Synthetic oil?

[Hondaman4ever]

Hi. New here with only a couple of other posts and I hope I'm posting in the right place. Just bought a '98 LX Civic with 230,000 KMs. My question is, I'm thinking about switching to synthetic oil but I'm still not sure if it's a good thing of not. I've read, and read, and read some more and I just can't seem to get a final answer. Some say synthetic is better for the engine but some insist it's bad for an older one. I'm still leaning towards "it's better" judging by all the evidence and facts presented. On the other side, those who are against it seem to have nothing but hearsay or myths. My car doesn't seem to have any leaks (no oil spots on the ground but maybe a valve cover gasket leak and I'm not even sure about that yet).

I'm paying $35 for oil changes (regular oil) but I'm thinking about doing future changes myself now and a 4 ltr jug of Mobil 1 synthetic oil is sold for $25 CAD here. So, price wise, it's not a problem.

What are your opinions ?

Thanks.

 

[RonJ]

Welcome friend from the northern tundra.

When you switch to synthetic, your engine will likely develop oil leaks. However, the leaks can be fixed by replacing the gaskets, such as the oil pan, distributor, and valve cover gaskets. In addition, after the oil switch you should replace the oil and filter again after a few thousand miles. If this sounds like a pain in the ass to you, then stick with standard oil.

 

[Hondaman4ever]

Thanks for the welcome, RonJ. Also thanks for the answer. That's what I kept reading - that leaks might develop after switching to synthetic. But I'm thinking such leaks aren't a serious thing since they're only caused by worn gaskets. I think I have to look into it and see if it's something I can do myself. This synthetic oil thing is tempting though. Better protection, slightly better gas mileage, and less frequent oil changes all sound like a good thing and more savings in the long run.

Thanks again, man.

 

[RonJ]

Thanks for the welcome, RonJ. Also thanks for the answer. That's what I kept reading - that leaks might develop after switching to synthetic. But I'm thinking such leaks aren't a serious thing since they're only caused by worn gaskets. I think I have to look into it and see if it's something I can do myself. This synthetic oil thing is tempting though. Better protection, slightly better gas mileage, and less frequent oil changes all sound like a good thing and more savings in the long run.

Thanks again, man.

Yep.

If you have any questions along the way, just post them.

 

[Ice Cream Kid]

Okay this might be stupid, but what I've been told is don't put synthetic oil into it unless it's been run on synthetic its whole life?

 

[Hondaman4ever]

Thanks again, RonJ. I appreciate it.


Ice Cream kid, what you were told is wrong and has no truth to it.

 

[sj350]

id stick to standard 10/40.. its an old car u dnt wanna change the oil now.plus u wouldnt see a lot of changes peformance wise..thats just what they say in the label. 10/40 semi synthetic is the way man.i had a 1989 civic.runs like a dream.never had a problme with oil.

Synthetic is good for low mileage vehicles 0-130k-150k.After that, switch to semi-synthetic to about 200k
then go to standard. Synthetic is a good lubricant but overtime your piston rings will ware naturally and will let organic and non-organic material into your engine. Synthetic cannot distill a large amount of those materials. Semi-Synthetic can distill more than synthetic and can also lubricate well. so i wud stick to semi since your car is 230k

 

[xxBLOOD88SHOTxx]

Synthetic is good for low mileage vehicles 0-130k-150k.After that, switch to semi-synthetic to about 200k
then go to standard. Synthetic is a good lubricant but overtime your piston rings will ware naturally and will let organic and non-organic material into your engine. Synthetic cannot distill a large amount of those materials. Semi-Synthetic can distill more than synthetic and can also lubricate well. so i wud stick to semi since your car is 230k

wow, way to be wrong. The amount of detergents is 99% of synthetic is almost always greater then any conventional and mixed blends because of the greater amount of molecules per same size volume. Not to mention how much longer synthetic lasts compared to conventional.

 

[Hondaman4ever]

Thank you all for the input. I think the debate (whether synthetic is good or bad for older cars) will never end. I'm just barely starting to read about it but I think if it doesn't do any good it sure doesn't do any bad, but I am actually convinced it does do good regardless of how old the car is.