Fully Synth - Need Some Q's Answered - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 01:37 AM

Ok, I searched around and I read several good threads on bobistheoilguy.com, but no one really had an answer to what I'm looking for.

I know that in high milage cars, switching to full synth oil has a potential for leaks, and its simply because since the car's been around for so long, the gaps in the seals and gaskets were all there before, its just that the synth oil is quite a bit thinner than dino, and thus the dino doesn't leak. One of my questions is: what exactly is high milage?

My Camry has 62k miles on it, and I'm thinking about switching over to full synthetic. Some people say to go to a synth blend first, but the general consensus is that full synth will mix with whatever amount of dino gets left behind in the oil pan and engine parts anyway. At this point, there are no oil leaks anywhere, and my car doesn't burn any oil in between oil changes. Is it safe to switch over to synth at 62k?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: Also, my ramps broke, and I went out and bought a hydrolic jack and 2 jack stands... and I haven't used that type of jack in a loooong time... and I'm not sure where to place the jack stands, at the jack points, or on the rails?? And do I keep it on the jack, or do I release it so that it sits on the stands only? This is such a noob question... but I've been using ramps for so long that I just need to make sure of these things...

***RningOnFumes*** · 08-30-2005, 01:42 AM

at 107k, i switched to full syn....i've notice no change in the levels and have not noticed leaks...knock on wood and the oil was mobil 1 5w30 (hehe, thanks touring) 15k change interval according to the bottle..will change soon because it looks soo dirty

going on 109 now. got dirty fast though...lol..but then i did clean the throttle body right after i changed the oil (to try to fix the stuck gas pedal..which wasn't fixed)

touringcamry · 08-30-2005, 02:23 AM

^ I think you meant 5w30. 5W10 is uh...thin

I am at 66 thousand right now and just switch to Mobil 1 Clean 7500 semi-synthetic and no ill effects yet. I know it's not pure synthetic, but thought you might appreciate the input. I am using 10w30 in there currently. I am probably going to leave this oil in for 5000 miles.

For the jack, look under the front of the car. You should see this metal bar that goes across the front and has a little bump that comes down. The saddle of the jack goes here.

Lift it high enough to slide you stands under the car. The stands do not go on the scissors jack point. You will bend the heck out of that area. Look further towards the center of the vehicle, ie towards where the transmission tunnel would be if you had a RWD car but not that far in and you should see two rails that come down a couple inches that go almost all the way to the rear. Your jack stands go here inboard of the factory jack points. (That's where I put'em at least.)

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touringcamry

For the jack, look under the front of the car. You should see this metal bar that goes across the front and has a little bump that comes down. The saddle of the jack goes here.

Lift it high enough to slide you stands under the car. The stands do not go on the scissors jack point. You will bend the heck out of that area. Look further towards the center of the vehicle, ie towards where the transmission tunnel would be if you had a RWD car but not that far in and you should see two rails that come down a couple inches that go almost all the way to the rear. Your jack stands go here inboard of the factory jack points. (That's where I put'em at least.)

Thanks! Yeah, I knew about where the jack point in the front/middle is... I just wasn't sure if the stands go on the rails or the scissor jack points. Now I know haha. Thanks.

Yeah, I'm using 10w30 dino Valvoline motor oil right now... I'm considering the switch to Mobil 1 10w30 full synth... but I just wanted some opinions... thanks for the input.

One more thing about the jack... do you remove the jack from the middle jack point after you've set it on the jack stands? Or do you leave it there?

Lexusfreak · 08-30-2005, 04:56 AM

If you currently have no oil leaks at all......it is safe to switch to synthetic. I went from Mobil 1 to Amsoil personally as it's simply the best oil you can buy period.

touringcamry · 08-30-2005, 09:20 AM

Once the car is securely on the stands, it is safe to remove the jack.

nodrogkam · 08-30-2005, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Once the car is securely on the stands, it is safe to remove the jack.

Synthetic should be fine for you!

And yeah the hydraulic jack wasnt really meant to hold up a car for an extended period of time (least some arent), so use the stands whenevre you want to begin work on the car (especiaally under it..

Good Luck!

I'm personally thinkng of switching to full or syn blend at about 89K (no leaks.)

Keep · 08-30-2005, 09:29 AM

White3chocolate,

Read this, 'the engine oil bible'

Go to the bathroom, then grab yourself a drink because it is a long, good read.

Kyle

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 10:26 AM

Thanks for the input guys! The thing I was worried about most is that most people that end up leaking after switching over didn't have leaks prior to the switch... although it wasn't the oil that caused it, it was either low quality gasket manufacturing, or weak seals. I doubt that my '02 has either, especially since it was Japan-built. But my worries more than anything are those 62k miles on my car... since I'm sure I've built up a decent amount of gunk from the dino oil in the last 3 years over the seals that the synth oil would break loose. I'm thinking maybe going up to synth-blend for 2 oil changes and then up to full synth would be a better idea?

jjakubowski · 08-30-2005, 10:50 AM

I have switched all the Toyota's that I have ever owned to Mobil1. I had a 2001 4Runner that had synthetic in all moving parts. I now have a 2004 Sienna on Mobil1 and a 2005 Camry that has not had its first change yet. But I will be putting Mobil1 in it as well.

I have heard that on vehicles with miles on them you should mix the oil half/half the first oil change going to synthetic. Then on the next oil change you can put all synthetic in. I have never had a problem with oil leaks on a Toyota of any sort. I hope this helps a bit, good luck.

Keep · 08-30-2005, 10:51 AM

Did you read the link I posted?

It's the ashless dispersent content in the oil that will losen old sludge/debris

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 11:04 AM

Yeah, I read the link... pretty extensive stuff. Its all really good information, but I didn't catch anything about switching over except for the three bullets about warnings and stuff from switching.

jjakubowski, welcome to TN. Thanks for making your first post an answer to my question.

Thanks everyone... I'll go drop in some synth-blend today and then go full synth at the next oil change.

Keep · 08-30-2005, 11:17 AM

Do you plan to SeaFoam before the oil change?

I would love to pick up some of that stuff, but there's no reatailers that carry it

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 11:21 AM

Nah, not planning on seafoaming until the next when when I go full synth. I'll probably contact brungold for that... don't want to foul anything up, and he seems to be a seafoam expert

white3ch0c0late · 08-30-2005, 04:57 PM

Ok, so I put in 4 qts of Castrol Syntec Blend 10w30... oh my god, what a difference... the car runs a lot smoother, idles smoother, and the reaction time of the throttle is better. I love it.