snow4me Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 As some of you know, I just picked up this PF from a coworker a few weeks ago. He has had the oil changed every 3,500 religiously. I'm about to do my first oil change on it and was wondering if I should switch to 5w30 Mobil 1 or something of that nature or stick to a conventional oil. I have been running diesels for the last 15 years so I really don't know much about what these little engines like. Yes I did search last night on this but didn't find too much on higher mileage engines and what they like. Thanks, Daryl. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panbacca Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 If it were me, I'd just stick with conventional and keep changing it at the same intervals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Synthetic couldn't hurt, IMO. Just make sure you stick with it and don't return to conventional oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Just make sure you stick with it and don't return to conventional oil. Why? There's no long term detriment to switching back and forth (except of course you get random mixes of dino/synth oil left over in the engine for a while). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Go with synthetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0nkeyprince Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Like the majority of opinions here, Switch to synthetic and change your oil every 5k. I switched at 70k miles and changed my oil after 3k (because i had this impression that the synthetic oil would dislodge all the old sludge left by conventional, which might or might not be true, safe insurance though). And at 5k intervals after that it dosnt matter which synthetic oil; valvoline full syn, or mobil 1, especially if you dont go over 5k intervals. I go with mobil 1 because it's proven, cheap, and available at costco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 I just called the shop that did all the maintenance work on it after his service contract with Nissan expired. They said they used 5W30 Marathon Dino oil in it. They are one of the dwindling service center/gas stations left here in Michigan. He is printing me out a service record on the truck for me to pick up tonight. A guy I work with is an Amsol nut and says the engine should be flushed before switching to synthetic, dunno. I have read that full synthetics don't adhere well to bearings and such but that is through the snowmobile engine builder I deal with. Decisions decisions. Thanks for the feedback so far!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 They make like 6 different Mobil 1 oils in 5W30, how do I pick? LoL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom01Pathfinder Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 i bought my pathy with 80k on it and made the switch to synthetic then. If anything i will help. Currently running Pennzoil Ultra. I change every 4500 miles. And if you know that the diff, transmission, and transfer case have never had a change, id look into that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 ain't broke don't fix it. I like my dino oil. Personal preference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0nkeyprince Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 lol they make the clean5000 mobil1, SUV&Truck mobil1, the regular mobil1, all in the 5w-30 weight. Do not use the "clean#" mobil 1 because they lose their protective properties after 7k miles (i think the analysis was from bob the oil guy) I usually use the regular 5w-30, although i saw 2 quarts of "truck&SUV" mobil1 5w-30 from pepboys for the same price, and mixed that into my usual oil change. i believe the truck&SUV formula has a higher level of zinc, not to sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I use Mobil1 5W30, the regular stuff. I used the SUV Mobil1 once when they were out of regular 5W30, but I have no idea what the difference is. I switched at 90k and have had absolutely no oil leaks pop up which is the main concern. I say do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I changed over to mobile 1 full syn around 100k and liked the results. It is a bit more expensive but at the same time I think that the truck runs quieter and smoother. I also have confidence knowing that I can go over the change intervals by a little bit and not really have to worry about it...but I still try and change every 3500-4000 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) I am not a fan of the extended OCI. A lot of us know the oil burning issues the 3.5 has, has to do with not changing the oil on time causing buildup. Anyways IMO, change the oil according to what the manual says regardless of oil type, and I think you will have no problems. Edited March 3, 2011 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 The oil burning issues have to do with dyno oil being in the engine... the valve covers have a poor baffle design which causes sludge to build up before the 3000 miles anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Was talking with my boss tonight about oils. (I do not condone the following ) He runs Mobil 1 oil and never changes it throughout the entire life of his vehicles, only filters and tops off with fresh Mobil 1. He says he gets rid of his cars at around 250,000 miles and they still run. Plus, he beats the hell out of them! I think he's crazy but apparently he gets away with it. How many quarts do our little 3.5's take anyway? Thanks again guys. By the way, tonight I took off the front mud flaps and rusted out running boards, looks WAY better. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 5.75 quarts or somewhere about there...check the owners manual before to make sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 5.75 quarts or somewhere about there...check the owners manual before to make sure... Thank-you. The owners manual is right around there. I was confused by a thread on here saying it was in the 3-4 quart area. Daryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 The VG33 in the older R50s take about 4 quarts... Seems low from the factory to me but they run forever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 I am intrigued by the Mobil 1 high mileage 5W30. It says it's for 75,000 miles and higher. Wonder if it really makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Call Mobil1 tomorrow and ask them what the difference is and why it benefits high mileage engines. Then ask them about the Truck and SUV formula and post up what they say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Call Mobil1 tomorrow and ask them what the difference is and why it benefits high mileage engines. Then ask them about the Truck and SUV formula and post up what they say... I think I will do just that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Why? There's no long term detriment to switching back and forth (except of course you get random mixes of dino/synth oil left over in the engine for a while). Not so much, i was referring more to the seals being affected by the petroleum distillates found in regular dyno oil, which synthetic doesn't contain. This was the advice given to me, so I stuck with it. In any case, I've always ran synthetic in all my vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow4me Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Call Mobil1 tomorrow and ask them what the difference is and why it benefits high mileage engines. Then ask them about the Truck and SUV formula and post up what they say... Called Mobil 1 this morning and talked to one of their engineers. She said that the only reason to run their "High Mileage" oil is if you are using oil between changes or are leaking. The main difference in ingredients is that there is a seal conditioner in the high mileage oils. Same goes for the transmission fluids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRider3141 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Another vote for synthetic here. I used it in my old Explorer and I'm racking up the miles on the cheap stuff the dealer put in so I can put some synthetic in my Pathfinder. The explorer had 150K+ miles when I switched. It burned a quart every 3000 miles on dino and a quart every 3000 miles on synthetic. I ran 6000 mile intervals and didn't notice the oil get dirty until around 5K. No issues after 40,000 miles. If the old Ford OHV 4.0L could take it I'm sure the VQ35 would love it. I run full synthetic in all my dirt bikes too even though they do not require it. They are air cooled and greatly benefit from the synthetic oil for keeping cool. They also share oil between the crank, engine, gearbox and wet clutch so it takes alot of abuse compared to a car oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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