Hello, I have a quick question. Is it harmful for the engine to run dino oil which requires synthetic? I have been treating my twin turbo engine with auto rx using regular dino oil. Hopefully I'm haven't done damage, or doing damage. Any help appreciated. I do plan on going back to synthetic after the treatment.
You should be fine for the short durations of the clean and rinse phases. I have used Supertech dino and Havoline dino in my Saab turbo for the ARX treatments and have had great results.
Having said that, you can also use a group III synthetic (Pennzoil Platinum, Supertech synth, etc.) for both phases. I would probably go with the group III synth just to ease my mind.
Here is an awesome paragraph from the Cycle Rx site (same product as Auto Rx) for anyone who has not read it. The ARX "beefs up" the host oil in addition to the cleaning action.
Cycle-Rx® is made up of three ester groups. The lanolin ester is the main cleaning agent, its function is to impregnate the surface of varnish and coked up deposits. The second is an aliphatic ester. Its function is to provide for better film forming of the host oil, eliminating the potential of dry spots in the oiling system, during the cleaning process. This component is also very resistant to oxidation and is a supplement to the host oil while the contamination is being removed and deposited to the filtration media. The last ester is a biodegradable, polyol ester, which provides extra, extreme pressure capability to the host oil. Utilizing heat, pressure, and flow, generated within the oiling system, Cycle-Rx® safely and effectively dissolves deposits. Deposits form slowly over time, they should be cleaned slowly and methodically as well.
I used dino in my clean/rinses with no problem in my turbo SAAB. But if you want an extra margin of safety I second the previous post and would recommend a group III oil like Pennzoil Platinum, Rotella T Synth or really most synths these days.....
I think that if you don't beat on the car too much during the dino use, then you should be fine. I know corvettes use synthetic because of the high heat and long oci.
Got to remember here that you are running the dino for only 1/2 of its normal service life. I do not believe that a full synthetic will perform any better than a dino over 1500 miles, or 2000 as in the rinse.
Sure synthetic is desired in a high heat effected unit over a longer or extended drain interval.
