Seriously considering the switch to synthetic

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boz Mon
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Boz Mon

Boz Mon

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This has been bothering me for several days now. The Prelude is about due for an oil change and I have been weighing the possibility of switching to mobil 1 synthetic oil. I know that it is said that oil consumption will increase but I am a little skeptical about that. My previous Prelude (Si with the H23) had 122k miles on it and I ran synthetic in it and it did use some oil but not more than average. The honda H series engines are known for oil consumption. I was just looking for some input about the situation. The Prelude is getting ready to turn over 76k miles. It uses anywhere from 1qt per 1000miles (which is average for the H22), but on this last change it didnt even use a quart yet and its been 2700 miles. So I dont know what to make of the situation. :nervous:
 
The benefits have been proven time and time again, it's definitely a good choice. Oil consumption will increase because synthetic is thinner and may get through the seals easier, also it lacks detergents in dino oil that keep the seals intact. Your best bet is to switch to a synthetic blend for a buffer before going to straight synthetic. Synthetic oil also has proven to last a long time. Some report going 15K miles without a change with no problems.

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html
 
Thats the only thing that bothers me is the increased oil usage. But there was not a noticeable amount of oil use when I switched my other Prelude to syn.
 
Troux is correct -- if some of your seals are relying on "dino oil" deposits to remain closed, the synthetic oil may clean those deposits away, leading to leaks.

Other than that, switching to synthetic provides nothing but positives.
 
I would not reccomend using it on a car with more than 150k on the clock however... as oil loss can become alarming without changing some of the gaskets. Friend with a 170k 300CE thought that the car had been running synthetic, upon using mobile 1 he started loosing oil from the valve cover gasket and the rear main seal. Loosing up to a quart for every couple hundred miles!! Two oil changes later upon switching back to Castrol higher mileage and within 700 miles the problem reversed itself. You have to find a balance between how much oil your car is using and how much you will benefit from the extended oil change. Since your car is newer and lower mileage I would agree with the others:tup:
 
Boz Mon
Thats the only thing that bothers me is the increased oil usage. But there was not a noticeable amount of oil use when I switched my other Prelude to syn.
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It doesn't always happen, and a gradual transfer best prevents this, that's the whole point of synthetic blends, as a buffer between dino and synthetic. Since you'll only use the blend 1 or 2 oil changes, this is also the reason it's hard to find synthetic blends.

To me, pease of mind in my car is priceless. I'd rather buy a quart to top it off here and there, and buy expensive oil, than think about what I may be missing with an inferior oil. At 5.5 quarts to fill up, and anally doing it every 2K miles, I'm definitely paying a premium, but like I said, the benefits have been proven. It's the CD to dino oil's VHS.

Also, on the note of oil usage, some people are mislead about the usage of synthetic oil. Besides the tiny leaks that may form from switching over, there's also the fact that it's going to take longer for the oil to seep down into the sump. It's going to bond well and hold onto everything it's lubricating, both because it's got superior stickiness, it's lighter weight, and it's also got molecules that have been artificially positively charged, which help it to magnetically coat the inside of the negatively charged block. So your oil may seem a tad low right after shutting off, but it's just doing it's job.
 
Well there are some letters on that site questioning the switch to syn, and he says that blends are a waste of money. I am thinking that I might just do the old switcher-oo on this change.
 
On newer cars, (5th gen Lude should be fine), they come from the factory with better seals, designed for synthetic, so blends may not be necessary, but it couldn't hurt.
 
I also remember reading one questioning the seals being broken up by the synthetic oil and he said that was false too. So I really dont know who to believe?
 
No, no, it doesn't break up the seals. Dino oil has natural detergents (that make them thicker) that swell gaskets and seals. When you switch to synthetic, the existing seals return to normal size, which MAY open up gaps on seals that have been exposed to these detergents for a long time.

A fresh motor will not see these problems. Also, metal gaskets will not swell, which is why when replacing a head gasket or something, most aftermarket options are metal, and are a better choice than OEM. These are used in newer cars to account for synthetic's increased popularity. Hope that helps clear your mind. :)
 
hey boz mon, do you know what determines how much oil a H22A will actually use?

VTEC usage, as the cam profile is swapped over there is always a slight bit of oil that gets burned. Get someone you trust to drive your car in front of you and once they hit 5500rpm you will see a small puff of smoke. So if you are concerned about how much oil you will use with synthetic, just dont VTEC yo' as much then the consumption will go down. I know most of the guys with 5th gens on prelude australia already use a good quality synthetic oil so you shouldn't have any problems, just keep an eye on your dipstick level.
 
I've heard many times that my RSX will start gulping through oil at high RPMs, so I wouldn't be surprised if other VTEC cars had a similar issue.

As for synthetic, I made the switch a while back in our Accord, and I've never had a problem. But now I'm starting to wonder whether I'll need to switch back as the car ages and starts developing leaks. I like using synthetic quite a bit. More time between oil changes and better oil works very nicely for me.
 
Troux
^How/where does the oil get lost, do you know? I have never heard of that before.
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At a forum I am at, a bunch of fifth gen owners got together and did a survey to see how much oil they use. Basically the more you VTEC the higher the oil consumption due to the higher revving engine and the piston rings generally not sealing causing blow by.

http://www.preludeaustralia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27078

http://www.preludeaustralia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25101

not sure if you will be able to see those pages unless you're registered to that particular website.

edit: remember that this engine uses carbon reinforced cylinder sleeves which are so strong that it tends to wear out the piston rings quicker than a normal engine.
 
So my mom accidentally bought Mobil 1 for me to use on the oil change for our extra car, a beat up old Taurus. Obviously I'm not going to waste the oil on a high mileage extra so I'm wondering if its safe to mix it with standard oil of the same rating. I'm thinking a 70/30 in favor of standard oil would probably be best since I have pretty high miles. Is this completely safe like a synthetic blend or will they not mix properly.
 
In the first link posted by Troux, there was a letter inquiring about mixing dino and syn. and the guy said that they are perfectly safe to mix.

On another note, I bought Mobil 1 synthetic and have been running it for about 200miles now. I havent noticed any major differences though. I guess only time will tell now.
 
I've been running synthetic in my '95 Grand Am for around 4 years now and have not noticed any more oil being used (170 000 kms). It made starts in -30C weather much easier on the old girl!
 
Its funny you say that because just after I made the switch, it got REALLLY cold outside. That made me feel a little better.
 

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