Oil Consumption
Discussion
18000 mile 2000 Tuscan, engine rebuild at 11500 miles, head off and skimmed etc about 500 miles ago. Goes like stink BUT using I about a litre of Mobil 1 15w50 in 400 miles. Is this excessive? No apparent smoke as I pull away. Otherwise its the best its ever been with the gear box repaired at the same time as the head under a 3 year warranty from Peninsula, surely the best dealership available!
All my Griffiths used a LOT of oil.
At the worst it was about 1 litre per 100 miles.
Best was about 1 litre per 500 miles.
All had to have rebuilds. (At least 1).
The bizarre thing is, at NO stage was there any blue smoke!
In comparison, my October 2002 Tuscan S has seemingly used NO oil at all. Ever. 10500 miles.
It is serviced by TMS and therefore runs on the CastrolRS 10w60
If it helps you to relax I'm using Mobil 1 0w40 and I've got very similar levels of oil consumption. It's been like that for almost a year now since I bought it. I'm not worried because it's always been the same, I see it as a bonus as the car is having a regular and continuous oil change. The only down-side is the cost of the oil.
My 2000 Tusc uses about a litre per 400miles. Seems OK, hasn't changed in years and has NEVER been rebuilt.
Oil is cheaper than an overhaul. I use carlube TripleR although Peninsula bankrupt me with mobil. These engines do use oil and a careful measurement of use against miles and if you consider higher use for track or sprint then higher use should be immediately apparent.
I would suggest filling regulary at a hot engine temp to a level you use every time and compare usage.
If it changes substantually then time to act otherwise forget it!
Oil is cheaper than an overhaul. I use carlube TripleR although Peninsula bankrupt me with mobil. These engines do use oil and a careful measurement of use against miles and if you consider higher use for track or sprint then higher use should be immediately apparent.
I would suggest filling regulary at a hot engine temp to a level you use every time and compare usage.
If it changes substantually then time to act otherwise forget it!
The race team that sort my Tuscan (Topcats) fill mine with a quality semi-synthetic oil. Therefore NOT mobil 1. They say they get a more consistant performance at higher temperatures and run semi-synthetic in their Tuscan race cars. What is the popular opinion on this? I imagine its divided......
Tuska said:
The race team that sort my Tuscan (Topcats) fill mine with a quality semi-synthetic oil. Therefore NOT mobil 1. They say they get a more consistant performance at higher temperatures and run semi-synthetic in their Tuscan race cars. What is the popular opinion on this? I imagine its divided......
Another thread recently came to the same conclusion (i.e. use a good semi) though I think most dealers use synthetic. Mine's on Mobil 1 and hasn't used any oil (at all, I keep checking) in 1600 miles.
Don't Topcats run an old Tuscan racer with an AJP8 and change the oil very frequently?
If that's the case, it's not really a fair comparison!
True. However, dont we all change our oils more frequently than a 'normal' car?
I'm no techie and am interested in what other people are doing. Topcats say that Mobile 1 can loose pressure at higher temperatures. I wondered if anyone had done a straw poll on the subject. It sounds like there must already be another thread somewhere?
I'm no techie and am interested in what other people are doing. Topcats say that Mobile 1 can loose pressure at higher temperatures. I wondered if anyone had done a straw poll on the subject. It sounds like there must already be another thread somewhere?
Tuska said:
It sounds like there must already be another thread somewhere?
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=13&t=174270
Blue smoke is a sign of badness when the oil is forced past the rings, or through a holed piston, or the valve guides etc due to a worn or knackered engine.
However the TVR S6 is not going to have as close tolerances as a modern mass oriduced car. So a small quantity of oil is going to sneak past the rings and get burnt. This is especially true of modern synthetic oils. It's not a problem, other than having to top up the oil, and there won't be enough oil burnt at any moment in time to produce blue smoke. As someone correctly commented the car is getting something of a constant oil change... although the filter will still require replacement on a regular basis.
Using thicker mineral oil might cure the problem but won't perform as well in the engine. Provided you can live with the consumption then don't worry about it.
However the TVR S6 is not going to have as close tolerances as a modern mass oriduced car. So a small quantity of oil is going to sneak past the rings and get burnt. This is especially true of modern synthetic oils. It's not a problem, other than having to top up the oil, and there won't be enough oil burnt at any moment in time to produce blue smoke. As someone correctly commented the car is getting something of a constant oil change... although the filter will still require replacement on a regular basis.
Using thicker mineral oil might cure the problem but won't perform as well in the engine. Provided you can live with the consumption then don't worry about it.
If you are looking for another thread on oil use and suggested grades etc, try this link. I was reading it the other day and it goes all the way back to 2002!!
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=1&f=66&t=123654&h=0
Hope this helps.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=1&f=66&t=123654&h=0
Hope this helps.
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