Synthetic Oil Prep???

[Sand Cruiser]

For my next oil change I was thinking of using Mobil 1. My '02 TLC has 35K miles of dino oil so this will be the first time using synthetic. Should I flush the engine first, or just go strait to the synthetic???

 

[Jim_Chow]

For my next oil change I was thinking of using Mobil 1. My '02 TLC has 35K miles of dino oil so this will be the first time using synthetic. Should I flush the engine first, or just go strait to the synthetic???

Generally, what I do when switching from a dino-only engine to pure synthetic is to run a couple of 5K mi changes running M1 Delvac 5w40, as it has more detergents to remove varnish, then I go w/ a normal synthetic like M1 0w40. That's what I did on an old 4runner (switched to synthetic at 136K mi/16 yrs old...no leaks), and what I plan to do w/ my '03 LX w/ 49K mi.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That truck is new! Just change to the oil you want and you're done. I changed over at 40k and didn't give it a second thought.

 

[SWUtah]

I changed at 60K to Mobil 1 5w30 and didn't do any prep. Did the samething with my 1995 LC at around 50K miles and ran Mobil 1 until I traded at 135K miles and it never used oil (I ran 7-8K mile OCI's). You can go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and look at what all the "experts" advise. But you should not have any problems just changing and running Mobil 1 for a normal 7-8K interval.

 

[100 TD]

AS posted above, just change as normal, it is compatible with mineral oil, no problems at all. (I would stay with the Delvac 1 though, I run diesel oil in petrol engines, although most petrol oil has lots of detergents these days)

 

[spressomon]

I changed to Amsoil at 70K...no problems.

 

[Tinkerer]

Changed to Mobil1 at 35k, no prep, no problems. Now 90k +.

 

[SWUtah]

I think the Mobil 1 will do a good job of keeping my 95 LC clean. Checked the valve clearence at 100K miles and the mechanic said that he had never seen a cleaner engine and it looked like no wear.

 

[donco]

synthetic prep

For my next oil change I was thinking of using Mobil 1. My '02 TLC has 35K miles of dino oil so this will be the first time using synthetic. Should I flush the engine first, or just go strait to the synthetic???

My Amsoil dealer recommends a flush on engines which have been running dino AND have more than 50k miles. At 35k, you can convert directly to synthetic without any prep other than routine oil & filter change.

The 50k & above flush isn't a hard & fast rule and would depend on the brand of oil & whether there's been alot of city driving on the motor. The flush can be as simple as slowly pouring the flush solvent (usually 16 oz.) directly into a fully warmed up engine while idling, letting it idle for no more than 15-20 minutes WITHOUT driving, and then immediately doing an oil/filter change. Fill with synthetic and do another oil/filter change after 5k and after that, go with the 1 year/25k change interval, changing the filter in between per the mfg. filter change interval, & topping off the oil.

I bought mine CPO'd at 31k and the dealer had just done an oil change with Valvoline dino 5W30. I ran that for 1000 miles and then changed it to Amsoil 10W30 and there was an unbelivable improvement in smoothness, quietness, and more power -- my wife & son even noticed it

Anymore, I average 15k between changes and change the filter every 5-6k and still notice an improvement with every fresh oil change.

Additionally, one shouldn't change it to synthetic too early. I'd run a new motor at least 10k miles on dino before switch it to synthetic, to make sure the rings have fully seated in.

 

[Tinkerer]

Personally, I'd be wary of "engine flush".

Remember, hot oil with detergents etc. IS a flushing & cleaning agent. (That's one of several reasons for regular oil & filter changes...) If deposits are dissolved/loosened and put into suspension in the oil, then they will stay in suspension until they are drained out with the oil at the next change.

If you put some kind of "engine flush" agent in, it's probably something with extra solvents such as mineral spirits or turpentine (NOT a good thing)...or just snake oil. Anything other than good correct-grade engine oil per OEM specs is taking chances; could do harm, and I doubt it will do any good.

If an engine is so full of deposits that they are a problem (e.g. causing a "thromboembolism" or traveling "clot" in fresh oil change, etc.), it needs to be torn down and rebuilt, with a thorough cleaning in the process. A simple flush will not solve such severe deposit problems.

