I'm taking the plunge and changing to full synthetic for my Omega. Couple of
points:
1. Do I have to flush the system out, or is this just an old wives' tale?
2. Short of buying a Vauxhall filter, what brands can I go for that have a
non-return valve?
3. Anyone tried any brands other than Mobil 1? Halfords do a full synthetic, but
am I right to be wary of it?
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I am no expert, but flushing the system at each oil change makes good common sense to me. I have never deviated from Mobil 1, but would be interested in comments from others about different brands.
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I had a third share in a 1939 ex navy 55 and 1/2 foot harbour launch fitted with a Foden FD6 4.2 litre 2 stroke (wet sump) supercharged diesel. It had 2 big oil filters. The total capacity was about 4 gallons. I had the instruction manual. It said that the engine should never be run UNTIL full oil pressure had been achieved. This was done using a manual pump on the side of the engine once new oil had been put in. Basically, you pumped till there was pressure showing on the gauge. It strikes me that if Foden (ERF is his son, Mr E.R.Foden) knew that in 1939, it might be a good idea to stick with it. My opinion is DO NOT use flushing oil because you have to run the engine twice with no oil till the pressure builds up, causing more bad than good. I also think that the difference between fully synthetic and mineral oils is huge, wheras the difference between Mobil 1 and eg Halfords etc is minimal. Moral: don't flush, and use Halfords synthetic. (PS It's a pity that the rest of the car will rust away before the engine wears out) (PPS I still change my oil and filter at 5000 miles anyway, and will I soon be prosecuted for not expressing my oil changes in KILOMETRES rather than miles ! ! ! )
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My 1990 Volvo 340 1.4 has done around 250,000 miles using Comma 10/40 Eurolite oil and Fram filters. So far so good, it uses no oil and does around 40mpg. The oil and filter are changed at 6000 miles. During Fitter training in the RAF we were taught to stick to one type of oil at all times, never rev the engine on shut down, (the excess petrol tends to wash any oil from the bores, similar to running on choke for to long) and always allow the engine to tick over for 30 secs. before switching off, (this puts a coating of oil on the bores and rings thus ensuring the on the first start of the day the engine has some protection. So far most of my engines have gone for on huge mileages, it is a pity the body work usually expired before the engine.
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It is my understanding that Mobil 1 is the only true synthetic oil.Without delving deep into the chemistry aspects, it is based on polyalphaolefin, the base fluid(PAO) which is widely used on sophisticated applications in aerospace & military applications .Many other, if not all, manufacturers utilise modified petroleum hydrocarbon as their base fluid.
Obviously Halfords do not manufacture their own oil, so who does make it &
what is the base fluid?
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I don't know the base, but I'm sure Halfords' oil is made by Castrol.
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I am advised that Castrol do not use PAO as base fluid, it is said to be modified petroleum hydrocarbon.
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On the isue of lack of oil presure when starting the engine after an oil change, why not do what I do - part fill the new filter before putting it on. Doesn't work for 'upside down' installations but for most cars you can at least half fill it if not more. Reduces the 'no oil pressure time' dramatically. If you're really worried, disable the ignition and crank on the starter until the oil light goes out - standard practice after engine rebuilds surely?
Regards
john
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The idea of cranking the engine over with the ignition disabled until the oil light
goes out is not recommended.Not only will un burned petrol be passed into
the exhaust causing damage to the catalyst but the excess petrol will also
wash any remaining oil from the bores thus defeating the whole purpose of
trying to provide lubrication on start up.
Not only this but if the ignition is disabled on the HT side then there is a risk
of damaging the ignition system electronics.
The best idea is to prime the filter beforer fitting it as J.S suggests and then
just start up as normal and allow to gently idle while the oil circulates.
Regards
Paul
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surely if oil is renewed at recommended service intervals or at least once a year any reputable oil is suitable. why waste your money on more expensive oils .who keeps a car that long anyway?
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Yes, fair comment, you need to do quite a bit more eg remove both ignition and fuel pump fuses to stop these problems. I should have mentioned that!
It works a treat on the old cars though.
I admit I don't do this on oil changes - I just get as much oil into the filter before I fit it as I can and the oil pressure is up in a couple of seconds. There's enough oil left on bearings etc to prevent any problems as long as it's not revved hard.
Regards
John
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As far as I'm aware Halfords' oil is made by Castrol.
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J.S. is right. Crank the engine without firing to get the oil pressure up before starting properly is better than nothing. Not quite as good as Foden's system because parts still move dry, but better than nothing . Everyone knows that regular oil and filter changes are essential to any internal combustion engine, BUT does the type of oil (provided it is of reasonable quality) really make any difference bearing in mind that cars rust and fail because of wearing out parts which are not reliant on oil lubrication. OK it matters for classics, but for the rest surely regular oil changes are more than adequate.
I think a better way to be clean/save money is converting to gas. The only disadvantages seem to be finding the stuff. There is a list of suppliers at "www.autogas.com" (The list is only those paying to register there. There are others too) The list seems to increase week by week. This is HALF PRICE fuel. You could buy an old Shadow (must be converted to unleaded) and actually afford to go somewhere in it! Does anyone have any actual experience of it?
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Vin, I have used synthetic oil in both my Volvos, current one V70 ,advised
by top american mechanic I change oil/filter every 5000mls and only use
Mobil 1 dont be messing with cheap versions you get what you pay for
Regards B.
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I have for several years used a semi-synthetic engine oil for both my diesel cars. One is a vectra with the dti 2.0 engine and the other is a maestro with a Perkins 2.0 Diesel turbo engine.
The oil I always use is Morris Multivis which is a high spec oil to ACEA A3-96 which is a petrol spec and also to ACEA B3-96 for diesel.
When I first bought the Vectra I wrote to Morris at Shrewsbury with the vauxhall oil specification and asked for their advice on which oil to use.
Their reply was very informative and may be of interest to others which I will quote.
"The vectra requires lubricant which not only has a high diesel specification which is the CCMCPD2 part of the information you have but also believe it or nota high petrol engine specification the CCMC G5 part.
The reason for this is that petrol engine lubricants contain a higher amount of ant-wear additives to satisfactorily lubricate the highly loaded cams,rockers and valve train.
Up until 1995 engine valve train wear on diesel engines was not percieved to be a problem. But in engines developed after that date particularly the Vauxhall Opel and Ford marque it has found to be so.
Therefore the reason for the specifying of diesel engine lubricants with petrol levels of antiwear hence the CCMC PD2/G5.
CCMC specifications have now been expunged and replaced by ACEA ones so instead of reading CCMC PD2/G5 this is now ACEA A3-96 / B3-96. unquote.
I have used this oil and can reccomend it having done several trips to Portugal in extremely high temperatures at high speeds.
I pay £10.20 approx per 5 litre for this oil. Incidentally Morris also do a fully synthetic oil which retails for about £18.00.
Alvin Booth
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