Intellexual

Hey guys,

Believe me, I did a search on this topic and could not find a "definitive" answer to this question.

I just got a new 94 SC300 with about 70,000 miles and I *think* it has been running conventional oils all its life. Would it be a bad move to switch to synthetic right now?

I'm afraid of oil leaks that may be caused due to the 'cleaning' nature of synthetic oils that may create some "gaps" in the engine for the oil to leak out of. Also, I believe the actual molecules of the synthetic oil are smaller and thus leak more easily if the engine is more used to the 'larger' molecules of the conventional oil.

Please help! I would love to start putting Mobil 1 in my new baby.

Put it in? Yes or no?!?

mooretorque

I'd do it. Worst case, you do burn a little. But you're not going to have oil on the driveway or any of that nonsense.

It won't "hurt" the motor. If you do burn some (tho I think that unlikely), you can always go back to natural hydrocarbons.......

GJSGS4

Use synthetic. If your burning a quart < 3,000 mi. I would switch back to hydrocarbon based oil to save money.

kreativ

Do synthetics just allow the engine to last longer?
Or are there other benefits to using synthetics vs. dino oil?

If it's just for engine longevity, I'm going to forgo using synthetics in my Lexus'. There seems to be a general concensus that Toyota engines last longer than you need it to, especially if you're plunking down the bucks for one of their luxury cars. And my friend's '90 Lexus LS has 170,000+ miles on it and he's only used conventional oil the life of the car.

BananaGS

Do synthetics just allow the engine to last longer?

-yes, sync oil structure is alot more stable and has super lubrication characteristics compare to conventional oil.
==> which translate to less damage to engine

Or are there other benefits to using synthetics vs. dino oil?
- beside better lub and hard to break down? then you don't have to change oil as much. (and you can drive like a maniac if you choose to)

From what I heard, draw back from sync oil is that it does not bond with rubber gasket very well==> not recommend for brand new car to use sync oil. use conventional oil for a while before switching to sync oil.


To get the best of both world, I personally would stick with synthetic blend (and to a perticular brand Quaker States SYNC BLend )

Gs400TRD

Most of this is nonsense. New synthetics don't have the same problems as the originals did. It WILL not harm seals, leak, etc.
Synthetics are less likely to burn off than dino oil. Since they are synthesized. I would recommend going with a synthetic. First interval try to drain a bit early so that any varnish that was in the engine from the old oil drains out properly. then make sure you use a GOOD FILTER!!!!! Pure One from Purolator, Mobil One, or Toyota OEM... DONT use FRAM!!!!
That’s it.

Generally, all synthetics are better than dinos, and in most cases the marginal difference between synthetics is just that, marginal. Regardless what people say about “This synthetic is better than that.” Just avoid going above 30w, unless you are really into racing.

Mobil one & Pennzoil are the major players. Plus they are readily available everywhere.

my dad's volvo has over 250k miles on the engine and it is a turbo, and still the engine is in fine shape. he plans to go another 50k before moving back to TOYOTA . and he switched from Dino to Synthetics at 60k.

kreativ

I hear the Toyota OEM filters made in Japan by Denso are good (PN 90915-20004 for V8, 90915-20003 for any 6 cylinder, although the 20004 works for both applications). While the domestic-made Toyota OEM filters are just average in quality. Apparently, people have cut them open and compared the two.

And the Purolator Pure One I've read has the possibility of clogging up pretty fast because the filter media is so dense. This is from an article of someone who cut open a bunch of oil filters and examined them.

Gs400TRD

I read the same articles...It is hard to find a japanese oil filter here...I tried to buy some oem toyota for my truck and noticed there is a big difference between the original Japanese filter and the USA crap. I haven't had any problems in other cars running Pure One. if it worries you that much, go with the MB1 filter, but at $10-11 each....I balked. and went with the Toyota $5 oem from the lex dealership...they might be made in japan...I need to check next time.

kreativ

My local Lexus dealer always uses the Denso made in Japan oil filters. They also charge the rip-off price of $13.99 for it. Some other Lexus dealers seem to not even carry the Japanese-made ones, instead opting for the cheaper, domestic-made one.

If you want the Japanese oil filter (90915-20004...works for all Toyota V8 and 6-cylinder cars that I know of), you can get it online for a lot cheaper. Or call up Steve Ganz from Carson Toyota...he has them for $7.25 each, and uses this filter himself in place of the one originally specified for his Supra.

aerodyne

In response to the original question, I switched from dino to Mobil 1 on a '90 Accord. Over time, the power and compression increased, and oil consumption vanished. The car has over 200K now and runs better than new!

I've some minor oil weeps at 180k, but was told that was normal for the car.

Mean Gene

Intell - Make the switch. Not only R syns more stable & uniform in their molecular size, they have been proven to increase horspower ( marginally ) due to less friction. An old wives tale that doesn't want to die is that the engine's seals don't work well with synthetics. 20+ years ago ( when Mobil 1 first came out for the public ), the standard rubber seals DID have a leakage problem when confronted with syns. However, seals used today are made of a variety of materials ( Teflon, Viton, Buna, etc & any combination of these ) plus rubber. There shouldn't be any problems there. U can offset the additional cost of M1 by extending your change intervals to 10k but WITH a filter change at every 5k. The oil's good for 25k miles ( in theory ) as long as it's kept clean so the filter is critical. As mentioned by the other Members, I'd stay away from Fram. M1 is good as well as Denso, WIX & maybe Purolator.

Benjamin T

iTrader: (2)

i know i'm ressurecting this from the dead but i guess this is good for ne1 searching like i am to know...

we have a 99 gs400 with about 65k mi on it, dealer serviced on dino oil. for some stupid reason i thought to go at it on my own and switched to motul synthetic 3k mi ago and now it's leaking past the valve stem seals and blowing blue in the morning

i am now using http://www.auto-rx.com to hopefully restore the leaking seals (still in cleaning phase). i got this from http://www.bobistheoilguy.com which was recommended by rx300 owners who suffer from the infamous sludge problem.

biglexass

what do you guys think about k & n oil filters i just put one in my 94 ls 400,and just switched from dino oil to full synthetic and i can tell the differance a lil,

nnnickkk

iTrader: (2)

i switched my car to mobil 1 synthetic at 127k and my car burns so much oil. i put in at least 4 quarts between oil changes.

Benjamin T

iTrader: (2)

there are some tests and discussions on that filter in the message board section of http://www.bobistheoilguy.com... in summary it's one of the better more expensive filters on the market.