I was wondering if it was pointless to use say........3 qts of max life and 1 qt of synthetic max life in my girlfriends corolla? Is their benefits to doing this or would you need to use all synthetic to get all of the benefits. The car doesn't leak oil but does burn 1-2qts per change. Anybody else ever do this?

TIA,

Mike

 

If it's burning 2 qts per change, you're way past syn oil. I'd be using the cheapest crap there is.

Mike

 

Mike could be right, but let's look into this a little deeper.

WHY is the Corolla using oil, is it a gasket or seal problem, or is it a mechanical wear problem, or is it a problem with high temp evaporation, the grade of the oil not being able to take the heat, or is it a deposit problem????

If you think it's a seal leak, like valve stems, you may get lucky & be able to use a "High Mileage" recipe oil, which has seal conditioners in it, to soften the seals & allow them to do a better job.

If it's a high temp evaporation problem, a High Mileage formula may offer lower % evaporation over the OCI.

If you think it's caused by deposits, say around the piston rings & lands & or on the valve stems, then a Ester based product called "Auto-Rx", might be worth a try.
Over time it can dissolve & tidy up some pretty nasty looking engine innard deposits & maybe could help free up the piston rings, or clean up valve stem varnish deposits, for a better seal, as some have reported.

I've never used it myself, but it's getting good reviews on boards around the net.

Mixing synthetic with conventional oil, only helps the conventional oil a little, or looking at it another way, the conventional oil weakens the synthetics full abilities, anyway you don't get the full benifits of synthetic, by mixing it with a conventional lube.

If your of a mind to mix anyway, it's wize to stay with the same brand of oil as you've indicated, so the add packs don't clash.

If the problem is wear, then maybe trying a step up in viscosity, in a High Mileage formula, would be worh a try, but there isn't a miracale in a bottle that'll fix mechanical wear.

Just some more thoughts for pondering.

 

The only reason I could see using a home brew "synthetic blend" is if you are in cold winter climate (not Arizona) and are too cheap to go all synthetic to help cold starting. Modern dino oils are already Group II+ or a syn blend to meet the evaporation standards of API SM.

Most Toyotas start using oil due to valve stem seals first, before the rings wear out, so a dino high-mileage formula is worth a try. Having said that, 1 qt per change is nothing to worry about.

Jim

 

Ok, that about sums it up for me, that's all I wanted to know. Thanks guys.

Mike

 

Its kinda funny, NOBODY would buy beer if there was an ounce of water added to it after brewing but they will add synthetic to regular oil........ once you add regular to synthetic you ruin the fact that it is synthetic. I would just use a heavier weight oil in the car or cut 20/50 with a quart of 10/40 to thin it out, but never mix synthetic with regular oil-

 

ok buddy.

Mike

 

""I was wondering if it was pointless""

you are correct it is.

bruce

 

azford....... I hope i didn't sound harsh cause that wasn't my intention.

 

The Maxlife Blend is good enough. 2 quarts per oil change? How many miles is that?

 

No you weren't at all. I figured it was pointless but wanted to get advice from people who know there stuff. No worries, I wasn't offended.

And the the OCI is about 3-3.5K. But I did use maxlife this past oil change and the consumption has went down a little bit. Also I don't know if it is just me but since the oil change the sometimes nasty "ping" on the freeway has considerably went down?

 

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Synthetic and regular oil are 100%= compatible and will not harm a thing in ANY engine; including 4cycle Briggs & Stratton, Honda, lawnmower and similar yard tractor engines.

You are not "ruining" ANY oil, but in the case of, say, using 1 quart of synthetic with 3 quarts of dino oil, you are simply improving an already EXCELLENT dino oil. Today's dino oil is actually better than many synthetics from the 70s and early 80s. Mix and use synthetic oil with confidence. The engine will have no clue where the dino oil ends, and the sythetic oil begins. You make it sound as though synthetic and dino oil seperate like salad oil and vinegar, water and oil, ect. when you say to "never mix".

20w50 oil is like taffy, when cold, I'd shun that oil altogether unless I was driving an oil smoker, those worn, half million mile, ex-taxi cab engines we all see from time to time with a haze of immediate tailpipe blue smoke spewing out of the tailpipe.
In that case, the owner should run a 20w50, with a good oil stabilizer (STP, Lucas, Various engine honeys, ect.)

In a tight, normal, modern 4cyl, V6, I-6, or V8, 20w50 is not needed, and in fact, you are cutting perfomance from this engine, while sucking your gasoline mileage to it's lowest possible, especially in winter conditions. Even in Phoenix, in mid-July, those thick oils will still rob engine performance, and cut fuel mileage.

Very odd, brand new Ford Mustang GT-500s, Dodge Viper GTS's & Chevrolet Corvettes, want nothing to do with 20w50 oils, but instead, come with synthetic MOBIL 1 5w20, 5w30 oils for top performance and fuel mileage. HUMMMMMMM, I wonder why that is?...

20w50 = running a 100 yard dash in dress shoes, black socks, full suit and tie, long sleeve shirt w/ starched neckline and cufflinks. 5w30-10w30 dino or synthetic = running that same 100 yard dash in Olympic running gear, shorts, running shoes and they way ALL nations dress their track runner during the summer Olympics.

When using a synthetic oil, always keep the brands and viscosities the same. Example: 4 qts of Mobil 5000 5w30 and 1 quart of Mobil 1 5w30 = an engine's total oil and oil filter capacity.

There is an exception, where say, you run 4 quarts of Chevron Supreme oil with one quart of RED LINE synthetic, or 1 quart of Royal Purple, but try and keep the viscosities the same, 5w30 -- 10w30 ect. ALL.

 

I agree with most of what you said. I also agree that it is probably best to keep the same brand when mixing regular with synthetic oil. However your "always keep the brands and viscosities the same", seems excessive. If I buy a couple of quarts at close-out, or add some 5W30 to a 10W30 in winter, I don't believe it'll do any harm.

Or, maybe you can tell us why it would?

 

There is no harm to mixing different weights or brands, so long as you don't put some exotic oil in without checking with the company. But off the shelf oil can be mixed any way you want. You can even mix 5w20 with 20w50 to get a 10w30/40, but just don't use it in winter because of the thicker component. I mix a lot. Aerostar has Max Synthetic 10w30, Some QS Blend, and some Mobil 1 0w30 racing oil all mixed together.

 

I am too cheap to pay 7 bucks a quart for Royal Purple. So, I mix two quarts RP to 3 quarts of Havoline. Both at the same weight.

I see all the gains one sees when running full synthetic (better mileage, excellent cold starting). It isn't pointless. I had sworn off synthetic until gas hit three bucks. Then I tried this mix and gained 1.5 mpg.