1952 "droop snoot" C type
Discussion
Ah, this worry that seems to have started about "correct oils"! Let's take the E-type; 80,000 on the same engine, hill climbs, track days, fast touring, and all it has had chucked at it is any old 20/50 I can buy wherever and still it is in fine fettle with consumption at one pint per 3,000 miles.
The D-type; high compression, Venolia pistons, over 300bhp and while CKL recommend Valvoline I can't get it here so it exists on a diet of supermarket 20/50 and seems fine for it.
The C-type; once again, whatever comes to hand. Someone gave me recently a gallon of Castrol 20/50 which it is currently guzzling.
I think this business of which oil is rather overdone. The XK engine was invented before multigrade existed and is perfectly capable of using whatever modern oil you can find since it is considerably better, no matter which one, than the oils available in the day. So nip to your nearest Halfrauds or wherever and don't worry - most Jaguars consume oil at such a rate that an oil change is rarely necessary!
The D-type; high compression, Venolia pistons, over 300bhp and while CKL recommend Valvoline I can't get it here so it exists on a diet of supermarket 20/50 and seems fine for it.
The C-type; once again, whatever comes to hand. Someone gave me recently a gallon of Castrol 20/50 which it is currently guzzling.
I think this business of which oil is rather overdone. The XK engine was invented before multigrade existed and is perfectly capable of using whatever modern oil you can find since it is considerably better, no matter which one, than the oils available in the day. So nip to your nearest Halfrauds or wherever and don't worry - most Jaguars consume oil at such a rate that an oil change is rarely necessary!
It's not as simple as saying modern oils are "better". They can contain additive packages full of detergent which is the last thing you want swilling around a 30+ yr old engine that's only ever had mineral or semi-synth in it.
Also there is an anti-wear component called ZDDP that is very important for my engine (Porsche 928 1979 alloy V8). Many modern oils have dramatically reduced the ZDDP content which is not good for the long-term health of the engine.
Of course, I'm not disagreeing with your experience, just pointing out that for classics, newer oil is not always better. I use a Valvoline VR1 20/50 in my 928 and Penrite 10/60 when I can't get the Valvoline.
Joel
Also there is an anti-wear component called ZDDP that is very important for my engine (Porsche 928 1979 alloy V8). Many modern oils have dramatically reduced the ZDDP content which is not good for the long-term health of the engine.
Of course, I'm not disagreeing with your experience, just pointing out that for classics, newer oil is not always better. I use a Valvoline VR1 20/50 in my 928 and Penrite 10/60 when I can't get the Valvoline.
Joel
barchetta_boy said:
Also there is an anti-wear component called ZDDP that is very important for my engine (Porsche 928 1979 alloy V8). Many modern oils have dramatically reduced the ZDDP content which is not good for the long-term health of the engine. Joel
Perhaps there's the difference. XK engines are older technology, iron block and not alloy. The head is alloy but as long as you keep the antifreeze level up you'll get no problems. Even with the alloy-block V12 though, the engines do not seem to have suffered with modern oils and are well known for being virtually indestructable.Modern oil's main advantage is that it doesn't break down as fast as old oil. That's how service intervals quadrupled. With an old engine the oil builds up a fair bit of crud so the oil needs to be changed at more regular intervals. So there's no point using expensive oil that lasts for 12,000 miles if you are going to throw it out after 3,000.
I have read that long term use of mineral oil builds up a working surface within the engine that Mobil 1 fully synth will wash off in 5 minutes, which can lead to incredibly noisy tappets etc.
I would certainly think twice before filling an old Jag with fully synth for this reason, but then I know about 1% of most of you lot so will bow to popular opinion :-)
Joel
I would certainly think twice before filling an old Jag with fully synth for this reason, but then I know about 1% of most of you lot so will bow to popular opinion :-)
Joel
Sorry to revive the thread now that the car is "old hat", but I am feeling rather chuffed today. I opened the letter box, and amidst all the crap was an impressive envelope from Goodwood. The C-type is invited to the Festival of Speed on 1/3 July. Once again, an invite that cannot be refused!
lowdrag said:
Sorry to revive the thread now that the car is "old hat", but I am feeling rather chuffed today. I opened the letter box, and amidst all the crap was an impressive envelope from Goodwood. The C-type is invited to the Festival of Speed on 1/3 July. Once again, an invite that cannot be refused!
Congratulations - will certainly be a weekend to remember.lowdrag said:
Sorry to revive the thread now that the car is "old hat", but I am feeling rather chuffed today. I opened the letter box, and amidst all the crap was an impressive envelope from Goodwood. The C-type is invited to the Festival of Speed on 1/3 July. Once again, an invite that cannot be refused!
It doesn't sound quite as exciting as your last invite. But still pretty far off the scale.
Well done Tony for have the guts to follow the project all the way through
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