Switching Motor Oil

[ben550]

I have an 04 V6 4runner with 168k miles. I bought it with 134k on it a year or two ago. Ever since I owned it I have been using 5w-30 Valvoline High Mileage Synthetic Blend motor oil. I have thought about switching to conventional 5w-30 PYB. I change my oil at 5k mile intervals. My concern is with the head gasket issue with 03-05's is it risky to switch from a high mileage oil which supposedly "swells" the seals to a conventional oil. Do you think I would be assuming risk by switching by switching to an oil that might not keep the seals "swelled" which could result in a head gasket leak?

What are your thoughts? I have not had any head gasket issues in the past and am trying to keep it that way.

Thanks.

 

[YotaDan]

Head gasket is different than a seal. I think you should be just fine.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I don't get where people keep getting this "Synthetic Oil Swells Seals" it hasn't been true for something like 30 years, up there with "It just needs a tune-up." I have guys who are in their 20's afraid to switch to synthetic because they think the engine is gonna leak like a sieve (granted, some of them have BMWs so they leak like a sieve anyways ), they shouldn't even know about that old wive's tale.

Bottom line, unless your vehicle is from the 70's switching back and forth between conventional and synthetic oil will not affect the seals in terms of "swelling."

 

[MarkinWMich]

The majority of synthetic oils you can run for 10K. Even Toyota is doing this right now with their newer vehicles, if running synthetic oil. We also have a 2013 Rav4 that we have a service agreement with oil n' filter changes every 10K.

Amsoil has a program going right now with their Signiture Series oil and high efficiency filters...25,000-mile changes.

Other manufacturers, Mobil 1, Valvoline, etc. offer different product lines, as well, that have additives that allow for more prolonged/extended service intervals.

The 5000-mile reminder, is primarily there for those that choose to run conventional "dinosaur" oils. Find a quality synthetic oil and filter combination, and you can extend those change intervals out, sometimes as much as every 2 years, depending upon your mileage and application. Think of all that "old" oil that has to be recycled, or worse, is dumped. It's a waste, it's definitely bad for the environment, and just bad practice based upon recommendations from the pre-synthetic era...IMHO.

 

[black4vcobra]

The majority of synthetic oils you can run for 10K. Even Toyota is doing this right now with their newer vehicles, if running synthetic oil. We also have a 2013 Rav4 that we have a service agreement with oil n' filter changes every 10K.

Amsoil has a program going right now with their Signiture Series oil and high efficiency filters...25,000-mile changes.

Other manufacturers, Mobil 1, Valvoline, etc. offer different product lines, as well, that have additives that allow for more prolonged/extended service intervals.

The 5000-mile reminder, is primarily there for those that choose to run conventional "dinosaur" oils. Find a quality synthetic oil and filter combination, and you can extend those change intervals out, sometimes as much as every 2 years, depending upon your mileage and application. Think of all that "old" oil that has to be recycled, or worse, is dumped. It's a waste, it's definitely bad for the environment, and just bad practice based upon recommendations from the pre-synthetic era...IMHO.

I bought my 4Runner about a year ago and have changed the oil twice. First oil change I went with Pennzoil Platinum for 5k with an STP filter (leftover from my previous Camry).

Now, I'm running Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 oil and a Napa Platinum filter and was thinking of going with 8k OCI's. Do you think I could go to 10k OCI's with that oil/filter?

If it matters, I don't know what was previously in the vehicle so I thought I'd go with a relatively shorter OCI for the first synthetic oil change.

 

[4RunnerSR52004]

I use Mobil 5000 high mileage since I have 171K on the motor & so far so good. I don't think it matters WHAT oil you choose as long as you change it regularly because they are all made to extend the life of your engine. I trust Mobil as I have used it for years without an issue. I have used a few others over the years & even Walmart SuperTech without a problem but Mobil would be my top choice overall.

 

[philskeeter]

I don't get where people keep getting this "Synthetic Oil Swells Seals" it hasn't been true for something like 30 years, up there with "It just needs a tune-up." I have guys who are in their 20's afraid to switch to synthetic because they think the engine is gonna leak like a sieve (granted, some of them have BMWs so they leak like a sieve anyways ), they shouldn't even know about that old wive's tale.

Bottom line, unless your vehicle is from the 70's switching back and forth between conventional and synthetic oil will not affect the seals in terms of "swelling."

Just switched my v6 over to full synthetic to extend intervals for winter! I'm 20 and have always heard don't change because it will leak but I figured I'd try it anyways and it's been a solid week with no leaks. I'm not saying this is rock solid evidence for everyone though

 

[Burnzy]

My wife's brother in law is a diesel mechanic. He has more certifications than I can remember. His take on oil is: Oil is l like fishing lures. Fishing lures are designed to catch fishermen not fish. He says it doesn't matter what oil you use, just change it every 5,000 miles.

 

[DC runner]

That is pretty dead on. Most modern oil does exactly what you need, the rest is a mixture of gimmicks and marketing with a small fraction if reality. I have never seen anything that showed all the so called advertising was anything other than marketing. If your buying the right weight and proper filter, you should be good. I use full synthetic for increased change interval, that is really it.