ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, well I have a 2001 TL-P with only 81k on it. My question is this, so far normal oil was put into it, last time my sister took it to Wal-Mart to get the oil change (never again, she owned the car back then) well it's been over 3k since I bought it off of her and it's time for an oil change, I want to upgrade to full synthetic, I am prepared to make the change for the cars life if it actually helps it.

Also currently I'm filling the car up at "Shell" for mid-grade gas(89) but I want to switch to V-Power (91) any thoughts on that, or should I just stick with mid-grade 89 gas?

Thanks for any replies!

Gfaze

As for the oil, it doesn't matter if you switch back and forth between conventional and synthetic, nothing's gonna get damaged. By the way, you don't have to change the oil every 3K, do it as stated in the owner's manual, every 7500 miles. The 3K rule is now just a profit producer for the lube shops and it's a waste of money and natural resources.

For the fuel, you can fill it up with 91 no problem. You will always get the best performance with 91 because Acura tuned the engine for optimum performance with it. Again, you can go back and forth but it's best to go with 91. It's only $0.10 more on average so on say a 14 gallon fill up, it's an extra $1.40.

01tl4tl

it says right on the gas cap lid- 91 octane MINIMUM
if they sell 93 instead of 91 where you live thats what it uses

the oil change reminder light is set for 7500 miles between changes
You may want to run seafoam in the oil before switching to synthetic, just to clean the sludge from the oil gallies--check DIY section for more help

russianDude

If you switch to synthetic for the first time it is recommended to have a short first OCI ~2K miles, then you can go for extended interval. the first time you put synthetic in it will get a lot of junk out that conventional oil could not clean, thats why you need a short oil change interval.

fsttyms1

2k isnt necessary. I would still run it 7500 just like regular oil change intervals should be on the first one.

jjashaa

iTrader: (23)

91 since day one.

even when i only have $5 on me.

lulz...

01tl4tl

no need to do a short run when when switching--if anything run cleaner in oil before change
regular oil and synth both contain additives to clean sludge

russianDude

I am not making this up, please read this information posted by Mobil 1:
https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...o_Mobil_1.aspx

The guy does not know if the engine was maintained properly, so first short change interval would be proper. IMHO.
His sister was going to Walmart, now common, I would not trust those morons!

russianDude

Synthetics have better cleaning additives and clean more junk than regular oils, in fact they get dirty faster. Read the link from Mobil1. BTW, Amsoil even recommends engine flush when switching to synthetic oil from conventional:
http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/aef.aspx

"In this age of longer recommended drain intervals, it is especially important to have a clean engine before changing oil. Using AMSOIL Fast Acting Engine Flush when you change oil is an excellent way to guarantee your engine stays clean."


So if you don't feel like flushing your engine, the lest you can do is have a first short change interval.

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

i ran 89 in my 03tl-p i never pushed it. maybe once a week it would see 5k rpm tops. but couldnt complain as i was getting better gas mileage with 89 than 91. 91 id get 24-27mpg max. 89 i average 29-31 mpg same driving style and place.

as for oil. if u start running synthetic u can get a leak on high mileage cars bc its thinner oil compared to the conventional oil.

russianDude

That's a myth, all it means that the seal was bad to begin with, and synthetic just found a hole a quicker because its more detergent and thinner. It would start leaking with conventional oil also, but would probably happen little later when the hole got bigger.

niju321

WTF higher mileage with 89? does higher octane gas have lower energy/gallon?

i thought synthetics were just supposed to be more slippery but the viscosity would be the same...seeing as they are the same viscosity grade as dino oil...is there something i'm missing here?

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

synthetic breaks down slower. hence u can go longer with out changing the oil, just make sure u have a good filter.

i treated my tl-p like i would if it was a 200k car.

russianDude

should be the same viscosity and matching the specs, but apparently there is something different about the molecules, I don't know the details. One thing for sure, synthetics are more detergent and will flush away more junk faster, so a bad seal will be cleaned, and hole will be free of dirt and start leaking faster. Nowadays all synthetic oils are fully compatible with all types of seals, I guess 15-20 years ago there were some synthetic oils that were not compatible with all seals, and would cause leakage, so again some myth was spread around and still stuck in peoples heads.

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for everything guys, I'll just keep my current oil in till 7500, then I will seafoam it and flush it, but as of the next fill up I will only be doing 91 from now on. I drive it hard a lot more then needed so I can use the extra octane.

