RobertInCypress

Recently bought my Silverado - 2000 5.3L V8, 181,500 miles - the previous owner said all he used in it was Royal Purple synthetic oil, if this is true what kind of mileage should i get to each oil change? my guess would be around 5K but im not sure since my truck has alot of miles on it.
also what is a good oil filter to use? i used STP filters in my last truck but it wasnt as old as the Chevy.

maxxman04

5k sounds bout right. ac delco for the filter.

nauticstar87

I change my oil at 5,000. I've gone by my Oil Life Monitor once and it went to 7500, thats just to much. I reckon once I break 150,000, I'm gonna change it at 3,000, depending on what shape its in at the time, it only has 21,000 right now. I use Synthetic pennzoil. Was raised on Pennzoil and swear by it.
If your truck was well taken care of, I'd let it go to 5k, I think.
As for Filters, I use fram, but I'm being cheap for now. I've been researching filters.

NOVAZ27

When you run synthetic oil you should still change the filter at about the 3k mark. Cheap insurance + when you are crawling underneath you can check things out. Lube any grease zerks if necessary. Of course when you replace the filter add fresh synthetic to top everything off. Works for me.

HOPE THIS HELPS.

tsduke

IMO, this is the most commonly overlooked part of the conventional vs syn argument. Even if syn is proven to go longer I don't think filters should.

rrjorg

Is it true (with todays synthetic) that you can actually go back from synthetic or a blend (Castrol) with no problems? I know when they 1st came out with synthetic, you were not supposed to. Now I'm seeing more and more about doing it on usually older models. 1 mechanic I talked to said that people do it to go to these "high mileage" oils. I would appreciate any info. A good friend is seeking advice on an old truck that was given to him. I haven't seen it and don't know details yet but will soon. Thanks!
Jorg.

JK23112

Synthetic oil does "outlast" mineral oil - no doubt; but it still can get dirty. That being said, I would still change it every 3,000 to 4,000 miles the same as dino oil. I have done that with almost every car I have owned during the past twenty years or so. Does it cost a bit more? Yeah; sure.

However, using synthetic oil and changing it (and the filter, of course) yourself is still cheaper than taking your vehicle to a shop and having them use regular oil in it.

If you go from "regular oil" to synthetic oil on a higher-mileage vehicle, just beware of any leaks. That synthetic stuff is so slippery that it will find the smallest hole in a gasket - and you'll be losing a quart every other week in no time. Keep an eye on that dipstick if you switch to the good stuff!

Good luck!

~ P.S. As for "going back" to regular oil after using synthetic, you could most certainly do that with no harm; but you would have to really stick firmly to your change interval since it breaks down faster than synthetic oil does. ~

maxxman04

i would recommend if you go back to conventional, that you use a good engine flush to get as much of the synthetic out as you can. just to be safe. and then no more than 3k miles between oil changes.

rrjorg

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!
rrJorg