You should be able to change, easily enough. I might recommend, however, that you use a "crankcase cleaner" just before dumping the "old" oil. I usually recommend changing earlier in a car's life than 25,000 miles, so you are towards the high end, but the cleaner is useful to keep any dino-oil that has burned/attached itself to parts (and also stuff other than oil that has done the same thing) before adding any synthetic. This is because all synthetics are very "detergent" compared to dino-oil, and will rapidly turn black. This doesn't mean that the oil is "bad" or has gone that way. It is a good sign, because it means that the oil is cleaning out the system so (hopefully) that the filter can remove the gunk. After the drain following the first use of syn-oil, the follow-on syn-oil should stay noticeably "clean" longer. I also recommend that you find and use an oil filter specifically designed for syn-oil, since they tend to filter down to a finer specification than regular filters. Read the packaging or contact the manufacturer.
Expect to see an initial "HIGH" oil usage while this cleaning process takes place, especially since you have relatively high mileage on your engine. I switched my 2001 LE PT to syn-lube at the 3000-mile change and had to add 2.5 quarts over the next 18,000 miles when the oil analysis (done to get the full benefit of the extended life of syn-oil) said the oil needed to be changed. Using oil analysis to verify my oil's condition, I've only had to "change" my oil three times now and my odometer is at 49+Kmiles.
Since I'm out of the initial warrantee period I've switched to sampling the oil (it costs about $20/sample) every 5000 miles. In September 2001 (about a year after taking delivery of the PT, and about 6 months after switching to syn-lube) I made two runs to Santa Barbara, CA from the San Diego area. I kept track of my mileages and logged them in a booklet. The following week I went to an AAA meeting at the Southern California office where I got their speedometer checker to verify my odometer. It showed I was getting 31 mpg (I have a manual TX. You will see an improvement with automatics, but probably not as high.) On a recent trip from San Diego to just north of Salt Lake City, I ranged between 28-35 mpg.
ONE THING TO BE CAREFULL OF! Although VIRTUALLY all synthetics are petroleum oil compatible (read the bottle/can carefully or call the company to be sure), the same CANNOT be said of synthetic-to-synthetic mixing. So once you select a brand of synthetic oil, stay with it unless you use a crankcase cleaner again (and yes, if the synthetic doesn't seem to "work out" for you, you should be able to change back to dino-lube at the next oil change. I would recommend sampling every 3000 miles after changing. ONLY after a considerable run on synthetic (at least 10000 miles, would I say you could change to a 5000 mile sampling interval. That decision is up to you.)
Best of luck! I'm sure you will find an improvement in your car's performance and, hopefully, some improved gas mileage, as well. Certainly the engine will say thank you! Additionally, there are synthetic auto/manual TX lubes that can add to equipment life and provide performance boosts as well. Sincerely, Jim Warren, 2001 LE La Mesa, CA
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