Reg. Oil to synthetic?

I have been asking around and i keep hearing different stories so im turning to my boys at TW to get to the bottom of this. OK, Im running some 5W30 in my 92' yota. I have heard alot of stories that it will cause my truck to leak if i switch to synthetic. She doesnt leak or burn now so would it be a good idea to switch to synthetic? I just hit 220,000.

 

300k switched to synth @ 296678 no problems 5w30

 

My understanding is switching to synthetic won't suddenly cause an oil leak. What it can do is clean out any built up sludge in an already existing leak, causing it to leak once again. I'm also contemplating switching but I don't know if it is worth it for the increase in price of oil. I'm at 55,000 miles.

 

This ^^.

Do it! I switched to Amsoil at ~55K miles (about 5K miles ago) and could not be happier.

 

Thanks guys. I have 1k left and im swithchin over it will be best for the truck!

 

I have always been told when going from dino to synthetic, especially when a vehicle has a few miles on it , to put 1 quart of synthetic in with the dino for one oil change and then go full syn the next. Theory being full syn will, as previously mentioned, clean out sludge etc. and you don't want that breaking loose with a full syn change and plugging oil gallerys resulting in a fried crank and bearings. The 1 quart will start slowing disolving the deposits but not just break loose chunks like a full change.

 

Will the oils seperate tho? So 4qts of dino then 1qt of syn?

 

If I were you I'd stick with dino. Your truck has been running on it for 220,000 miles and seems to like it...why mess with a good thing. I know some say you can make the switch at high mileage but at 220,000?? I wouldn't take the chance.

 

Yes dino and synthetics mix perfectly and in fact the 1 quart of synthetic will fortify the dino oil. The 1 quart of synthetic before a full change over used to be preached by AMSOIL when they first started selling synthetics. But I do tend to agree with OffroadToy. To have done so well on dino for 220,000 miles why change to a much more expensive oil. Are you doing it to treat your baby or are you hoping for better gas mileage? I run Mobil 1 in my Tacoma and started running synthetic at the first oil change. Full synthetic at 5000 miles in my wifes Escape. But I have a Jeep Wrangler, 2003 now with about 60000 miles I bought used a few years ago and since I did not know what it had in it, I went with Valvoline Durablend 10W30 which is a blend of Dino and synthetic. I change the oil in it about every 3500 so hate to run full synthetic and change it that often. .

 

Stick with what you've been using. Why change it? Your truck was designed for conventional oil.

 

I think this is the best thing....do nothing....think about the legendary history of all the old yota trucks with high miles...this was all acheived before ther even was such a thing as synthetic oil!

 

Gonna throw my $.02 in and agree with not making the switch. Why add a variable? Sounds like your truck is running great!

The owner's manual for my '12 with V6 actually calls for dino/petroleum-based oil, whereas my 2010 Prerunner 4-cyl called for synth. I wonder why?

 

Yep...when I sold my 88 4runner it had around 300,00 miles useing nothing but dino every 3,000. That engine still ran like the day I drove it off the lot.

 

Derp-o-rama post.

History shows that synthetic oil came about as early as World War II.

 

I've switched over many of my vehicles in the past to synthetic. Never had a leak from any of them afterward and they almost all were switched at over 150k or way more miles.

 

So we all agree, YES you CAN switch, but at that kind of mileage WHY would you WANT to?? It's the old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule!

 

Good point and perfectly valid, but there are situations that might warrant the change.

I had a job where I put over 120 miles per day on my truck, running synth enabled me to run 9000-10000 miles between changes so it made sense. Regular oil would have required changing every other month.

Sub-freezing conditions also make for better engine longevity with synthetic in 0W-xx viscosity.

Just a data point for consideration.

 

Alright so ive concluded to sticking wwith the dino solution, And yes it was to try and treat my truck with some more love since she is gettin up there in miles! thanks guys!

 

Not exactly ontario. Mobil 1 has been around at least since the mid 1970's.
I ran it in my new 1977 Suzuki GS750 with no problems at all. Air cooled engine and living in the AZ desert and Cali's high desert.

 

Synthetic oil no longer has that problem. It was addressed in the early 80's I believe.

*edit* here's an explanation of from popular mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/products/4213451