Reg. Oil to synthetic?

I've run all my cars with Rotella Synthetic, since 2004 or so. Great oil, at a great price. I replace it every 6 months, regardless of mile. My engines use a great oil, that if bought per gallon @ wally world is quite affordable, and I use an oil that's sensitive to the environment. Modern synthetics use a very SMALL amount of natural oil.

I may hate Shell Oil politics, but Rotella is a DAMN good oil.

 

Hello and keep us posted. My 95 tacoma has 186K on her and eng appears to be in good shape. My goal is to slowly remove sludge from engine. It was recommended to use royal purple, which I still need to look up. I'll start my own post so I won't barge in on yours...take care.

 

Started putting synthetic in my 95 @ 179k. No problems. Last oil change ran some sea foam in with the new oil & guess what. Cleaned out the sludge that was plugging up the old gasket. Now gotta change out the oil pan gasket. No biggie prolly needed it anyways. Bet the same gasket has been on there since it rolled outta the factory. Currently sitting @ 201k. I agree with ffirg.

 

No biggie changing the gasket? I uh...thought the only way to get that pan out is to unmount the engine and raise it outta the hole, unless that isn't a biggie. Thx for bringing this to my attention, as my oil pan does have a minor weep/seep. I'll forgo the seafoam and stick to just doing the syn. Good luck.

 

Huh? no way man. not that scary. just gotta unbolt pan, clean it up, slap some gasket sealer on there & the new gasket, bolt her up & refil oil.

Instructions


Things You'll Need

• Jacks and jackstand
• Socket wrench
• Oil receptacle
• Solvent or engine cleaner
• Sealant or "Formed in Place" gasket sealer
• Replacement oil

Suggest Edits

1. Unhook the negative battery cable.
2. Lift the front of the pickup up on jacks and secure it firmly on a jackstand. Block the rear wheels to keep them from rolling.
3. Use a socket wrench to remove the two nuts and 16 bolts holding the oil pan and remove the oil pan from the engine. Work carefully so you don't damage the oil pan flanges.
4. Clean the sealing surface with surface or engine cleaner. Apply the appropriate sealant or "Formed in Place" gasket sealer to the sealing surface of the oil pan. Work quickly. If the oil pan isn't in place within five minutes, you'll have to scrape the sealer off and start again.
5. Install the pan and tighten the nuts and bolts securely.
6. Replace the engine under cover and lower the pickup from the jackstand.
7. Refill the engine with fresh oil and hook up the negative battery cable.

Read more: How to Replace the oil pan Gasket in a Toyota Tacoma | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4506401_replace-oil-pan-gasket-toyota.html#ixzz1hLXUWJNW

 

Lol! Unless you driving a 95 Toyota Space Ship.

 

I run full synthetic in the Tacoma and change it every 5K. Durablend in my wifes 2001 Escape and change it every 3K, she doesn't rack up miles as quick as I do in the truck. Durablend or whatever name brand blend you prefer might be a good option for your application. I suspect some leaks might show up with a switch to full synthetic ... but that's just my guess.

This should be considered too! Goes along with KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).

 

So im nearing my oil change and i think im going to go with a semi-blend. It may remove some sludge but im hoping not too much too quick. 10w-40 or a 15w-40
Here is a good site for oils!
http://www.*************/engineoil_bible.html

 

nice link...thx. like most have told me, "i doubt u got sludge". if you have cold winters, consider the 5W-30 as that's easier on the 1st few minutes when she's really cold. that wut i'm switching over to for winter months.

 

Well im in AZ in the valley so we dont ever get below 30. when it is cold out tho i go out and turn her over a little before i leave. seems to do well now, im considering a little thicker for the summer months when its pushing 115 tho.

