Help! Which oil?
Discussion
I need to put some oil in my 4.5 but am having trouble getting hold of the exact right stuff.
It's done about 4,300 miles, for which the manual recommends Mobil Super 15W-40, but local garages, motor shops and Halfrauds don't seem to stock it; what they do stock is Mobil 1 0W-40 (fully synthetic SuperSyn SAE, in case that makes any difference), which is what the manual recommends for 6,000 miles plus.
Question is, will it make any difference if I use the oil recommended for 6,000+ miles when it's done only 4,300? The oil is down a couple of milimetres below the min. mark, so it's pretty important that I put something in soon.
Also, while I'm at it, I've been checking the oil regularly and in about two months (and 3,000 miles) I reckon I've gone through about 4-5 litres of the stuff - surely that's right, is it?
It's done about 4,300 miles, for which the manual recommends Mobil Super 15W-40, but local garages, motor shops and Halfrauds don't seem to stock it; what they do stock is Mobil 1 0W-40 (fully synthetic SuperSyn SAE, in case that makes any difference), which is what the manual recommends for 6,000 miles plus.
Question is, will it make any difference if I use the oil recommended for 6,000+ miles when it's done only 4,300? The oil is down a couple of milimetres below the min. mark, so it's pretty important that I put something in soon.
Also, while I'm at it, I've been checking the oil regularly and in about two months (and 3,000 miles) I reckon I've gone through about 4-5 litres of the stuff - surely that's right, is it?
to me, but am prepared to be corrected. I would have thought topping up with a couple of litres of 0-40 would be okay at 4300miles - I assume you are going to have a 6k service done in the nearish future anyway?Is the oil in it sythetic or mineral. when my 4.5 was rebuilt it had mineral oil for the first few miles. Why dont you call your local TVR dealer? I have a selection of different Mobil 1 and other makes of synthetic and semi-synthetic oils in my garage - if you are nr guildford you are welcome to a top up !
I bought it from a dealer in Bristol, who'd owned it from new as a demonstrator, so I'll ask them tomorrow what oil they used - sounds like you guys reckon it should be okay to put in this 0W-40, though..?
Thanks for the offer gazzab, but I'm near Stratford-upon-Avon (last Cotswold village that way on). Would switching between mineral and synthetic make a difference, or is it just that mineral might suit lower mileages?
I spoke to a flusterred TVR dealer near me but they just said stick to what the manual says to be sure.
I think I'm more worried than you should be, davethebrave1970 - mine seems to be guzzling oil, yours is just using as it should do. One week my reading was comfortably up near max, then it was really low, and it keeps dropping dramatically. I've checked and there are no leaks. Maybe I'm reading the dip stick wrong, so I'll try your tip tomorrow, gazzab.
Should the 'oil pressure warning light' alert me to low oil levels?
Thanks for the offer gazzab, but I'm near Stratford-upon-Avon (last Cotswold village that way on). Would switching between mineral and synthetic make a difference, or is it just that mineral might suit lower mileages?
I spoke to a flusterred TVR dealer near me but they just said stick to what the manual says to be sure.
I think I'm more worried than you should be, davethebrave1970 - mine seems to be guzzling oil, yours is just using as it should do. One week my reading was comfortably up near max, then it was really low, and it keeps dropping dramatically. I've checked and there are no leaks. Maybe I'm reading the dip stick wrong, so I'll try your tip tomorrow, gazzab.
Should the 'oil pressure warning light' alert me to low oil levels?
matty_boy said:
Should the 'oil pressure warning light' alert me to low oil levels?
No. Only when the pump has run dry, top it up now. If the level is low it's better to top with either grade, some oil is better than none.
Your oil consumption seems it bit high, mine uses 1L of 15W/40 a year (6000mls). Try an oil change and switch to 15W/40 it's a bit thicker and may reduce consumption a little.
davetherave1970 said:
I'm gettng worried. Mine has now done 2,000 since it's last service and the oil is still at the max mark.
It doesn't seem to be using any!!
Does this mean there is something wrong?
I've bought some mob 1 oil but not opened it yet !
Driving the car like an 'old tart' doesnt help mate!
I use Castrol GTX Magnetec (10w/40) in mine as it doesn't get used on track & I have rather a large stash! It is much, much quieter than when it was on Mobil 1, which in my opinion is too thin.
