Going To Mobil 1

[choiboyogg]

i am pretty sure that the previous owners did not use synthetic.

from what i know, i cant just go from conventional oil to synthetic.

so they tell me that its better to go from conventional to a syn-blend then to fully synthetic.

what do you guys have to say about this?

i have a 1996 ls400 with 111k miles.

[Lexusfreak]

i am pretty sure that the previous owners did not use synthetic.

from what i know, i cant just go from conventional oil to synthetic.

so they tell me that its better to go from conventional to a syn-blend then to fully synthetic.

what do you guys have to say about this?

i have a 1996 ls400 with 111k miles.

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Not necessary.....where did you hear that? As long as you don't have any oil leaks currently & the engine is mechanically sound, you can switch to synthetic without any problems. I personally went from Mobil 1 to Amsoil synthetic. B)

[nc211]

I recently did the same on my 95 at 101k. Walmart stripped out the treads in my oil pan doing this, so a new pan and gasket was needed. They paid half, so I was ok with that. Plus, I think it was time for a new gasket anyway, especially with a synthetic oil now being used. Went to get my oil changed again last week for the first time, and was told my lower pan gasket was leaking. I took it back to the dealership to fix it, but turned out it was the seal at the base of the dipstick shaft. So i'm not too sure what leaks you may or may not come across with the change? I think my dipstick oil leak was probably from normal wear and tear over the years. I did this exact same question a few months ago, nobody said anything negative about switching. And now that I have switched, I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. Makes the engine even smoother and quieter. I use 5W30 full synthetic, mobile one.

Sidenote: Did you guys know Mobile One was originally used by the military, specifically the Navy in their submarine fleets? I read an article and heard from a Navy sub guy I know that confirmed this. They used mobile one in gearing and so forth for the sub's. The mechanics noticed how good it was in preventing wear, that they started using it in their personal vehicles....and it was born! Good enough for the military....good enough for me!

[sha4000]

straight switch it shouldnt be a problem i used to use 10w30 conventional and just switched over to mobile1 fully syn about a month ago with no problems the car seems to ride better but i cant really sa b/c i dont drive that much these days

[blake918]

At 235k miles, I switched from conventional to Mobile 1 with no problems.

[dcfish]

At 235k miles, I switched from conventional to Mobile 1 with no problems.

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When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

[choiboyogg]

At 235k miles, I switched from conventional to Mobile 1 with no problems.

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When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

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what do you mean by turn the car over?

[dcfish]

At 235k miles, I switched from conventional to Mobile 1 with no problems.

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When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

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what do you mean by turn the car over?

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Start it and turn it off, This will will move any sitting oil down to the drain.2-3 sec. only.

[choiboyogg]

i was doing some searching and found this by lex92:

kind of what i was referring to:

"You might want to try to switch to a synthetic blend a few times before actually going with full synthetics. Try that first, after a couple of oil changes then go with the good stuff...you can't go wrong with Mobil 1. "

link: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...topic=14958&hl=

[pgupta]

I have been using Mobil 1 on my cars from day one (first one is a 1994 LS400, next is 96 LS400) and I have had no engine troubles. I stand by Mobil 1.

I fell in love with Mobil 1 when I bought my first new Toyota some 18 years ago. I had that vehicle for 10 years, used only Mobil 1 and never had engine trouble. I sold it to a friend who still drives it to work everyday and hasn't had engine trouble.

Ofcourse, I learnt my lesson the hard way. I bought my first used car (100K on it) The selled did not believe in changing (regular) oil every 3K miles. Soon, I had engine trouble and opened up the valve head cover.

I scooped a few pounds of oil sludge, more like hot chocolate fudge, residue from push rod, cam shaft linkage area.

So, in my opinion - if you are switching to synthetic after the car has seen 100K miles of regular oil, you are getting very little return on your investment unless the previous owner religously changed (regular) oil at less than 3K mile interval.

[texagun]

Question for you guys that have switched to Mobil 1 or fully synthetic oil:

Did you change your Oil Change Interval? How often do you change your oil using synthetic?

I ask because I have a BMW that uses synthetic and they recommend 13,000 miles or once a year.

I had a Mercedes that used synthetic and they recommended 10,000 miles or once a year.

I now have a new LS-430 and my dealer uses 5w-30 Castrol (non-synthetic) and they recommend every 5000 miles or every 6 months.

[1990LS400]

Question for you guys that have switched to Mobil 1 or fully synthetic oil:

Did you change your Oil Change Interval?  How often do you change your oil using synthetic?

I ask because I have a BMW that uses synthetic and they recommend 13,000 miles or once a year.

I had a Mercedes that used synthetic and they recommended 10,000 miles or once a year.

I now have a new LS-430 and my dealer uses 5w-30 Castrol (non-synthetic) and they recommend every 5000 miles or every 6 months.

