Hey guys my cars at 155000kms and I wanted to start putting in the synthetic oil because of our cold winters in canada and also upon discovering its benefits.

I am scared it might ruin my seals or is it not too late to start????????

 

from what i hear synthetic is not going to ruin anything, others will chime in.

 

It's fine to switch. It won't hurt a thing.

 

^x2. but leaks CAN occur (not always)

 

get some toyota 0w-20 for the winter.. it's great

 

its all a myth

 

It only has leak issues if the car was leaking oil to start with
Thats not a problem for us

Its a good idea`with your mileage to run some seafoam cleaner thru the oil- 1/2 can and drive 30 minutes then change oil and filter
It will get the crud out of the passageways and make better oil pressure too

0w-20 will be best oil for the cold winter starts
penzoil platinum and mobil 1 extended/high mileage are well respected
high end would be redline amzoil or royal purple
a good filter is important- k&n mobil1 tops in field, napa wix etc all good

winter prep tip- clean and wax the door sills and lube hinges- use spray silicone onto rag and wipe rubber seals for doors, spray some on window tracks and in door locks to prevent freezing and sticking

Everyone should clean the battery terminals- ck fluid level and have system checked (free at parts stores in usa) to be sure everything is good
Extra load on battery from running all the seat heat-lights-wipers together will kill a weak battery

 

you can switch back and forth between synth- regular- semi synth- at every oil change---the car doesnt care!
Oil is oil to the engine- some just taste better~
and make the driver feel they have done their best

 

Nothing but Royal Purple in mine

 

It can leak quicker if your seals are already in bad shape and are about to leak. The synthetics are more detergent, so a lot of dirt will be washed out from your engine. I'd recommend a short first oil change after switching high mileage to synthetic oil.

 

yah oil is oil. if your changing your oil every 3-6 k miles it really doesnt matter whats in their, however if you do get lazy with your changes synthetic is the way to go because it doesnt break down.

 

^as fast
finished ur sentence

 

i use synthetic all the time in mines. i never thought about using 0w-20 because mines recommend 5w-30. will 0w-20 be better?

 

thanks a bunch
can seafoam be run in the winter????
and its safe? as in no side effects?

 

do a search on seafoam, there are sooo many pages on how to do this and what it does.

 

look, 5w30 mobil 1 fully synthetic with a mobil 1 extended performance filter is all you need. My oil pan gasket was leaking, but that leak developed several months after I started using fully synthetic oil so I think the seal was already on its way out. After all the seal did last 10 years. I had my buddy replace the whole oil pan since the drain plug was stripped out anyway and reseal with fresh hondabond ht and I haven't had a leak since. The old oil pan was really dirty at the bottom. The car runs great. You will notice that your engine sounds free like its not held down anymore after you make the switch

 

I've been using Mobil 1 since about 75,000 miles, and my engine is as tight and leak-free as it was on day 1 back in February 2000. I'm using 0W30 Mobil with a Mobil 1 EP filter over the winter this year, and I've been doing a 7,500 to 10,000 mile change interval. I started commuting 90 miles a day in March, and have been getting 28-31 mpg on a regular basis.

My last change I had a K&N filter on it, but as it turns out the K&N filter is identical to the Mobil 1 Extended Performance filter, with the sole exception of the little 1" nut on the end of the K&N. And I mean, identical, right down to the manufacturing stamps. Same assembly line, in other words. I can't find the website where they're shown dismantled, I'll post it if I find it.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/royal-purple-721134/

 

k&n and m1 filters do roll down the same assemby line, but the can does differ and the inside paper, and folding, plus different resin is applied to capture crud
They are very close-like siblings or cousins
pull one of each from the box- they dont weight the same

the nut makes removal a snap..no I dont put it on super tight- I just like using tools~ and its a dollar less than m1 where I shop
Track day drivers can safety wire the K&N for fun too

 

seafoam is used right before the oil is ready to be changed- no ill effects since 1950~
money back guarantee right at place of purchase too

If concerned about sludge and cold winter- and want to do a top notch job-
install a new filter of any brand- add 1/2 can of seafoam thru oil filler cap- drive 100 miles then change oil and filter with quality stuff- engine must be warm at change
At least 30 minutes/miles at one time- the rest over a week is ok
Sitting in the driveway at idle is ok with most cleaners, but seafoam really likes 30 minutes of running speed to `liquify` the sludge and get it to the filter for capture.
Hit vtec a few times to get cleaner thru the sliders in there- they clog up, and vtec operates off oil pressure changes with rpm to know when to come on, and to operate its parts

