13||0|226|0|yes
0|0|0|||||Engine oil|wekaontheroof||23:27:28|07/12/2001|Hi%0D%0AWell I pick up the recon balanced engine on tuesday%2C ready to chuck in the spit .. Now I asked the reconditioner which engine oil to use after its been run in .%0D%0AHe said %22don%27t worry about synthetic just use cheap duckhams q or something like that %2Cin my experience the type of engine oil makes little difference to the wear in engines%22 .%0D%0AMost of the wear apparently takes place cold starting.%0D%0ANow I am not an expert on these things but this advise seems to go against a lot of recommendations I have read on these boards and elsewhere on the net.%0D%0AWhat do you all think and why%3F%0D%0AHow do you measure the benifits of using mobil one against %2Csay%2C%0D%0ADuckhams q %3F%0D%0AI have got a couple of days and 500 miles to make up my mind%0D%0AShould be Saturday %21%21%0D%0AThomas%0D%0A
1|1|0|||||RE%3A Engine oil|Richard & Daffy||00:36:09|07/13/2001|[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-13-01 AT 01:11 AM (Pacific)[/font][p]Thomas%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AEngine oil is DEFINITELY something worth spending money on%21%21  You really do get what you pay for with engine oil.  Good engine oil has all sorts of chemicals in it to keep it working right under the very harsh environment it is in%2C prevent it sludging up%2C keep everything clean%2C deal with the microscopic bits of metal that are created by wear%2C deal with the by-products of combustion that make it past the pistons%2C prevent the oil foaming - it is a difficult job and it takes a good oil to do it well.  Good oil WILL prolong the life of your engine%2C particuarly seals and bearings%2C and will also reduce the frequency of oil changes %28so it doesn%27t really cost that much more in the long run%29.%0D%0A%0D%0ADO NOT add additives to your oil.  If the chemicals in the additive were any good%2C they would already have been put in by the oil manufacturer%2C if you use good oil.  Also%2C it is important that the %5Bi%5Dbalance%5B%2Fi%5D of chemicals is right - add an additive and you will upset the balance%2C and the chemicals will not operate as they should - in fact the new chemicals may react with those already in the oil to destroy them.  Particularly bad are the additives with %27Teflon%27 flakes in%2C which have never been proved to have any beneficial effect in proper%2C scientific tests%2C and can block your fuel filter and possibly clog your oil passages.%0D%0A%0D%0AA good oil to use is Castrol GTX Magnatec - this claims to cling to metal surfaces while the engine is not in use%2C so there is some level of protection at start-up%2C addressing your concern over cold starting wear.  I have heard that%2C while it is true that most wear occurs in the first 10 minutes%2C it is not cold starting that is the problem %28oil is distributed around the engine within a few engine rotations%2C so the engine is turned very briefly with limited lubricant%29%2C the main reason for this wear is the corrosive by-products of combustion produced in the cylinders before the engine is up to proper operating temperature.  This is protected against by some of the chemicals in the oil.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn the UK at least it can be hard to find a decent quality oil in the recommended 20W%2F50 grade - unless you get the %27Classic%27 oils produced by Castrol and Penrite%2C which you can only get at classic car places%2C not Halfords%21  You are MUCH better off getting a quality oil at a slightly thin specification %28sat 10W%2F40%29 than getting a cheap oil at the correct specification.  Mobil 1%2C if I remember right%2C is 0W%2F30 or something like that%2C which may be too thin.  I%27d recommend Castrol GTX Magnatec as a reasonable compromise.%0D%0A%0D%0AOh%2C and by the way%2C do not mix fully synthetic oil %28e.g. Mobil 1%29 with non-synthetic%2C they do not mix well.  Non-synthetic and semi-synthetic are OK to mix.%0D%0A%0D%0AGiven your mechanics attitude to oil%2C I sincerely hope he has put in a decent quality running-in oil%2C but I am afraid he might not have.  I guess it is too late now though%21%0D%0A%0D%0ARichard %26 Daffy
