I am ready to change oil on my dodge Dakota slt v6 2000. I want to change from conventional to full synthetic, I have 97,000+ miles on the truck, would this be ok or should I stick to conventional 5w-30?

 

Two schools of thought:

1) go ahead. Won't hurt a thing.
2) it will cause your engine to leak oil from places you have never seen it leak oil from.

And....go.

 

oil leaks? I haven't seen oil leaks yet, would that be good or bad if I see them when I change to syn?

 

By the way, how about those synthetic blends? would that still show the leaks? just curious.

 

There's nothing wrong with a regular conventional oil.

Just changing brands of oil can cause leaks. Years ago there were complaints that synthetics caused leaks due to different seal swell characteristics.

Go for it.

 

Mine had 246K when I switched it to synthetic. There is really nothing to debate. Just do it.

 

Back around 140,000 miles I tried Kendall GT-1 syn blend in my truck, it made my engine very noisy. I dumped it after about 2500 miles and went back to conventional and had normal engine sound again. Some say changing to synthetic at a higher mileage can cause oil leaks because synthetic cleans so much better that it can dislodge sludge, dirt and other contaminants that may be blocking potential leaky areas on and in the engine. I don't know if that is really true. However I would think if you have no leaks or excessive oil consumption now it would probably be OK to switch.

You may want to consider why you are switching though, because the main advantages of synthetic are longer oil change intervals and faster or "better" cold starts. Cold starts should not matter much unless you live where it gets cold enough to really require a thinner oil. You *may* get a little bit better gas mileage on synthetic too, but it may not be enough of a gain to justify the extra cost of synthetic oil and the type of filters that go along with extended oil drain intervals. It is all a matter of personal opinion and what you want to gain or improve with your truck. Personally I like conventional oil. I have never been able to accept the idea of a 10,000 mile oil change interval and never really bought into the concept of high mileage and synthetic oil either. You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about oil over at www.bobistheoilguy.com.

Jimmy

 

Jimmy, if dirt and sludge are the only thing holding back oil leaks, you'd have bigger concerns than oil type.

Personally, I run Pennzoil Platinum Pure Plus.... 5W-30. It's the natural gas synth. Got it at Walmart for around $22 for the big jug, so not too bad. Truck runs super smooth and quiet on it and I'm not worried about the engine sludging up. Oil changes are ever 7,500.

 

I run synthetic in all my vehicles because it makes me feel better. When I'm towing 8000lbs. up a mountain at 5000RPM in 100 degree heat, I like to know that I have the best oil I can buy.

 

Synthetic blend is a marketing scheme. Either stick with conventional or full synthetic. If you want blend, buy 3 quarts of full synthetic and three quarts of conventional. Same thing. Think about it.