Full Syntactic Oil
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Wa, Federal Way USA
Full Syntactic Oil
My 1993 sc400 only has 60,056 now my last oil change was at 56,789. Last oil change I decided to go with the “Full Syntactic Oil” later on I noticed my lifters making a very quiet sound when cold (first 10 minutes) Since last week I notices that a louder clicking/ticking noise (I think it’s the lifters)
Is using full syntactic not recommended for the sc400 v8. should I only use only what the manual says! Period? Or could it be something else?
Thanks
Is using full syntactic not recommended for the sc400 v8. should I only use only what the manual says! Period? Or could it be something else?
Thanks
Lexus Champion
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,973
Likes: 0
From: Central FL
I use whatever lexus reccomends.
Ive been using the oil honda reccomends for my 2001 rc51 sportbike, the honda GN4 stuff, since its purchase, every 5k miles like the book says.. and it now has almost 30k miles and runs faster now then it did when it was at 8k miles, no leaks, no smoke, no noise.
Ive been using the oil honda reccomends for my 2001 rc51 sportbike, the honda GN4 stuff, since its purchase, every 5k miles like the book says.. and it now has almost 30k miles and runs faster now then it did when it was at 8k miles, no leaks, no smoke, no noise.
Rookie
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
From: Ca
Read in some of the oil forums that dino oils are fast approaching standards of synthetic. If you were to do 3000 mile oil changes, there is probably very little difference. In fact for my LS with 200K, I just decided to go with dino oil. It was not a cost issue but more my concern about synthetic causing leaks on an engine with such high miles.
Apparently, a good dino oil is Havoline 5-30 !!!. A good synthetic is Castrol Syntec 0-30. Check the back, it must say made in Germany. There are many different versions of Castrol Syntec but the one to get is 0-30 weight, made in Germany (apparently it meets various Mercedes, BMW and Porsche standard).
If I had a turbo charged engine then I will consider synthetic but the uzfe engine seems to me to be a low stress, normally aspirated engine (which maybe why at 200K the engine seems fine).
Apparently, a good dino oil is Havoline 5-30 !!!. A good synthetic is Castrol Syntec 0-30. Check the back, it must say made in Germany. There are many different versions of Castrol Syntec but the one to get is 0-30 weight, made in Germany (apparently it meets various Mercedes, BMW and Porsche standard).
If I had a turbo charged engine then I will consider synthetic but the uzfe engine seems to me to be a low stress, normally aspirated engine (which maybe why at 200K the engine seems fine).
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 342
Likes: 1
From: California
Castrol Syntec sucks and isn't really a full synthetic oil. Mobil 1 is a full synthetic oil made from group IV oils which are higher quality compared to Castrol's group III. The full synthetic oils work extremely well in boosted applications since they can withstand the heat better and don't lose their viscosity as quickly.
For the higher mileage vehicles (>120k) I have noticed that they burn synthetic oil faster than the dino oil. In that case I'd stick with the sludge so you're not pouring a quart into your car every week or so.
For the higher mileage vehicles (>120k) I have noticed that they burn synthetic oil faster than the dino oil. In that case I'd stick with the sludge so you're not pouring a quart into your car every week or so.
Rookie
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
From: Ca
I read the controversy about Castrol Syntec being a Group 3.
But they did mentioned that German Castrol (apparently there is a big difference and there is a whole section catered specifically to GC or German Castrol) is a group 4 and is thus fully synthetic.
The oil forums are way too technical to me. But from what I gather, German Castrol is pretty good stuff.
But they did mentioned that German Castrol (apparently there is a big difference and there is a whole section catered specifically to GC or German Castrol) is a group 4 and is thus fully synthetic.
The oil forums are way too technical to me. But from what I gather, German Castrol is pretty good stuff.
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Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 45
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From: Wa, Federal Way USA
So putting oil that’s not recommended, will that cause the lifters to make noise? I mean the weight of oil, dose it make a huge difference? What is the right weight for sc400 the v8? 
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My friend it is called SYNTHETIC not syntactic 
. Your SC has very lowwww miles to be making any weird noises. Double check your motor. I know when my fan clutch went out I though the weird noises it was making during warm up were coming from the head but I was wrong. So double check and in my opinion FULL SYNTHETIC is the way to go. Its just up to you on what weight you want to use do to the mileage of your car.
