[rajncajn]

I recently tried the switch to synthetic from the recommendation of a mechanic relative and I'm unhappy with the results. Just as I'd feared, the synthetic has begun to find leaks. I would like to switch back to a high mileage thinner oil. What would you all recommend and what in the way of additives can I put in to help preserve it a bit?

 

[Smitty_81]

Valvoline's high mileage oil has a pretty good additive package in it already, I like that one and put it in my wife's Ody with 130k miles on it.

 

[kevinjohnson3216]

Full synthetic Amsoil 10-30

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[jerryp58]

What do you mean, "thinner" oil? Are you running the recommended viscosity or something different? As SMITTY_81 stated, the " high mileage" blends already have additives; I'd start there using the recommended viscosity and see how it performs. My $0.02

 

[shakedownstreet]

I use store brand vegetable oil. Smells like french fries when I pull away from a stoplight

 

[glamisdude]

Use Valvoline Max Life semi synthetic. As mentioned, it has a great add pack and over a few oil changes it will stop most minor leaks. I've recommend it to a few people I know that had an oil leak of some kind and after 2 or 3 change intervals they all quit leaking. This is also what I run in my truck, you can't beat what you get for the price.

 

[rajncajn]

When I switched to the full synthetic it developed an oil leak and I started hearing a valve click. Then, more recently I started hearing what I thought to be a pulley going bad or a belt slip. But after trying to diagnose it sounds like the sound is coming from the crankshaft bearing. So, it was recommended to me to switch back to a traditional oil, but go with maybe a 5W30 or 20 and put in an additive like Slick 50 or Lucas.

 

[myVQ]

Conventional Castrol GTX

 

[myles2go]

My '99 has had Mobil 1 in it since it was new.

 

[tumbleweed]

More information needed for a good answer. What year is your truck, what engine, how many miles, what weight of oil have you been using? The Nissan recommendation for the generation 2 trucks is 5W30, synthetic or non-synthetic, no additives. I don't know what the recommendation is for the Generation 1 trucks.

 

[AFguy05]

I typically let them change it where I get my truck washed. They use conventional Castrol. I used to do all my own oil changes and washes but I have better things to do with my time these days. More power to you guys that do it all yourselves. Maybe one day I'll get back to it.


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[myVQ]

Castrol conventional is good stuff. It ranks right up there and better than some of the top synthetics for wear on VQ engines according to oil analysis' on the 350z forums.

 

[das boots]

I have a '03 XE Crew Cab. I have now 150+ on the clock. I purchased used. Had a complete maintenance overhaul. And have switch to Mobil 1 5w30. No oil leaks......knock on wood. I change my oil every 6K miles. I hear the rattle every morning during start up for a few seconds....say maybe 3-5 seconds. But the forum threads states that they are normal for the Fronty.

 

[smj999smj]

I use Walmart's SuperTech 5W30 Full-synthetic in all of my vehicles and have for the past six or seven years, if not more. At one point, it was made by Royal-Shell, the makers of Rotella, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. At $17.50 for a 5 quart jug, the price is hard to beat. I follow the manufacturer's recommended oil replacement interval, which is 7500 miles on my R51 Pathfinders. I haven't put enough miles on my '03 Frontier SVE for a second oil change, but, it'll probably be either 5000 or 7500 miles when I change it, again. I did do an oil analysis not that long ago on my 150,000 mile, 2006 Pathfinder; I purchased the truck with 84,000 miles on it about 5 years ago and have been using the SuperTech Full synthetic the whole time I've owned it, along with genuine Nissan oil filters or Purolator Pure One filters. Here's the results from Blackstone Labs (BTW, you'll see the note of slightly high silicone levels which could be caused by dirt around the air filter or a recent engine repair. After I got the results, I found out I had a split in the rubber intake duct that was probably letting a little dirt into the engine):

 

[serotonin70]

I have an '04 frontier 3.3L, been using valvoline and penzoil 5/30 since brand new. Just switched to Mobile1 high mileage synthetic 2 weeks ago with 148k miles on her. Can't tell you if its any better or worse just yet.

 

[RedDR]

Castrol high mileage 5w-30. Very happy with it in many vehicles over the years.

 

[JettyLife]

Castrol Edge full synthetic, going to do a UOA this change.

 

[analbumcover]

I might be the odd one out here...Rotella T6 (5w-40). It goes into every VW and the Mazdaspeed3 i have. Great cleaning package and excellent tolerance to heat and shearing. Works great in my 98 too.

 

[GB Frontiersman]

Youre not the only odd one here, bumcover, I also use T6 in my '13 V6 fronty & have gotten excellent UOA's from Blackstone. It runs nice & quiet, no noisy lifters or timing chain rattle, & most importantly it helps it run cooler in these HOT Texas summers. Speaking of timing chains, Ive found a way to help keep the them from rattling so much on cold start ups. Heres what I do; I put the key in the ignition & turn it to ON but DONT start it. I wait till I hear a slight 'clunk' from the engine bay THEN I start the truck. After the engine has started I hold the key in the 'start' position for just a split second longer then I let it go. Doing this method I hardly ever hear the timing chains rattle if at all. And, using the T6, if I don't do any of that they only rattle for maybe a second or two at most then stop rattling completely.
Now, what that slight 'clunk' is after I leave the key in the ON position for a couple of seconds before starting, I'm not sure. Maybe one of the oil solenoids to the chains opening?? All I do know is that running the T6 in my truck it runs smoother & quieter than any other oil ive used.

 

[Billy D]

I have an 02 V6. I have only owned it for about 10k miles so far, it has about 98k on it now. I think the previous owner was a Mobil 1 guy according to receipts I found in glovebox. I gave Mobil conventional a run last time for 4k. This time I have dumped in some Pennzoil Ultra (the older formula) and doing to try to run out to 5k and do a used oil analysis and see how it goes. I hear the 02 V6 is tough on thinning oil. I will see how the report goes. After that, I plan to run some HDEO like 10-30 or 15-40 which are said to stand up much better. I love the HDEO in my bikes.

My vote is to run whatever you feel like as long as 5-30 or above. I would not run it any thinner than that weight. I personally am not a Castrol fan from previous results, but seems like a lot of people on this post have recommended it. If you are looking for high mileage oil, I have had great results on controlling leaks with Valvoline Maxlife and Pennzoil HM. You could not go wrong with Mobil 1 or conventional Mobil HM either.