Switching away from High Mileage oil

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vinu_neuro

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I have a 01 Honda Prelude with a few leaks- oil pan, oil cooler base and potentially front main and/or balancer shafts (I haven't removed the timing cover to look yet). Oil pan and oil cooler are easy enough to replace, but the balancer shafts and front main seals are a huge pita and I'd like to avoid doing them if possible.

Valvoline Maxlife dino seems to have stopped or slowed the leaks down in the 1500 miles it's been in. So now I'm wondering what will happen if I switch to a regular synthetic without the high dose of seal conditioners high mileage oils have. Will the leaks return? All the oils I'm considering switching to are higher viscosity than what's been run in the engine so far (5w30). I'd like to use M1 0W-40, Rotella 5W-40 or GC for the HTHS visc. Will going to 40wt do just as well as the 5w30 Maxlife in the leaks dept? The the other option I'm considering is M1 HM 5w30. HTHS is slightly lower (but higher than any other HM oil) but it's got the high Z and P and seal conditioners.
 
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Try out the M1 HM 5w30, heard good things about it so far. Thicker oils will not necessarily have the same effect as seal conditioners.
 
Originally Posted By: MajorCavalry
Why not stick with a high mileage synthetic like Mobil 1 HM 5w30? Why do you need a 40 wt oil?


This car will see circuit use. Even for street use it's a relatively high strung engine, regular shifts to at least 4k rpm and highway cruising is close to 4k. On top of that there have been some issue with cam/rocker wear in this engine.

Directed at everyone: going from Valvoline HM dino to Mobil 1 HM shouldn't present any problems as far as leaks go right?
 
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Originally Posted By: vinu_neuro
Originally Posted By: MajorCavalry
Why not stick with a high mileage synthetic like Mobil 1 HM 5w30? Why do you need a 40 wt oil?


This car will see circuit use. Even for street use it's a relatively high strung engine, regular shifts to at least 4k rpm and highway cruising is close to 4k. On top of that there have been some issue with cam/rocker wear in this engine.

Directed at everyone: going from Valvoline HM dino to Mobil 1 HM shouldn't present any problems as far as leaks go right?


I've only read this once, but someone had an increased oil consumption when switching to M1 HM. Although this engine had only ever seen dino, and it was severely abused. So I would say you should see no issues, should actually help to stop leaks almost entirely if they're small enough and fully seal related.
 
The seal conditioners are reducing the leaks by swelling them up. If I switched back to a non-HM dino would one expect the leaks to return immediately or has the HM done it's job and it'll be fine for a while?
 
Not emediately.. it'll take time for those swell agents to dissipate.Here's the kicker,and why I dont use HM oils.Once the swell agents have completed the desired effect those seals are softer ,way softer,and more prone to additional wear.Fast forward.Now you use regular (non-HM) oil the additional wear is already done ..PLUS.. the seals are no longer swollen .This equals leaks that are way worse now than they ever have been....It's always a sad ending. I'll never use hm oils.

Edit :HM oils with swell agents
 
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If I was you, I would use the 5w30 Maxlife in the colder weather and possibly the 10W-40 Maxlife in hot weather. Switching to M1 HM did not do as well for me on the leak prevention/consumption as the Maxlife did on several BMWs and an older Acura TL.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
If I was you, I would use the 5w30 Maxlife in the colder weather and possibly the 10W-40 Maxlife in hot weather. Switching to M1 HM did not do as well for me on the leak prevention/consumption as the Maxlife did on several BMWs and an older Acura TL.

I'd second this. IME most leaks become worse when going from dino to synthetic of the same grade. It sounds like the Maxlife is working, I'd stay with it.
 
Originally Posted By: Scorch

I've only read this once, but someone had an increased oil consumption when switching to M1 HM. Although this engine had only ever seen dino, and it was severely abused. So I would say you should see no issues, should actually help to stop leaks almost entirely if they're small enough and fully seal related.


We would see this on mb diesels when going to syn oils. It would generally go away in 10-20k.
 
Is there proven evidence that this in fact happens. I find it hard to believe the seals would swell that much to create additional wear.
 
Originally Posted By: hemitom
Is there proven evidence that this in fact happens. I find it hard to believe the seals would swell that much to create additional wear.


I think he meant more wear on the seals, not the shaft. All nice comments here, but again just speculation and not fact. I have used the HM oils every second oil change and they have sealed up a rear main seal on the Escape. I really don't care about anything else but in no longer leaks.
lol.gif
 
1) They make a Max Life Synthetic. Not thought of trying that?

2) I would be hesitant to track a car with a leak. Why not fix it if you plan of auto-x'ing it?
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: hemitom
Is there proven evidence that this in fact happens. I find it hard to believe the seals would swell that much to create additional wear.


I think he meant more wear on the seals, not the shaft. All nice comments here, but again just speculation and not fact. I have used the HM oils every second oil change and they have sealed up a rear main seal on the Escape. I really don't care about anything else but in no longer leaks.
lol.gif


oh, ok why is the rear main leaking on the Escape? ..This is the same sh$#%#$^$t I went through in the 70's and 80's ...tell me where engineering got better?
 
that is the goal (no more leaks) if it works , i don't really care how either, almost every car guys nightmare is a dam oil leak.
 
Eventually ,You'll have to replace these seals ....stock-up on your dough 'till you have enough to replace them ...I know it su%^&ks but you'll hav to eat it to beat it.
 
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