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Change to synthetic, diffrent weight?

1K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  yellowrexsi 
#1 ·
Tonight im planning on switching to synthetic oil. Now i have always used 5w30 and wondering if i need to go to a heavier weight due the the oil being lighter.

Any assistance or opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Synthetic isn't lighter, its more uniform in size, so if conventional leaks at say 30 weight, you better believe synth will leak more.

0w 5w and 10w 30's are all the same weight the Xw number has to do with the oil's ability to tolerate cold weather such as -20. Synthetics have better starting ability in the cold versus conventional oil.

They also tolerate better filtration.

Not all synthetics are truly synthetics, so you may want to do some research on oil, how its made, and who uses what base stock to make their finished product.

Top oils that I would consider using are: Redline, Amsoil, Schaeffer's, Neo, Mobil 1, and sometimes Havoline and Valvoline have good attributes for oils they make. I do not believe in royal purple, their examples on youtube to advertise their product seem sketchy, as independent lab test have shown that their oil is nothing special and is commonly out performed by the oils I listed.

That list is not definitive, but its some of the more well known and trusted names.

As for filters, Mobil 1 and PureOne(made by purolator) are good choices, K&N seems to skimp a little on filtration to supply more flow, this is kind of silly as if the car demands more oil it will go through the bypass valve under higher pressures.

Doing an engine flush may be something you might want to consider as well. If you do one, make sure you buy a orange fram for the flushing, its cheap and it will hold more contaminates than your used filter.
 
#5 ·
water? use kerosene instead... while your smoking, oh and boil the kerosene before pouring it in there.

The dumber it sounds....the better its got to be for your engine!

but seriously, just pick up an engine flush at autozone or walmart, such as gunk. Follow the directions. Don't ever drive a car with this crap in there.

My advice is to start this procedure with the engine COLD, with a new cheapo fram installed for the flush. Idle for the recommended time at high idle 1200-1800 rpm for 5 mins. DRAIN IMMEDIATELY. The faster you can get the plug and filter off the more contaminates are going to be suspended in the oil. Just be ready with the correct wrench for the oil pan's bolt (which should be a 17 mm on your accord) I recommend taking the filter off first then the bolt. You may even want to break the bolt loose first before starting the flush. Also don't torque the fram down too hard or you'll have some problems.

If you start the flush/change with the engine cold, and the hood up, your oil shouldn't get so hot that it can actually burn you. That doesn't mean it won't. Just in my experience it hasn't done it to me.

The hotter you can get the cars oil during the flush(to a point) the better it will clean the engine. Hence I drove mine before even starting the flush, but I'm familiar with draining oil and won't burn the crap out of myself.
 
#8 ·
Mileage has nothing to do with the frequency of changing your oil, it just happens to be an average distance people drive for the amount of time the oil is used in most vehicles. This in no way is accurate of how long you should use the oil before changing it, and only an oil analysis can tell you when you have actually gotten to the point where changing the oil is needed.

Synthetic doesn't always prove to be a money saver either, some people leak/burn oil at a much faster pace. This tends to be more of money stealer, than a money saver.
 
#9 ·
Hi Morts and Yellow Rexi,
Thanks for the tips. Anyhow the idea of using hot water and boiling kerosene scars the hell out of me. The reason is water residues can severly damage the engine or can leave water vapors inside the engine compartment. Again presence of this might break down your engine oil.

Normally in summers I will change oil at 2000 mile intervels(Live in Arizona). So the oil will not break down. Again I add the STP or Walmart engine treatment oil as an additive. I will note the engine noise and wil change the oil if the engine becomes little noisier. Anyways less than the 3000 miles.

Again I always shunned the idea of using the Gunk like engine cleaners. Your tip of not driving it around and throwing the same within 5 minutes makes sense and sounds good.
I will be trying the same.

Thanks folks for your great suggestions.
 
#10 ·
Hi Morts and Yellow Rexi,
Thanks for the tips. Anyhow the idea of using hot water and boiling kerosene scars the hell out of me. The reason is water residues can severly damage the engine or can leave water vapors inside the engine compartment. Again presence of this might break down your engine oil.
HAHAHA I wasn't serious about the kerosene~!


I dont' think he was actually serious about the water either. Though most of the water left in the engine would evaporate after some hard driving. I do wonder what effect kerosene would have on the rubber seals in an engine.

Either way if you want a clean engine do an engine flush every other change if you've been using conventional and switch to synthetic. Don't forget to get a good filter, like a PureOne or a Mobil 1. About 3 flushes should do the trick(6 changes total)
 
#12 ·
Hi Yellow Rexi,
The water will leave residues of water inside the engine compartment. Further the water is tap water I presume will have have salts which can leave deposits after we clean the internals of the engine.
Both of them are harmful after we pour the engine oil. The water particles when mixed with the engine oil will break the engine oil composition much faster.
Hence you may need really couple of quick oil changes along with couple of oil filter changes.
Further the more time you allow after the water flush the chances of rust developing inside the engine is also more since the pins are all steel alloys.

I may add a 1/2 a quart of kerosine to the engine oil and may let it run for a couple of minutes. (Not 100% of kerosine and boiling kerosine like MORTSACCORD said). The reason is Kerosine is a degreasing agent and will dilute the engine oil and the oil flow will be much better thro the small holes which carry oil. The kerosine going along with the engine oil will act as a degreasing agent and can clean a lot better than water with all the salts.

Anyhow please share your technique since you said that you were serious and may be we can learn the science behind how you are doing and me and MORTS are missing something.
 
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