can i change to synthetic or does it matter at 150K?

nedro018 · Post by **nedro018** » 11 Jun 2013, 21:22

ive had car since 95K, it now has 150K, ive changed oil with penzoil 5-30W since every 3K mi. the previous 2 owners prob only did dealer oil changes. my oil is always -clear-

we now need this car to definitely last into the future 200-500K miles. im planning for the long haul due to economic circumstances.

would i benefit from changing to synthetic now? does it matter?

no cam seals have failed thus far, i have not done PCV change but it is next on the list.

my question is: is it a problem changing from mineral oil to synthetic? and: is it necessary given that i intend to own this car for another 200+K miles?

thx,

ned

Post by **jblackburn** » 11 Jun 2013, 22:04

The change won't hurt it, but make sure you take care of any existing leaks first.

Do the PCV system change first if it's clogged.

You can then safely extend your OCI to 5000-7500 miles, whatever you are comfortable with. Just remember..."black" oil =/= bad oil.

nedro018 · Post by **nedro018** » 11 Jun 2013, 22:36

i dont think its clogged yet but will change anyway. then do oil pref change (mineral-to-synth) after this.

i think i still have your PCV pdf doc on my computer from years ago, with pics. what was that yummy beer you had on the shrould? i may have to suffice with coors over here.

Post by **j-dawg** » 11 Jun 2013, 22:51

i feel obligated to repeat the conventional wisdom stating that switching to a synthetic oil later in a car's life can lead to oil leaks that were either not present or not noticeable forming or becoming worse, respectively.

i have no experience with synthetic so i can't offer my experience, but that's the reason it is often urged never to switch an older car from dino to synthetic. i don't know how true it is or isn't, but it seems worth addressing.

nedro018 · Post by **nedro018** » 11 Jun 2013, 23:08

well there's no leaks rt now! maybe no hurries.

Post by **wheelsup** » 12 Jun 2013, 00:16

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot ... gines.aspx

KlubMarcus · Post by **KlubMarcus** » 13 Jun 2013, 06:26

j-dawg wrote:i feel obligated to repeat the conventional wisdom stating that switching to a synthetic oil later in a car's life can lead to oil leaks that were either not present or not noticeable forming or becoming worse, respectively.

That's because the latest generation of synthetic oils flow so well, clean so well, smaller size molecules, etc... that they reveal any leaks that your engine already had!

Conventional oil works just fine and was just masking small existing leaks. Never had problems using conventional oil every 5k miles. I usually get Mobil Super High-Mileage since it's a bargain synthetic/conventional blend with additives to help the old seals. Otherwise, I buy what's on sale at Wal-Mart.

Post by **abscate** » 13 Jun 2013, 07:48

Seepage of oil can be understood by two basic parameters, it's viscosity and its surface tension. One might think there has been a careful study comparing these two to support or refute the 'adage' that synthetic will leak faster.

Post by **jpr0204** » 13 Jun 2013, 10:37

Hi Everyone,

Just my opinion here FWIW...

If you ran synthetic oil from when the vehicle was new then that is what I would stay with.

If you run "dino" oil for 150K miles than that is what I would stay with as well because that is the only oil the engine "knows" and is "used to" for the last several thousand miles.

Why mess with a good thing...???

That being said, When I bought our 00' Cross Country, back in 12/2012, The very first thing I did to it when I got home was change the oil. I couldn't tell how much oil was in it when I bought it becuase the handle was broken off the dipstick and it was wedged all the way down so I couldn't check it until I got home and had acess to some tools... The PO said he just had it changed.

When I got home and got the dipstick out and checked it, it was full and it "appeared" fairly clean but I changed it again for piece of mind.

I used a premium Mann filter and I used CAM 2 10W-30 Synthetic Blend motor oil becuase that's what we carry at work and I get it for cost, but also I feel it to be an excellent oil. I've used CAM 2 for years and have had great success with it.

Now, when I first looked at our X/C one of the first things I did was pop the oil cap to see if there was a decade of sludge on top of the cams or if it was crystal clear inside... The Result???... It was very clean inside with just some slight "residue on the cams themselves and a hint of brown color in the head,

Since using the synthetic blend oil in this car, I have changed the oil and the filter 2 times already and now when you look inside the cams are clean and shiny as a whistle and the inside of the head has gone from a slight brown back to silver. This oil has cleaned up the inside nicely but without dislodging any HUGE deposits and clogging the oil pick up tube (which a FULL SYNTHETIC may do).

Your part # for a decent Mann filter on your 95' 850 NA would be: W 917 and looks like this:

: Mann Oil Filter W 917.jpg (55.07 KiB) Viewed 1491 times

And in case you are interested in the oil this is what it looks like:

: Cam 2 Super Pro Max 10W-30 Synthetic Blend.jpg (70.84 KiB) Viewed 1491 times

I would say if you are dead set on "synthetic" then please let me recommend the above oil and Mann filter.

- Joe