can I get help with Synthetic oil?

[Ed_Strong]

I have a 2000 Windstar LX 3.8L with 37,000K.mi on it and going to do an oil change on it soon, I was wondering if I should use Synthetic 5W30 motor oil or if I should stick to reg 5W30 oil?
What are the advantages of using Synthetic?
Have anyone here ever had troubles after switching to Synthetic?
Will it make my engine leak or drink the Synthetic after so many years running on petro based lubricants?
How often do you do oil changes after switching?
Is Mobil1 the way to go or are there other brands just as good?
Is $22.87 for a 5 quart jug of Mobil1 a good deal?

Anyone kind enough to give me the run around introduction?

[wiswind]

I used Mobil 1 for many miles.......
I would use the EP version......for a little more cost.
The synthetic will give you better cold flow, and better heat tolerance.
FORD did issue a TSB stating that you can use 5W-20 oil in your vehicle that calls for 5W-30 in the owner's manual.
"For better protection and fuel economy"
I have Redline 5W-20 in mine.....but it is pretty expensive.....I buy it online to bring the price down.


You will find opinions all over the place on how long to leave the oil in there....and a lot of factors come into play......how many miles you drive each year.....short trip, towing, long periods of idling, freeway miles.....weather.......condition of engine......

1. if you are needing to add coolant......you will not want to leave oil in for very long (more than 4K miles) unless you have the used oil tested for coolant content.
I had a very slight usage of coolant.....only needed to add maybe a quart in 2 months......but the critical thing was that I had a very slight amount of coolant showing up in my oil test.......so I kept my oil change interval short (3K miles) until I repaired the leak......lower intake manifold gaskets.
You can visit www.blackstone-labs.com for information and a free sample kit with mailer.

You can also have a test for "TBN" which is a test that tells you how much of the additive pack is still in place.
They will tell you if you can go longer between changes, or if you need to change it sooner.

2. If you do not need to add coolant, then it comes down to how long you want to leave the oil filter in place.


So, the best way to look at extending the oil change interval would be having the TBN test done.....as that will tell you how the oil is doing in your engine, with your driving situation.

[Ed_Strong]

Well, great write up... I appreciate it. One of the things that makes me think is the fact that if normal petro lubricants stay for 3000 miles. Then I figured that synthetics should last at least twice of that to offset the extra cost. I mean if I'm still going to change the oil every 3K or 3 months then why pay more to get the same product life?
I understand that some areas of the country have some tough weather conditions (real hot summers and deep cold winters), but on my neck of the woods (South West Florida), the temp is a constant 80-92 degrees most of the year except for around this time when it dips to the low 65-75s and low 50s at night if only for a couple of weeks, nothing big or extreme!
Most of my driving consist of 10,000-12,000 miles of driving each year. hardly any short trips, no towing, no extended idling, average freeway miles... but most of our roads are between 45-55MPH. Weather is dry and dusty during winter and spring, and then is that crazy rain most of the rest of the year (even during summer). The condition of the engine... well it just turned 37K.mi today and runs great except for a stuborn rough idle at cold startup which goes away as soon as you start driving.
Also, I almost forgot to ask. How does the oil filter fairs in all this? Will I need to get a better or different oil filter than what I use for regular oil?

[phil-l]

I use Mobil 5W-30 in my 2000 Windstar with Motorcraft filter exclusively. I bought the van used at about 30K miles, so I presume it ran on dino oil originally. No problems in the switch (no consumption or leak issues); I'm at about 80K miles now. Another data point: I changed my '86 Mustang 5.0 to Mobil 1 10W-10 at about 120K miles. At 209K miles, it's fine.

I don't push change intervals too much; perhaps 5-6 thousand miles. I switched to synthetic for vehicle longevity, not extended changes. I've thought about doing oil analysis - but the analysis costs about what an oil change does.

[Ed_Strong]

Hey phil-l:
You said you switched to synthetic for vehicle longevity... how's that? What makes synthetic engine oil so much better than dino oil?
wiswind tells me that synthetic will give you better cold flow, and better heat tolerance which is great and all but not really a big deal since my ambient temps don't change that much... well maybe the heat tolerance will be more important.
But if Synthetic is significantly better at promoting better engine life, like better detergents, better contamination protection, less blowby, etc., I'll go ahead and do the change for sure.
So, according to my driving conditions which oil would you recommend?
Please pardon my ignorance, but I've never given synthetics a look before but since I've read so many things about it I figured why not give it a shot. Of course I could go to the manufacturers and find the info myself, but they're to make a sell and I rather hear it from the customer (end user) specially when they drive the same vehicle I drive.

[rodeo02]

Ed, unless you need to start your van regularly in EXTREME cold, need to drive often in extreme ambient temps, or plan to extend your oil change intervals to beyond 7500mi, a synthetic engine oil wont do anything special for you over running a ~$1.79/qt 5w-20. What it boils down to is synthetic oil's 'resistance' to extremes of temp and ablility for extended oil change intervals. If neither of those fits your conditions, you wont see a benefit.

Joel

[road_rascal]

I change oil in both my vehicles every 6 months using synthetic (Pennzoil Platinum 5w/30- was using M1). Here in MN weather is a little extreme nd driving is considered extreme (stop and go, short trips, etc). Changing it every 6 months is easier to remember (Dec and June), van has 3-4K on the oil while the car has 6-8K.

[pitteach]

I switched my 2000 80k mi to Mobil1 Extended Life + filter about 4mths ago. No probs with leakage and usage. I like the cold start protection- van seems a bit more willing when the temps drop. Change intervals call for 15k or 1 year I believe, but mine does a lot of short hops so I will limit that to 6 mths. Because of the longer intervals, the price becomes comparable to dino oil so I don't see that as an issue. Even though your in summy FLa. I would use the synthetic oil, all the research on oils shows most synthetics as far superior to conventional. It is all I will use now, and is a small investment if you plan to hold on to the vehicle. Good luck.