Will Mixing Synthetic with Conventional Oil Cause a Gel to Form?
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Question:
Will Mixing Synthetic with Conventional Oil Cause a Gel to Form?
I mixed Mobil 1 with regular motor oil. My mechanic told me I should not do this because it forms a gel; is this true? I did it on 3 Honda Accords - a 2003 with 40,000 miles, a 1990 with 201,000 miles and a 1992 with 190,000 miles.
-- Jordan Mayer, Cape Coral, FL
Answer:
In general, oils should be compatible with each other. It is not likely that you would form gel by mixing the two oils. However, we would not recommend mixing oils as a general practice because oils are complex mixtures of additives and base oils that can be destabilized. Lastly, why reduce the outstanding performance of Mobil 1 by adding “regular oil”. Is it economics? You would be better to run all Mobil 1 and run it longer than mixing it with “regular oil”.
