"regular oil" not synthetic

[YoungGunSupra]

My question is..whats the best "regular" oil to use, not synthetic because my car has about 200k on the chassis...motor has been swapped in,..should have about 80k on it by now..im assuming its too late to switch to synthetic because it will wear my old seals off. i work at sears auto center so i usually use 5w-30 valvoline all climate..but is there any better "regular oil" that i should use? its weird..my manager who is usually pretty knowledgable..told me that the "new" synthetic oil technology wont wear out old seals..which i am skeptical about..

Pretty much when i rebuild my motor i will switch to synthetic...but for now..since everyone says synthetic oil is bad for an old motor..i guess ill stay with regular oil...so should i go with either 10-30 or 5-30 and which kind of "regular" oil is the best or best quality. Thanks!

John

 

[grimreaper]

where did you find out that syn was bad for an older motor? The oil is not going to cause leaks unless the build up inside of the motor is whats preventing them. In short, run syn- find leaks- fix leaks.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

i believe i saw that from what jdub had posted in one of his articles...that you should only use synthetic if your seals are good or if you have a fresh rebuilt motor..what i believe...and corect me if im wrong..is that jdub said synthetics are very powerful cleaners or something and that if there is any kind of weakness in the seals it will find it..and break it down. i also asked aaron from driftmotion about this when i was in the shop gettin some maintenance done and he said the same thing. its not bad for older REBUILT motors...but older motors that have around 100K+ miles on em..yes

 

[hvyman]

The oil is not going to cause leaks unless the build up inside of the motor is whats preventing them. In short, run syn- find leaks- fix leaks.

^This

The build up of old oil keeps the seals from leaking. When you put synthetic in it cleans the seals and they leak.

 

[CyFi6]

Even if this is the case the end result is
Conventional oil= No leaks
Synthetic= Leaks

I would stick with conventional, theres nothing wrong with it. Go for an Xw30 and you want the lowest first number you can ex. 0w30. Im not sure if they go that low with conventional though, i personally use a 5w30 valvoline oil

 

[YoungGunSupra]

yea i use 5w 30 as well valvoline..ill switch to synthetic when i do an engine rebuild but for now i think im gonna stick with conventional...but does anyone know of a better brand than valvoline?

 

[jetjock]

There's nothing wrong with Valvoline but if you really want to change my recommendation would be Mobil Clean 5000 or Mobil Clean 5000 High Mileage...

 

[mecevans]

Yup. you can switch at any time. allot of the customers at my job freak when they switch to syn and the oil is "blacker" next time around for the oil change. it has more additives and does a better job of getting the crud conventional cant.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

?? i thought we already established, to not go from conventional oil to synthetic on an older motor like mine...its gonna wear the old seals and cause leaks...i cringe everytime im at work and i hear my manager and co worker recommend switching from conventional oil to synthetic oil on a car that has 100k+ miles...its just plain stupid.

My question is not whether or not to switch to synthetic. i know for sure i should not make the switch..just wanted to see whats the highest quality conventional oil..cuz i use 5w 30 valvoline. should i be using 5w30 "another brand" or maybe even 10 30 valv? i live in CALI btw

 

[jdub]

?? i thought we already established, to not go from conventional oil to synthetic on an older motor like mine...its gonna wear the old seals and cause leaks...i cringe everytime im at work and i hear my manager and co worker recommend switching from conventional oil to synthetic oil on a car that has 100k+ miles...its just plain stupid.

My question is not whether or not to switch to synthetic. i know for sure i should not make the switch..just wanted to see whats the highest quality conventional oil..cuz i use 5w 30 valvoline. should i be using 5w30 "another brand" or maybe even 10 30 valv? i live in CALI btw

Actually, you are the one that "established" the idea not to switch...that logic is not 100% accurate and switching to a syn oil on a motor with 100K miles is far from "stupid". I have changed several of my cars (all with well over 100K) from conventional oil to synthetic (GC 0W-30) with zero ill effects, that is unless you want to call an increase in gas mileage an ill effect.

I never said to not change over to a syn oil based on mileage - it is the condition of the seals that matter - old, dried out seals are going to leak, it's only a matter of time. If a bunch of crap is what is blocking the leak, then a syn oil will clean it out - the problem is not the oil, it's the seals. That was addressed above, but you chose to ignore it. The part that was left out is the role of the esters in a syn oil as a seal conditioner - one of the best there is. To say "its gonna wear the old seals and cause leaks" is completely wrong - in fact the opposite is true.

If you insist on using a conventional oil, suggest you re-read post #7. Nothing wrong with conventional oils BTW - it's just I'm of the opinion that a turbocharged motor should be using a syn oil due to the higher heat the engine produces.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

oh..i see..yea i understand what you are saying jdub. like i said i wasnt sure what was said in your other posts. i just assumed that most engines that are old (aka not rebuilt or swapped) have old worn seals because ive seen alot of people complain about oil leaks. i went to DM and aaron informed me that i have a very slow leak..looks like i need to rdo my rear main seal and what not..so i guess what imeant to say is limited to at least my own situation. it is my fault i failed to adress what you said..i know that even if its an old engine if the seals are still good then synthetic would be fine, so again i just assumed that older engines already have worn seals and shouldnt switch to synthetic. my fault. i do wanna switch to synthetic..i dont like to skimp out on my car but im just scared of leaking more oil

 

[YoungGunSupra]

Hey guys, i found this http://www.valvoline.com/car-care/motor-oil-myths/

in it, it does say that some synthetics have additives that help old worn seals isntead of wearing it down. This time around ill specify that for my car..i do have small leaks i believe its the rear main seal and some others...but are there certain synthetic oils that have additives in it that will actuall help keep these seals from leaking any more? im all for switching to synthetic. just dont wanna wear down my seals any more..thanks

John

 

[IJ.]

