synthetic to synthetic blend

[fscarano]

I was told by a mechanic that I can’t switch to a synthetic blend after running full synthetic oil. I told him the engine is to dumb to know rather your running synthetic or conventional or a synthetic blend oil. His response was your seals do and you will have major problems. Everything I read tells me this is a myth I can go back and fourth between synthetic and convential. What are your guy’s thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bill in Utah]

quote:

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Originally posted by fscarano:
I was told by a mechanic that I can’t switch to a synthetic blend after running full synthetic oil. I told him the engine is to dumb to know rather your running synthetic or conventional or a synthetic blend oil. His response was your seals do and you will have major problems. Everything I read tells me this is a myth I can go back and fourth between synthetic and convential. What are your guy’s thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

---

Go find someone else to work on your car.

He is 500% incorrect.

You can go to conventional, Syn Blend or another Syn with no worries.

Let me guess, does he do your oil changes and you pay him for the oil?

(and he does not stock a Syn-Blend..)(not as much money in that)

Take care, Bill

[ May 15, 2006, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: Bill in Utah ]

 

[Ray H]

1> Find another mechanic ASAP. If the guy can't get something this simple right, why would a sane person turn him loose on something complicated?
2> If you're currently using a full-synthetic without leakage issues, running a synthetic blend will not result in leakage either.

 

[bighead]

There seems to be alot of mechanics that think that...must be something they learned in "mechanic school"...

If you're seals are fine then switching back and forth will do nothing, zero. If you have dirty "false" seals, then yeah switching from a diet of strictly dino to a full syn *might* cause them to leak a little bit. But going from full syn back to a blend which is more than likely mostly dino anyway, then how could it possibly make good seals leak? I mean, the syn you're running now isn't causing your seals to leak, right?

Stay away from that mechanic...lol

 

[Eddie]

Older mechanics can be the best mechanics but, some continue to hold on to 30 year old ideas when it comes to fluids.

 

[Ray H]

And some of the younger ones are miscreants who learned the trade (and their ethics) at autoshop classes provided by the penal institution of their respective state's choice...

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

"And some of the younger ones are miscreants who learned the trade (and their ethics) at autoshop classes provided by the penal institution of their respective state's choice..."
=========================================================

Yeah, they should have spent more time in the shower.

 

[Volvohead]

quote:

---

Originally posted by fscarano:
I was told by a mechanic that I can’t switch to a synthetic blend after running full synthetic oil. I told him the engine is to dumb to know rather your running synthetic or conventional or a synthetic blend oil. His response was your seals do and you will have major problems. Everything I read tells me this is a myth I can go back and fourth between synthetic and convential. What are your guy’s thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

---

He's half right. It can create problems to change from conventional to synthetic if the seals are dirty. But synthetic to conventional is not a problem. He did identify the seal issue however.

But just becuase this gentleman doesn't understand the finer nuances of motor oil doesn't mean he's a bad mechanic . . . any more than I'd trust some of the "experts" around here to properly R/R and rebuild an automatic transmission.

Lubricants get no real emphasis in the technical classrooms or in the field. Most still just reach for the "slippery" kind. That's the reality of it. So your guy is actually ahead of the curve to be half right and at least identify the area at issue.

 

[ziggy]

i agree with volvohead, he is kinda half right. you can in FACT, withc as much as you like. i used to hear form some mechanics, and mostly people at autozone, once you swithc to full synthetic, stay with it, or you'll be sorry. well ive switched backa n forth ect, and am currently oppting on running synthetic in winter(can be harsh here in new england) and a blen for summer(summers can be harsh with bad humidity). your seals can in fact leak though, but that means, yuor seals were on thier way out anyway. conventional oil, jsut built up arbon material around the seals, band aiding the leak. synthetics clean them out, as i learned, i went through a rear main seal my first syntetic change. it stll leaks a little, but taths also because the synthetics are thinner than conventional.
i had an alignment done on my car about a month ago. i saw a case of citgo superguard syntheic, he's the onlyplace around me that sells it, in 5w 30! i asked if he coul sell me the case, adn he told me, he would have to charge me also, for the price of an oil change to sell it, about $20.00 so as far as i am concerned, he i fulll of it, as a mechanic.

 

[JonS]

I use Mobil 1 (5w-30) in winter and dino in summer. I have done this for 7 years in my 1995 4.0 Grand Cher. Jeep and i have no problems or leaks. It burns no oil also. Go back and forth as much as you want.