Also the few last posts, this is why I was un sure about synthetic, my friend put it into his geo and oil leaked everywhere he said, but I trust Acura did a good job on the engine (unlike tranny -.-) so I'll just go for it.

russianDude

I don't think I've seen anyone on this board complaining about oil leaks, and synthetic is a pretty popular choice around here, so you should not have any problems. We got the best engine, and the worst tranny

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

Or rear main seals tend to leak

fobstylez

iTrader: (3)

What kind of filter do you guys use? What is considered a good filter? I switched to royal purple about two changes ago and my engine ides better then before. I did 3k the after the first change, I think this second one I'm going to wait until 5k.

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

if u dont push ur car hard no need to do it at 5k. go 7500-10000. thats if u dont push it hard. i only use mobil 1 filter and mobil 1 synthetic oil. on my other car i use mobil 1 synthetic and honda filter.

russianDude

This has nothing to do with the type of oil you are using, its a defective seal, only impacts TL and not CL.

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

shit, my cl is leaking too.
why would it matter between the two car? same engine, same trans (not including 6spd) same frame. the the same car with some cosmetic changes.

fobstylez

iTrader: (3)

i know right? Same motor in a different car, I dont see why it would be different. but 7500-10000 isnt that a big high? I'm at 88k miles and creeping fast so its almost time to do some maintenance.

russianDude

Should be same, my understanding was that this problem was more common on TLs, I could be wrong... Sometimes defective part is installed to one model, and then when realize a mistake they correct it on a different model. Does not seem to be a common problem anyway.

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

or ppl just dont know about it bc they dont look. its the same part number for both cars

mestizoracer310

I run Mobil 1 5W-20 w/ the Mobil 1-104 filter in the TL and Mobil 1 5W-30 w/ the Mobil 1 104 filter in the accord. I run them til the light comes on.

And doesn't running a higher octane gas in a car that takes 87 or 89 not worthwhile?

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

i would not run 87-89 in an S. they have to high of a compression ratio for that. tl-p/ cl-p ok, but not an s.

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Mines a TL-P but I give it a good beating a lot when needed, so... I'll just switch to 91.

mestizoracer310

Yeah, I knew the Type S requires it, but do the base/premium models do?

Rajca

iTrader: (8)

it says to use 91 or higher. i had no problem using 87 in my tl-p. i didnt drive hard at all

russianDude

It definitely drives better on 91+, but if you put lower gas engine won't break, though not recommended. These engines can take a lot of abuse, they are pretty solid, not like auto tranny...

fsttyms1

Royal Purple bad stuff.

fobstylez

iTrader: (3)

seriously? what are your thoughts about it? My car responds well to it but yea, next change is probably mobil1.

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

On my next change I'm thinking Mobile 1 synthetic and Mobile 1 filter? Or should I do the Honda filter?

Gfaze

I don't know about that. It seemed to work well for me until they decided to overprice it. It works well but not $9/quart well.

I'm thinking of trying the new Castrol Edge on my next oil change. Wally world carries the 5 qt jugs now.

chaiwala

No need for synthetic oil in a car with 81K miles. Use any quality conventional oil like Pennzoil, Mobil Clean, Valvoline, Havoline or Motorcraft 5w30 and change it out every 5-7.5K and that motor will outlast the whole car!! Also Mobil oil filters are an overkill too. The filter I would recommend would be Purolator PureOne which Amazon has a sale on and can be had for less than $3 a pop and has the highest rated filtration of any non-synthetic media filters. Goal should always be to keep insolubles low, because as insolubles go up it is inversely proportional to film strength which in turn can increase wear.

As for gas, you are doing right by bumping up to 91 or 93 octane. Shell V-Power is one of the best detergent gasoline in the market place right now. Use any gas stations on this website and you'll be doing your injectors a favor www.toptiergas.com

Before going to the 91/93 octane I would also buy a can of BG44K(expensive but worth it) and clean out your fuel system. After that use Shell V-Power 91 octane and right before an oil change put in a bottle of Gumout Regane in an empty tank, fill up the tank drive it till the tank is near empty and then do an oil change! Happy motoring

russianDude

Wow, thanks for such a thoughtful recommendation on how to use and apply synthetic oils. Must be after a lot of research. You can do what you like with your car, but don't make any stupid generalizations....

goMO

which purolator filter is it for a 2002 TL-S? I'm getting conflicting info on Amazon vs. the Purolator site. Amazon says PL14610, but the Purolator site says PL14599. I'm assuming Purolator knows the correct one, but if anyone can confirm, that would be great!

chaiwala

Hey, any time. Hope my post helped you comprehend something.

Gfaze

I would go with the listing in the Purolator website. I'd trust the manufacturer before amazon.com.

fsttyms1

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...t=royal+purple

And what do you mean by responds well to it?