3|2|1|||||RE%3A Engine oil|Ben Bacon||09:01:19|07/13/2001|Well%2C I%27m not sure about the oils in England%2C but Consumer Reports here in the US%2C ran a test back in 1996 where 65 new York  taxi%27s were tested using different oils.  All taxi%27s received rebuilt engines and all ring and bearing tolerances were measure before and after the test.  At the end of 60-70 thousand miles the engines were disassembled and inspected.  To make a rather long story short%2C they found no appreciable difference between any of the major brands of oil%2C be it non-synthetic or synthetic.  %0D%0A%0D%0AOne thing this test did not address was cold starting performance.  I suspect that the synthetic oils would have been better under normal short term driving conditions.  I%92ve also read were it%92s better to use non-synthetic oils during the break in period%2C so that the bearings and rings set properly.  If you use synthetic put it in after the 1000-1500 mile oil change.%0D%0A%0D%0AFYI%2C I use Castro GTX in my 2.0L.  I also drive about 20k miles a year.  %0D%0A%0D%0AI strongly agree with Richard that you should never use oil additives.  The only people who should are the folks that make them. J%0D%0A%0D%0AJust my two cents.%0D%0A%0D%0ABen Bacon%0D%0A79 Spit6 %28Daily Driver%29%0D%0APaola%2C Kansas%0D%0A
2|1|0|||||RE%3A Engine oil|snowygrouch||08:58:17|07/13/2001|Thomas%2C%0D%0AI agree with 99%25 of what Richard says but I would like to add that frequent changes are FAR more important that whatever oil you use. Every 3000 miles is a good interval for non synthetic.%0D%0AOne of my work mates an ex F1 engine builder confided in me that they used to run F1 engines on almost bog standard Duckhams.%0D%0AI would regard 10%2F40 as the thinnest you should go for%2C 0%2F30 is too thin.%0D%0AVery expensive fully synthetics probably do have an effect on high mileage engines but the frequency of change has far more benefit.%0D%0ACalum%0D%0A
4|1|0|||||RE%3A Engine oil|Giles||17:53:07|07/13/2001|To see what Ben Bacon is refering to%3A  Go to  www.scuderiaciriani.com%2Frx7%2Foil.html   Go down the page to The Suprising truith about motor oils.  If you are interested in OIL FILTERS%2C click on it at the top of the page. To me%2C this information is valuable.
5|2|4|||||RE%3A Engine oil|wekaontheroof||05:33:26|07/14/2001|thanx for all the info guys%0D%0A%0D%0AI am I more confused than before %3F%0D%0A%0D%0AI guess when it comes down to it%2C  it certainly won%27t be disadvantageus to use a more expensive synthetic oil so therefore its just a price thing.%0D%0AWhich after spending NZ%242000 on the engine  30 or 40 bucks either way is not so much of a problem%0D%0AThe main problem is that its winter here at the moment so the hard top is on and there is ice on the roads everywhere%0D%0Amakes life exciting%0D%0AThomas
6|3|5|||||RE%3A Engine oil|NZSPIT||18:58:58|07/14/2001|Hi %27weka%27 I am another %27kiwi%27 in Wellington.%0D%0AI would always use the correct sae rating.  If your manual states 20%2F50 - dont use 10%2F40%21%0D%0AI remember talking to Mike Todd %28of Todd Motors family%29 who had restored a Sunbeam Alpine to perfection%2C he was annoyed that he used the wrong sae rated oil in his overdrive and it was not working properly - so he had to drain and replace it and hope it was not damaged.%0D%0ASuper thin and slippery oils are not designed for older motors where the tolerances are greater. Sure%2C use sythetics in your late model cars for better efficiency but not in your %27Classics%27 %21 
