Engine Oil Advice
Discussion
Dear all, just about to change the oil on my '93 HPC, 2.0 Vauxhall Redtop, std fuel injection. Can anyone advise me on the correct grade and best type of engine oil to use, car is very low miles too, only 9k, not sure if that's a factor unless it has a bearing on choice of semi or fully synthetic.
Thanks in anticipation of your help
Simon
Thanks in anticipation of your help
Simon
Hi Simon,
In my HPC Inj I have always used the Comma SynerG 5w 40 fully synthetic, which is the range that Caterham use/sell.
Alternatively you could just as well use the GM synthetic (which I believe is 5w 30) from your local VX dealer given it is a VX engine - pretty sure I used this once but then went back to Comma.
Don't use Mobil 1 though. The tappets will not like the 0w grade oil and will make them quite tappety. You might be fine using the Mobil 1 Motorsport oil though, which was often favoured by those who ran tuned VX engines. I note though that this oil is now 10w 60 grade but I am sure it used to something like 15w 50.
Teflon, on this forum, might be able to confirm.
Just as importantly, has your foam baffle insert in the sump been replaced lately - i.e. in the last 2 years? They have been known to 'break down' and turn to a chinese crispy seaweed like form which could get sucked round the engine and block oilways. This breakdown seems to accelerate more rapidly if different grades/types of oil have been used.
Ah and on the topic of oil, if you haven't already you may which to investigate doing the SBD cam cover mod to stop oil falling into the breather pipes.
Cheers
SS
In my HPC Inj I have always used the Comma SynerG 5w 40 fully synthetic, which is the range that Caterham use/sell.
Alternatively you could just as well use the GM synthetic (which I believe is 5w 30) from your local VX dealer given it is a VX engine - pretty sure I used this once but then went back to Comma.
Don't use Mobil 1 though. The tappets will not like the 0w grade oil and will make them quite tappety. You might be fine using the Mobil 1 Motorsport oil though, which was often favoured by those who ran tuned VX engines. I note though that this oil is now 10w 60 grade but I am sure it used to something like 15w 50.
Teflon, on this forum, might be able to confirm.
Just as importantly, has your foam baffle insert in the sump been replaced lately - i.e. in the last 2 years? They have been known to 'break down' and turn to a chinese crispy seaweed like form which could get sucked round the engine and block oilways. This breakdown seems to accelerate more rapidly if different grades/types of oil have been used.
Ah and on the topic of oil, if you haven't already you may which to investigate doing the SBD cam cover mod to stop oil falling into the breather pipes.
Cheers
SS
Hi Snapper, just the info i was looking for thanks, i'll replace the sump baffle at the same time.
The car's just back on the road now after a full repaint and cosmetic make over....I only set out to sort a few stone chips and the rest as they say is history.
I really should post some pics, she's looking abosolutely beautiful!
Cheers,
Simon
The car's just back on the road now after a full repaint and cosmetic make over....I only set out to sort a few stone chips and the rest as they say is history.
I really should post some pics, she's looking abosolutely beautiful!
Cheers,
Simon
You're welcome. Nice to hear from a fellow HPC owner, injection model at that!
Oh yes please do share photographs! Mine is a '94 car which has done 45,000 miles and is looking a little tired if you look close up (star crazing and lots of stone chips on the rear arches) but I also have a couple of small rust bubbling problems from the grot trap areas and would like to get them sorted.
I plan to do a full re-skin and respray in the next few years and switch to cycle wings in the progress (probably!).
I'd be interested to hear your story.
Cheers
SS
Oh yes please do share photographs! Mine is a '94 car which has done 45,000 miles and is looking a little tired if you look close up (star crazing and lots of stone chips on the rear arches) but I also have a couple of small rust bubbling problems from the grot trap areas and would like to get them sorted.
I plan to do a full re-skin and respray in the next few years and switch to cycle wings in the progress (probably!).
I'd be interested to hear your story.
Cheers
SS
I have a '94 HPC on carb's.
Because of the deeply finned ali' bespoke Caterham sump, maintaining even low normal oil temp's on the street is very difficult. The sump is like an unthermostatically controlled oil cooler. Even in the hot summer months 80C oil temp's is about the maximum you'll see and in the spring and fall when the air temp's drop to 10 you'll be lucky to see oil temp's above 50C with any sort of road speed.
Cheep and easy remedy is to fit a shroud covering the sump to block the air flow to minimize the heat loss.
Even with a shroud installed, 80-85C oil temp's is the maximum you'll see even with the fastest street driving you'll do. As a result I'm running a 0W-20 motor oil and even that is too thick unless you go with an ultra high viscosity index 0W-20 like Sustina or an OEM 0W-20 like the Toyota 0W-20.
The point is that you'll want you're oil pressure to be in the 4.4-5.1 bar range at high rev's when the oil in up to temperature. If you run a 0W/5W-40 or heavier oil your OP will always be too high, likely in bi-pass mode most of the time which is at 6.2 bar.
Also if you don't have an oil temp' gauge I'd suggest installing one and it couldn't be easier.
Buy a second coolant temp' sensor and install it in a drilled out sump drain plug. Run a wire from the sensor in the sump to an ON/ON toggle switch mounted on the dash. Connect the wire from the coolant sensor that's attached to the coolant temp' gauge to the other side of the toggle switch.
Then run a short wire from the center post of the toggle switch to the temp' gauge. Voila! Now your temp' gauge will read both coolant and oil temp's depending upon which way the toggle is switched.
It's one of the cheapest and most useful modifications I've made to my car next to installing a sump shroud and running 0W-20 grade oil which dramatically improved my cars cold running performance.
Because of the deeply finned ali' bespoke Caterham sump, maintaining even low normal oil temp's on the street is very difficult. The sump is like an unthermostatically controlled oil cooler. Even in the hot summer months 80C oil temp's is about the maximum you'll see and in the spring and fall when the air temp's drop to 10 you'll be lucky to see oil temp's above 50C with any sort of road speed.
Cheep and easy remedy is to fit a shroud covering the sump to block the air flow to minimize the heat loss.
Even with a shroud installed, 80-85C oil temp's is the maximum you'll see even with the fastest street driving you'll do. As a result I'm running a 0W-20 motor oil and even that is too thick unless you go with an ultra high viscosity index 0W-20 like Sustina or an OEM 0W-20 like the Toyota 0W-20.
The point is that you'll want you're oil pressure to be in the 4.4-5.1 bar range at high rev's when the oil in up to temperature. If you run a 0W/5W-40 or heavier oil your OP will always be too high, likely in bi-pass mode most of the time which is at 6.2 bar.
Also if you don't have an oil temp' gauge I'd suggest installing one and it couldn't be easier.
Buy a second coolant temp' sensor and install it in a drilled out sump drain plug. Run a wire from the sensor in the sump to an ON/ON toggle switch mounted on the dash. Connect the wire from the coolant sensor that's attached to the coolant temp' gauge to the other side of the toggle switch.
Then run a short wire from the center post of the toggle switch to the temp' gauge. Voila! Now your temp' gauge will read both coolant and oil temp's depending upon which way the toggle is switched.
It's one of the cheapest and most useful modifications I've made to my car next to installing a sump shroud and running 0W-20 grade oil which dramatically improved my cars cold running performance.
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