I was told not to use synthetic since my car is an 88 and the thinner oil could leak. How do you guys feel? Should i use it or not?

 

I use sae 10w30 in summer and 5w30 in the winter...

I also use Lucas high mileage additive...
for all my high mileage vehicles....

I dont use synthetic....EVER!

 

I use Redline 15-50 synthetic oil in my Monte. About $11 per quart, great protection is never cheap.

Thats not true about not using synthetic oil in older engines like my 98 Chevy 350 engine. I have never had a problem. Below is an excerpt from a Mobil 1 article.

Updated July 2011

Myth: Mobil 1 synthetic oils will leak out of the seals of older cars.
Reality:

Mobil 1 oils do not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil was tested in dozens of industry standard and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 oils provide the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using a Mobil 1 oil. ExxonMobil also recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use.

 

I agree. I have been using Mobil1 Full Synthetic since around 95k and know at 137k no problems here. Just as long as you maintain it regularly should have any issues. You could always do a blend too.

 

I did fail to mention...

My wife had a 1999 Blazer LS with 90,000 plus miles on it...
She had mistakenly been convinced to use Synthetic oil...

By the time she arrived home, The lifters were just clattering away!
I was shocked! and thought they didnt put any oil in it and she had just driven away....She handed me the receipt and it said they changed it from standard oil to synthetic....I immediately drove it backup to the oil change place and demanded to see the manager...(They give you a little reminder on the windsheild) Which the previous one showed what oil was used the last time I got the oil changed!

Fortunately the oil change shop was just a few blocks away from my house. So, I only put minimal mileage on it round trip. I also went in the pit to watch it being drained..(looking for any metalic or brass shaveings etc,,,) Incase it damaged her motor. Reluctantly it didnt show any signs of damage.

The manager did refund our money as well as gave me 2 free oil changes for the inconvenience...(to remove any residual synthetic oil)

After he fulfilled his obligation of my free oil changes....I never went back there again!
We eventually traded it in ..But it had 140,000 miles when we did trade it in...So, I guess you could say we dodged a bullit on that one!

 

Its really all preference, synthetic oils do give better protection & last longer than conventionals. It depends on what weights you use, and how many miles the engine has..Most higher mile engines have gunk or buildup from standard oil. Synthetic tends to turn that gunk into a thick gummy goo that clogs up the engine. Thats probably why the Blazer started to chatter like a maniac :P
It also keeps the gaskets saturated to prevent future leaks.On higher mileage cars the gaskets become brittle, and the synthetic may over-saturate the gaskets & cause leaks. Especially since its finer.
I've had customers at work try changing their high mile cars to synthetic & later that year tell me everything began to leak. Or the car did not run right afterwards
I believe anything up to 70,000 miles should be the limit.
I have to run synthetic with the miles I drive. It makes it easier to change it every 6k than every 3k.. I usually use 4 quarts Castrol Syntec 5w-30 & top off with Lucas synthetic oil stabilizer.

 

Royal Purple 10W30 for me.

 

I use Mobil 1 in the monte 5w30 120k miles & no oil issues, & Royal Purple 5w40 in the SRT

 

Thanks guys for the input. This was really helpful. I'm probably gonna listen to my grandpa and use. Syntecblend. I dont want to risk it with the synthetic. But once i drop a new motor in ill use synthetic.

 

You could go with a Mobil High Mileage, I work at a Lube Shop and we get a lot of older cars that will switch over to the High Mileage blend that Mobil has and the cars just love it. It's got a lot of additives in it to prevent leaking and burning and is more or less the same as a synthetic blend. A lot of "synthetic blend" products aren't really what they say they are, which is why at least where I work we stopped carrying a blend. As for me in my 01 SS I prefer Mobil 5w40 Full Synthetic and it works great.