Modern Buddy

How can I tell if my original oil is synthetic or not?

I was told by a mechanic that if I add regular oil to synthetic, one of the two will break down prematurely. I want to avoid this issue, but expect that I'll have to add a few cc's of oil before my 500 mile service.

Does synthetic oil taste sweet like regular oil? Or is it a little bitter like transmission fluid?

I am interested in this thread....I have never tasted oil before. Can someone answer this?

Well, let's ignore the tasting part for now...

Will I do damage to my engine oil if I mix synthetic and regular oil?

sotied wrote:Well, let's ignore the tasting part for now...

You gave the thread that title... I'm curious now.

Piedmont wrote:

sotied wrote:Well, let's ignore the tasting part for now...

You gave the thread that title... I'm curious now.

The warning I'll give you is not to swallow the oil.

But nobody seems to be able to give me info on whether I can determine the grade/type of oil by its taste. Which is disappointing.

OH, the other warning is not to taste it after a long ride. It will be HOT HOT HOT.

**Further, cheeses that go well with synthetic oil tend to be provolones, mozzarellas and some very mild bries. For the regular types of oil I suggest a cheese with more body like a Humbolt Fog goat cheese, a strong and sharp cheddar, or even a bleu cheese.**

Here's a page Phil linked to previously:
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html

It's a good read. It doesn't directly answer your question, but it's good background about oil in general.

One thing I took away from it:
1. Despite what marketing makes it seem, "synthetic" isn't a rigid term. You can tell salt from sugar because salt is salt and sugar is sugar. I think it's unlikely you could tell "synthetic" from "non-synthetic" because the line is blurred so much. Perhaps if you drank enough oil, you could develop a taste, like a wine-taster eventually can tell vintages ("This is definitely Castrol GTX, 10w-40 - an '07, believe"), but I wouldn't go that route...

Everything I've read says there's really not a problem with mixing oil. The old "once you go synthetic you can never go back" thing is largely an urban myth.

That said, the Buddy holds less than a quart of oil, and it takes less than 30 minutes to change it, even as a novice. I can't see a scenario in which I'd need to mix. In an old car burning oil, with a 5-quart capacity, sure - I used to add a quart a month. But in a 1-qt scooter that shouldn't leak yet...

Anyway, my 2 cents is just change it all. Shell Rotella T synthetic was $4/qt at Walmart last week. But if not, I don't think topping it off with another kind is going to hurt anything. I'd schedule the next change for when the non-synthetic is due to break down - not when the synthetic would break down.

Anyone want to buy a quart of Pennzoil LongLife Gold 15W-40?

I guess I'll invest my 401K in a quart of synthetic for future changes.

i can't imagine you'll need to add any oil before you need a full change.

I always get confused with synthetic and dino oil. I mean are you supposed to serve synthetic with red wine and dino with white or is it the other way around?

Well crap. Had this been about "unleaded fuel taste" I would've had a wealth of information to share.

*flashes back to the time when I put unleaded in my Dad's diesel Mercedes and he made me siphon it out (by mouth) with a garden hose

Synthetic seems to have a more buttery/oaky taste in my opinion. Standard oil you note more earth tones.

Mine tastes a bit like chicken...

White meat?

Sure, you can mix the two safely. But why would you want to waste good synthetic oil just to top off? If you should even need to, that is. I've never heard of a mechanic using synthetic oil for oil changes unless requested to. Just use synthetic on your next full oil change (only if your engine is fully broken in).

If you were to mix a synthetic rated for 5,000 mi. with a standard rated for 3000 mi. of course you're not going to make it 5,000mi. before your next oil change. One wont cause the other to fail prematurely. You're just diluting the good stuff.

rajron wrote:White meat?

the OTHER white meat perhaps...

Who did the last oil change on your Buddy? That'd be the person to ask, right?

The Buddy has very low oil consumption. In fact, most owners don't need to top off between changes, provided it was filled properly to begin with.

(It's still worth checking the oil, to guard against leaks or other problems.)

And WHY would you be tasting your oil in the FIRST place?!?!

I know I have had random ideas that I thought were good at the time, but seriously? Motor oil?

How would you get the taste OUT of your mouth?

bunny wrote:
How would you get the taste OUT of your mouth?

A light cracker such as a Triscuit or a Keebler Club cracker. Under no circumstance mix oil taste and Ritz Crackers.

bunny wrote:How would you get the taste OUT of your mouth?

From:
http://www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/divisi ... p?id=70988

Ingestion
If a hydrocarbon reaches the stomach, there is very little risk of harm. The stomach does not absorb hydrocarbons. In the worst case, swallowing hydrocarbons causes nausea, mild stomach discomfort and belching. The hydrocarbon will pass harmlessly through the bowels. Aspirating hydrocarbons causes more problems than swallowing them. Do not induce vomiting because you don't want to increase the risk of aspiration. Just offer a sip of water or juice to drink and call the poison control hotline. The poison center will monitor the patient at home for 24 hours to be sure the signs of aspiration do not occur.

Wow, so drinking oil/gas is no big deal, unless you acidentally suck some into your lungs. Good to know.

Haven't had it changed yet.

The oil in the belly of Velveeta is the original from the dealer....probably Dino if that's what you guys think dealers would use to prep the scoot.

I guess I'll keep my quart of Pennzoil.

You should, it's liquid enginering.