Just my opinion.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

So an Amsoil dealer who sells engine flushes is reccomending an engine flush. That's a suprise. A far safer, cheaper and more satisfactory flush is an oil change or two of a heavy duty oil done at close intervals. No flush is indicated, though, at any mileage. Toyota says right in the owners manuals that flushes and additives are unnecessary. Heck, I switched my FJ60 to 5w-40 synthetic last winter and again this winter with no flush, and no leaks either. There is a great deal of misinformation out there on the internet. Even on this site there are many who tout the virtues of Seafoam and other snake oil. It just is not needed, and may be harmful. What your motor needs is high quality, well formulated motor oil. Mobil 1 is probably the best (or as good as the best) you can get and it's available everywhere. I believe you can switch anytime you want, but there is a point where it is no longer worth it, like if you have severe leaks, or burn lots of oil. As for when to start-at the first oil change. Show me the evidence you need to wait longer.

Amsoil MAY be good oil, but the whole multi-level Amway style sales thing really turns me off, as does their lack of real certification. Their reccomendations for super-extended change intervals strike me as irresponsible as well.

For Sand Cruiser-I strongly reccomend you avoid anything called an engine flush. Change your oil as planned, and use the synthetic of your choice. I would reccomend Mobil 1 based on Cary's oil analysis and 20 years of experience. That UZJ motor will run for many, many years with good maintanence. In fact, I'll bet you can't wear it out in your lifetime.

 

[SWUtah]

So an Amsoil dealer who sells engine flushes is reccomending an engine flush. That's a suprise. A far safer, cheaper and more satisfactory flush is an oil change or two of a heavy duty oil done at close intervals. No flush is indicated, though, at any mileage. Toyota says right in the owners manuals that flushes and additives are unnecessary. Heck, I switched my FJ60 to 5w-40 synthetic last winter and again this winter with no flush, and no leaks either. There is a great deal of misinformation out there on the internet. Even on this site there are many who tout the virtues of Seafoam and other snake oil. It just is not needed, and may be harmful. What your motor needs is high quality, well formulated motor oil. Mobil 1 is probably the best (or as good as the best) you can get and it's available everywhere. I believe you can switch anytime you want, but there is a point where it is no longer worth it, like if you have severe leaks, or burn lots of oil. As for when to start-at the first oil change. Show me the evidence you need to wait longer.

Amsoil MAY be good oil, but the whole multi-level Amway style sales thing really turns me off, as does their lack of real certification. Their reccomendations for super-extended change intervals strike me as irresponsible as well.

For Sand Cruiser-I strongly reccomend you avoid anything called an engine flush. Change your oil as planned, and use the synthetic of your choice. I would reccomend Mobil 1 based on Cary's oil analysis and 20 years of experience. That UZJ motor will run for many, many years with good maintanence. In fact, I'll bet you can't wear it out in your lifetime.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Good post.

 

[Jim_Chow]

Yeah, I'd never use an engine flush. That's why I use the Delvac 1, since its a synthetic for diesel engines, so it contains more detergents. One guy on the 4runner forum says delvac 1 for a year was able to clean the varnish off the dipstick from over 100K mi of cheap dino. I run two 5K mi intervals w/ D1, then go w/ a gasoline engine synthetic like M1 0w40. BTW, I feel the M1 0w40 is a far better quality oil than M1 10w30/5w30 (stuff at Walmart).

 

[calamaridog]

Sandcruiser,

When you switch to Mobil 1 use the M-209 (Mobil 1) filter instead of the smaller one spec'd for our V8. It is larger but has the same spec's as we need.

I would not bother with an engine flush, just switch over and run it for 10,000 mi. intervals.

 

[Tinkerer]

Sandcruiser,

When you switch to Mobil 1 use the M-209 (Mobil 1) filter instead of the smaller one spec'd for our V8. It is larger but has the same spec's as we need.

I would not bother with an engine flush, just switch over and run it for 10,000 mi. intervals.

