Synthetic Oil to Conventional

[ZekeTheSneak]

buy a new drainplug gasket, dont over tighten. Do not retap with a self tapping drain plug.

should be good!

[TimR]

Sounds like a valve adjustment party is in order first.

[Bene]

that is total nonsense! Synthetic does not cause leaks.

it doesn't cause leaks, but the molecules are smaller, so it will find the holes that the dino oil couldn't.

[Emre]

yes, but you meant valvoline VR1. Mobil 1 20w50 also has good amounts of ZDDP. There are others too but they cost a lot more.

The 20W-50 formulations of Kendall GT1 and Brad Penn Grade 1 also have very high concentrations of ZDDP. My local Autozone sells Kendall GT1 for less than Castrol GTX, and my M20 seems to love it.

I currently run the GT1 mixed with 20% Lucas HD Oil Stabilizer. Since switching from Castrol, my oil temp has gone down, oil pressure has gone up, and oil consumption is down to almost nothing...even on the track.

[AndrewBird]

that is total nonsense! Synthetic does not cause leaks.



yes, but you meant valvoline VR1. Mobil 1 20w50 also has good amounts of ZDDP. There are others too but they cost a lot more. Most of the diesel oils don't have as much as you'd think.

First off, I have seen old engines start to leak when switched to synthetic. It happens, believe me, I've seen it first hand. Doesn't mean it will happen to EVERY engine, but it CAN happen.

And second, yes, I meant Valvoline.

[Tico Frank]

. No OP response means hopefully he is out changing his oil right now.

Actually there is a ton of snow on the ground so the oil wont get changed today but it will be changed before I drive it again. I appreciate the advice folks!

[NeoMishMoo]

The "ween" strategy was just something I made up to maybe help OP sleep at night if he is worried, which he has no reason to be anyway. No OP response means hopefully he is out changing his oil right now.

If there are any questions about viscosity here is the diagram out of the Bentley:

[SilentJon]

i just run rotella 15w40
synthetic doesnt cause leaks, won't make chunks of sludge break loose and f*ck your engine, or any of the other stupid shit people say it will, and it's pointless to "ween" an engine off of synthetic or dino oil. it's not going to go into shock. as far as an engine is concerned, oil is oil as long as it lubricates properly.
run 15w40 or 20w50, and adjust your valves if they are noisy after you get the 5w30 out of it. most likely they just need to be adjusted, and the thin oil probably wasnt helping the noise either

[NeoMishMoo]

I really hope you're out changing your oil right now.

So the question is how to go about using conventional oil in a car that has previously had synthetic oil? As far as I know just use conventional oil when you change the oil. Doesn't really matter that it had synthetic oil in it before. If you want to "ween" your car off synthetic get castrol syntec blend. That way you'll have partially synthetic oil, then next time you change put in regular conventional oil. There probably is no point to do this but it might help you sleep at night if your worried about going from synthetic to conventional.

I gotta agree with boom-monkey for the most part oil is oil. If you buy more premium oils then you can usually get away with changing it less. Personally I like my LUBRO MOLY chocolate milk, and I change around 5k.

[nando]

Going from dino to synthetic is generally the concern, not the other way around. Synthetic oil is made from smaller particles and can leak on old engines that have been running dino.

that is total nonsense! Synthetic does not cause leaks.

Otherwise, you should be good to go.

One thing to consider is running Castrol VR1 racing oil. It has high levels of ZDDP in it which work much better at lubricating solid lifter engines. Keeps from wearing your cam lobes out. Newer oils have very little ZDDP due to environmental reasons.

yes, but you meant valvoline VR1. Mobil 1 20w50 also has good amounts of ZDDP. There are others too but they cost a lot more. Most of the diesel oils don't have as much as you'd think.

[expressfish]

I bought my car back in september 2010, this is my first oil change (i know, i know) I filled her back up with rotella 15/40, smells just like my cummins now, lol. Drove her home thirty miles last night and checked the dipstick, to my surprise the engine must be pretty clean inside or it was a synthetic child >? Odometer stopped at 132,000.

[Blendercloud]

then you my good friend are just throwing money out the window.

+1, unless you've got a big, hot, nasty turbo somewhere under there.

[mikeedler]

i use full synthetic and i still change it every 3000-3500 miles.

then you my good friend are just throwing money out the window.

[Cabriolet]

i use full synthetic and i still change it every 3000-3500 miles.

[AndrewBird]

Going from dino to synthetic is generally the concern, not the other way around. Synthetic oil is made from smaller particles and can leak on old engines that have been running dino.

Otherwise, you should be good to go.

One thing to consider is running Castrol VR1 racing oil. It has high levels of ZDDP in it which work much better at lubricating solid lifter engines. Keeps from wearing your cam lobes out. Newer oils have very little ZDDP due to environmental reasons.