Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS
Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE
Log in LOG
IN









Search Auto Parts

Synthetic Oil in my old car


  Email This Post



Ohoopee
Novice

Sep 5, 2017, 3:01 AM

Post #1 of 5 (2053 views)
Synthetic Oil in my old car Sign In

So a little back ground. I bought a 2001 Lexus IS 200 a couple of years ago. Now I immigrated to a new country a few years before that so I didn't have any tools or anything to do my own repairs and servicing so when I first got the car I would would just take it to the nearest garage for servicing. Now two things have changed...one i have moved so it is no longer practical for me to go to the same garage and two I know have the tools required to change my own oil. Here is my fear though. This is an older car, it has about 135,000 miles on it. It does have a TINY little oil leak but it is so slight that I have not been able to pin point it.. about 7 months after servicing it....I usually have to top up the oil a small bit...but it is still in the normal range...certainly wouldn't say it was "LOW" on oil. I also don't know what kind of life the car had before me. I don't even know which kind of oil the garage I was taking it too was using. So while I am a believer in synthetic oil, and want to put synthetic oil in my car, I am wondering if I should. My fear is that since synthetic oil has a lot of detergents in it to help clean up and prevent sludge, it could actually make that small oil leak worse. If it cleans sludge out of a cracked seal some where, it could even cause more oil leaks. So I am here to get opinions...should I use fully synthetic oil? Now I obviously purchased the car used...it does not come with the owners manual so I have no idea what the specs are as far as what are the recommended oil specifications. All the websites I go too, when I type in my car registration stat that I should use 5W-30 fully synthetic but I don't really know how accurate that is. Would love to get your opinions.


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Sep 5, 2017, 5:24 AM

Post #2 of 5 (2044 views)
Re: Synthetic Oil in my old car Sign In

Get the owner's manual for the exact car. If you are worried about synthetic oil causing sludge to clean up too quickly I know of no such thing and it shouldn't have any sludge to begin with or was neglected. You can't restore neglect just hope to keep it at it stage or normal wear a lot longer than potential of conventional oils but still change it out by the book - not meant to last like many claim still change it.


Just that cleans up minor dirt/sludge with any properly rated oil of the right viscosity. It might just make a tiny leak, leak fast enough to find and fix.


No problem - get the manual on realistic oil change intervals and begin your own history on the thing if worth a dang it's worth using synthetic if only because is absolutely flows faster and tolerates heat a LOT better,


T



Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Sep 5, 2017, 11:42 AM

Post #3 of 5 (2016 views)
Re: Synthetic Oil in my old car Sign In

Regular oils have just as much detergent as synthetic oils.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Ohoopee
Novice

Sep 6, 2017, 3:33 AM

Post #4 of 5 (2000 views)
Re: Synthetic Oil in my old car Sign In

Thanks for your replies. Like I said, I am a believer in synthetic oil...and I try to use them when possible. But about 10 years ago, I had a 1988 Chevy S-10 2.8L pickup. The engine was flawless and didn't leak a drop of oil when I bought it. As soon as I put the synthetic oil into it..boom started leaking. Now perhaps you are right, perhaps causing it to leak more might help me locate the slow leak so I can get it fixed...but that could also be a bad thing depending on where the leak is coming from...could be a very expensive repair and one that will now have to get done with it leaking more oil. I know that non synthetic oils also have detergents but synthetic oils are notorious for causing oil leaks...I have seen it happen myself. So I am just a little nervous. I still really want to us Synthetic in my car.


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Sep 6, 2017, 5:29 AM

Post #5 of 5 (1992 views)
Re: Synthetic Oil in my old car Sign In

There's tons of BS out there about it. If in fact it found a spot that was waiting to leak I say that's great it was going to on you anyway. It's rated like any so doesn't go nuts just as said you can fry the stuff vs regular and it doesn't sludge up. It plain flows better from stone cold (in cold country) to super hot behaves.
Can't know all the other people but have owned 100s and 100s of cars and machines it's been in all of them since only in a metal punch type can!
Any side effects from using it now is just something because it's working for you better. If you don't like that maybe it found a leak earlier just fill oil up with pure saw dust and it won't leak - nor run but problem would be solved!


Tom







  Email This Post
 
 


Feed Button




Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap