Newly acquired 04, needs first oil change, but?

[cntryislandboy]

Here's the deal. It's time for my new to me 04 to get her oil changed. Currently sitting on 218K miles. I know you can go from conventional to synthetic but not supposed to go from synthetic to conventional. I'm no mechanic by any means so forgive me if some of these are dumb questions.

So my question is how do I know what is currently in there? (from what I have read you can't tell without getting it tested) I was planing on using Valvoline High Milage (the red carton). I've used that in past vehicles. But if it currently has synthetic in it that might not be a good idea.

Is the milage to high to just switch to something like Mobile 1 High Milage? Or something like the synthetic high milage blend?

Part of me thinks I'm overthinking it and just grab a good blend and go with it. Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Sasquatch]

Everything i have read says it`s perfectly fine to switch back and forth. Some people say that you shouldn`t switch to synthetic on high mileage vehicles if it has a poor maintenance record but if it was treated well i wouldn`t hesitate to switch.

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

i think the issue is switching to between high mileage and regular oils actually because of the additives for the seals and gaskets in the High mileage mixes.

 

[iamdub]

I never understood how switching back-and-forth can cause problems other than leaking when switching from conventional to synthetic. Even then, the problem isn't the oil. It's just that the syn is able to leak out the worn seals that the conventional couldn't. The problem isn't the oil, it's the worn seals. The synthetic oil is still the better oil for it's protection and longevity qualities.

If it were me, I'd base my decision on what I plan to run every time so I'm not researching it every X thousand miles. I'd also probably run a blend this time around since I don't know what's currently in it and it'd be like a transitional period to where I could run whichever from then on- full conventional or full synthetic. I really don't see how or why it would matter, but "gradually" switching one way or the other would just make me feel better.

If running syn-blend or full-syn leads to more leakage, then switch back to conventional and just change it more frequently since it doesn't last as long as synthetic.

 

[cntryislandboy]

Thanks for the info guys it's appreciated. I just went wit the valvoline high milage blend. She really only gets driven on the weekends and on family trips. Not to say I want something bad to happen but I'm not running up the miles.

Just a side note. It's pretty sad I can buy some ramps from walmart, oil, and filter and only spend slightly more than if I took it to a shop. Granite it cost me time, but only a few minutes. Not to mention next time will be even cheaper because I'll have the ramps already.

Thanks again.

 

[Rocket Man]

Thanks for the info guys it's appreciated. I just went wit the valvoline high milage blend. She really only gets driven on the weekends and on family trips. Not to say I want something bad to happen but I'm not running up the miles.

Just a side note. It's pretty sad I can buy some ramps from walmart, oil, and filter and only spend slightly more than if I took it to a shop. Granite it cost me time, but only a few minutes. Not to mention next time will be even cheaper because I'll have the ramps already.

Thanks again.

And the shops use crap oil.

 

[iamdub]

And the shops use crap oil.

And crap filters
And they rush through it (I let mine drain for at least an hour while I clean and rotate my wheels)
And they usually under- or over-tighten the drain plug and filter

 

[cntryislandboy]

And crap filters
And they rush through it (I let mine drain for at least an hour while I clean and rotate my wheels)
And they usually under- or over-tighten the drain plug and filter

While this is the first time I've changed my Tahoe oil, I used to change my jeep all the time. And I'd also let my oil drain for an hour or 2 while I worked on other chores around the house. It's actually relaxing and almost therapeutic in a pay.

 

[Chubbs]

thats a lot of miles. Did the previous owner provide any records of maintenance & preventative maint? You need to refresh every single fluid & filter in that rig. If you have the owners manual it should have just about everything listed somewhere towards the back. I have PDF from the w/s manual if you want to use that as a guide.

 

[iamdub]

It's actually relaxing and almost therapeutic in a pay.

Yes. You get a stronger sense of accomplishment, you know it was done to YOUR liking and it strengthens the bond between you and your machine. It's new to you so you should be the one checking it over inside and out, topside and bottom.

 

[ScottyBoy]

And the shops use crap oil.

EXACTLY. ALL shops use cheap ass oil or at best they use mid-grade oil as their "Top of the line" oil. I've seen oil change places charge $90 for an oil change with Castrol sythetic. ***** ridiculous. I run Amsoil in my truck and in my wife's Altima. It's actually CHEAPER to buy a case of Amsoil (if you have the Preferred Membership which is only $20 a year) than it costs to run conventional oil from an auto parts store. When I order it by the case (12 qts) my price comes to $5.75 a quart. And I was using the Amsoil filters until recently. The Amsoil filters are about $13 each. I have been getting the Mobil1 filters from Rockauto for just under $7 each. So I stock up on those with each Rockauto order. So an oil change costs me less than $50, and I can go at least 7500 miles on that oil. It's a no brainer.

 

[zraffz]

FWIW, I have always been told the reason vehicles leak switching from conventional to synthetic is due to synthetic being a finer oil. It's not eating any gaskets or seal.

Obviously the two can be mixed with no negative effect other than deteriorating the longevity of synthetic oil.

 

[Jamo]

I had a bit of a top end knock one day when I first started my '04 Tahoe last summer. 280+K on her. My wrench nephew had me run 2 qts of ATF (I actually got one qt of Gunk engine flush with one qt ATF) and followed the directions. Let it idle (no rev or drive) for 10-15 minutes, then do your oil & filter change. I have 2500 miles since and will do it again at 3000. All is quiet and running great. Probably just jinxed myself there...

 

[iamdub]

I had a bit of a top end knock one day when I first started my '04 Tahoe last summer. 280+K on her. My wrench nephew had me run 2 qts of ATF (I actually got one qt of Gunk engine flush with one qt ATF) and followed the directions. Let it idle (no rev or drive) for 10-15 minutes, then do your oil & filter change. I have 2500 miles since and will do it again at 3000. All is quiet and running great. Probably just jinxed myself there...

Probably the common stuck lifter tick. ATF is a strong detergent and is commonly used just the way you did by backyard mechanics as an engine flush. Sounds like it did just what you needed. I had an intermittent lifter tick at startup in my '08 when I first got it (at 147K miles) and have been running full synthetic oil since it's first oil change under my ownership. The tick went from happening about 10 times over a 5K-mile OCI to about 5 times to never at all.

 

[Plimbob]

I have used Valvoline High Mileage 5-30 in my 07 Tahoe which now has 244,000 with great results. I also don't skimp on on filters, buy a good grade filter, I like the Purolator 1 or the high end WIX. I think several of the other guys brought up the point that the HM mixtures employ additives to help with the aging of the seals.

If you're bored soemtime and and want to understand more about the different oils and filteration, go to Bob's The Oil Guy website. There are numerous folks on there that truly know what their talking about.