Synthetic Oil Woes

Ok, guys,I have a tale of woe that led to the joy buying of my LGT. Anyone have a similar story?

 

Back in 2003 I bought a used 1994 Volvo 850 Turbo wagon with 60,000 (confirmed) miles on it. No oil leaks. Inspected by mechanic. A month into owning the car I decided to pamper it per my brother in law's instructions (shoulda known better) and put Mobil 1 in it. Bro n' Law was previously in love with the stuff and used it in his two BMWs. A day after the oil change, I notice oil in my driveway and traced it to a small leak from the Volvo.

 

Over two years, the leak progressed from a drip to dropping a quart every 250 miles. My rear hatch glass wiper when used smeared the oil into little Exxon Valdez globules. Seeing out of the rear glass was nearly impossible. I replaced the oil pan gasket but there were leaks everywhere and it did little good.

 

Of course, as soon as the leak started I switched back to non-synthetic. A buddy of mine who was a fleet mechanic said his company tested Mobil 1 in their vehicles (almost all several years old) and about 50% developed some leaks. About 25% of the leaks went away when they went back to non-synthetic. About half of the mechanics I have talked to recognize this phenomena. Some say it is a Mobil 1 characteristic and not all synthetics do this.

 

Because of the leak, I decided to ditch the Volvo and bought my LGT wagon. Great Joy! :) Has anyone seen this sort of thing with other synthetic oils. Do I dare try synthetics in my LGT (NEVER Mobil 1)?

I use German Castrol Syntec 0w30 with no leaking issues at all. The 2.5 Turbo will use a little bit of oil typically, but not enough to be alarmed about. One thing to not when you check your oil in these cars is that the hot and cold level of the oil seems to be different. If the car is cold, the oil will be on the low side, but once warmed up it comes up to the normal reading.

In 1976 I bought a VW Rabbit and it drank Mobil 1 like there's no tomorrow. Then I switched to conventional, and found it wasn't the oil, it was the car. I think the leak and seal incompatibility issues were gone before most of you were born. It just became a legend.

I believe the problem comes from switching to synthetic later in the cars life. Not from synthetic itself.

I believe the problem comes from switching to synthetic later in the cars life. Not from synthetic itself.

 

Exactly my point! The only thing that changed was the Mobil 1, and by the end the car was leaking oil like a sieve. Like I said, the motor was clean when I bought the car, no leaks, great compression (tested), etc.

 

But I never read about this issue anywhere in car magazines. And my brother in law tells me AFTER the car becomes a mobile superfund site that his BMW bought used did the exact same thing after he changed to Mobil 1; never bothered to tell me, though!

 

This is no "legend." The only good to come out of it was trading in the Volvo for the Subaru and actually getting $3,500 for it! I felt guilty... until I got the LGT home...

Exactly my point! The only thing that changed was the Mobil 1, and by the end the car was leaking oil like a sieve. Like I said, the motor was clean when I bought the car, no leaks, great compression (tested), etc.

 

But I never read about this issue anywhere in car magazines. And my brother in law tells me AFTER the car becomes a mobile superfund site that his BMW bought used did the exact same thing after he changed to Mobil 1; never bothered to tell me, though!

 

This is no "legend." The only good to come out of it was trading in the Volvo for the Subaru and actually getting $3,500 for it! I felt guilty... until I got the LGT home...

 

Yeah i have been running sythetic in the LGT since the first oil change and no problems thus-far..

 

South bend is a bit of a haul to chicago but maybe you could join us for a meet sometime

Yeah i have been running sythetic in the LGT since the first oil change and no problems thus-far..

 

South bend is a bit of a haul to chicago but maybe you could join us for a meet sometime

 

It might be fun. Who's "we"? I used to drive to western Chicago (Norway, Ill.) for kart races for the day, but I bet your meetings wouldn't beat me up like no suspension, fiberglass seat, and 2 G's on a bumpy track did. Hanging out with SubieDudes might make the 2 hr. trip home a little more bearable for my aging body and spirit.

i swiched to mobil 1 in my lgt at 800mi., no problems, even the dealer who btw sells mobil 1 saw no problem, funny that my 03 ZO6 corvette came from the factory w/mobil 1, when will this urban legend end?, oil is not the problem, gaskets are, bosco

i swiched to mobil 1 in my lgt at 800mi., no problems, even the dealer who btw sells mobil 1 saw no problem, funny that my 03 ZO6 corvette came from the factory w/mobil 1, when will this urban legend end?, oil is not the problem, gaskets are, bosco

 

If gaskets were the problem, why did the leaks start gushing only AFTER I changed the oil to Mobil 1, and overnight (literally) at that?

