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I finally took that advice from a retired mechanic about using synthetic oil in my old truck
He told me last spring at a gas station in Flagstaff that switching would save my engine from sludge, and after 8,000 miles my valve train sounds cleaner than it has in years - anyone else had their doubts about engine oil advice pay off?
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jessica_hall4924d agoMost Upvoted
Old tractors and lawnmowers are a totally different story for sure. What kind of issues did you see with the oil seals on your small engines after switching? I've heard people claim it's a myth that synthetic leaks worse but my buddy's riding mower turned into a sieve after he put it in, so I'm curious if you had leaking problems on anything with a carburetor or just the modern stuff. Also, how long did it take for your truck's valve train to settle down after that first cold start with the synthetic? I'm asking because my old F150 still has a little tick when it's below freezing and I'm trying to figure out if I need to wait out a break-in period or if my seals are already toast.
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the_adam1mo ago
Blew my mind when I tried it too. Picked up an '89 F150 with 180k miles on it, engine was knocking like crazy on cold starts. Switched to synthetic after reading a thread from some old timer on a Ford forum. Thing quieted down within 500 miles. Valve train went from ticking to smooth. I still use conventional in my lawnmower though, synthetic just leaks out past the old seals too fast in those small engines.
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