Switching To Synthetic?

[HDdave]

I was thinking about switching my 01 HD with a 6.0l and 100K on it over to synthetic. It has only ever had conventional run it, and I was just wondering if it was ok to switch over with this many miles. Also, I was reading which synthetic people on here prefer, and everyone has said mobile 1. I was going to go with Penzoil platnum, but since everyone has said Mobile 1, I was wondering if there any certain kind of it I should buy. I was planning on staying with 5w 30, but I was just wondering if there is a weight that would be better. And just for my memory's sake, it takes 6 quarts, right?

[icecoldtexan]

I was thinking about switching my 01 HD with a 6.0l and 100K on it over to synthetic. It has only ever had conventional run it, and I was just wondering if it was ok to switch over with this many miles. Also, I was reading which synthetic people on here prefer, and everyone has said mobile 1. I was going to go with Penzoil platnum, but since everyone has said Mobile 1, I was wondering if there any certain kind of it I should buy. I was planning on staying with 5w 30, but I was just wondering if there is a weight that would be better. And just for my memory's sake, it takes 6 quarts, right?

 

 

I have a 01 HD 6.0l 4x4 with 120021 miles on it. I use Mobil1 10w30 synthetic and have had no problems. I also use the

mobil1 oil filter. Some will say not to switch over or it will start having leaks, I have never personally experienced leaks. I

am going to switch my transmission over to synthetic next week.

I switched my wifes car to synthetic at 107233 miles and haven't had ant leaks since.

My truck takes exactly 6 quarts of motor oil.

[superbee]

Holy cow, there are a million threads on this. There are several schools of thought:

1) Amsoil is the best

2) Amsoil is a cult, M1 is the best

3) Royal Purple/Red Line is the best

4)Pennzoil/Quaker State/Super Tech/etc etc is just as good as any other synthetic

5) You guys are all crazy, we have run straight weight 30 Non Detergent in all of our fleet for 75 years and you're all wasting money on synthetics.

 

In all if you want a research project you can Google "PAO base stock" and "hydroisomerized base stock". If not, my opinion, based on much research is to use a high quality synthetic that uses true synthetic base stock. I use Amsoil, as for others, see above.

 

Also, there is one thing most agree upon: Fram oil filters suck.

 

As far as the mileage goes, if the vehicle has had meticulous maintenance it shouldn't be a problem. If maintenance has been lacking there will be a fair amount of gunk built up inside and it acts a bit like a gasket sealant of sorts. The synthetic oil has a vastly higher detergent content ( that's why you can run it longer, the detergent buffers the junk and allows the filter to catch it), this will "scrub" the gunk and show you where your seals and gaksets are weak by starting to seep and leak.

 

Can't go wrong with 5w-30, 10w-30, and 0w-30 is fine too.

 

Hope all of my babbling helps a little.

[Nytemare]

^^^ what he said...as long as its 30 weight your fine.

 

and M1 is probably one of the better synthetics as thats what gm recommends for corvetts and its also what they stock if you go in looking for them to do a synthetic oil change.

 

Also a lot of other high end car manufacturers recommend this oil and nothing else.

[dewhite]

I was thinking about switching my 01 HD with a 6.0l and 100K on it over to synthetic. It has only ever had conventional run it, and I was just wondering if it was ok to switch over with this many miles. Also, I was reading which synthetic people on here prefer, and everyone has said mobile 1. I was going to go with Penzoil platnum, but since everyone has said Mobile 1, I was wondering if there any certain kind of it I should buy. I was planning on staying with 5w 30, but I was just wondering if there is a weight that would be better. And just for my memory's sake, it takes 6 quarts, right?

 

If you were considering Penzoil Synthetic, then it is my assumption that you have used Penzoil products up to now?

 

If you run Penzoil in your engine for an extended period of time (say 30K plus miles) it will deposit additives into your seals which will break down when/if you switch away from Penzoil products. This is why some people notice oil leakage when they switch away from Penzoil.

 

I will say upfront that this is something that was told to me by my friends father who was an engine builder in his spare time, and an executive with Penzoil for 20-something years. So I would accept it as fact, but you should take it with a grain of salt...

[5thGenSD]

Doesn't matter what you use, as long as you change it regularly.

 

Remember that 5k dino oil is just as dirty as 5k synthentic.

[bryanhunt]

Doesn't matter what you use, as long as you change it regularly.

 

Remember that 5k dino oil is just as dirty as 5k synthentic.

 

Hrm... you don't use synthetic because its any less dirty (thats what filters are for), you use it because its less prone to breaking down with heat and time. The money you spend on filters is actually far better than that on oil. Never wimp out on the filter. If you religously replace the filter every 3k miles you can easily go the by the oil life system.

 

I have heard of people that have run synthetic and simply replaced the filter (and the quanity of oil in the filter) and never a full oil change. While theoretically doable I personally wouldn't (there is still stuff that will settle to the bottom of the pan and on the drain plug magnet)

[Nytemare]

I don't know about not breaking down as quickly or anything....but I change my oil every5K km (3K Mi) no matter if i use dino or synt.

