Switchin from dino to sythetic oil after 100k?
 

I have 103,xxx on my Camaro. It had 97,xxx when I got it and always thought of switching. I plan on doing the full Seafoam treatment on the car when I get it back out this Spring. I was thinking of switching to Synthetic after cleaning it all out with that treatment. I have heard from my old shop teachers and some other acquaintances that switching after that long can cause oil leaks somehow among other things. So does anybody have any experience in switching with high miles? What brand is recommended if I do make the switch?
Thanks guys, this site has always pointed me in the right direction.

Previous owner said she always ran full synthetic in my Formula. I bought it at 120k miles, switched to GC 0w-30 and zero leaks. Coming up on my 2nd oil change now at around 125k miles ! :)

ive always heard not to switch to a full synthetic after youve always ran reg oil. maybe to a blend or something.

Why would someone use regular oil on a LSX??

the car was a company car for the first owner according to carfax, the second was a state cop. he said he always took it to the dealer for maintenance. i bought it from him, i never really asked but just assumed the dealer used regular oil. dont most dealerships use regular? so anymore advice on whether it is ok to switch? so far it sounds like its too late! alot of people just tell me oil is oil around here(where i live not tech).

not everyone owns a camaro and knows what they are doing

My S10 had 138,000 miles on it when I first bought it ( really cheap I might add). I use Royal Purple on everything I own and the truck now has 180,000 miles on it with no problems at all. Synthetic lasts longer and does the job better in my opinion.

It doesn't hurt anything to do it after that many miles. The only thing is, if you already have a minor leak, get ready for it to spew after a few thousand miles. I swapped my 5.3 at 136k and no problems whatsoever and it's got 150k on it now.

My local GM dealership will do synthetic oil changes for $80 freakin' dollars! I guess there are people out there that are dumb enough to pay it.

:werd:

A synthetic oil change at NTB is close to $100. They charge like $75 for the oil alone.

dont switch to synthetic after that many miles. unless the motor has less than around 10k on it dont switch to synthetic. common problems with doing this are excessive blowby/oil consumption due to oil getting past the piston rings and leaky valve seals. Ive seen this occur many times and would personally just run reg oil at 3k mile intervals.

ok well im getting mixed opinions now, ^that is what i have been doing reg oil no more than 3k. im thinkin of switching and if i start consuming more or some leaks show up just switching back. would this hurt anything? wasnt there some kind of oil guru around here on the board at some point that everyone basically listened to?

That is the key. Synthetic is "slippery-er" than regular oil if you will and therefore if you do have minor leaks, tends to leak a little more than dino oil.

I switched to Full Synthetic on my LT1 Buick Roadmaster at 125,000 miles after running some pretty shit-tastic Castrol GTX high mileage dino oil. I was expecting impending disaster but the engine has run like a top since the switch. No oil burn or any related problems.

I would say go for it.

i switched at like 80k and i have had zero problems!

and i was one of those stupid kids that didnt know what oil to put in their car. i ran penzoil 10w30 for about a year, 20k miles or so... engine still runs good though!

Here is an interesting link about this topic. A lot of myths dispelled and a lot of good info.


http://www.motor-oil-engineers.com/?hop=0

Two excerpts from that book:

I was told that once I change to synthetic I could never change back to petroleum oil: is this true?

That statement is 100% false. You can change back to petroleum oil at any time. If running a petroleum oil you can change to synthetic oil at any time as long as the engine is in mechanically sound condition.

Can I change to synthetic motor oil at any time?

Yes, you can install synthetic motor oil in any engine as long as the engine is in mechanically sound condition. There is no specific set cast in stone mileage that you can or cannot install synthetic motor oil in an engine, or any other component or system for that matter.

Since mine has no leaks, and very little consumption, I am gonna say it is in mechanically sound condition. I am gonna give it a try and see how it goes. What do you guys recommend? Mobil 1 5w30 or another? Should I mix it with what I currently use(Valvoline) the first time like a 50/50 mix, then over to full synthetic?

because when you are racing you tend to change your oil often..
At least I change oil 2 times a month in the car...
That would be fucking expensive putting syn. in at that oil change intervals.

I know I dont have to change the oil like that, but fuck it cuz I can.

Plus we are racing the car every other weekend at the track....

I've been using Mobil since day 1, day one was 69k for me. When I hit 100k I started using Royal Purple. I didn't notice any difference, just seemed like a another oil change. As for Seafoam, use BG44K. Seafoam just doesn't do it for me.