Conventional to Synthetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sidney

Joined
Aug 21, 2011
Messages
13
Location
SW Virginia, Blue Ridge Mtns.
Hello all,

Have not been here in a while.

I just bought my wife a 2011 Mazda 3 with a 2.5l and a 5spd auto. Car cosmetically is in great shape and seems to be very well taken care of.

As I do with all vehicles I purchase, I change all the fluids and filters myself and from the start of owning someone elses. I asked the previous owner what type of oil she has put in. She did not know, but I want to go to synthetic as thats what I run in my Honda. Amsoil Signature Series 5w-30. She has 74K on the odometer and I am not sure if changing over to synthetic will cause a mess of leaks, break any residual contaminants or sludge loose inside, or mess with her engine. Not sure if I can start with one type of synthetic and go to an ultimate end product. Sort of ease into the synthetic. Thats of course if shes not running synthetic already, which I cannot tell from the dipstick or smell of the oil.

I have done the customary searches here, and quite honestly, was inundated with everything but answers to my question when searching "all forums". Maybe even a sticky or a "how to". I know this question has probably been asked at LEAST a million times, so I do apologize.

Thank you in advance for any help at all.

Sid
 
Last edited:
Change away, but why change? Todays oils aren't the 1970's oils. .Pull the valve cover off to see how the insides look.
 
Do one oil change with conventional and see what the consumption is. If not much run syn. Or with only 74k just do it with syn and see what happens. You can go back to conventional if it uses oil. I doubt you would have a ton of leaks on a modern car.
 
Last edited:
You should have no problems switching to synthetic as long as it isn't covered with oil already underneath with leaks.

I switched my Camry over to synthetic at 16 years old and 205,000 miles. Today, coincidentally and exactly 1 year and 20,000 miles later to the T have had no problems.
 
I finally changed over to synthetic a few years ago.

On the day of the change, I got the engine up to temp, then added 1 cup of Kerosene to the old engine oil as the engine idled and let it idle (no driving) for 20 minutes. This just like an engine oil flush additive you pay $10 for!

Then I turned off the engine, let it cool at bit, then drained the old oil and removed the old filter. TIP: Let the engine drain into the pan for 15 minutes!

Then new filter and synthetic oil (5W30) in my case.

The idea is get all the sludge and old oil out to make the most of the new oil!

I got the tip 20 yrs ago from a trucker pal who looked after his own equipment! If it's good enough for a $30,000 diesel it's OK for me!

Once on synthetic, no need to use Kerosene again. In the old days I did a Kerosene flush once every 3-4 yrs on my daily drivers that had cheap conventional oil and lots of blow-by deposits.
 
What grade are you going to use? I used synthetic 0w20 in my 2010 Mazda 3 with a 2.0 and it never leaked in the 115k miles I had it. Im not sure what the dealer fill was convention or synthetic wise but they used 5w30 even though the cap said 5w20..
 
Using an expensive boutique oil for that engine is overkill. A good conventional is more than adequate. Whether synthetic or dino it's the viscosity modifiers that are doing most of the heavy lifting. Synthetics have their place but not in your application. I would go with either a 5W, or preferably, a 10W30 conventional.
 
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
Using an expensive boutique oil for that engine is overkill. A good conventional is more than adequate. Whether synthetic or dino it's the viscosity modifiers that are doing most of the heavy lifting. Synthetics have their place but not in your application. I would go with either a 5W, or preferably, a 10W30 conventional.


You don't need to spend big money on Amsoil.Your new used vehicle does not demand synthetics. Pennzoil yellow bottle is the #1 oil in America. It will serve you well. If you can't sleep at night using conventional, buy one of the Big-4 synthetic sellers for less money than Amsoil.... Quaker State, Valvoline, Castrol or Pennzoil.

That vehicle you purchased will probably run to 300K with value-pricing Supertech or NAPA Synthetc.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Start with a syn blend. If that goes well, then a full synthetic.


Exactly, start gradually, no need to do anything rash...

As for the wife's input; she'll need to buy in for the switch to be a success...
 
Last edited:
Amsoil SS is an excellent choice. My 97 Tahoe had 67,000 miles on it when I bought it, I went to SS 5-30 and today it is over 200,000 and hoping to get 250,000 before trading again. The extra 'insurance' of having the best oil in the engine when you might need it, is worth the extra expense. Very good low temp starting and very good high temp protection for summers is what makes it a GREAT choice plus you can extend your drain interval if you want too. Some folks go cheap on oil and filters, why I dont know. Its only a $7,000+ engine you are protecting, why not spend a few extra bucks for the best? Go for it !!
 
Mobil ?
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: ndfergy
Using an expensive boutique oil for that engine is overkill. A good conventional is more than adequate. Whether synthetic or dino it's the viscosity modifiers that are doing most of the heavy lifting. Synthetics have their place but not in your application. I would go with either a 5W, or preferably, a 10W30 conventional.


You don't need to spend big money on Amsoil.Your new used vehicle does not demand synthetics. Pennzoil yellow bottle is the #1 oil in America. It will serve you well. If you can't sleep at night using conventional, buy one of the Big-4 synthetic sellers for less money than Amsoil.... Quaker State, Valvoline, Castrol or Pennzoil.

That vehicle you purchased will probably run to 300K with value-pricing Supertech or NAPA Synthetc.
 
Are you a dealer?

Originally Posted By: Click
Amsoil SS is an excellent choice. My 97 Tahoe had 67,000 miles on it when I bought it, I went to SS 5-30 and today it is over 200,000 and hoping to get 250,000 before trading again. The extra 'insurance' of having the best oil in the engine when you might need it, is worth the extra expense. Very good low temp starting and very good high temp protection for summers is what makes it a GREAT choice plus you can extend your drain interval if you want too. Some folks go cheap on oil and filters, why I dont know. Its only a $7,000+ engine you are protecting, why not spend a few extra bucks for the best? Go for it !!
 
Sounds like it, right?
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Are you a dealer?

Originally Posted By: Click
Amsoil SS is an excellent choice. My 97 Tahoe had 67,000 miles on it when I bought it, I went to SS 5-30 and today it is over 200,000 and hoping to get 250,000 before trading again. The extra 'insurance' of having the best oil in the engine when you might need it, is worth the extra expense. Very good low temp starting and very good high temp protection for summers is what makes it a GREAT choice plus you can extend your drain interval if you want too. Some folks go cheap on oil and filters, why I dont know. Its only a $7,000+ engine you are protecting, why not spend a few extra bucks for the best? Go for it !!


Ha, ha! In a Amway recovery group looking for a new venture? However, I suspect, like alot of people, they want the comfort of believing they're doing the best for their vehicle. Not a bad thing. Sometimes, though, it's anthropomorphism gone awry - like putting booties on a chihuahua.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Start with a syn blend. If that goes well, then a full synthetic.

+1....good alternative before moving to full syn.

Consider either Pennzoil (Gold)... or Quaker State seemi-syn.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
Using conventional 10w30 in the summer and 5w30 synthetic in the winter
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
Ride_Red
H
VR1 conventional. Good as synthetic?
2 3
Replies
41
Views
4K
burbguy82
C
Motorcraft synthetic blend vs full synthetic
Replies
14
Views
3K
Snagglefoot
C
Need Guidance re (hopefully) Non-Synthetic Motor Oil for a '99 Camry L4 (5SFE) Sludge-Prone Engine
Replies
12
Views
1K
GSCJR
D.R.S
5.7 Chevy oil
Replies
10
Views
923
Bear906
Back
Top