Too late to switch to synth after 85k miles?

[leftlane]

Ive often seen that people recommend not switching to synth after 60k miles or gasket leaks may result, yet Ive also seen people say that they switched to synth after 175k miles with no problems. I have 85k miles on one vehicle and 110k on another so would I be able to safely switch to synth or do I need to stick with dino?

 

[Triple_Se7en]

How about starting-off with a 50-50 blend?

 

[daman]

Switching now will hurt nothing, pick your favorite oil and
be happy.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Why don't you give one of the high mileage oils a try? Maxlife is synthetic blend...Or go all the way... I bet you won't have a problem!...I installed Amsoil in my Prizm at 75000 and I have no idea what was in it before...no leaks!

 

[leftlane]

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How about starting-off with a 50-50 blend?

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I have considered that before but I felt that I'd rather just use dino if I couldnt switch to full synth.

 

[OilGuy]

No problem switching to synthetic at any time. Then again, many synthetics are still 100% cleaned-up crude oil (base oil isn't everything though). If you've got a dirty engine with worn seals that are plugged with sludge and ----, a synthetic with a more robust add pack may clean up the ---- and expose your worn seals - it won't cause your seals to degrade.

I also noticed the sudden change of MaxLife to a syn blend label as well. Does anybody have any info or data to show this was nothing more than magically deciding to utilize the elastic definition of the word synthetic to provide a perceived enhancement?

 

[ThirdeYe]

I just switched my 13 year old Integra to synthetic for the first time after a full life of dino. No leaks or anything, I wouldn't worry.

 

[gedcruise]

Years ago, I switched one of my '86 Civic Wagons to syn after about 90K on various dinos, at 3k OCIs. No leaks, no consumption, no issues, up to the 200K+ I kept the car.

 

[Steve S]

why switch?

 

[leftlane]

I'd prefer to use the best option available if possible which it appears that it is.

 

[ArmPitt]

Just this last week, a client of mine told me of a friend of his who had purchased a high-mileage used car that ran great. Apparently, little attention had been paid to oil changes by the previous owner. The oil was quite gunky when the new owner did an oil change. He decided to use full syn oil.

After a short time, the car started to smoke and use oil...hadn't up to that point. It was concluded that the detergent in the syn had dissolved build-up around the rings. Something to consider....?

 

[salvageyardteen]

Probably should have clean the engine before installed full synthetic. Like Amsoil engine flush or Auto-RX etc.

 

[Steve S]

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I'd prefer to use the best option available if possible which it appears that it is.

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What makes syn the best option? There are advantages to syn oil.They are not the magic bullet some make of it .I have used syn oils . Does your engine require syn oil?Do you live where it gets below 0F.Are you going to extend your oil change intervals to 10,000 + miles? What kind of car is it? Have you removed the valve cover to inspect if the engine is sludged up? What about the rest of the driveline oils? do an Ar/x flush or an Amsoil flush and go for the syn if it makes life worth living .That is my reason for doing things

 

[globey]

If you are insistent on switching to a synthetic, why not give the Mobil 1 High Mileage oil a try?

 

[01rangerxl]

Synthetic will not do any damage. It may make a leak you already have noticeable, but it will not make the seals degrade any faster.

My truck had a steady diet of straight dino and synthetic blends up until 75,000 miles when I made the switch to synthetic. The outside of the engine is still bone dry at 90,000 miles with no signs of leaks anywhere.

 

[simple_gifts]

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Synthetic will not do any damage.

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Probably not much help either unless extended OCI.

 

[Edmond]

I say go for it. I switched my Corvette over to synthetic at 90k+ miles and it never had a problem. This was before they started using synthetic as factory fill.

 

[NissanMD]

Last year, I switched our 2002 Honda Odyssey currently at 108K to synthetic (Mobil 1) at 96K. No oil leaks or consumption issues to date. Before then it was on a diet of any conventional oils at 5K intervals.

 

[jazztrumpet216]

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I also noticed the sudden change of MaxLife to a syn blend label as well. Does anybody have any info or data to show this was nothing more than magically deciding to utilize the elastic definition of the word synthetic to provide a perceived enhancement?

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Maxlife always contained a bit of PAO (I think somewhere like 10-15%). It's only now that they're using the "synthetic blend" label on it.

 

[Mokanic]

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Ive often seen that people recommend not switching to synth after 60k miles or gasket leaks may result, yet Ive also seen people say that they switched to synth after 175k miles with no problems. I have 85k miles on one vehicle and 110k on another so would I be able to safely switch to synth or do I need to stick with dino?

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My Toyota Truck had 300K on it when I switched from 3K oil changes with dino to 6K changes with synthetic. Over 600K on it now with no issues at all.