Synthetic oil question?

Question

Is it okay to put in synthetic oil on a high milage engine (124,600 miles) Its for my Lumina with 3.1L V6. Will this oil make the engine get better fuel economy? will it run better? or should I just keep puting in regular oil. I have heard the 3.1L and 3.4L engines seem to run better with the synthetic.

What about regular high mileage oils?

Answer 1

There is someone about every second day asking about synthetic motor oil. Obviously synthetic oil marketing is very successful. Accepting temperature or engine load extremes, synthetic motor oil is not worth the extra money.

However, your question regarding "high mileage" oils is a good one. Assuming you are talking about motor oil specially designed for cars with high mileage (not long drain intervals), this product actually does work. I have both a 1979 Chrysler and a 1989 Dodge. Neither are particularly high mileage, but with age the seals, especially the front crankshaft seals, were leaking to the extent that oil was splattering on the underside of the hood. After using Pennzoil High Mileage in both cars, the splattering ceased. I assume that the conditioners in the oil also caused the valve seals to come back to life.

Answer 2

Hi, I HAVE switched between the two, back and forth with my cars over the years, and it does NOT hurt the engine. People are wrong or just don't know about it. The main thing if you switch is that you should drain all the oil AND the filter should be changed. I've heard that mixing the two (even though there are blends out there, haha) is bad. Now as far as protection goes syth. is better but not worth the cost unless you have a brand new car (and are concerned) or a performance engine with a high output. With syth. you can go a bit longer in between oil changes but it doesn't make up for the cost difference. I have a Northstar engine, but since it burns a little oil (all Northstars do) it's not worth the money of the synthetic because I burn through it. Not to worry about conventional with my car, but I just have to keep an eye on the levels no matter which I use. I think if you keep track of the levels regularly and change it regularly then regular oil is fine. I firmly believe in changing fluids regularly. The most important of the fluids are Oil, Antifreeze and Transmission. Keeping all of these changed regularly has left me with a bunch of cars with well over 100,000 miles and no major engine issues. My main suggestion would be that if you have a concern and want the extra insurance, buy Lucas' oil additve (it works with syth and regular), it gives you the protection and you don't have to add it each time to the oil. I put in Lucas' other products too. They have all been recommended by multiple mechanics to me. It's a white bottle at all the Murray's, Pep Boys and AutoZones. Best of luck, Brian

Answer 3

Probably would not hurt anything, but I would not recommend it. The thing is that after 120k+ miles your motors seals become conditioned to the standard weight natural oil you have been using. Synthetic oil is much finer, and what tends to happen is you will develop oil leaks, or if you have one it will get worse. This is because the synthetic oil is working its way into your damaged old seals much deeper.

Second, the luminas V6 has never been the kind of motor that would benefit from synthetic oil in the first place. It is low performance, it has low compression, and has relatively loose clearances. I doubt you would see any gains in fuel economy.

I would however recommend using the thinner oil that your owners manual tells you to use during the cold months. The thicker oil it tells you to use during the summer is only to protect your motor, the thinner stuff provides less resistance for the moving parts, thus helping efficiency.

If you want better MPG, use more pressure in your tires (about 3-5psi higher), get new sparkplugs, check your fuel filter and replace if necessary, get a performance drop-in air filter such as a K&N, and most of all drive smoothly.

My car is rated at 18-21 mpg, but with a cold air intake, exhaust system, and iridium spark plugs I am able to average 25mpg if I drive nicely.

Answer 4

Well synthetic oil is oil that is simply made do reduce friction in the engine, therefore releasing more power for the engine.It also protects against a extreme heat say Phoenix type weather. The synthezie hydrocarbons don't oxizides as fast limiting the effects of extreme heat. Synthetict oils are mostly used for ppl who are doing some extreme racing,but it is good for any type of car. If you plan on keeping it a long time. Now the gas mileage thing I;m not so sure about you can go to Quacker State.com for more info

Answer 5

You can use synthetic oil in your engine if you want to pay the extra money it cost than regular oil. The oil used in a engine is not going to make a engine run better, its job is to keep all moving parts lubricated and the additives added in oil today helps reduce the buildup of sludge and varnish in the engine keeping it clean. Just keep the oil changed with a new filter on a regular interval. Dont take Billy's recomendation on just changing the filter and not the oil. Motor oil looses viscosity and lubricating ability along with the additves to keep your engine clean over time. The oil MUST be changed on a regular interval with a new filter. DO NOT MIX REGULAR OIL WITH SYNTHETIC, THEY DO NOT MIX WELL! ! ! !

Answer 6

I've been told that it will help for some time but in time it will make things give out. My brother-in-law is a GM tec & that is how he feels about synthetic oil. He says it good if your not going to keep your car for 10 or 20 years. Myself, I had a 1975 Olds Cutless for 10 years. I've also been told by other tecs that it is better if you use a mix of regular oil & synthetic oil.
What it comes down to is some tecs are sold on synthetic and some just are not sold on it.

Answer 7

I have had good luck with synthetic oils, they improve mileage and cut back on wear on your engine.

Answer 8

there is lots of evidence that the synthetics work.
for my money i use the high milage oils'
i have 190k on my mom van, and she fires right up and burns none.
for my money there is nothing that will keep an engine cleaner than valvoline.
this comes from limited expereince taking down motors.

Answer 9

synthetic oils are good for any car

Answer 10

i recommend synthetic

but in truth you should never have to change your oil, as long as you change the filter, the oil itself never actually goes bad it just gets dirty. newer cars have magnets in the system that attract all the little shavings and make it easier to remove the debris.