 

We always get oil questions here at the bike shop, in a nut shell you can go from synth to mineral back and forth all day long with no issue. Yes you can mix them no problem (as was stated before, essentially that's what semi-synth is)
But the mechanics here do recomend that if you've been using one for a while and want to switch, then do a change with a semi first then switch to a full at the next one.
Personnaly I use rotella synth in everything. but when I put the bikes away for the winter I will do an oil change with the cheapest mineral oil I can find, then right at the start of the new season I'll put on a new filter and change the oil again with what I usually use. Doing it for years and years with no problems. Further proof you can go back and forth!

 

I killed my last motor by changing over to synthetic at 200,000. I had always changed my oil at 3000 miles so I didn't think much of the sludge buildup. The synthetic cleaned up the internals really good. Rear main started leaking bad and motor started rattling. The oil itself didn't do it, but the cleanliness did.

 

You are confusing gymnasium with magnesium. @ 200K miles using dyno, that RMS was toast. It wasn't the synth that killed your engine, it was an oil leak brought upon by an toasted seal/gasket.


Once you identified the leak, had you replaced the RMS, you'd still had that truck running. The ratling must have been due to running the engine with very little oil. Sorry ace, this was TOTALLY preventable.

 

Exactly what I said , Ace. The sludge/crud kept the engine from leaking and also took up clearances in the mechanicals.

 

Incorrect. read your quote. It wasn't changing to synth that killed your engine. It was an unrepaired oil leak. Good day.

 

And this oil leak was probably because you switched to synthetic. As i have done alot of research now the Synthetic cleans out the sludge and makes that float around cuasing more friction and clogs Valves and whatnot. The leak probably was because of the syn change. thats why im sticking with my reg oil and switching to synthetic after my rebuild.

 

Synthetic oil 'cleans' the motor? Since when? Where is the factual evidence on this?

Right here: http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/MotorOil/Synthetics/Mobil_1_Sludge_Protection.aspx

 

So here is this website posted above and its pretty useful actually here is the article talking about swithching over.

http://www.*************/engineoil_bible.html


If I put new, fully synthetic oil in my older engine, will the seals leak?

This question comes up a lot from people who've just bought a used vehicle and are wanting to start their history with the car on fresh oil.
The short answer: generally speaking, not any more. The caveat is that your engine must be in good working order and not be leaking right now. If that's the case, most modern oils are fully compatible with the elastomeric materials that engine seals are made from, and you shouldn't have any issues with leaks.
The longer answer:

Mixing Mineral and Synthetic oils - current thinking

Here's the current thinking on the subject of mixing mineral and synthetic oils. This information is based on the answer to a technical question posed on the Shell Oil website.
There is no scientific data to support the idea that mixing mineral and synthetic oils will damage your engine. When switching from a mineral oil to a synthetic, or vice versa, you will potentially leave a small amount of residual oil in the engine. That's perfectly okay because synthetic oil and mineral-based motor oil are, for the most part, compatible with each other. (The exception is pure synthetics. Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils.)
There is also no problem with switching back and forth between synthetic and mineral based oils. In fact, people who are "in the know" and who operate engines in areas where temperature fluctuations can be especially extreme, switch from mineral oil to synthetic oil for the colder months. They then switch back to mineral oil during the warmer months.
There was a time, years ago, when switching between synthetic oils and mineral oils was not recommended if you had used one product or the other for a long period of time. People experienced problems with seals leaking and high oil consumption but changes in additive chemistry and seal material have taken care of those issues. And that's an important caveat. New seal technology is great, but if you're still driving around in a car from the 80's with its original seals, then this argument becomes a bit of a moot point - your seals are still going to be subject to the old leakage problems no matter what newfangled additives the oil companies are putting in their products.



Read more: http://www.*************/engineoil_bible.html#ixzz1kVQeGUx4

 

I've been using synth oils since 1994. I've also used them on high mile vehicles. NEVER had a problem because of it. but hey if it helps you sleep at night, go for it!

Yes it does, and that is a very well documented fact.

 

I did a Google search shortly after my post.

http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/MotorOil/Synthetics/Mobil_1_Sludge_Protection.aspx