[Phlexit]

I have a '03 Dorango with 29000 miles. I have changed my oil every 3000 miles with Castrol. I just changed jobs and I now have a take home vehicle and I don't drive the Durange very much. Before I hade my take home vehicle, I would put about 75 miles a day going back and forth to work. Now my Durango sits in my garage and sometimes I go a month without driving it. I wanted to know if I should go to synthetic oil or stick with conventional oil? I don't want to have to change my oir every 3 months because sometimes I only drive it once a month.

 

[Alterocks]

synthetic last 6 months or 6000 miles, although they do make other synthetics that have different ranges... 10k, 15k, i know my dads caddy isnt supposed to have one till 100000 miles... things is though, once you go to synthetic oil. you can't go back to conventional... not sure why.. but thats what im always told.

 

[Neil F.]

, once you go to synthetic oil. you can't go back to conventional... not sure why.. but thats what im always told.

That is a myth. It's one of the "synthetic oil myths" that I've always doubted. In one of my Mustang magazines, last month they did an article on motor oils and included commentary from oil company reps. The Quaker State rep said that you can go back an forth. Another popular myth is that seals swell with conventional oil and will leak when synthetic is used on high mileage engines and leaks will appear. He stated that is false. While it was not specifically addressed, in the article, concerning leaks, someone on another forum (and I had heard the myth before) brought up that it is also dirt that helps seals leaks with conventional. Synthetic cleans out dirt and thus leaks appear. This I also don't believe.

 

[loanshark]

Yeah, I'm not sure how this BS about not being able to switch back to dino oil after you use synthetic keeps getting spread. You can tell it's BS by the way people say it. He wasn't even challenged and he says "that's what I've been told".

I don't want to be mean, but if it sounds like BS it probably is. If your not sure KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!

 

[Neil F.]

Easy does it. Yes there is occasionally bad information passed along and sometimes answers are wrong or shot from the hip. He does quantify it with that's what he has been told and does not know why. That's fine by me. I tend to answer a lot of questions and try to make sure that the info is correct. Occasionally it may be wrong but if I am not sure, it will always say to verify it etc. Also, if you are on the forum long enough, you tend to know who knows what they are talking about. For the post-and-run people who are not forum regulars, it does not do much good. For the most part here, there is mostly "good" info. Elsewhere on the web, there is a lot of bad info. I recently replied and asked someone "where does all the bad info come from" to someone who said "I heard......"

 

[loanshark]

I apologize for the harshness of my post. I didn't want to hurt anyones feelings, I just hate it when bad info gets repeated.

 

[Rick99]

Back to the topic of the post-- I think it's a good idea to run synthetic in all cases, but especially for long term storage because synthetic doesn't contain as many contaminates that are left in traditional oil after the refining process.

I think the real issue though, is that when you do run the truck you should take it for a good drive before it goes back in the garage so it heats up and burns off all the moisture and everything that builds up if you only take it on a short drive. That way you don't have all that crap eating away at your engine for weeks at a time.

A battery float charger would be a good idea too.