7|4|6|||||RE%3A Engine oil|snowygrouch||01:05:41|07/15/2001|I agree%2C %0D%0AHowever these older wide tolerances should only apply to an origional or badly rebuilt engine. A modern machine shop should be able to machine the engine to tight tolerances with no problem.%0D%0AMobil 1 is availiable in 15%2F50 viscosity which provides the same thickness properties at high temperatures as standard 20%2F50 oils. It is also slightly thinner at startup which allows it to slip between the bearing shells a bit easier.%0D%0ASynthetic does not automatically mean low viscosity.%0D%0ACalum%0D%0A
8|5|7|||||RE%3A Engine oil|Ben Bacon||04:38:27|07/16/2001|Also%2C at temperaturers below 30 degrees F %28-1 C%29%2C triumph recommended using 10-30%2C at least for GT6%27s.  I%27ve found that 20-50 weight is a bit thick at 20 degrees F %28-6C%29%0D%0A%0D%0ABen Bacon%0D%0A79 Spit6 %28Daily Driver%29%0D%0APaola%2C Kansas
9|4|6|||||RE%3A Engine oil|Richard & Daffy||05:10:19|07/16/2001|NZSPIT%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AYour friend Mike Todd%27s problem was using the wrong gearbox oil%2C not the wrong engine oil.  I have heard the advice that you should not use %27hypoid%27 gear oil in your gearbox for just this reason - it is too slippery which causes problems for the operation of the o%2Fd.%0D%0A%0D%0AUsing a slightly too thin oil%2C particularly in a freshly-rebuilt engine with nice tight tolerances and seals%2C should not be a problem.%0D%0A%0D%0ARichard %26 Daffy
10|5|9|||||RE%3A RUNNING_IN Engine oil|John R Davies||12:57:27|07/16/2001|[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-16-01 AT 01:00 PM (Pacific)[/font][p]Weka%27s question was not what oil he should use for long life%2C but what oil he should use to run in his engine. %28%27Scuse me%2C Weka%2C if I sexistly assign you to the wrong gender - you never did tell us what is a weka%21%29%0D%0A%0D%0AUse the cheapest oily substance you can get for the first 250-500 miles. Let the engine wear and loosen up.  THEN chuck the rubbish%2C use a good quality oil and change it every 3000 miles.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis will allow the surfaces to truely %22run-in%22%2C and in particular avoid glazing of the bore faces%2C while preserving them thereafter.%0D%0A%0D%0ASee Calum Snowygrouch on %22Correct Running-in Procedures%22 in the %22How-To%22 section.
11|5|9|||||RE%3A Engine oil|wekaontheroof||22:01:48|07/16/2001|A weka is a flightless New Zealand Rail %28Ocydromus%29%0D%0Aand yes I%27m Male  and I am so excited that the spit is only a few days a way from driving%0D%0AStill don%27t know what oil yet though%21%21%21%0D%0AThomas
12|6|11|||||RE%3A Engine oil|hingstons||23:20:14|07/16/2001|Morning%0D%0A%0D%0ANot sure about NZ but here in the UK 20%2F50 is getting harder to find%2C but not impossible. I would recommend either Millers CSS%2C which is 20%2F50%2C or Valvoline Racing%2C also 20%2F50.%0D%0AI would agree with Callum that the freguency of changes is far more important. That isn%27t to say that I always listen to my own advice though%21%0D%0A%0D%0AHope to hear from you soon.%0D%0A%0D%0ASimon
13|6|11|||||RE%3A Engine oil|2dogs||15:37:11|07/19/2001|Weka%2C on this side of the %22Ditch%22 %28Australia%2C for all non Sthn Hemisphere residents%29 we have an oil from Valvoline%2C GP50%2C which is in both the Spitfire 1500 engines that I run.%0D%0AOne show%2C one race car. This oil seems to suit the older engines%2C and over the last 2 years has stayed in the engines%2C miracle for Triumph%2Cuntil i changed it. Synthetics are too thin and have too many detergent properties for the low tolerance engines of the 70s%2C unless rebuilt to VERY exact tolerances%2C and will eventually find its way out of every nook and cranny it can find.%0D%0A%0D%0AGood Luck%2C with the new Spitty%2C%0D%0A%0D%0A2Dogs%0D%0AMelbourne Australia%0D%0A1976 Spitfire-Green %0D%0A1976 Spitfire-Carmine%0D%0A1973 Stag - Green%0D%0A