Mixing Dino & Syn

[roadking714]

What are your thoughts on maybe using one qrt of Syn and three qrts Dino on an oil change? I use straight Dyno now in my 97 FLHR but was wondering if there would be any benefit from using 1 qrt Syn. I hate the thought of paying that much for oil.

I know you might say it's a small price to pay to protect your engine, but I don't ride over 95 degrees for the motors sake and mine.

Just a thought

  Thanks Bob

[Panzer]

Other threads on here mentioned the mix.
No problem.
I know what you mean by $$$.
Like they said, if your low and all is available is dyno and you had syn in it, it's ok & vise versa.
Use it, you paid for it. 

[fxrp]

I would not try to make my own blend when  changing oil.

If you do a cost comparison between dino juice and a quality synthetic its actally a wash.

Most people running conventional oil change it every 2,500 miles. With a synthetic you can easily go to the factory interval of 5,000 miles. So with dino every 5k you have 8 qts of oil and 2 filters, with synthetic you have 4 qts and 1 filter. Cost is relatively the same.

I am and have been into synthetic since the 80s when HD said it was "toooo slippery" and could void your warranty. I don't change my oil for 10k. Before someone jumps I have had it tested by Blackstone Labs and after 10k the synthetic is still good.

Paul

The worst synthetic oil is better than the best conventional oil.

[payday]

What is the cost difference betwnn syn and dino for an oil change versus the total invetment in your bike? It just doesn't make sense to take a chance for a few dollars upfront.

TS

[adayrider]

Why not run an additive like Lucas?

[Coff 06]

Sometimes things that grew up on dino can start having leaks when you start using syn.Just something to think about.  Coff 06

[roadking714]

That's what I was thinking as far as just 1/4 Syn, maybe it won't leak with just a little rather than all Syn.
It is a 97 with 60,000 miles. If it wasn't for the thought of leaks I would just use straight Syn, It's really not about the $.

[rihdrkc]

 I cannot for the life of me understand how switching from dino to synthetic would cause a motor to start leaking. The oil has nothing what so ever to do with the condition of the gaskets or seals. If it leaks with syn it will leak with dino. I just switched to syn with 80,000 miles on my twinkie . Motor, tranny, and primary. I have been a marine mechanic for 25 years, and we have been using semi and full syn in motors for years, and put it in motors that have been run mostly on dino, never seen a problem due to the switch. As far as mixing it, not going to do much good. It will not extend the life of the dino.

[Paniolo]

Well mixing the two is exactly how they make blends. At least that's how a petroleum engineer explained it to me. I used to think I had to drain ALL the oil out of my engine before changing over. Then he said not to worry and said that they aren't in a lab creating new formulas, they just mix the two together. And like any kind of mixture it can range from 50/50 to richer or leaner. Your engine really does not know or care what kind of oil is in there.

[fxrp]

Sometimes things that grew up on dino can start having leaks when you start using syn.Just something to think about.  Coff 06

Its a left over issue from decades ago and BTW it is no longer a valid concoern.

Back in the day when synthetics first started to become available to the public some of the seal and gasket materials weren't compatable and would shrink and begin to leak. Switch back to dino oil fast enough and sometimes they would  re-swell and stop leaking. But that is all in the distant past.

Well mixing the two is exactly how they make blends.  . . . Then he said not to worry and said that they aren't in a lab creating new formulas, they just mix the two together.

Well now thats a little of an over simplification. Do you really think Castrol is in the lab creating a new synthetic blend and the chemist says "somebody run to Wal Mart and get me 10 cases of Pennzoil 5w-30 and 10 cases of Quaker State 10w-40. The blends are obviously engineered much more scientifically than that.

Paul

[Phu Cat]

Roadking, I am by no means a chemist, but do work in the chemical industry.  I wouldn't have a problem with mixing dino and synthetics oils from the same manufacturer as they're likely to have a similar additive package.  Having said that, mixing oil from different manufacturers means you're also mixing additive chemicals, some of which may not be compatable.

If it's an emergency, that's one thing, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.  I'd also do an oil change as soon as possible.

Everything else being equal, synthetics comes from crude oil to begin with, so mixing synthetic and conventional oil from the same manufacturer shouldn't be a problem.   

PC

[BrianK]

I cannot for the life of me understand how switching from dino to synthetic would cause a motor to start leaking. The oil has nothing what so ever to do with the condition of the gaskets or seals. If it leaks with syn it will leak with dino. I just switched to syn with 80,000 miles on my twinkie . Motor, tranny, and primary. I have been a marine mechanic for 25 years, and we have been using semi and full syn in motors for years, and put it in motors that have been run mostly on dino, never seen a problem due to the switch. As far as mixing it, not going to do much good. It will not extend the life of the dino.

The answer on the leaks is dino oil can "coagulate" (for lack of a better term) and gum up defective or worn gaskets and seals to the point they don't leak, whereas synthetic won't.  The real answer is to replace bad gaskets and seals, not rely on your oil to be gummy enough to hide the problem.

[Burch]

Like the last post said, the dino oil will build up some in the engine....and the syn will clean it out. Could start leaks.

When I changed to syn, I was suprised to see how dirty the oil looked after about 200-500 miles....it was cleaning the insides I suppose?

Burch

[fxrp]

If it's an emergency, that's one thing, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.  I'd also do an oil change as soon as possible.

If you have to add dino oil (emergency) the synthetic manufacturers recomend a complete change at the earliest opportunity.

Everything else being equal, synthetics comes from crude oil to begin with, so mixing synthetic and conventional oil from the same manufacturer shouldn't be a problem.  

That is not true. A true synthetic, Amsoil, Red Line, etc does not derive its base stock from crude oil. There are pseudo synthetics that are based on crude base stocks.