synthetic oil change over at 120k
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PrelateBishop
New member
Bought my '00 with approx. 124K on the clock and immediately switched it over to full synthetic; this was approx. 2 years and 16K miles ago. I've had zero problems, but ymmv.
I'd say go for it.
I'd say go for it.
BlackCat914
New member
That whole "should I switch" or "you can't go back once you use synthetic" is such BS. The car will be fine with synthetic, at any miles. The car will be fine without synthetic, at any miles.
LittleCaesar
New member
The 5VZ could run well on vegetable oil. Synthetic is fine. Just keep an eye out for leaks around the valve covers.
Saved
New member
I have said this before and I will say it again. First it is your choice, your money, but after working in the oilfield industry for many years it is my opinion after seeing all the engineering studies as well as actual usage of synthetics that synthetic oil in the engine is a total waste of money unless the engine is a very high performance engine that runs extreme temperatures under extreme conditions or the vehicle is in an area where the winters are extremely cold such as at least 20 below 0 and colder on a regular bases.
Now for those who disagree. I challenge anyone to show any study where they have taken two identical vehicles and drove them under the same conditions one with regular oil and one with synthetic and the synthetic out preformed the regular oil. It simple has never happened. Synthetic engine oil has absolutely no benefit when used in an engine unless that engine is under extreme conditions and regular driving or regular off-roading does not meet those parameters. If the vehicle is street legal and a daily driver there is no need for synthetic in the engine except perhaps in very cold climates. Synthetic is more of a fad then anything else except in those cases where it is designed for which is extreme cases.
Here is one study
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/2021/synthetic-oil
Now for those who disagree. I challenge anyone to show any study where they have taken two identical vehicles and drove them under the same conditions one with regular oil and one with synthetic and the synthetic out preformed the regular oil. It simple has never happened. Synthetic engine oil has absolutely no benefit when used in an engine unless that engine is under extreme conditions and regular driving or regular off-roading does not meet those parameters. If the vehicle is street legal and a daily driver there is no need for synthetic in the engine except perhaps in very cold climates. Synthetic is more of a fad then anything else except in those cases where it is designed for which is extreme cases.
Here is one study
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/2021/synthetic-oil
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TheDurk
Elite Member
Yes, you have said it before. I run synthetic because I can extend my oil change intervals. I have lab used-oil analyses that says my oil is in better shape after 6500 miles on synthetic than it was after 4k on dino. I'll keep running synthetic, thank you very much.
As to the OP's question, I switched around 60 k because there was a sharp drop in the price of synthetic oil that made it more competitive. No problems here, either. Now at almost 150k.
Saved
New member
Could you present those lab reports please.
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/2021/synthetic-oil
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Drcoffee
Senior Member
So you need to ask yourself just how bad you want to switch to synthetic. If you say I don't mind replacing the rear main seal and other leaking seals, then do it. At 120,000 miles I wouldn't do it. At this point, Dino is cheaper in more ways than one. If you want a good substitute, use Valvoline Max Life high mileage oil. It's a synthetic blend made for 100k + engines.
digital022
New member
What makes you say this?So you need to ask yourself just how bad you want to switch to synthetic. If you say I don't mind replacing the rear main seal and other leaking seals, then do it. At 120,000 miles I wouldn't do it. At this point, Dino is cheaper in more ways than one. If you want a good substitute, use Valvoline Max Life high mileage oil. It's a synthetic blend made for 100k + engines.
This is the first I hear about recommendations to not switch to synthetic oil for higher mileage vehicles.
Nunyabiz
New member
I have used 100% synthetic since 1977.
It has without question been FAR better in every way than any petroleum oil.
On 2 vehicles a 1999 Lexus and a 1990 Honda Prelude both got better gas mileage, the Lexus I was able to use a lower viscosity 0W-30 instead of 5W30 that lower viscosity plus being synthetic boosted my MPG from 26-27mpg up to 30-31mpg on straight highway miles, so roughly 3mpg.
Also being one of the worst offenders to "sludge" the engine has instead remained sparking clean with ZERO sludge.
This engine WILL sludge using petroleum oil and I dont care if you change it every 1,500 miles because how it sludges is when you get the engine hot and then turn it off the top of this engine gets red hot and as the oil runs down after the engine is turned off a thin film is left to BAKE on this red hot top end.
That thin film turns to sludge layer after layer IF you use petroleum PERIOD.
Changing to synthetic which has a MUCH higher flash point stops that problem plus the detergents in the synthetic oil clean the engine nicely.
I would not even own this car without synthetic oil.
The Honda I got about 1-2mpg better mileage.
All other vehicles I 'may" be getting about 1mpg better but hard to say.
The reason I started using synthetic was when I used to have a nicely built 2180CC VW Baja Bug, quick as hell but would lose power once it warmed up.
The throttle in cold weather and right when I started it was like a motorcycle, had instant petal response and I could actually feel it lose horsepower the hotter it got. I tried everything, added a deep oil pan and sump pump, added a large oil cooler and then put the cooler on the roof under a scoop all of which added several quarts of extra oil which helped a bit but just took a bit longer to lose power.
