Synthetic oil for an old truck

I was told that it’s not good to use synthetic oil on an old car. I have a 97 Tacoma. I was told the seals can leak. Is this true? What type of oil should I use?

 

It'll be fine

That advice is from back when cars had much more primitive gasket/sealing systems like cork and rope crankshaft seals

 

Bmanjr

I have a 95
2.4 with 200k and I use 5/30 Valvoline full synth oil and no leak whatsoever or oil loss.


Use a solid filter and good oil and change it often and you’ll be fine.
If you do have a leak you’ll notice lol

thinking out loud here : I try to stay consistent with the same brand and type of oil I use (either conventional or synthetic). Never had a issue

check that valve cover first thing. Easy to replace and a very common culprit for oil loss on older Tacoma’s.

hope this helps

 

I’m going to agree with “was told by” opinion

synthetic oil, in layman’s terms, is thinner
More chance of leaks
More chance of oil deprivation (bc of miles to engine internals)

this has been and will be a hot debated internet topic
Just my opinion

 

All modern oil are detergent oils......so now they all have an equal chance of weeping

makes no difference

cold starts is what accelerates wear......synthetic oil is best defense against this

 

so you're saying a 5w30 syn is 'thinner' than a 5w30 dino?



viscosity is viscosity, regardless of the composition source.

 

Follow the same specs e.g. 10w40. Synthetic won't hurt the engine. The only reason to NOT use synthetic is a factor of price and duration.

If you are doing a 500 mile break in, using synthetic oil is generally a waste of money.

Even the Ford Model A club of NZ recommends using synthetic on a 100 year old engine.

https://modelafordclub.co.nz/wp-con...-to-Use-Petroleum-vs-Synthetic-March-2012.pdf

 

SAE J300 defines 20 weight engine oil e.g. 0w20 at 100c to have a thickness between 5.6 and 9.3 cSt (Centi Stokes). Doesn't matter what additives are in it or what it's made of. If it has a SAE label on the bottle, and it's Xw20 engine oil, it will have the same thickness range at 100c.