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My 00 LS maintenance manual allows a 7,500 mile oil change maximum interval when the car is used for non-commercial use - I assume commercial use means as a taxi or delivery vehicle. An interval longer than the maximum allowed could be a warranty issue if something really bad ever happened to your engine - incredibly unlikely. After the drivetrain warranty expires (if you keep the car that long or drive a lot of miles annually), you can choose whatever interval you think is best.

I guess it is just habit that I continue to change the oil every 5,000 miles even though I use Mobil 1 and have read many times that Mobil 1 usually provides excellent protection at far higher change intervals.

[GRAND_LS 4]

At 235k miles, I switched from conventional to Mobile 1 with no problems.

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When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

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I'd really not do that. It only takes seconds for an engine to suffer serious damage. But thats just my openion.

[CELICA XX]

When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

Oh my god. That has got to be the worst advice I have EVER heard.

[pgupta]

Question for you guys that have switched to Mobil 1 or fully synthetic oil:

Did you change your Oil Change Interval?  How often do you change your oil using synthetic?

I ask because I have a BMW that uses synthetic and they recommend 13,000 miles or once a year.

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For what its worth, I change Mobil 1 on my two LS400s (94 & 96) once a year, every 20K miles -- have been doing it for the past 8 years+ ... engines run beautifully. Even after a year, the oil has good viscosity and drains out well. I started with every 5K but judging from the quality of the oil coming out, I gradually kept increasing the interval from 3 mos to 6 mos till I finally settled at 1 year.

However, I do believe that you should start with synthetic at very low miles - right from the get go. Switching to synthetic after 100K .. the benefit may be marginal.

[dcfish]

When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

Oh my god. That has got to be the worst advice I have EVER heard.

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There is more than enough oil resting for this procedure. Turn the car on and off do not let it run. You get an extra 8-10 oz's of the old oil out. Don't be so shocked it occurs everytime you start your car. :P

[sha4000]

When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

Oh my god. That has got to be the worst advice I have EVER heard.

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There is more than enough oil resting for this procedure. Turn the car on and off do not let it run. You get an extra 8-10 oz's of the old oil out. Don't be so shocked it occurs everytime you start your car. :P

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true b/c theres no oil after the ar has been sitting overnight

[pgupta]

When draining your old dino oil out let the oil drain out then turn the car over for 2-3 sec and let the rest of the oil drain overnight if possible to ensure that most of the dino is drained.

Oh my god. That has got to be the worst advice I have EVER heard.

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There is more than enough oil resting for this procedure. Turn the car on and off do not let it run. You get an extra 8-10 oz's of the old oil out. Don't be so shocked it occurs everytime you start your car. :P

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better safe than sorry - get some regular oil, fill, run and drain one more time if you want to be so thorough. there are also "cleaning oil" quarts available. You are supposed to run the engine for 5 to 10 minutes with this stuff and then drain the whole thing out. IMHO, Utility is questionable for both the procedures.

[pgupta]

Utility is questionable for both the procedures.

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.. the reason I say that is once you look at the hardened deposits, baked varnish inside the engine block, and see how difficult it is to scrape it off, the minor oil left over appears to be the least of the worries.

[GRAND_LS 4]

No need to prepare the engine, just jump right in. Its not like your using a new concept, or new type of fluid, synthetic is just lubricates better, no harm would be done even if you mixed them.

[SRK]

I have been working on cars for nearly 35 years. I have heard just about everything, or so I thought. Knowingly starting an engine, for however briefly, that has no oil in the sump and cannot build oil pressure, is a very bad idea. Don't do it.

There is always a small amount of residual oil in any engine, which cannot be removed except by dismantling it. Anyone who has rebuilt at least one engine knows thats, I have rebuilt hundreds. The residual oil does not matter, and any good synthetic, like Mobil 1 is fully compatible with dino oils. On the next oil change you will have pure Mobil 1, on the first, perhaps 5% dino and 95% Mobil, and it matters not.

Major Kong in the film "Dr. Strangelove" said it best:

"I've been to one world's fair, a rodeo, and a picnic, and that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

[dcfish]

I have been working on cars for nearly 35 years.  I have heard just about everything, or so I thought.  Knowingly starting an engine, for however briefly, that has no oil in the sump and cannot build oil pressure, is a very bad idea.  Don't do it.

There is always a small amount of residual oil in any engine, which cannot be removed except by dismantling it.  Anyone who has rebuilt at least one engine knows thats, I have rebuilt hundreds.  The residual oil does not matter, and any good synthetic, like Mobil 1 is fully compatible with dino oils.  On the next oil change you will have pure Mobil 1, on the first, perhaps 5% dino and 95% Mobil, and it matters not.

Major Kong in the film "Dr. Strangelove" said it best:

"I've been to one world's fair, a rodeo, and a picnic, and that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

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It won't damage the engine. To each his own. Last reply :whistles: