hillcrst

I have a 2000 Silverado with the 5.3 engine in it. I just purchased it with about 52000 miles on it. I have all of the records of regular oil changes at 3000 mile intervals (plus or minus a little). I would like to change to synthetic oil to make sure that I get the most life out of the engine. I have read that the first change you do with synthetic should only go for about 2500 miles before changing to remove the build up. My question is can I use a cheaper synthetic (like Castrol Syntec) for the first time and then switch to a premium synthetic like Royal Purple? I would hate to drain a $36 dollar oil change at 2500 miles. Thanks for your help

v1950

HI
I'm no expert but what I've read is that the filter is the big thing.
synthetic can run 7 to 10,000 miles as long as you change filter's regular.{about 3,000 miles}
would change first mix at 3000 if it was me.

Old Coot

I've been wondering about which oil was best since I started driving, 55 years ago. I've heard don't use this and there is no better then that. The best information I've ever found is this article on the Corvette forum. Is it right? I don't know, but I do know he knows more then I do. It is a lot of reading.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1791708

melat70

Hi Hillcrest
I would like to pass on some very good advice from NHSilverado, so I hope he doesn't mind.





As long as you have done "religious 3K oil changes" you will probably be okay swapping over at 85K. You have to be careful swapping to a synthetic oil for the 1st time on high mileage vehicles. As long as you do not have any oil leaks or seepage issues now( ie; valve covers, intake, rear main, etc... ), and as long as you do not burn more than 1 qt every 3K or so, you should be fine swapping over. If however, you have either one, or both, of those issues now then take care of them 1st. Otherwise they will worsen with synthetic oil.

Also, with 85K run solely on conventional oil you will have some internal build up and sludge. Just will even with those 3K OC's. Just won't be really bad. You are best off to do anther quick OC( like 2500 miles or so )after the initial swap over. The detergents in synthetic are vastly superior to those in conventional oil and they are going to dissovle any and all "gunk" in there( actually this is what leads to the problems above - the detergents remove the build up thus exposing areas that the build up were sealing off which makes them start to leak or leak worse).

Don't run an extended oil change interval( like 10K+ - I wouldn't even go 5K on the 1st one)the very 1st change with it. If you do then you run the risk of clogging the filter and/or oil pickup screen with all that crud in the oil. Do a quick OC and check to see how bad the filter is and the oil coming out. You may even want to do another 2500 mile OC. After 1 or 2 you can start running whatever OCI you wish. The 1 or 2 quick ones are just a precaution, BUT, IMO, a necessary one..

There is some truth I guessto the old wives tale about not swapping brands of oil on vehicles. Thatis related toconventional oils though and the specific minerals and such in them based on where the crude came from( ie; PA vs TX crude base stock ). Supposedly it can lead to some issues if you swap brands all the time. Is it true? I don't know 100% for sure but it was how I was taught and thus I believe it to be so. I have never done a lot of brand swapping on conventional oil as a result.

The one vehicle I did use whatever name brand oil was cheaper( had an oil leak I couldn't afford to fix right away), and thus I usedmany brands, hada crank bearing go on me. Was it the oil? Don;t know but the engineonly had about 10K on it after I rebuilt it and this is the onlyengine I ever did that went south.Back when I worked in the auto field a LOT of mechanics that knew their stuff told me this as did a few oil rep's. Your call if you believe the "myth". Not a problem going to synthetic however. You can even go back to QS if you feel synthetic is not for you and be fine.

Yes, IMO, synthetic oil is definitely worth the cost. Vastly superior product vs any conventional oil. Your engine will run cooler and there will be less wear( reduces friction ). Synthetic retains it's viscosity to a much lower temp than conventional oil so if you live in a colder northern climate it will flow easier in the AM and allow for more cold start protection. Synthetic also clings to the metal surfaces whereas conventional drains off so again, at cold start, it protects better. Also, synthetic does not break down as easy under high heat and extreme load as does conventional so it is also a superior product for the South's warmer climate.

I personally use and suggest Royal Purple( http://www.royalpurple.com ). Great product and excellent company to deal with. Should run you around $6.50 +/- p/qt. If that is just too much for you then a cheaper decent synthetic oil is Penzoil Platinum( $4-$5 +/- ). Not as good as RP but very good and better than Mobil 1 for approx the same cost. Quaker States Q-Power is decent synthetic for the price although it is not a premium level synthetic. If you like QS though it might be a good, more affordable, option for you.

One thing to keep in mind. If you wiill run extended OCI's( ie; anything over approx 6-7K )the filter needs to be swapped by 5K. You might get 10K, 15K, or even 20K plus out of the oil( only way to really be safelonger than about 10K is to have the oil tested - there are labs that do it )but the filter can not go that long. You need to swap the filter and top off the oil between 4-5K when running extended OCI's.

Hope this helps.

< Message edited by NHSilverado -- 8/24/2007 12:03:31 PM > [align=right]
(in reply to melat70) [/align]






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RE: Changing from Quaker

biggame

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

This site should answer most questions regarding oil and filters.

James

jimmydaleo

melat70 Has a lot of good points and good suggestions. for running synthetic. a couple things I noticed and have to slightly disagree with is in my opnion Amsoil is better than royal purple. www.amsoil.com also when you switch I would go 500 miles and change again. then do another 1000 miles and change oil again. make sure everything is out. it will seem a little costly but better than a motor.

Outcastz89

All I got to say is don't use amsoil.From what I've seen with my own eyes is that it gums up a lot of the parts and the inside of the engine.It builds up a kind of sludge.I dunno if that happens with all synthetic oils but I've seen what amsoil does(sorry if I offended you guys that use amsoil,you're all entitled to your own opinion and what oil you use).