I have heard putting any synthetic into an engine with substantial mileage already on it can have a bad outcome. If it has 60k on it, don't fix anything if it ain't broke. Just put synthetic in it in the BEGINNING and you'll be fine.

I have heard putting any synthetic into an engine with substantial mileage already on it can have a bad outcome. If it has 60k on it, don't fix anything if it ain't broke. Just put synthetic in it in the BEGINNING and you'll be fine.

 

NOW someone tells me! But I think I figured that one out through good ole experience. Where did you hear about this issue? Read it somewhere or just word of mouth?

My dad had an older truck with alot of miles (somewhere between 80k-100k) and he put synthetic in it. He didn't know better because he was new to synthetic, and it gave him all kinds of problems. He then bought a 350 right out of a crate, and used synthetic from the beginning, and no problems. You have to break it in nice and easy though. My grandfather also used synthetic when he bought his ford ranger a long time ago. He started with synthetic, and he drove that dang truck over 300,000 miles with no problems, no oil leaks, no black tailpipes, nothing.

I'm going in for 15k service soon and was wondering if it is too late now to switch. Should I have done it earlier?

I changed to synthetoc on three cars, 1 @ 110K, 1 @ 95K and 1 @ 10K...

 

Mobil 1 in the 2 high mileage, no problems (the 110K is now 150K) Castrol in my LGT w/ 10K, no problems...

 

Ted

i've been using synthetics for the past 24000 miles. the first 10000 with mobil 1 and the next 14000 with the GC castrol 0w30 and no leaks at all.

Synthetics tend to soften seals, while dino oils tend to harden/swell seals. Also, you have to take into account the age, as well as the makeup of the gasket materials. Some are more prone to sealing issues, after being fed dino oil, others not.

 

There is a product called "AutoRx", and it's job is to wash away sludge, dirt, varnish, carbon, etc... IT also reconditions seals! If you come across having a similar sealing issue, it would be worth your while to try it.

 

Your case sounds like a classic case in which the seals swelled from the dino oil, and likely hardened from the additional heat from the turbo. When you used a thinner synthetic, which made the seals more pliable, it also caused you to start leaking oil everywhere.

 

I myself, am not a M1 fan. It's a good oil, but there are better ones for the $ out there:icon_wink

No doubt you are correct Monkey man. A nice theory and probably correct. In any case, I never let the facts get in the way of good theory.

 

I have also spoken with some guys doing track days, and they dislike Mobil 1 at the track since they said it tends to froth even when topped up.

 

As for synthetics, at 21,000 miles, I am a little leery of switching over from mineral based oil.

Which synthetics are better than Mobile 1 for the $$, and why are they better?

I'm going in for 15k service soon and was wondering if it is too late now to switch. Should I have done it earlier?

 

Well, if edmundo aka monkey man is right, you may be at risk. At 21,000, I too terrified too to switch. On my Volvo, the cost to fix all the oil leaks was going to be $2,000 to $3,000 (the motor had to be removed to change all the seals). Thanks, no. Not on a 11 year old car worth $6k.

I have heard putting any synthetic into an engine with substantial mileage already on it can have a bad outcome. If it has 60k on it, don't fix anything if it ain't broke. Just put synthetic in it in the BEGINNING and you'll be fine.

 

Coincidence keeps this urban legend going.

Which synthetics are better than Mobile 1 for the $$, and why are they better?

I switched to mobil 1 today for my first oil change out of break in ... i could tell an difference right away in how much better the engine ran.

 

Mecanics tell me that Mobil 1 is the best though ... soo idk, i think there is some french made stuff that might be better. Either way Synthetic will run better ... its just better dammit haha:lol:

 

Amsoil, i would guess, would be its closest competitor. IDK how much it cost though. Amsoil is a bit thicker, so the engine will vibrate more.

Mobil 1 BAAAAAAAD. Dino oil GOOOOOOOOD. No more discussion!

Mobil 1 BAAAAAAAD. Dino oil GOOOOOOOOD. No more discussion!

 

... right

im sure there is a castrol product that competes with mobil 1 too ... idk what it is though

Pffft.. REAL men use castor oil in their engines.