quick question guys.
k
i got my cav used, about a year ago and ever since she was born i think they have been running it on good old dino juice
I prefer synthetic and i think its better for the engine, so when i got it, i switched it over (70,000 miles on the clock when i started this) it now has 95K on the clock and shes still running... im using pennzoil platinum full synthetic and other than that ive used royal purple twice. i know this is a lot of changing around because the oil is supposed to stay the same for optimum conditioning...
but do i need to worry about the synthetics loosening up any junk in my engine? or am i overreacting?
just a quick question to a relative rookie..
thanks guys
what would worst case scenario be? just in case.... loosening of engine gunk?
total failure?
I had a buddy that bought a 99 Z24 with 130,000KMs and he switched it over to synthetic and about a month later he lost the engine, and he thinks that it what caused it.
I have heard that synthetic oil causes gaskets to swell, which is in most cases a good thing, but going back to regular oil likewise causes them to shrink back down to their original size, which in a few cases is a bad thing.. The guy who told me that seemed to know what he was talking about.
However he, nor I, nor anyone else who I have asked has had any ill effects from switching from regular oil, to synthetic, then back to regular or vice-versa.
So it's probably ok, It's just an oil, and not a cleaner or anything so I would think you should be ok.. Usually buildup is the result of long periods of use of old/dirty oil. So if you have kept up on your changes you're probably fine, and have nothing to worry about.
Just try and limit your type changes, and stick to one.
-Matt
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From what I have been told, if you switch to a synthetic after running standard in a high mileage car you want to go with a semi-synthetic. That should give you the benefit of using synthetic without messing your engine up. When I had my prelude I used semi-synthetic, when I bought it the car had 80k on it and ran fine the 3 years I owned it.
That's probably true.. However there are no restrictions on how much actual synthetic oil must be in a 'synthetic blend' so you could be getting regular oil, with a drop of synthetic, for all anybody knows..
That's why I personally only condone either a good quality regular oil, or a full synthetic.. nothing in between..
Now, if there was an oil company actually advertising the amount of synthetic oil blended into their regular then I will probably change my tune regarding recommending a synthetic blend to anybody, but as of yet I have not seen any documentation on the oil blends. So I can only assume there is a reason they don't say so I will settle on a worst case scenario based upon common sense. If someone knows the percentage of synthetic oil in a synthetic blend please, post it.
-Matt
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alright thanks for the responses... i think im going to stick with the pennzoil for good... i just didnt have enough money to shell out for the royal purple this time, and im always dead on (or 100 miles early) on my oil changes. idk how the last owner kept it, but thats just me... i can feel when the oil needs to be changed, and usually its a little before the book says so, which i guess cant hurt.
as far as i know this car has only ever had 4 types of oil in it.
jiffy lube oil (previous owners)- documented by reciepts
castrol GTX (once) - my dad
Royal Purple 21,000 miles - me
Pennzoil plat. full synthetic- me
but as of now im liking the synthetic pennzoil as much as royal purple, but it is also a decent bit cheaper, so im going to stick with it, unless someone has any better suggestions, besides get a new engine :-p
if anybody else has opinions on this topic, please jump in
