Switch to synthetic?

[SD_GR]

Switching to a 5w40 weight oil cut down on my oil motors consumption. I have no issues with leaking either and did previously before using Mobil 5w30. This is on a motor with 170k on it running 20 psi for a long time!

Which 5W-40 do you usually run? After 7 years on turbodiesel truck M1, I didn't find it this time round so I got some Rotella T6 5W-40 instead. Consumption of the M1 diesel oil was low but as time went on I noticed a bit more; lately it was maybe 500 ml per 5,000 miles or so.

[Donkey]

Been running the the original Rotella T synthetic for a while. Now using the Rotella T-6 synthetic. I usually grab it from Walmart .

[SD_GR]

It's usually either comparably or better priced than the M1 turbodiesel 5W-40. I'll run it and if I happen to buy it twice in a row I'll see if on the second run the consumption decreases any. I'm nowhere near worrying about use rates but I'm curious etc.

[DTR rex]

How much is an oil analysis.

I'm pretty broke and since the car runs fine I am having that "if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality".

[SD_GR]

How much is an oil analysis.

$25 US money plus an additional charge, I believe $10, for TBN -- if you do an analysis you should IMO spring for TBN for sure. The testing kit is free; contact Blackstone and they will send you one via US post.

I'm pretty broke and since the car runs fine I am having that "if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality".

That's a good mentality no matter what's in the bank at the moment.

[zax]

plus an additional charge, I believe $10, for TBN

For those of us (like me) whose vocabularies are stumped by SD's acronyms:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/do-i-need-a-tbn.php

[ninefourteener]

I have read numerous reports about switching a high mileage car from traditional oil to sythetic oil.

Yes.... synthetic is better, and provides better protection..... period.

However, the naturally occuring "buildup" that happens with traditional oil..... will all be flushed out when you switch to synthetic..... which "MAY" cause seals to leak.

Not always... but it may.

But... because this is a turbo engine.... I would be inclined to use a synthetic blend in your particular case..... and hope for the best. I bought the SVX with 145K on the clock..... and use good quality traditional oil.

The Brat has God knows how many miles... and runs like $hit anyway.... I'm all about the Wal-Mart special oil - LOL

The WRX and the Tribeca were new when I bought them.... so synthetic... always... every time.

I've used Mobil1 since the WRX was new..... I just turned over 50k miles, and have since switched to Royal Purple for added protection. I actually did it to "splurge" a little before a recent race.... and now I'm hooked.... Royal Purple is awesome stuff.

20-minute balls-out timed lap battle sessions at 130mph+, 6K+ rpms.... ANY oil is going to burn a little... or so I thought.

Royal purple barely looked used after three 20-minute sessions.... and didn't smell at all...

AWESOME stuff.

[armindk]

Why haven't you been using synthetic all along?

The additional viscosity of synthetic can make it leak more past seals in higher mileage cars versus running conventional oil. They do make higher mileage synthetic these days though I believe. All in all, synthetic is superior to conventional oil so it's always a good idea. If you find you burn more than normal, you can switch to a weight heavier to combat that.

I don't see how changing your oil would affect your tune...

From what I understand it's actually the detergent in the synthetic oil that helps it to clean gunk/debris out of the engine therefore where years of gunk/debris build up that were blocking small leaks got cleared up and now oil can leak from them. Same thing happened to me when I switched to synthetic in my car but that was a small price to pay if you measure in the benefits of synthetic.

[JuSteve]

I don't think I'd switch at this point. I think someone mentioned earlier that the viscosity of synthetic allows it to seep through the seals better on high mileage vehicles. I had a ford truck a while back with 150,000 on it and the seals were leaking so instead of replacing the seals I switched to a synthetic blend and then a conventional. Leaking went away. If you haven't used synthetic, I'm not sure I would switch now. It might hurt more than help. Just my opinion.

[Trainrex]

I have read numerous reports about switching a high mileage car from traditional oil to sythetic oil.

Yes.... synthetic is better, and provides better protection..... period.

However, the naturally occuring "buildup" that happens with traditional oil..... will all be flushed out when you switch to synthetic..... which "MAY" cause seals to leak.

Not always... but it may.

But... because this is a turbo engine.... I would be inclined to use a synthetic blend in your particular case..... and hope for the best. I bought the SVX with 145K on the clock..... and use good quality traditional oil.

The Brat has God knows how many miles... and runs like $hit anyway.... I'm all about the Wal-Mart special oil - LOL

The WRX and the Tribeca were new when I bought them.... so synthetic... always... every time.

I've used Mobil1 since the WRX was new..... I just turned over 50k miles, and have since switched to Royal Purple for added protection. I actually did it to "splurge" a little before a recent race.... and now I'm hooked.... Royal Purple is awesome stuff.

20-minute balls-out timed lap battle sessions at 130mph+, 6K+ rpms.... ANY oil is going to burn a little... or so I thought.

Royal purple barely looked used after three 20-minute sessions.... and didn't smell at all...

AWESOME stuff.

I know I'm quoting an old post, so get over it.

We've tried almost all of the expensive boutique oils in our $30,000 circle track modified engines. Redline burnt, Royal Purple turned into Royal Sludge after one race etc etc. Out of all of the boutique oils, the only one that didn't burn and actually showed some hp on the dyno was Joe Gibbs XP1. We used to run M1, and were very happy with it, but have seen even less wear with the Joe Gibbs and a little more HP. The only set back is the cost. It's a bit pricey at $180 for 12 quarts.

[Donkey]

I think someone mentioned earlier that the viscosity of synthetic allows it to seep through the seals better on high mileage vehicles.

That makes absolutely no sense.