Switch to synthetic, question.

Pennzoil motor oil
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randomhero439

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I picked up a 2002 Civic coupe LX 5-speed with 170k miles on it. Previous owner had the oil changed at valvoline every 3-5k miles with conventional, said it never went more than 5k miles on an oil change. Never burned oil on conventional.

I filled it with Mobil 1 5w-20, and a Purolator classic filter. I noticed the oil is getting black pretty quick. Is this due to the high detergent oil cleaning the engine? Suprisingly it only about a quart in 2500 miles.

Is it normal for a car to burn a bit of oil during the initial switch to synthetic? Should i change the oil on it now since it just removed all the build up?
 
yes, you are correct. Very normal at switchover. Go short the first couple of OCI's as it cleans up. Maybe a higher efficiency filter, something at 99% @ 20 microns. There are a few. You buy the supplies at Walmart?
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
yes, you are correct. Go short the first couple of OCI's as it cleans up. Maybe a higher efficiency filter, something at 88% @ 20 microns. There are a few. You buy the supplies at Walmart?


Just looked and its only gone 1700 miles on this oil. Im gonna change it at 2500. Then move to PU w/ P1 filter for 5000. Then PU w/ P1 again for the "normal" 10000 mile interval. I do severe driving (pizza driver/student) so it should be a interesting UOA with 10k on PU.
 
You could use Pennzoil Conventional to do short oci cleaning. Pair it with a PureOne or Bosch Premium filter. 99.9% efficient at 20 microns.

If you want to use synthetic or synthetic blend, take your pick from anything else in Pennzoil as they all have the same detergent levels, except Ultra which is the highest.

So maybe Pennzoil conventional for a couple of short OCI's and then Ultra as your first regular interval fill to see how much more it can clean out.
 
When you change the oil type or sometimes even the oil brand, it's normal for the old deposits to be dissolved in the new oil, as the solid - liquid equilibrium environment is changing.

On top of that, yes, synthetics clean better.

Regarding oil burn, no, I don't think you will see more oil consumption when you change to synthetic or a different-brand oil. The only thing that correlates with oil consumption is the thickness of the oil (viscosity). (You also can't tell if a car is burning oil from the color of the oil. Burning oil means oil consumption, which happens because of worn valve-stem oil seals or piston rings / cylinder linings.) 1 quart of oil consumption in 3,000 miles is probably an indicator of worn valve-stem oil seals. You may notice tailpipe smoke when you take off after you idle at a red light for more than a minute -- the sign of worn valve-stem oil seals. The oil consumption will gradually get worse as the seals further age one by one.

For the OCI, no, keep the oil for at least 5,000 miles. It's not only a waste but you won't see the full benefits of the new oil, as it takes a while for it to clean the engine and recoat it with the new antiwear additives.

I would also not change back and forth the oil brand frequently, as some may disagree, because every time when you do so you are changing the solid - liquid equilibrium in your engine, which means your old antiwear coatings are being replaced with new coatings, which could potentially increase the wear.
 
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
yes, you are correct. Go short the first couple of OCI's as it cleans up. Maybe a higher efficiency filter, something at 88% @ 20 microns. There are a few. You buy the supplies at Walmart?


Just looked and its only gone 1700 miles on this oil. Im gonna change it at 2500. Then move to PU w/ P1 filter for 5000. Then PU w/ P1 again for the "normal" 10000 mile interval. I do severe driving (pizza driver/student) so it should be a interesting UOA with 10k on PU.

Sounds good. I would go 7500-8k max based on your severe conditions. Once its clean you also have PP. A little cheaper, little less cleaners than PU, but its a great Full Synthetic with stellar used oil analysis
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: dparm
Oil turns black from use. I wouldn't worry about it.


Yes i know, but this is a different case.
 
I agree with Dparm, dont worry about the oil getting black please. It tells me and should tell you that the oil is doing its job. Please dont waste that good oil.

adam
 
does your Meijer carry PU too? mine does and its only a dollar more than walmart. it would probably be cheaper to buy your filter and oil at one place as opposed to the extra time going to two stores, unless of course they are right beside each other.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
does your Meijer carry PU too? mine does and its only a dollar more than walmart. it would probably be cheaper to buy your filter and oil at one place as opposed to the extra time going to two stores, unless of course they are right beside each other.


The meijer does not sell Pennzoil Ultra. I go to walmart for PU and Meijer for the filter. They are really close to each other anyways
 
Originally Posted By: randomhero439
I picked up a 2002 Civic coupe LX 5-speed with 170k miles on it. Previous owner had the oil changed at valvoline every 3-5k miles with conventional, said it never went more than 5k miles on an oil change. Never burned oil on conventional.

I filled it with Mobil 1 5w-20, and a Purolator classic filter. I noticed the oil is getting black pretty quick. Is this due to the high detergent oil cleaning the engine? Suprisingly it only about a quart in 2500 miles.

Is it normal for a car to burn a bit of oil during the initial switch to synthetic? Should i change the oil on it now since it just removed all the build up?


I would NOT be dumping M1 at 2500 miles. That oil has a lot of life left in it no matter what color.
 
I seriously doubt that engine is all that dirty to begin with if the original owner was using nothing but Valvoline conventional for no longer than 5,000miles at a shot. I would make sure the pcv system is in good shape and do a few normal oci's with the mobil 1 or what ever it is you plan on using and see if oil consumption changes any.
 
Quote:
For instance, let’s say that your regular oil change interval is 5,000 miles. If you’re switching to Mobil 1 under the circumstances mentioned above, make your next Mobil 1 oil change in 2,500 miles, your third Mobil 1 oil change 3,500 miles after that, and then follow your normal 5,000 mile oil-change interval. The reasoning behind this staggered interval is that a high-mileage engine, or one that has seen infrequent oil changes, will likely have a considerable build-up of sludge and deposits. Mobil 1 will help clean the engine as you drive, but it will have to work much harder in a very “dirty” engine, and so it is best to change the oil more frequently for those first few thousand miles. After that, you can rest assured that Mobil 1 is continuing to keep your engine running clean and well lubricated for mile after mile.


From Mobil 1 website
 
If it's any consolation to anyone, I have never used synthetic oil in a Honda. Only cheap(but recomended) dino motor oils and I have put on as-many-as 340K miles on a Honda engine. Going back to when oils were SE/SF/SG(before GF-1 through GF-5).

I drove my Honda's hard(er) than probably any other vehicles that I have ever owned before them. Often with lots of WOT and higher speeds due to Honda's seemed to enjoy that type of driving and I was a bit younger too
smile.gif
25 yrs ago.

I have had other Honda vehicles since but, my driving style has changed as have the law inforcement and fines. A guy can't even speed a little bit anymore without having to pay several hundred dollars in fines and surcharges. I know way too many people paying $400-$600 in NYS due to speeding...Now I drive with the CC on!

Honda's always seemed to take what ever I threw at'em and they kept going without issues. Better infact than any other vehicles in that day(today, all things being more equal!)
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I wouldn't dump that oil at 2,500k, esp if it is topped off with fresh oil to replenish what burned/leaked [or was never there].


X2.

The engine in your Civic is not a known sludger. In fact, that design is known to be easy on oil. Changing any oil at 2500 miles (after a quart of make-up) when the engine saw 3-5K changes throughout it's life, is an economic waste.
 
Bump, im about at 2500 miles (halfway) into this Mobil 1 oil with a Purolator Classic filter. Since its the first synthetic oil fill, should i change the filter at the halfway mark? Classics are only $3, and the cleaners probably released alot of sludge and varnish and the filter might be full.

Change the filter? Yay or Nay
 
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