

I'm thinking about putting syn in our 1980 V-6 Citation, but maybe it would give me more trouble than it's worth. Guess I'll have to think about it some more...


What's been stated in this thread is the same thing I've heard for >10 years about switching to synthetic. The uneducated say "it causes leaks" which is then corrected to "it reveals leaks".

If your engine's oil circuit integrity is maintained by deposits, you'll probably reveal a leak. This leak may or may not stop later as seals are reconditioned (read up on Auto-RX too) depending on your choice of oil.

If your engine's gaskets are intact, then you'll likely suffer no problems.

If you're nervous, choose an HM synthetic which is more likely to contain seal conditioners, or run a round of Auto-RX first with the dino that you're current using.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: speedbump47
Originally Posted By: hate2work

Seriously? I thought that was an old wive's tale. I've read a million times on this forum from some pretty knowledegable people that you can switch to syn anytime without problems.

Now you come along and say there IS a problem switching to syn?

It's not the synthetic that's the issue; it's the underlying car. So, technically, switching to syn should pose no problem if your vehicle is in good shape, regardless of mileage.

Kind of like when people started switching to HDTVs and complaining about the picture getting worse. They were using the same [censored] cable feed to display on something that was a lot better at showing nuances/subtleties. The TV was good, it just provided a clearer picture of the [censored] put into it.


What I'm saying is that this is the first time I've seen a caveat given when talking about switching to syn. All that ever gets said is "Switch with zero problems". Whenever someone brings up that they heard switching causes seals to leak, everyone says that's not true. Now you come along and tell us that it COULD cause problems.

I'm thinking about putting syn in our 1980 V-6 Citation, but maybe it would give me more trouble than it's worth. Guess I'll have to think about it some more...


Any time I have posted about running synthetic in a high mileage engine I have made sure to say not to do it if your vehicle currently uses oil or has any leaks as it will cause them to get worse. I also mention the risk that leaks and consumption issues could develope even if they were not present before.

The synthetic oil itself is not causing the problem. It cleans the engine so well that it dissolves gunk and build up that is preventing either completely or partially leaks and/or consumption issues. Once you add the synthe tic oil it cleans everything out and wham the leak/consumption is made worse or suddenly revealed.

The oil itself is not making it happen though.

 

[hate2work]

"Syn oil doesn't cause leaks, it reveals leaks".

"The oil itself is not making it happen though".

I'm not sure those statements are entirely true. I mean, we're in agreement that if an older car leaks after the addition of syn oil, the leak was a direct result of using the syn oil, right?

And by that definition, it could reasonably be argued that the syn oil caused the leak.

Anyway, thanks to you both for the education. Again, this was the first time on BITOG that I had heard anything negative about switching to syn oil.

 

[hpichris]

That would be a very weak interpretation of that statement.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: hate2work

"Syn oil doesn't cause leaks, it reveals leaks".

"The oil itself is not making it happen though".

I'm not sure those statements are entirely true. I mean, we're in agreement that if an older car leaks after the addition of syn oil, the leak was a direct result of using the syn oil, right?

And by that definition, it could reasonably be argued that the syn oil caused the leak.

Anyway, thanks to you both for the education. Again, this was the first time on BITOG that I had heard anything negative about switching to syn oil.






Sorry but we don't agree. Synthetic oil does not cause leaks. The condition was already present one way or the other.

 

[hpichris]

I don't think anybody agrees with hate2work's statement.