jazz1

My only reason for considering changing is for easier starting. Dinosaur oil loses all viscosity in these these temps. Wife's toyota running synthetic spins over easily. Temperature currently -35C,,,wish you were here??

snippits

I had a 3.1L V6 that leaked oil from the intake ends after using synthetic. I won't ever make that mistake again. 3.1 intake repair is a big job just to fix an oil leak. Luckily, the rear seal did not leak.

Most all the big name 5W-30 oils are synthetic blends now. I would give that a try before I used a full synthetic oil.

jazz1

I'm heading out to get some synthetic gear oil. Dinosaur oil just way to stiff in this -35 weather. I'll change out oil in diffs as well as transmission for now.

ev13wt

It will make zero difference in anything.
I suggest 40 weight (Oil is a bit thicker at operating temp than a 30, so great for a high milage motor that might have some clearences greater than recommended.)

Blownchevelle68

I ran synthetic in my 147k mile 22RE this last year. Did not have any issue with it, started easy through this winter. Just switched to 10w30 conventional, no difference noted there either.

Now I just changed all gear oils last week and went with conventional 85w90. Temps dropped down to -20 overnight this week and it was SUPER thick in the 5 spd and seemed like driving for the first few miles, that the brake was stuck on-But it was just the thick oil in the differentials.

jazz1

I changed my oil in diffs, transfer case and transmission to full synthetic 75 90. It makes a world of difference getting the truck rolling. We have been in a deep freeze, -40 the past 3 nights along with a 50 Km winds last night.. Ya know why they call this Gods Country?,,,,cuz nobody else wanted it

Laura Hall

I recently put a quart of synthetic oil into my 350,000 mile 86 truck(I didn't know it's not good to mix) and within days my engine compartment is covered with oil spewing from the oil pump. So I get new pan gasket oil pump,



filter and like a total dork the jug of oil I bought is synthetic. I live way out in the mountains where running back to town to return it is like several hours away. Should I go ahead with the oil change using the synthetic or wait till someone goes into town and get regular oil?

JJ'89

Hurt your pocketbook a little if you don't need the synthetic lube qualities. I use it my 192,000 mile '89 22RE in Fresno. I don't believe that I will get a perceptible decrease in fuel consumption. I don't believe that it will cause increased oil leaks, or oil consumption. I don't believe that it will make my engine last longer. I do believe that it flows better in cold temperatures, which is not much of a problem in central California. So, I'll get oil pressure and flow a little bit sooner during cold starts. I don't think there are any downsides; and I don't think there are significant upsides unless you live in a cold climate like Minnesota, etc. I use Walmart SuperTech 10-30 full synth. I don't pay attention to advertising hype or other popular stuff like so-called "performance" air cleaners, and "performance" exhausts, and "everybody says", and because I'm a crotchety old geezer... My $0.02

Laura Hall

thatinks for the input a friend just looked under my hood and may have found my oil leak as the 4 rubber things holding down the valve cover are pretty shot out so I just got good ones from a parts truck and hopefully....

old87yota

The synthetic oil should be just fine. If your oil seals are leaking, it is because they are bad, not because the synthetic oil ruined them.

While I do agree there is a lot of marketing hype around aftermarket "performance orange" or "performance blue" parts, the benefits of synthetic oil isn't marketing hype. A lot of actual engineering, research, and testing have gone into making synthetic oils.

As you pointed out, the primary benefit is how synthetic oil flows when cold, and that is not insignificant. The majority of engine wear happens at startup, so an oil that can flow better during cold startups can increase engine life.

Now, how much of a difference that makes in our older engines that weren't designed around modern synthetic oils, I don't really know. Modern engines however do benefit from the advancements in synthetic oil lubrication.