 

Additive packages, as far as I know, only last as long as they are designed for, and unless it's an extended mileage oil thats right around 5000km (with factor of safety)

I don't think it will last until 10K km but maybe 6000-7500 to give you a buffer zone cause not everyone can stop and change their oil right at 5K

[cbxeric]

They are all the same. Mobil 1 is using the cheaper base stocks just like the other mainstream synthetics. I ran mobil in all my vehicles because I figured it was worth the xtra money, not anymore. As far as it being the factory fill in some High performance cars, I just wonder how much Exxon Mobil paid to have that little sticker on the oil filler cap. I've done alot of research on this one. If it does not say PAO it probably isn't.

My vortec 6000 did not leak till I put 5/30 synthetic in it. I would recommend 10/30.

[HDdave]

Well I guess I'll buy some mobile 1 10w 30 synthetic. To be honest, before I got the truck it was most likely just taken to jiffy lube or walmart or something to have it changed. I just don't want any leaks to develop. Where would be some places to watch for leaks, or does the motor not have any specific weak points?

[Freyguy]

Also be sure to use an engine flush or something similar prior to the change. Amsoil sells one, but I'm sure others do too. Some say to put a new filter on first, then run the stuff, then change the oil. When I did mine around 60k or so, I had a ton of sludge and gunk coming out.

 

I'm running Amsoil 5w30 at 1yr drain intervals now. I previously ran their 0W30, but saw no gas mileage improvements, so I switched back to the cheaper 5W30. Even their new filter line is 1yr changes. Plus with the oil burning 6.0L, I need to add a quart every so often. I plan on getting an oil analysis done soon. I'm curious to see what it will say.

[Black02Silverado]

I was thinking about switching my 01 HD with a 6.0l and 100K on it over to synthetic. It has only ever had conventional run it, and I was just wondering if it was ok to switch over with this many miles. Also, I was reading which synthetic people on here prefer, and everyone has said mobile 1. I was going to go with Penzoil platnum, but since everyone has said Mobile 1, I was wondering if there any certain kind of it I should buy. I was planning on staying with 5w 30, but I was just wondering if there is a weight that would be better. And just for my memory's sake, it takes 6 quarts, right?

 

 

You can switch over to synthetic no problems. Like stated above if the engine was well cared for you shouldn't have any problems. The Pennzoil Platnum is a good group III synthetic, as well as Mobil 1 since they down graded their stock from a PAO. You have other choices as well Royal Purple, Redline and AMSOIL which are PAO. You can search Google for PAO and hydroisomerized base stock to learn more about those as stated above.

 

As for cleaning out your engine AMSOIL does recommend their flush but I would rather clean it out running Auto-RX. It is a really good engine cleaner. It isn't a flush but a true internal engine cleaner. If you still have 2k left on your oil before you need to change it you just install a new oil filter and pure in a bottle of Auto-Rx and then go another 1500 miles, then change your oil and filter, run a regular dino oil of your choice for another 2k. It is recommended that you do this twice if you have over 100k miles on your engine. This really cleans up the inside of the engine and helps to recondition the seals as well. Your engine didn't get dirty in 30 minutes so what is a 30 minute flush really going to do? The Auto-Rx works over time slowly dissolving any deposits and letting the filter collect them. When I ran an Auto-Rx cleaning in my Silverado on my next oil analysis all my wear metals went way down. Auto-Rx is not an AMSOIL product and is not related to AMSOIL in any way. It is something I found that works.

 

5w-30 or 10w-30 will work fine for your truck and 6qts is what you need for an oil change with filter.

[cbxeric]

I have 283000km on my truck so I cannot complain if it leaks. But I think that it stopped with a switch to 5/30 maxlife dino oil, so 10/30 synthetic should be fine. I noticed a few drips at the base of the bellhousing (rear mainseal) and also dripping off the oil filter with mobil 5/30. I will be switching to max life 10/30 synthetic.

[HDdave]

Well I put Mobile 1 high milage vehicle full synthetic 10w-30. It seems to run a lot smoother than it ever has on a fresh oil change with dino oil. I also noticed a slight climb in my oil pressure, now when I'm on my way to school or something it will run about 65, when it used to run around 60. I don't know if thats really a good thing or not, but I'm pretty sure it is. I also changed the fuel filter, and I have plans to get the tranny flushed, and do the transfer case and differential fluids. Would anyone happen to know the parts number of the seal on the back of the transfer case where the U joint connects? My U joint got a little rusty from the truck just sitting around when my grandpa owned it, and it has torn up that seal just enough that I have a slight leak...

[Nytemare]

you may not realize this but you can run any oil you want as long as it is a 30 weight.

 

0w-30,5-30-10-30 hell if they made a 20w-30 you could run it.

 

The first number in an oils viscosity code tells you how it will act in colder temps. the lower the number the easier it will flow in the cold.

 

the second number tells you how it will act under hot conditions. the higher the number the higher the viscosity (how well the oil will hold together and resist thermal breakdown)

 

so a 5W-30 oil will pour or flow like a 5 weight oil in the cold but act like a 30 weight oil for viscosity.

 

So...If it is really cold where you live run a 5w-30 or less. in the warm months you could run whatever you want, just make sure when its cold out to use a lower number.