motor

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 02:41 AM

lo guys =)

so the big 3k miles is upon me, and i have decided to start using synthetic oil.

my buddy told me that i should just change the oil like i would regularly.

but another buddy of mine told me it will screw up my engine if i dont fully flush out the old regular oil.

any help on whether it is really safe would be greatly appreciated!

thank you all again. =)

racer_f50 · 12-12-2005, 02:51 AM

how many miles are on your car?

i recall reading on here that synthetic oils will find more imperfections in older engines, but are great on newer ones.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 02:52 AM

my car has just hit 125.5k miles.

gigdy · 12-12-2005, 03:18 AM

I thought the only time not to use synthetic was on brand new engines. And im not sure there is much point in putting in synthetic into a civic with 125k.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 03:30 AM

Originally Posted by gigdy

I thought the only time not to use synthetic was on brand new engines. And im not sure there is much point in putting in synthetic into a civic with 125k.

why isnt there much point?

i was informed that synthetic keeps your engine cleaner.

i was also told that it boosts horsepower do to less friction.

AlienDB7 · 12-12-2005, 03:55 AM

One thing I notice after switching to synthetic, the engine feels a lot smoother on cold starts and the first few minutes of driving in winter. The colour of the oil also stays clear for longer period of time.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 03:57 AM

thats awesome. smoother starts is def. a plus.

but i still need to know if i can just change the oil like i would regularly, but use synthetic instad of regular.

ae86_16v · 12-12-2005, 05:15 AM

Both Dino and Synthetic are pretty close in terms of cleaning power. Of course the best way to clean an engine is just regularly change the oil @ 3k. You could also flush it a few times too. E.g. fill it out, drive it for 500 miles and drain it and do it again.

There's been some discussion that synthetics will find holes and such and will leak oil on an older engine. Again, this has been just discussion, I don't think there was anything conclusive about it.

But to answer your question, yes you could just change it regularly. Do you really need it? Probably not. All synthetic really does is protect your engine better in terms of extreme condition. The regular mineral oils these days does plenty of that when changed on a frequent bases.

Where Synthetic really shines is when you leave the oil in the engine for a long time. Synthetic doesn't break down as easy as mineral oil. Some synthetics are said to last up to 10k with no problems. (I would not recommend it.)

I use Synthetic in my car and I change it every 5k miles. And it is not even needed for my car either.

Here's something interesting. . .

http://www.bimmerforums.com/0w30/

Also, http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/ has A LOT information about oils.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 01:17 PM

ty much guys ^.^

ae_86, so switching to synthetic on my next oil change wont do anything to my engine? I.E. no HP boost?

nthfinity · 12-12-2005, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by Yablokov

ty much guys ^.^

ae_86, so switching to synthetic on my next oil change wont do anything to my engine? I.E. no HP boost?

not particularly...
my real question is what year is your engine? pre early-90's engines werent designed to take synthetic, and gray found out that the hard way on his old Camaro... it will find holes by way the molecule is shaped.

what may occur with your engine is you may have slightly better power through slightly better lubrication/less friction... also, your compression may be somewhat restored... so mabey 1 hp... mabey

just better protection and longetivity of the engine is a good enough reason for me.... i have 145k miles, and it still feels like a 20k engine

graywolf624 · 12-12-2005, 06:51 PM

At this point I think 145k is a bit late, both for the reason above and the damage is already done.

gray found out that the hard way on his old Camaro...

It was actually the grand prix (pre mazda daily driver).. but carry on.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 09:23 PM

ROFL

my car year is at the bottem where my siggy should be.

its a 1998 honda civic EX.

and the engine runs like a swiss watch.

ae86_16v · 12-12-2005, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by Yablokov

ty much guys ^.^

ae_86, so switching to synthetic on my next oil change wont do anything to my engine? I.E. no HP boost?

Yeah, not practicularly. Your oil change bill will go up

. But if it offers you a peace of mind then go for it.

Like I said, if you change your oil regularly it won't really do anything. Synthetics really only offer protection of mineral oil in extreme conditions. E.g. Racing, long intervals between changes, Climate, etc.

Originally Posted by graywolf624

At this point I think 145k is a bit late, both for the reason above and the damage is already done.

gray found out that the hard way on his old Camaro...

It was actually the grand prix (pre mazda daily driver).. but carry on.

Yeah, I have heard about this. But I don't think there were any conclusive evidence why. There's been theories and it has happen in real life. And it could happen to you. . .

.

Yablokov · 12-12-2005, 10:55 PM

well, i went ahead n got the synthetic anyways

even if it boosts 1 hp. that is 1 hp that i have gained my engine.

P.s. my shorft shifter juz arrived! ^.^

gtx28 · 12-12-2005, 11:55 PM

I thought the only time not to use synthetic was on brand new engines.

Incorrect this is one of the myths about oils, take the ls family of v8 motors they are all broken in on mobil1 synthetic oils. So the myth about rings not seating on synthetic oils is simply not true

I have always had excellent luck with full synthetic oils. Mobil1 in particular even on high mileage autos.