AuroraHonda

I drive a 1997 Accord EX F22b1. My question is.. can i switch to synthetic engine oil? since the car was owned by the 1st owner its been using Regular Engine Oil. And i Kinda wanna use synthetic oil now. is it possible to switch now? and would it be a good idea? also what steps do i need to take before i make the switch?

wildstyle554

im pretty sure its ok to just do a regular oil and filter change and pour in synthentic instead of conventional

donaldadams

synthetic oil is fine... but do some research and figure out which synthetic oil is best for ur car

nus_dogg

Its fine. You can switch back and fourth as long as you want. Alot of people will say you can't go back once you go Synthetic but everyone's got their own theory. I read that its ok to go back and fourth from a site that valvoline did.

Do a research and you'll find out alot more.

AuroraHonda

I heard that too I dont see why it would be a problem to switch back to coventional? I did read some research and it just told me the benifets and what synthetic oil is. Nothing about Why it would be a problem to go back to conventional. and Nothing about what kinda i should.

nus_dogg

Yeah, you'll be fine. I've been on and off with Synthetic, so no biggie.

AuroraHonda

Do synthetics go the same as conventional? Like i use 5W-30 In my Accord now so is there a 5W-30 in synthetic?

nus_dogg

Yes, its the same. Just make sure it says "Fully Synthetic" and that its 5W-30.

oblivion2kx

And theres also that saying when you switch to sythetic. Once you go Synthetic, you dont go back.

AuroraHonda

lol Ok Fully Synthetic. Got it... So is there A like "half and half"? like Something inbetween Conentional and Synthetic?

nicolaselias

In reference to your "half anf half", there is synthetic blend .. Castrol Syntec Blend (grey bottle) being the most popular I think.... If you ask me, it is a 100% complete waste of money.. it is never more than 25% synthetic (as this is the minimum required to call it a blend) and costs almost as much as full synthetic..

If my memory serves, it is about $18 or $19 for a gallon of blend in walmart, whereas full castrol syntec is about $21.50 or $22 (so is mobil1 on sale)

I swear by synthetic and use it in all my cars (usually mobil1) but what is your reason for switching and what benefits are you looking for?

I strongly reccomend walmart as the best place to buy oil, but right now, advance auto has some very ecellent oil change specials (not sure if they are in your area)


For all your oil questions, The "Engine Oil Bible" is a great place to look
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

Good luck



PS. to all forum members, do not turn this into a group III vs group IV argument, lets keep it simple

nus_dogg

nicholas's got it!

fastlane2

Honesty you can switch to with synthetic. I did and still had a engine spin a rod bearing. Don't look at it as a miracle or end all solution. The Quality of the brand is more important than the type. Most people never change there tranny fuild so when there perfect engine is at 150k now there car is $2k in the hole.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Why would you switch to synthetic? There is not really a reason to in that motor after years and years of dino fluids. Why bother? You're not going to see the benefit from the added cost of the fluid.

I switched my S2000 to synthetic because it's lower mileage and newer hasn't been on dino that long. But after all those years and miles I don't see the benefit.

As a side note Mobil1 synthetic really isn't a full synthetic, it just barely qualifies as one and performs poorly vs Mobil1 Extended Performance (true syn) and other full synthetics (Royal Purple,Amsoil, etc)

nicolaselias

thanks for chiming in muffin man, but I was trying to keep it basic and leave out the group III vs group IV talks....

I also asked in my post the reason for wanting to switch to syn... the reality is that nearly any oil you can get at a retailer from the big names mobil, shell (penzoil, quaker state included), valvoline, castrol etc are quality fluids.. there will be such a small quality difference between the bunch...

I believe more than the brand difference, the type of oil is what matters.. as in, I rate any synthetic from a respected brand better than the equivalent dino.. not only for oil change intervals, but for protection and resistance to thermal breakdown...
Also, from my experience the detergent mix in synthetic is usually a lot better at removing sludge already stuck in the engine without bothering to flush the engine (seafoam, flushing oil etc)

In the end, to each their own, but I know my driving style so I make my decisions accordingly..

