Synthetic Oil, Regular Oil, and Switching
 

Quick question:

I found 5 quarts of synthetic Castrol on clearance for 10 bucks. There are a couple of jugs of it available. I've always used regular in my vehicle. Could I switch back to regular in the future without issues with wear and/or leakage?

Thanks.

Motor oil is motor oil

yes you can switch

I was almost certain of this, then heard someone say otherwise, wanted to scream bullshit, but figured I'd make absolutely sure.

When synthetics first came out, there was an occasional problem with high mileage cars where some of the seals would fail if you switched to synthetic. That isn't a problem anymore, so stock up.

I think the main issue is (and i am not sure if this is still applicable or not) that Synthetic oil has/had detergents in it, so when used in a high mileage car it would end up cleaning up some of the sludge. When the sludge was cleaned up, it would cause leaks from old worn out seals that the sludge had basically kept from leaking.

Maybe Frosty is right and Detergents have been removed, idk.

Mix a little antifreeze in with it and you'll be fine

If you switch to synthetic in a high mileage car (100K+ miles), it may not be a bad idea to do a oil change a little sooner than usual in case the synthetic breaks loose some crud in your engine that plugs the filter. After that, you should be fine.

This is probably the best site out there to learn about oil and other automotive fluids:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

I switched to synthetic hoping for better MPG and it didn't do a thing. Can't say I won't keep using it though.

All depends on the motor. Synthetics are good for some motors and for some it doesn't make a difference.

I put a gator net on my truck and removed the lawnmower from the back and my mpg went up a bit.

I've used both...on a range of vehicles with varying mileage. Synth will get you an extra 1000 miles between changes. But, it's more expensive than reg. A matter of personal preference when all said and done. Reg-every 3000-4000 miles vs Synth every 4000 miles. Be religious about your air filter changes too. I own a 96' Dodge Ram pickup and recently had to pull the left cylinder head off to replace an exhaust valve. I changed the reg oil every 3000 and the cylinder bore still showed good cross-hatching.

Had to share this. Too damned funny:

Im changing the oil on my sisters 2007 Toyota highlander, i was under the thing for a good 20 min looking for the oil filter..i swear to god you have to have slant eyes to work on the thing. who ever put the oil filter where it is now should have their nuts nailed to a stump and pushed over backwards..i had to Google it just to find the fucker. and now that i found it idk how the hell im going to get to it...japcrap..screw Toyota buy a Chevy

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_t...ota_Highlander

You change your oil way too much. Even the low mileage rated synths you should get 5-6K out of. More important to use a quality filter. Not a FRAM.

Yes you can switch back, but I don't know why anyone ever would.

The synthetic does NOT break down with heat and you can safely go 5k between changes, and many go even farther. Not breaking down with heat is a big deal with these new cars, as most have a hot thermostat to help with the emissions.

I have always been that guy that changed every 3k, so this has been hard for me to wait, and I have even changed the synthetic many times at 3k. I still do every spring and fall, as I don't want the corrosives sitting in the oil pan.

You can go to Walmart any day of the week and buy a 5qt. jug of Mobil One for about $25.