Laura Hall

ok synthetic it is. Thanks for the advice . Got it almost apart to put oil pump in tomorrow hopefully the seal will be in better shape then the one that's leaked oil every˟˟˟˟ingwhere.

swampedout

One thing to know abt the pump seals is they wear grooves into the crankshaft so if you are still unable to get a good seal, look at buying a thinner one that seals one a different spot of the shaft. I forget who sells them..

swampedout

https://www.yotashop.com/toyota-prem...-kit-kit-1019/

This one uses a sleeve to seal. Idk anything abt the quality of this particular kit but just showing it as an example

Laura Hall

youre all gonna love this. So drea DC ing the crankshaft bolt etc. I went at it this morning and the bolt wasn't even finger tight and the pulley came off with a touch of my finger. Shaft did not have grooves .power washed all the ssd's sludge off no oil le as ke do...tomorrow oil change with synthetic. Thank you all for the h ed lp and encouragement. Sometimes the as t goes a long way.

Blueman

I run Castrol 20W50 High Mileage, which is a synthetic blend, and have zero issues (no leaks, no consumption problems) on a 197k engine.

2ToyGuy

I've been running Castrol Syntec 10W30 in both my trucks for nearly 30 years now. Change it out every 5,000 mi, or 1 year, whichever comes first.

I got sold on it when, believe it or not, I was riding a '74 Kawasaki 4 cylinder Police Special motorcycle in a parade for Memorial Day, in Yuma, Az. Back in 88 or so. There were a batch or us riding in the parade, but, as usual, things got bogged down, and there was no movement for long periods. Those of us with air-cooled machines were beginning to have real problems with heat. It was only a 105° F day, not bad for Yuma, but...
Anywho, it got to the point we had to leave, shut down, something. We started doing some "fancy riding" around our little space in the parade. We were just trying to cool the bikes down, the announcers made it sound like we had practiced for months to perfect the maneuvers and tricks. Boy, we sure had THEM fooled!
Once I got home, I pulled the oil filler cap, and took a sniff. I was certain I'd smell burnt oil. Nothing. I let it cool, and dipped a finger in the oil. Still slick as new, good color, nothing. It was as though the bike never even got warm. The shop had used the Syntec 10W30 in it when they changed some worn out parts in the engine.

Even when a friend of mine overheated my 4Runner, threw the water pump belt, then drove it till it overheated, let it cool, drove it till it overheated, rinse repeat, until he got it back to my house. The tools and a belt were in the back, but he never even looked. Just screwed up the head driving it that way. BUT, the oil, even after a number of overheats, was as good as new.

I am sold on this stuff. I won't use anything else, although if we have a very cold winter here in Oregon, I go down to 5W30. Makes it a little better for the engine when starting it cold.
Just my experience and opinions...
Pat☺

JoeS

Why? I run Castrol GTX 10W-40 conventional year round in my 86 22RE that now has 473,000 miles. It still doesn't burn enough oild between 5000 mile oil changes to ever check the dip stick level. Conventional is way cheaper, has plenty good cleaners, and the tolerances on a 22RE that has no variable timing system passages that t require thinner synthetic oils. Stick with what you are running. If you change the oil every 5000 miles that engine will last 400,000 plus. Save your money for beers and tacos.

BDMTR86

An engine does not "get used to" much of anything (unless it is a clever EFI System) as you said oil is oil.. the transition from conventional to Synthetic with not cause issues. i have heard some people say you will lose lubrication in the transition, but that's just silly.... the syn. will replace the protection of conv. and vice-versa. I also agree that it may dislodge some sludge and build up and it may cause "new" sounds in your engine but i assure you those problems were already there.

jazz1

Like I said I have synthetic in my axles, transmission and transfer case but for the engine I'm still using conventional oil. I only drive 5000 miles annually and have to switch to lighter oil during winter. Maybe a synthetic 10w30 could be used year round as it does maintain its viscosity at low temps much better than conventional which you have to squeeze out of the jug at -30

Blueman

The Castrol High Mileage 20W50 is a synthetic blend, and I've had no issues with it. Before it came into existence, I used the standard Castrol 20W50. I've had no issues with leaks, new sludge, etc.

Gearboxes are all conventional, but I'd consider switching to a Redline synthetic at next change.