One day I tried synthetic and BAM, problem solved, NEVER lost power again even in summer while running all day in the desert.
So nobody can tell me that synthetic does not make any difference, I KNOW for an absolute fact otherwise.
It also does NOT cost anymore in the long run as you can easily get 7000-10,000 miles out it instead of 3000, so what have you saved by using cheaper petroleum oil and changing it 2-3X as much? ZIP
As for the OP question, using synthetic is no problem at all in any engine at any age as long as that engine has not over heated and baked its gaskets or sludged and dried out its gaskets, in this case it could possibly leak after the synthetic cleans the sludge away. Although it is also just as likely that it could swell the gaskets back up and reseal itself depending on how bad they are, but either way ANY leaks were there to start with.
I bought my 2002 Sport Edition with 158xxx on it and immediately changed to synthetic without a single problem, I end up spending a bit more each year using synthetic instead of petroleum solely because I change the oil in a year regardless of mileage and I only drive about 5000 miles a year usually, BUT I still use synthetic and do not mind spending a few extra bucks to guarantee I run the best oil, keep the inside of the engine clean.
If you average more than 10,000 miles a year then synthetic will not cost you any more than petroleum, if you travel A LOT of highways miles per year then you could actually save money running synthetic.
So there is absolutely zero reason to not run synthetic.
I run synthetic everything, ATF, Gear lube, everything.
If anything petroleum oil is on its way out to be replaced completely by synthetics. In fact lubricants are probably on their way out within the next 50 years as most likely everything will have to go electric before much longer.
It has without question been FAR better in every way than any petroleum oil.
On 2 vehicles a 1999 Lexus and a 1990 Honda Prelude both got better gas mileage, the Lexus I was able to use a lower viscosity 0W-30 instead of 5W30 that lower viscosity plus being synthetic boosted my MPG from 26-27mpg up to 30-31mpg on straight highway miles, so roughly 3mpg.
Also being one of the worst offenders to "sludge" the engine has instead remained sparking clean with ZERO sludge.
This engine WILL sludge using petroleum oil and I dont care if you change it every 1,500 miles because how it sludges is when you get the engine hot and then turn it off the top of this engine gets red hot and as the oil runs down after the engine is turned off a thin film is left to BAKE on this red hot top end.
That thin film turns to sludge layer after layer IF you use petroleum PERIOD.
Changing to synthetic which has a MUCH higher flash point stops that problem plus the detergents in the synthetic oil clean the engine nicely.
I would not even own this car without synthetic oil.
The Honda I got about 1-2mpg better mileage.
All other vehicles I 'may" be getting about 1mpg better but hard to say.
The reason I started using synthetic was when I used to have a nicely built 2180CC VW Baja Bug, quick as hell but would lose power once it warmed up.
The throttle in cold weather and right when I started it was like a motorcycle, had instant petal response and I could actually feel it lose horsepower the hotter it got. I tried everything, added a deep oil pan and sump pump, added a large oil cooler and then put the cooler on the roof under a scoop all of which added several quarts of extra oil which helped a bit but just took a bit longer to lose power.
One day I tried synthetic and BAM, problem solved, NEVER lost power again even in summer while running all day in the desert.
So nobody can tell me that synthetic does not make any difference, I KNOW for an absolute fact otherwise.
It also does NOT cost anymore in the long run as you can easily get 7000-10,000 miles out it instead of 3000, so what have you saved by using cheaper petroleum oil and changing it 2-3X as much? ZIP
As for the OP question, using synthetic is no problem at all in any engine at any age as long as that engine has not over heated and baked its gaskets or sludged and dried out its gaskets, in this case it could possibly leak after the synthetic cleans the sludge away. Although it is also just as likely that it could swell the gaskets back up and reseal itself depending on how bad they are, but either way ANY leaks were there to start with.
I bought my 2002 Sport Edition with 158xxx on it and immediately changed to synthetic without a single problem, I end up spending a bit more each year using synthetic instead of petroleum solely because I change the oil in a year regardless of mileage and I only drive about 5000 miles a year usually, BUT I still use synthetic and do not mind spending a few extra bucks to guarantee I run the best oil, keep the inside of the engine clean.
If you average more than 10,000 miles a year then synthetic will not cost you any more than petroleum, if you travel A LOT of highways miles per year then you could actually save money running synthetic.
So there is absolutely zero reason to not run synthetic.
I run synthetic everything, ATF, Gear lube, everything.
If anything petroleum oil is on its way out to be replaced completely by synthetics. In fact lubricants are probably on their way out within the next 50 years as most likely everything will have to go electric before much longer.
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TheDurk
Elite Member
Sorry, not worth the effort. Just note that your study only talks about the base oil. It admits that. This has nothing to do with the effective service life of a motor oil. There are two things that cause motor oil to lose its effectiveness--contamination and depletion of the additive packages. If you could pass a magic wand and clean your oil and dump in a new bottle of additives, you could run your oil indefinitely, dino or synthetic.