Nice clean oil still after 3000 miles & rarely uses much. I do tend to change my oil twice as regularly as the service schedule states - advised by an engine builder friend that this was a good thing for engine longevity.
Some people swear by Mobil 1, and other mechanics I know wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! For trackwork I have always been recommended Castrol RS (10w/60).
I think your oil usage seems pretty high - worth investigating.
Nice clean oil still after 3000 miles & rarely uses much. I do tend to change my oil twice as regularly as the service schedule states - advised by an engine builder friend that this was a good thing for engine longevity.
Some people swear by Mobil 1, and other mechanics I know wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! For trackwork I have always been recommended Castrol RS (10w/60).
I think your oil usage seems pretty high - worth investigating.
Buster4.2 said:
I use Castrol GTX Magnetec (10w/40) in mine as it doesn't get used on track & I have rather a large stash! It is much, much quieter than when it was on Mobil 1, which in my opinion is too thin.
I agree. I've moved on to using motorsport mobil 1 which is a bit thicker than the vanilla mobil 1. I now find much reduced consumption.
satman said:
I'm gettng worried. Mine has now done 2,000 since it's last service and the oil is still at the max mark.
It doesn't seem to be using any!!
Does this mean there is something wrong?
I've bought some mob 1 oil but not opened it yet !
Driving the car like an 'old tart' doesnt help mate!
thats the kiss of death davethebrave1970
Some cars dont use much oil, and others do. 1000 miles per litre is generally thought of as the norm. Mine doesn't do that. Make sure you know the difference between the upper mark and the lower mark on the dipstick. Mines a litre, but I think most are 2 litres.
Mobil one 0W-40 is too thin in my opinion. Might be better in winter when it needs to get round the engine quicker when cold.
Mines a 4.2
>> Edited by kojak69 on Friday 23 July 13:53
Mobil one 0W-40 is too thin in my opinion. Might be better in winter when it needs to get round the engine quicker when cold.
Mines a 4.2
>> Edited by kojak69 on Friday 23 July 13:53
Just spoken to Jamie at TVR Power and he was really helpful.
The dealer that I bought it from had been using 10W-40 semi-synthetic which Jamie reckoned sounded fine, or adding 15W-40 would also be okay. Like kojak, he reckoned 0W-40 would be too thin in the summer and said I shouldn't use it.
Having said that, I'm due for a service at 6,000 miles, so he suggested I use the 0W-40 I've already got just to top it up for a couple of weeks and to tide me over 'til the full oil and filter change. He said it's better to have some oil than be running it low, and that I should try to keep it up near the max line all of the time in future; apparently min. line to max. line should be about 2 litres (as kojak said), so my calculations were a bit off - I've used more like 4 litres than 6 (still a lot, though).
Oh, and apparently you have to be careful not to suddently switch between fully-synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral, because that can cause problems for some reason. (Something to do with balls glazing up? Not sure.)
The dealer that I bought it from had been using 10W-40 semi-synthetic which Jamie reckoned sounded fine, or adding 15W-40 would also be okay. Like kojak, he reckoned 0W-40 would be too thin in the summer and said I shouldn't use it.
Having said that, I'm due for a service at 6,000 miles, so he suggested I use the 0W-40 I've already got just to top it up for a couple of weeks and to tide me over 'til the full oil and filter change. He said it's better to have some oil than be running it low, and that I should try to keep it up near the max line all of the time in future; apparently min. line to max. line should be about 2 litres (as kojak said), so my calculations were a bit off - I've used more like 4 litres than 6 (still a lot, though).
Oh, and apparently you have to be careful not to suddently switch between fully-synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral, because that can cause problems for some reason. (Something to do with balls glazing up? Not sure.)
satman said:
I'm gettng worried. Mine has now done 2,000 since it's last service and the oil is still at the max mark.
It doesn't seem to be using any!!
Does this mean there is something wrong?
I've bought some mob 1 oil but not opened it yet !
Driving the car like an 'old tart' doesnt help mate!
So I'm a "Brave" "old tart"s "Grandmother".
Thanks guys
carl_w said:
(Something to do with balls glazing up? Not sure.) 
It's "bores glazing up"
Oops...
told you I was ignorant... maybe by the time he was telling me about the bores, I'd got bored and my eyeballs had glazed up... that was it! Still don't what they are or why the glaze up, though.
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