. Your SC has very lowwww miles to be making any weird noises. Double check your motor. I know when my fan clutch went out I though the weird noises it was making during warm up were coming from the head but I was wrong. So double check and in my opinion FULL SYNTHETIC is the way to go. Its just up to you on what weight you want to use do to the mileage of your car.
Dunno about Mobil 1. Everytime I use Mobil 1 5w-30 or 10w-30, I get more lifter noise. I've used it forever and just lived with the noise. Recently have tried Royal Purple 10w-30, Valvoline Maxlife 10w-30, and Castrol Syntec 0w-30 all of which have quieted my engine quite a bit. I've heard others say Mobil 1 base stock is thinner than other oils which may explain it.. Try a different motor oil and see if the ticking goes away. My car is a daily driver and over the course of 6 months I put on maybe 3-4k miles. Just to be safe, because of the extended time between oil changes, I always use synthetic. Shop around different oils and stick with the one your engine seems to agree with the most. Some cars here run great with Mobil 1. Mine made less noise with a different brand.
Driver
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 148
Likes: 1
From: ok
Originally Posted by T0ked
Dunno about Mobil 1. Everytime I use Mobil 1 5w-30 or 10w-30, I get more lifter noise. I've used it forever and just lived with the noise. Recently have tried Royal Purple 10w-30, Valvoline Maxlife 10w-30, and Castrol Syntec 0w-30 all of which have quieted my engine quite a bit. I've heard others say Mobil 1 base stock is thinner than other oils which may explain it.. Try a different motor oil and see if the ticking goes away. My car is a daily driver and over the course of 6 months I put on maybe 3-4k miles. Just to be safe, because of the extended time between oil changes, I always use synthetic. Shop around different oils and stick with the one your engine seems to agree with the most. Some cars here run great with Mobil 1. Mine made less noise with a different brand.
What do u mean "lifter noise"? I just did mine with Mobil 1 fully synthetic and I haven't heard of anything. It seems to runs smoother and quieter.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,405
Likes: 3
From: International
Mobil 1 tends to be a thinner oil than other quality synthetics. Remember that the ratings (0W-30, 5W-30, etc) don't tell the whole story when it comes to viscosity. They are simply a guide. Mobil 1 can have a tendency to be noisier on some motors because it is quite thin.
Scott
Scott
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 29
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From: Georgia
Your motor doesn't have enough miles to be making valve tapping noises. Look more carefully at the motor....it has got to be something else.
IMHO there are only two fully synthetic oils to consider. Red Line and Amsoil. Mobil 1 15,000 mile formula is good but I'll stick with my statement about there being just two. I have used Mobil 1, Red Line and Amsoil. Mobil 1 is available at Wal-Mart for about $25 to $30 for 5 qts. Red Line is $8 to $9 per quart and Amsoil is $6 ro $7 per quart. I am using Amsoil only now. Its easy to get, it is an excellent product and I change it every 10,000 miles. Mobil 1 make a good filter. I use either a Mobil 1 filter, a K&N filter or an Amsoil filter.
The 'other' oils that say they are full synthetic oils are trash in my opinion. Stick with either Red Line or Amsoil and you should be fine.
IMHO there are only two fully synthetic oils to consider. Red Line and Amsoil. Mobil 1 15,000 mile formula is good but I'll stick with my statement about there being just two. I have used Mobil 1, Red Line and Amsoil. Mobil 1 is available at Wal-Mart for about $25 to $30 for 5 qts. Red Line is $8 to $9 per quart and Amsoil is $6 ro $7 per quart. I am using Amsoil only now. Its easy to get, it is an excellent product and I change it every 10,000 miles. Mobil 1 make a good filter. I use either a Mobil 1 filter, a K&N filter or an Amsoil filter.
The 'other' oils that say they are full synthetic oils are trash in my opinion. Stick with either Red Line or Amsoil and you should be fine.
On Mobil 1 my engine sounds like a muffled sewing machine. That went away with the other oils I've used. You can't go wrong with Red Line. I've never used Amsoil. Castrol 0W-30 is fully synthetic and actually works quite well for me. If you don't hear tapping from the engine, then that's great. I do and oils other than Mobil 1 helped. Switching to a different oil is a lot cheaper than most anything else the original poster can do. If the "lifter noise" continues, they may have to take it in. Excessive noise can be caused by many things such as leaky/faulty gaskets (valve cover, exhaust manifold, etc), they may need a valve adjustment. It might just be the injectors they are hearing. Possibly even the tensioner pulley which has been mentioned before, Changing oils can't hurt.
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