Contamination is pretty much independent of the dino/synthetic thing. I run an oversized NAPA Platinum filter #41516 to take care of that. As to additives, my UOA's show plenty of additive life left at 6500 OIC. Blackstone suggests I could go longer. So I'm happy. You do what you want to do, but no way am I running dino for 6500+ in my truck.
Here is an on point article from the very publication you linked to. Please read it. http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/660/changing-oil-synthetic
It talks about the same BN test I am referring to in my UOA's.
The above is EXACTLY what I am saying.
Come back when you are done reading and we can talk about motor oil service life and not something else.
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TheDurk
Elite Member
I don't use a different filter because of the synthetic, I use it because of the longer change interval I practice. Toyota OEM is certainly good up to a 5k OCI dino or synth. Longer, and you might consider a mid-interval change or a larger filter. I'm sure a lot of people don't do either.
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rangermenace
New member
isn't all oil synthetic anyway, if it wasn't how could they make such claims one is better than the other or improved.
:toilet3:
:toilet3:
MadCityRich
New member
Oh dear lord! Your engine will spew oil from all orifices like it's got ebola if you switch to synthetics. You will spend $2500 just fixing your engine if you go to synthetics past 40,000 miles!
:barf:
I like synthetic oil. I put it in my ATV, 4Runner, and Subaru engines and drivelines. Does it make a difference? I don't have fancy lab reports and I've never done a blind taste test. But synthetics do allow for more flexibility in extending your replacement period and handle very cold weather better. So I think I'm getting value and I have a comfort margin. If I wanted to replace my oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles I might just stick with regular oil. But I'm lazy and would prefer to have a better product in my engine.
I switched a 1988 BMW 535i with 199,000 miles on to synthetic a number of years ago. Drove it hard for another 100,000 miles before selling it. Zero oil leaks or burning. I'm not a fan of Mobil 1 5W-30. It's a very thin XW-30 and I've had a history of it disappearing on my old '95 Toyota pickup and turbo Subaru engines. I've been using Pennzoil Platinum for a while in the 4Runner with nothing bad happening at 180k. I use Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 in the Subaru (turbo'd) and ATV (wet clutch) and have been happy with that. Both are commonly available in Wal-Mart or other retailers. I did the Amsoil thing for a while, but buying it was a pain and I stopped before I they opened their overpriced online store. But Amsoil had been good in my experience.
We also treat my wife's 2001 Outback to regular dino oil. That engine does lose oil between changes and I don't see the sense of putting synthetic in it when it sees one to two fresh quarts between changes.
Use synthetic if you want to. Whichever helps you sleep better is the way to go, in my opinion.
MadCityRich
2002 4Runner
stuff done
:barf:
I like synthetic oil. I put it in my ATV, 4Runner, and Subaru engines and drivelines. Does it make a difference? I don't have fancy lab reports and I've never done a blind taste test. But synthetics do allow for more flexibility in extending your replacement period and handle very cold weather better. So I think I'm getting value and I have a comfort margin. If I wanted to replace my oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles I might just stick with regular oil. But I'm lazy and would prefer to have a better product in my engine.
I switched a 1988 BMW 535i with 199,000 miles on to synthetic a number of years ago. Drove it hard for another 100,000 miles before selling it. Zero oil leaks or burning. I'm not a fan of Mobil 1 5W-30. It's a very thin XW-30 and I've had a history of it disappearing on my old '95 Toyota pickup and turbo Subaru engines. I've been using Pennzoil Platinum for a while in the 4Runner with nothing bad happening at 180k. I use Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 in the Subaru (turbo'd) and ATV (wet clutch) and have been happy with that. Both are commonly available in Wal-Mart or other retailers. I did the Amsoil thing for a while, but buying it was a pain and I stopped before I they opened their overpriced online store. But Amsoil had been good in my experience.
We also treat my wife's 2001 Outback to regular dino oil. That engine does lose oil between changes and I don't see the sense of putting synthetic in it when it sees one to two fresh quarts between changes.
Use synthetic if you want to. Whichever helps you sleep better is the way to go, in my opinion.
MadCityRich
2002 4Runner
stuff done
chimpy
New member
The great oil debate!:nono: Even though I do most of my own work on my 4runner, I still just drive down the road to my local Toyota dealer and let them do the oil change. They get to clean up after the oil filter removal
and they dispose of the old oil and filter while I sit in the quiet lobby enjoying a complimentary beverage and wi-fi knowing the 4runner is getting genuine Toyota motor oil/filter. It has 165,000 miles and the Toyota oil has not failed me yet. In fact , when I check the oil periodically between oil changes, the oil looks great. To each their own I guess.
and they dispose of the old oil and filter while I sit in the quiet lobby enjoying a complimentary beverage and wi-fi knowing the 4runner is getting genuine Toyota motor oil/filter. It has 165,000 miles and the Toyota oil has not failed me yet. In fact , when I check the oil periodically between oil changes, the oil looks great. To each their own I guess.