Also, its never "too late" to switch to synthetic.. if you think that you want the extra engine protection then why not.. just dont expect it to fix any prior issues....

bseriescrxsi

yea i have a 91 accord and see no reason in going synthetic and in my mazda rx8 i cant go synthetic as per mazda so there is obviously some kinda difference in it

19Accord97

I'll be going to Penzoil Platinum my next oil change

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Understandable, the groups of oil discussions can turn into pages upon pages - I'm currently following one on NSXPrime haha.

I don't disagree that synthetics (generally speaking) can be "better" than their dino equivalents, but in a low compression motor that's had 150k+ miles with moderate driving (read: not severe conditions) what's the reason to spend an extra $2/quart on oil? It isn't going to benefit that motor that much to warrant the cost. You're probably better off even cost wise to run Seafoam (just since you mentioned it) once every so often then change your oil with dino to remove gunk.

I think your statement of "to each their own" is probably best. I don't ever see my 97 Accord warranting an extra $8 for synthetic per change ever. I'll probably clean the EGR ports and Seafoam it soon but Synthetic is just kinda overkill for it at least.

Now, I will say that in a freshly built f22 motor, or turbo f22 motor, or whatever I would most certainly start with synthetic since you've got a clean slate regardless of miles.

nicolaselias

Not sure where you located man, but advance auto currently has PP on special for $5 a qt.. or you can just go to walmart and buy the big jug for cheaper than that..

If what I have read is to be believed, PP is pretty much exactly the same as Q Horsepower..

-------------------

To the OP:.. When doing an oil change, try not to cheap out on the oil filter... I'm not saying to buy something that costs more than the oil, but try to avoid the cheapest on shelf...

I'm sure everyone has a take on this, but If I want something reasonably priced which I believe to be excellent quality, I go for the Purolator PureOne filter (which you can get for about 9.50 for a pair on amazon) or $5 in stores ..

If I want to splash out on an absolute top of the line filter, Mobil1 is usually my choice (even though K+N filters are almost the same, just with a little less flow restriction)..

I personally avoid Fram like the plague but as we mentioned before, to each their own...

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Agreed on the filter - Mobil1 is the only one I use

19Accord97

I'll probably just get it at Wally World. What is Q Horsepower?

Upon doing my own research and reading over synthetics, it seems that PP has caused less problems than some other synthetics.

nicolaselias

interesting you mentioned "less problems" but what exactly are problems caused by synthetics? In my mind there are none whatsoever...

Q horsepower is Quaker State horsepower, their synthetic line.. which is priced almost equally to penzoil platinum (and is also made by SOPUS.. aka Shell)..

and wally world as you call it is usually my first stop for oil unless advance is running a crazy good special.. eg. right now 5qt's mobil1 extended performance (26 in wal M) and mobil1 filter (~$12) for $30... nice deal..

majalcar65

Syn blend is one of the top ripoff in oil sales. Anyone can mix 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 syn/dino oil, as long as they are same grades. I've been mixing (50/50) oil for over a decade in my current and previous cars. All my cars went over 100K mls easily w/o power train problems. My 92 Honda Accord EX is closing in to 257K mls and still running strong.

nicolaselias

is there any risk in mixing different grades? Reason I ask is that I always have about a qt and a half leftover from my big bottles on oil changes, and I dont want to see it waste...
eg. what would happen if I mixed 10w-30 and 5w-50.. would I end up with 7.5w-40 haha

on a complete side note, all the fluids (besides antifreeze) in my volvo are now synthetic.. mobil1 oil, motul rbf600 brake fluid, Amsoil ATF and Pentosin CHF202 power steering fluid.. not that I have to.. I just like the peace of mind...

when it comes to the accord, only the motor oil is syn, the PSF and ATF I stick with genuine honda..

majalcar65

It's absolutely not advisable to mix different oil grades. You can mix any brand but not the grades. I also use all synthetic fluids except in my tranny and power steering.