Thinking of switching oil...

[wallyuwl]

I have a 2003 Vibe (base 1.8, not the GT 1.8) with a little over 110k miles on it. The engine runs great. No leaks. No consumption. Note for below: all oil 5W30, per manufacturer recommendation.

A little history:

Bought Certified Used with 21k miles. It was previously a company car, so I'm guessing it got GM dino prior to that. We kept GM dino in it until about 45k miles. We then ran Valvoline Durablend until 80k or so. Since then we've been using MaxLife. OCIs since we've had it have been about 6k since we switched to Durablend, about 4k prior to that. The last oil change was about 1k miles ago, but I'm going to keep this one a little shorter than normal since I put in a can of Restore and don't want to leave it in thte whole time of a regular OCI (I used it once before with good results, so decided to use it again - didn't notice much this time).

I'm thinking of switching to a synthetic to increase engine "smoothness" a bit and possibly increase mpg a bit (switching to M1 syn did both with our Equinox), either QSUD or PP. I'm worried about losing the seal conditioners, and maybe getting some consumption considering the mileage. MaxLife full synthetic is hard to find, and expensive.


What do you guys think?

Also, anyone know the ratio of dino to syn with ML?

 

[FL_Rob]

Do you really have any oil leaks or is this a preventative measure? Seal conditioners have thier place but not in engines that dont leak.In my most humble opinion.

 

[94 saturn sl1 2000 saturn sc2]

I dont think it matters much what you use now that you have used the "restore". I too used it once in a old 1994 Saturn and while I didnt see any adverse effects I saw no improvement either. I have a friend who owns a engine shop and has stated many times the Restore and others keeps his shop going strong lol. Honestly im sure you should not have any issues.

 

[wallyuwl]

Nope, engine has never leaked externally or had any consumption. I switched to ML as a preventative measure. I was reluctant to use Restore this time because I have heard some horror stories, but figured that if it worked the first time I'd try it again to see if any more improvement could be had. So far no difference, but no adverse effects, either.

I've read on here many times of people getting some consumption switching to synthetic from dino in an older engine. So that is my main concern, even though this engine has had a blend for the past 65k miles.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

PP is going to have plenty of seal conditioners, its a synthetic so that automatically makes it a superior oil if you want the most protection. there is no point to even use a high mileage oil unless your engine is burning or leaking some due to inadequate seals.

there are many people on here that have run just plain PYB or GTX for 200-300k and never had a problem. high mileage oil has its uses but you wont see an advantage over anything else unless you have problems like have been mentioned.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
PP is going to have plenty of seal conditioners,


Do you know how QSUD and SynPower stack up to PP in this area?

Also, what substances/minerals should I be looking for that act as seal conditioners (similar to how boron or moly content are used for wear)?

 

[Lethal1ty17]

Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
PP is going to have plenty of seal conditioners,


Do you know how QSUD and SynPower stack up to PP in this area?

Also, what substances/minerals should I be looking for that act as seal conditioners (similar to how boron or moly content are used for wear)?


1. i live in georgetown and richmond (eku student) so you only live a few miles from me

2. PP is highly respected here, and all modern motor oils, especially synthetics are designed to give you great protection. off the top of my head the only thing that i know of that swell seals are esters but there are different ones, i just cant remember.

3. switch to a normal synthetic oil and if you notice any problems such as leaking seals, which are highly unlikely from something that has been taken care of so well and with a decently low mileage, then you can switch back to high mileage.

4. if any top synthetics made seals leak or lacked a crucial ingredient...we'd know by now.

 

[tinmanSC]

Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
PP is going to have plenty of seal conditioners,


Do you know how QSUD and SynPower stack up to PP in this area?

Also, what substances/minerals should I be looking for that act as seal conditioners (similar to how boron or moly content are used for wear)?


1. i live in georgetown and richmond (eku student) so you only live a few miles from me

2. PP is highly respected here, and all modern motor oils, especially synthetics are designed to give you great protection. off the top of my head the only thing that i know of that swell seals are esters but there are different ones, i just cant remember.