BTW, can anyone provide a cross-reference for the larger filter that fits the 4.7L V8 on the 100 Series?

(Ref. to the other vehicle/engine, and/or the other filter p/n.)

I'd like to check out a PurOne filter in the larger size.

 

[macneill]

Ok, I'll bite. What are the overall benefits of switching to a synthetic?

We always talk about how OEM are the best for filters etc.

Just curious as to whether I should consider it at 24K?

 

[Greg B]

I'm at 79K miles right now and I believe my 100 has run dyno so far in its life. At 80K, I'm going to switch over to Mobil1 5w40 synthetic. My plan is to run 10K intervals with a filter change at 5K intervals. I don't have any leaks now and hopefully won't for a very long time.

 

[SWUtah]

Ok, I'll bite. What are the overall benefits of switching to a synthetic?

We always talk about how OEM are the best for filters etc.

Just curious as to whether I should consider it at 24K?

www.bobistheoilguy.com these guys will tell you more then you ever wanted to know about oil. Kind of like coming here looking for information about LC's

 

[Tinkerer]

Ok, I'll bite. What are the overall benefits of switching to a synthetic?

We always talk about how OEM are the best for filters etc.

Just curious as to whether I should consider it at 24K?

Warning: Another Small Essay Below.

Haven't read much bobistheoilguy, but generally:

-Better cold flow properties.
-Better viscosity retention at elevated temperatures.
-Less viscosity index modifier additive required (see previous 2 points) especially with minimal low-high spread such as 10W-30, which means less unwanted effect from breakdown of those VI modifiers in service.
-More resistance to oxidation.
-Better resistance to blowby acids (higher base number).

Have also heard claims of better lubricity, but not sure about that one...and in any case, if your engine starts within a few cranks, it builds pressure almost immediately and most of the lubrication situation changes to non-contact (film separation) anyway, lessening the lubricity effect on wear etc.

Now, I will go against the common grain on one thing (imagine that):

I change my synthetic oil & the filter at mfg recommended severe service intervals - every 5k miles in the case of the LX470.

Why? Don't the superior properties of synthetic allow one to extend the change intervals?

Yes and no:

Yes - synthetic retains viscosity better, resists acid & other chemicals from blowby better, in service.

No - You still need to change frequently enough to get the particulate out of the system and keep it clean. Particulate comes in thru the induction system, from wear, and a little from fuel and other misc small contributors.

Also, you still need to change it frequently enough to get all the other crap (dissolved deposits etc) out and keep things clean. And blowby accumulation can still cause problems, even with a higher base number of synthetic.

The filter will catch some of the crap in the oil, but not all of it. And that filter is not designed for extended service interval loads of crap - not even a larger-than-OE size filter. You could change the filter part-way thru a service interval - but what about the chemical contamination from blowby, then? The filter will not remove blowby contamination.

I remember seeing an Amsoil device, designed to super-filter the oil, so it could supposedly be left in for practically the life of the engine. It was a marketing ploy. I don't buy it. Good luck with that if you use it.

Personally, I'll change more frequently - even at up to $3 a quart. My goal is to never have to open the engine up - not even for valve adjustments, and synthetic might just help to achieve that, at 5k change intervals.

It is possible to closely monitor your oil condition, to determine exactly when it needs changing. But I don't have time or $ to send a sample every month to a lab to do this (some people do) - and besides, labs make errors. All the time.

I'd rather just use synthetic & change it at the 5k intervals and be done with it - then, there is no question that I'm getting better engine lubrication conditions over the life of the engine.

 

[donco]

My goal is to never have to open the engine up - not even for valve adjustments, and synthetic might just help to achieve that, at 5k change intervals.

How much of the valve gap over time is due to cam/bucket wear, and how much is due to valve seat/valve face wear? The former will cause them to get looser over time but the latter will cause them to get tighter & oil quality/change frequency won't affect that.

Since mine now has 100k on it & the dealer said that's when they recommend inspecting/setting the gap, I'm going to take the covers off mine just to see how it's doing. I won't necessarily go to the trouble of re-gapping it but it (unless it's way off) but it would be good peace of mind to know how it stands.