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Greetings everyone.
A couple of months ago I bought a 2004 Opel Astra 1.6 Twinport (Z16XEP). When I first got it, the first thing I did to it was an oil change due the lack of recent service history. I used semi-synthetic 10W-40 oil since I didn’t know what has been ran through it previously and it’s been good for me before. The car has around 254 000km (158ish thousand miles) on the clock. Since I got it I’ve driven another 10 000km on it and it’s due to an oil change. I want to be good to it, and have played with the thought of investing in some 5W-40 fully synthetic oil. Slightly thinner oil would also be ideal for the upcoming winter, which can get a bit harsh here in Finland. The trouble is, the engine is obviously old and maybe getting a bit tired. It doesn’t leak oil but burns it a bit, though within manufacturer’s limits (Opel considers under 0,6l/1000km to be okay). My worry is that thinner, fully synthetic oil, thought arguably still better to the engine as a whole, will increase the oil consumption and in the worst case scenario won’t be enough for the possibly worn and increased clearances within the engine and cause the whole oil pressure to drop. The latter one isn’t really THAT likely in my mind because the engine seems to be mechanically in good condition.
What do you guys think, is it worth it to switch to fully synthetic oil? Or should I stick to what I’ve been using up to this point?
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JMO…
You can take a look down the oil fill cap and get an idea what it looks like as far as build up.
Switching to full synthetic, on a older motor may induce oil leaks due to the flow properties.
Might serve you better to switch to a quality grade high mileage oil in your situation and good filter.
Also change it often.If the car is consuming oil, synthetic oil is a waste of money. I would use an oil viscosity recommended by the manufacturer for your temperature conditions.
suck it and see , ive switched and had no bad things happen
if it burns it up fast then you know for next time to try something else
If I pulled up the correct manual, it looks like you should be running a 5W-30/40 during this time of year. Full synthetic always seemed like a waste of money with higher mileage vehicles unless the engine calls for it. Finding a semi-synth blend that works well for your driving habits seem like the best way to go in my opinion. I had to google an Opel Astra tho so I’m not sure how she runs.
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