3. switch to a normal synthetic oil and if you notice any problems such as leaking seals, which are highly unlikely from something that has been taken care of so well and with a decently low mileage, then you can switch back to high mileage.

4. if any top synthetics made seals leak or lacked a crucial ingredient...we'd know by now.


+1

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17

1. i live in georgetown and richmond (eku student) so you only live a few miles from me

2. PP is highly respected here, and all modern motor oils, especially synthetics are designed to give you great protection. off the top of my head the only thing that i know of that swell seals are esters but there are different ones, i just cant remember.

3. switch to a normal synthetic oil and if you notice any problems such as leaking seals, which are highly unlikely from something that has been taken care of so well and with a decently low mileage, then you can switch back to high mileage.

4. if any top synthetics made seals leak or lacked a crucial ingredient...we'd know by now.


Hehe. No, I mean't do you know which oil out of those synthetics I mentioned is better at conditioning seals, not "this area" as in geographical area.

I wasn't aware any synthetics (besides ML syn) had conditioners in them. I'm thinking of running this OCI of regular ML about 3k, then switching. I've got a jug of QSUD in the garage I could use for the following change, but if PP is best out of those mentioned above at conditioning seals I wouldn't be averse to buying a jug of that.

Good to know someone else is close, though! I am a phd student at UK and taught a course at GT a couple years ago.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

someone correct me if im wrong but dont all motor oils today have seal conditioners in them? it wouldnt make sense not to. im not really sure why you are stressing your seals so much, unless you have some emperical evidence that your seals just arent cutting the mustard, then i wouldnt worry about needing a high mileage oil to make sure they dont leak.

i just threw PP out there as an example because its decently priced and highly regarded. QSUD would work just fine too, along with just about any synthetic. i run PU in my eclipse with 122k on it. i think the last time i ran my oil near 9k i might have had to add 1/2qt if anything, never used a high mileage oil in it.

and im not quite to my phd...im just working on a bachelors paramedics degree, plus a near and coming enlistment in the military.

 

[Spyder7]

I switched this 10 year old car to PP after a lifetime of dino and no leaks developed. It consumed oil before and continues to consume oil now, but its burn off, and not a leak. No regrets in switching. Its good oil and well regarded here.

-Spyder

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
someone correct me if im wrong but dont all motor oils today have seal conditioners in them?


Can anyone who knows for sure chime in on this?

If they all do (even a small amount), then I'll switch without reservation. If they don't, and only HM oils do, I am not sure what I'll do. I've had issues with consumption due to deteriorating internal seals before and don't want to repeat that.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

if none of the oils has seal conditioners in them then yes, our seals would pretty quickly rot and fail, however when there is eveidence of people running serveral hundreds of thousands of miles on normal dino oil, not even a high mileage dino, then i think you have little to worry about.

what sort of problems have you had in the past with seals exactly? and the whole 75k being "high mileage" is just a marketing thing, most here will agree that unless you have some sort of problem with leaky seals, then high mileage oil isnt necessary, its actually on the thicker end of the XwXX viscosity range that you are running and doesnt usually meet the starburst energy savings requirements.

in short...oil technology has come a long way, conventional oils of today could probably beat the synthetic oils of yesteryear, and a top of the line synthetic oil will protect your engine just fine. if any modern certified (SM/SJ/SL) motor oil lacked the ability to protect and condition seals...im sure we would have found out by now.

 

[wallyuwl]

I contacted Quaker State about the seal conditioners issue. Below is their response:

**Only the high mileage motor oils will have the seal
conditioner in them. No seal conditioners are used in the Quaker
State Ultimate Durability Motor Oils.**


Now of course oil will act as a lubricant for seals and such. But it appears only "high mileage" oils have extra conditioners added to the mixture to help protect seals.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

switching to a non-high mileage oil and checking for leaks is the only way to see then. if it starts leaking then switch back.