Actually, you are the one that "established" the idea not to switch...that logic is not 100% accurate and switching to a syn oil on a motor with 100K miles is far from "stupid". I have changed several of my cars (all with well over 100K) from conventional oil to synthetic (GC 0W-30) with zero ill effects, that is unless you want to call an increase in gas mileage an ill effect.

I never said to not change over to a syn oil based on mileage - it is the condition of the seals that matter - old, dried out seals are going to leak, it's only a matter of time. If a bunch of crap is what is blocking the leak, then a syn oil will clean it out - the problem is not the oil, it's the seals. That was addressed above, but you chose to ignore it. The part that was left out is the role of the esters in a syn oil as a seal conditioner - one of the best there is. To say "its gonna wear the old seals and cause leaks" is completely wrong - in fact the opposite is true.

If you insist on using a conventional oil, suggest you re-read post #7. Nothing wrong with conventional oils BTW - it's just I'm of the opinion that a turbocharged motor should be using a syn oil due to the higher heat the engine produces.

You missed the above somehow

Hey guys, i found this http://www.valvoline.com/car-care/motor-oil-myths/

in it, it does say that some synthetics have additives that help old worn seals isntead of wearing it down. This time around ill specify that for my car..i do have small leaks i believe its the rear main seal and some others...but are there certain synthetic oils that have additives in it that will actuall help keep these seals from leaking any more? im all for switching to synthetic. just dont wanna wear down my seals any more..thanks

John

Then post the above like it's some new knowledge you have found?

John gave you ALL the information in his post, reading comprehension is important the staff don't just pull this sort of thing from their asses please take the time to try and understand the advice given and not just skim it as it's frustrating and means next time a question is asked it may not be answered.

 

[YoungGunSupra]

oh...i did miss that..its not that i think hes pulling it out of his ass..ive just been searching through our oil forum for the last 4 hours, and then i did some searching on google as well..i dont mean to piss anyone off its just that im fairly new to auto mechanics and im getting alot of "advice" from the technicians i work with and then there are users here saying different things. Dont get me wrong i trust that jdub and everyone hear is much more knowledgabe than just your everyday technician but the reason i bring those questions on here is so hopefully someone can explain it to me so i can go back to work and explain it to the people i w ork with as well as my customers, as opposed to spreading incorrect information. Again i appreciate you guys taking the time to post and im not trying to anger anyone...if i did then im sorry

 

[Drake69]

Okay. Now I understand why synthetic oil will sometimes cause an older engine to leak, and it makes perfect sense now. So when I do the rebuild on the engine, naturally I would reseal and regasket everything anyway, which would remove all the old seals that are now leaking due to their age and loss of "barrier deposits". It's the various additives that are in the synthetic oil that are cleaning up the engine and removing the old oil deposits near the seals, which due to their age have worn and cracked.

When I get done researching the oil info from http://www.supramania.com/aehaas/, I should have a pretty good idea of what type and weight of oil to run. I always hear Amsoil is a great replacement oil as a true synthetic, so it'll more than likely boil down to viscosity, daily wear and tear, and local environment (how hot/cold it is here etc....).

I should've read this thread sooner, as I feel like an idiot.

 

[jetjock]

Don't feel bad. Oil idiots are among the most plentiful in the automotive world and distancing yourself from them is an achievement to be proud of.

 

[supra90turbo]

YoungGun: The "Technicians" you work with are probably the least knowledgeable about what works and what doesn't than anyone around. Sure they know how to repair a car and maybe even diagnose an issue or two, but when it comes to replacing a part that doesn't look exactly the same or using a different oil than what's "recommended", they are totally against it.

99% of "Technicians" out there are merely parts changers and it's the guys like JDub, JetJock, IJ, etc... that really know what works and what doesn't. Not because a book told them, but because common sense and specifications did.

I should know, I've been working in the Parts Department at dealerships for 7 years... Seen my fair share of parts changers out there. It's sad, really... haha

 

[IJ.]

YoungGun: The "Technicians" you work with are probably the least knowledgeable about what works and what doesn't than anyone around. Sure they know how to repair a car and maybe even diagnose an issue or two, but when it comes to replacing a part that doesn't look exactly the same or using a different oil than what's "recommended", they are totally against it.

99% of "Technicians" out there are merely parts changers and it's the guys like JDub, JetJock, IJ, etc... that really know what works and what doesn't. Not because a book told them, but because common sense and specifications did.

I should know, I've been working in the Parts Department at dealerships for 7 years... Seen my fair share of parts changers out there. It's sad, really... haha

I KNOW NOTHING!​

 

[Drake69]

I KNOW NOTHING!​

I call BS on that statement... flippin' Supra-genius.:doublebir

 

[RockPaperSwoRD]

german castrol 0w30, use it and dont look back