Hi,

where I live, the winter is cold (could reach occasionaly -22F with the wind).

I just bought a well maintained Accord 2005 (K24)/manual transmission. The last owner used conventional oil and he kept the car in a garage.

It takes me 10 minutes to get to work and I need to cross a few traffic lights. So the car wont warm up much and wont be covered from wind in the parking lot.

I know all the answers about the myths that synthetic oil cause engine leaks etc... but a hidden leak is still possible and Synthetic wont help in that case.

People from Bobistheoilguy recommend me synthetic 0w20, some others talks about blend to play on the safe side.

Anybody had an engine leak after switching to synthetic with a high mileage car?

Thanks

 

Don't take this wrong but the question in my opinion is a debate starter.

If you have been reading about the issue, you should have also seen that the UOA is one of the best things you can do. If you stay with "dino" oil or go with syn the real question is what does the test show.

Of course you should check the oil level at every fill up or some other regular time frame. I try to check the oil level in my cars at least every two weeks.

 

The most important thing, IMO, is to check the oil often, especially for the first few hundred/thousand miles. Running these engines low on oil seems to be the main cause for consumption, and other issues. Personally, I wouldn't go more than 5000 miles between changes. 0-20 synthetic sounds like a good choice for that climate. At least your car doesn't have the (stupid) maintenance minder system, which I would totally ignore anyway.

 

A few comments:

• Wind and wind-chill are irrelevant to your oil, it doesn't make any difference vis-à-vis the temperature of your oil. Said another way, if it is -10°F outside and a gale force wind with a -45°F wind-chill, your oil will still only be -10°F.
• It is an old wives' tale that changing to synthetic oil later in an engine's life will cause leaks. Some folks claim the switch caused oil leaks, but the general rule is those engines would have started leaking anyway.
• Your car came from the factory with an oil recommendation of 5W-20, and virtually ALL 5W-20 oils have a fairly high percentage of synthetic oil in their base stocks.
• Long story short, switching will not affect your engine (from a leak perspective) one way or another.
• As for your daily commute, ten minutes is pretty short; if you stay with conventional oil, then probably change in the 4,000-5,000 range, however, if you go with a good 0W-20 synthetic, you should easily be good to go for 7,500 miles (or possibly even more).
• If you want a scientific perspective, then send the oil you decide to use out for a Used Oil Analysis (UOA) after say 5,000 miles; the results will clearly indicate whether the oil is used up, in decent shape, or is good to go for several thousand more miles.

 

Not a myth in my experience. Example: 2 changes to syn oil.

* '93 Accord w/ 185,000 - oil leak into distributor after 1500 miles (Amsoil). car was loaned out at the time and disabled on side of road. Tow bill, big mess $

* '97 Altima w/ 115,000 - oil leak into distributor after 700 miles (RedLine). Holy Cr*p! Again - why am I doing this again? Stupid.


I now view main oil purpose in high mileage cars is to keep the seals intact.
Synthetics claim to fame is reducing metal-to-metal wear, but none
of their advertising claims say the oil reduces leaks. none.

and synthetic promoted oil leaks at least in two of my pre 1998 cars.


Keep using whatever oil that the seals are used to!!!!

 

Just curious, what is the viscosity of the oil you were using (10w30....) at that time?

What shipo says make sense. That will be hard to make a 5w20 oil without using some synthetic oil. So it should be safe for my Accord since the last owner used 5w20.

 

Look at the last FAQ on the page:

• Synthetic Oil | Frequently Asked Questions

FWIW, synthetic oils are not typically marketed to reduce metal-to-metal wear per-se, they are marketed because they have superior flow characteristics following a cold start, they are far more pure out of the bottle so they have superior capabilities to hold contaminates in suspension, they are more stable so they don't react with water and other contaminates as readily (which can in turn cause acid formation), and they are capable of withstanding far more heat without oxidation and degrading. All of the above means they are capable of lasting far longer in an engine for any given driving dynamic compared to conventional oil.

The above said, change conventional oil often enough and stay away from operational extremes (extreme cold, extreme heat, and/or lots of very short trips), and there will be little if any meaningful difference in engine life between conventional engine oil and synthetic engine oil.

 

Look. There was a lawsuit between Mobil (Mobile 1) and Castrol (Syntec) in the late 1990's over what constituted synthetic oil in labeling.

The one that had actually manufactured the oil base stocks LOST (vs. the one that just added chemical additive packages to existing petroleum base stocks). The judge ruled that, if oil - as it is sold - can get the same synthetic performance new out of the bottle (by having adding chemical additives to petroleum oil) then it can be labelled "synthetic."

Since then there are only a few classically synthetic oils made from manufactured base stocks, because this is the more expensive route.

I believe the only classically manufactured synthetic oils, made from manufactured base stock oils, are: RedLine, Amsoil, Motul.
I've been told that one of the Castrol Syntec various viscosity grade oils (5W-50?) is/was also made that way, but I haven't a real clue.

I'm trying to be open, honest. The problem with either type of "synthetic oil" is a chemical problem between the seal rubber-like components and the oil additive chemicals or oil base stocks.

I don't intend to research this anymore, because I have nothing to gain.
I've found x2 that synthetic oil has 'caused' rapid oil leak initiation. In my own cars. Under my control.
That's why I say: stick with the same oil that your car's seal / gaskets are used to.

All of western civilization advancement is based on taking observable facts and interpreting them. All of our advancement.
So in this little micron-decimal point of advancement, I've offered up evidence to help you. Maybe you should ask others
for their evidence. Or just say you want to believe the advertising, over observations.

Best to you, it's a trivial point after-all ...

 

Not that you're going to research this any longer, but I do feel the need to separate the wheat from the chaff...

There was no law suit between Mobil and Castrol, Mobil filed a complaint with the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau in the United States against Castrol, the ruling, which went against Mobil, has zero legal standing.

• The Myth of the Mobil 1 v Castrol lawsuit | Passenger Car Motor Oil (PCMO) - Gasoline Cars/Pickups/Vans/SUVs | Bob Is The Oil Guy

The difference between Group III (a so-called fake synthetic) and Group IV & Group V (full synthetic) oils has absolutely nothing to do with adding a few chemicals to dino juice versus a custom built carbon chain. The goal of all three types of synthetic oil is to arrive at a pure base stock, and there are three viable methods for doing just that:

1. Group III -- Hydrocracking crude oil (effectively using heat to separate pure oil from the impurities naturally found in petroleum)
2. Group IV -- PAO, a custom built carbon chain
3. Group V -- Ester, another custom built carbon chain

Back when Mobil and Castrol were at odds, there was a significant difference between Group III (Castrol) and Group IV (Mobil), however, dramatic advances have been made in the hydrocracking process which has narrowed the gap between the two base stocks to a level which is virtually non-existent. There was a time when I wouldn't be caught dead with a Group III oil in my engine, now Group III or Group IV, I really don't care which I use.

 

My next oil change will be at 200k. I have been running Castrol GTX dino since new. I just picked up some GTX synthetic Edge for $3.00 more than dino. My car is going to get a treat when she turns 200k.