Tom;
I've been using Castrol 5w50 synthetic in my TR6 on and off for about 5 years.
Great stuff! The TR uses about half as much synthetic as it did standard mineral
oil. I say on and off because I usually put regular oil in at the end of the
season since I'll just change it the next spring. This year was different as I
drove my 6 almost daily in December and January while my RX7 was being worked
on.
As for your Volvo oil seal, I think your 'car guys' are right. I have a lot of
customers that swear by synthetic oil and none have offered any anecdotal
evidence that sealing is more of a problem with synthetics. The 6 doesn't leak
anymore than it did- I actually use less oil running synthetics.
Jeff Johnson
'76 TR6
tomwalling@pvh.com wrote:
> First, let me thank everyone who had a suggestion about refitting the O.D.
> back onto the transmission. I finally got it there last night after much
> trying and re-trying. I had to pry up on the actuator bars and put a "shim"
> under them to get the spines to move around for alignment. When I would
> release the actuators again, the splines would usually shift out of position
> again (Grrrrrrr!), but I finally got everything to line up and the
> transmission just dropped on and closed with a very satisfying "clank".
> Again, thanks to the combined wisdom of all of you!
>
> Now, on to the question Du Jour... Is synthetic oil good for your car?
> (WARNING -- some Volvo content follows)
>
> I have used only Mobil 1 in my '92 Volvo 240 since I have owned it (making
> the last payment this month). Just this week, the Service dept. replaced
> the rear main oil seal for the 2nd time. The 1st time was only a year ago.
> Is this because of the synthetic oil, or did they put a defective seal in
> last year? The service writers (a couple of regular "car guys") both claim
> that the under-current of rumor about synthetics is wrong. This
> under-current has it that synthetic oil doesn't cause the rubber seals to
> "swell", so any wear in the sealing area can't be compensated for by the
> chemical reaction of petroleum and rubber. What's the opinion of those of
> you out there? I'd love to run my TR6 on synthetic oil because I feel that
> it is a better lubricant over a wider range of conditions, and it sure does
> keep the inside of the engine clean! I also know that any LBC doesn't need
> much excuse to start leaking all over the place. I suppose that the
> trade-off would be: if it leaks, keep throwing oil-dry on the garage floor
> and keep an eye on the dip stick -- it's worth the extra $$$ to reduce
> friction and heat, and to keep the interior of the engine "surgically
> clean". It's coming on time for my "Spring oil change", so this isn't just
> an academic question... Thanks.
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