If you think your engine is really dirty the new filter is peace of mind that its not full and cant hold any more- 3 bucks and it will catch everything that gets loose

see the diy for use in gas and vac port to make engine run like new

Your owner books has several allowed oil weights for different temps
If the temps are near 0-F overnight the 0 (zero) weight will flow immediatly on startup to get some oil pressure and save the bearings- thats a good thing
5 or 10w takes a bit longer
The first number only comes into play below 32 degrees F- the additives in the oil allow it to act like a zero or 5 at that low temp- the second number is viscosity at 200-220F normal oil temp while driving
in summer you can run 5-30 for best parts protection in that temp

 

while on this topic, might i ask, the rumor about not being able to go back to conventional without a flush after using synthetic is horseshit, right?

 

yup

 

a rumor by those who dont know anything about oils
Manufactures have made them to be inter changable without issue
While its best not to combine types a little left in the system wont hurt anything

seafoam cleaing is optional but a really good idea for keeping passagesways clear

 

I've always been skeptical of that brand..

 

*shrugs* I've always had good luck with it in my cars. Sounds like more of a marketing issue rather than a quality issue anyway

 

If you want the best get amsoil. Its been proven in many tests.

 

With that many miles I highly do not recommend you switch now. Just stay with the oil you been using. It obviously has been doing it's job well. If you switch, Synthetic has properties in it that clean better, but it will also clean in areas and could (has many times) start leaks. Not worth it. Stay with what you are using and you will be fine.

 

I live in Edmonton, AB where it can be as cold as the arctic at this time of year and I switched to synthetic recently. I put in Mobil One 5W-20 with a Honda filter and I haven't seen an problems arise of it yet. In fact, when I start it up in very cold temps now it does so much easier and the oil flows quicker as it is supposed to. My car is a well maintained '02 with just under the same amount of kms (less than 100k miles) as yours which I consider peanuts on our engines.

If you want to spend the extra amount and believe it would be worth it for you then don't worry about it and make the switch.

 

its fine to switch at 100k MILES let alone KMS- in super cold I would run a Zero W-20 for max flow instantly and immediate oil pressure

a mass percentage of engine wear is at startup as the parts move with no oil to protect them!!
Synthetics like penzoil platinum do have some cleaners in them- so what!- the oil filter catches whats broken loose- thats its job,, and you really want clean oil passageways

To do it right, run seafoam -1/2 can to oil and drive 30-60 minutes, then change oil and filter
Now its all clean inside- little for the synth to deal with for cleaning~
Works good on my 01TL

 

There is no reason if he isnt leaking now that he shouldnt. I switched over at around 100k miles which is more than the op and never had a issue.

 

There are plenty of reasons like the ones I mentioned. www.bobistheoilguy.com will tell you exactly the same thing I said. You take a chance as synthetics have cleaning properties that can clean around the seals that are built up and cause a leak that was plugged before.

Either way, when he said 155k, I was thinking not KM. If it was actual miles, then he shouldn't period at that mileage, but if it's KM, then by all means he should be able to still switch.

 

if you keep up with the oil changes and some type of cleaner- then you wont get buildup around the seals

 

With any DINO oil, it will build up a little if 3k oil changes are done.

 

+1

I just switched to Mobil 1 synthetic about 6,000 KM ago when my car was around 160,000 KM, havnt had a problem since.

 

That's true, the only question is how long before it starts leaking even with conventional oil? 2-3 month later? A bad seal will leak eventually with or without synthetic oil. Also keep in mind that besides cleaning, synthetics have conditioning properties for the seals, so if seals are in good shape then synthetic can actually make them last longer.
I think this decision entirely depends on how long he plans to keep the car, if he needs a lot more years then he should do synthetics and if it leaks then just deal with it.

 

I was on synthetics since 2001, since the first oil change. Started with Mobil1, then Amsoil, then Mobil1 EP. always on Mobil1 filter (had amsoil filter once).
Amsoil is too expensive...

 

sure on a poorly maintained motor. On a good maintained motor, especially a honda motor there really arent any reasons not to. I would have no problem taking a 250k mile honda motor that is in good shape and switching to syn.

 

yes any oil will get some crud buildup around various parts-
thats why I suggest a good cleaner like seafoam maybe every other oil change- to get the engine sparkling and keep it that way
VTEC will thank you for its cleaned passages- it works on oil pressure changes that should occur with rpm changes

 

I agree that Amsoil is a bit overpriced for what it does these days vs other oils. I had some left on the shelf, once that runs out which I just used the last 5 quarts in the TL, I will go to M1 or PP.