What oil are you using?

aaronjb · February 22, 2006, 14:48

Quote from: "edward.carter"just bought some new oil for topping up that castrol edge isnt cheap is it!! halfords 4L £37 s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

Indeed not, but it's good stuff.. The 0W-40 doesnt' seem to be burning off in my car either, which is nice s:)

s:)

edward.carter · February 22, 2006, 14:51

well ive gone from 10-40 magnatec to i think it was about the same 10-30/40 on the service now topped up with this so see if i notice any change

Anonymous · February 28, 2006, 22:09

ive just put in some castrol gtx 10/40... is that ok?

car seems to be fine with it s:)

s:)

markiii · February 28, 2006, 22:18

Quote from: "edward.carter"well ive gone from 10-40 magnatec to i think it was about the same 10-30/40 on the service now topped up with this so see if i notice any change

Glad to see your off that orrible stuff magnatec

Anonymous · February 28, 2006, 22:24

I've spent the last 5K miles using Motul 5W-40 under the advice of Simon at Opie Oils. After speaking with the guys at Thor I've just changed to Mobil1 15W-50, as they reckon the Motul stuff was way too thin.

The Motul was causing my engine to be very noisy when warm, which has (so far) been solved by the Mobil1 stuff. There was a rather large clanging sound when cold-starting with the Mobil1 though, so it'll be interesting to see if that changes over time.

I'll let you all know which I prefer.

markiii · February 28, 2006, 22:25

you mean motul 5w40?

Anonymous · February 28, 2006, 22:35

That's what I said. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

red_leicester · February 28, 2006, 22:38

Quote from: "Ekona"That's what I said. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

markiii · February 28, 2006, 23:22

Quote from: "Ekona"That's what I said. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

I'm really going to have to confiscate that edit button
s:D

s:D

Anonymous · February 28, 2006, 23:26

Or you could stop picking up every single mistake I make and posting it in the main forum areas. There is a PM button, y'know?!

s:wink: :wink: s:wink: s:wink: :wink: s:wink: s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Or I could stop making silly mistakes... Meh, I prefer my first option. s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

edward.carter · March 1, 2006, 09:18

Quote from: "markiii"
Quote from: "edward.carter"well ive gone from 10-40 magnatec to i think it was about the same 10-30/40 on the service now topped up with this so see if i notice any change

Glad to see your off that orrible stuff magnatec

well I have only put 0.5 litre of the new stuff in and difference is noticable already, cold tappety noise has gone engine seems quieter and feels like its picking up quicker in the lower rev range. All that from 0.5 litre. I thought it was expensive at £37 for 4 litres, but it is worth every penny.

markiii · March 1, 2006, 09:27

do a full oil change and see it improve even more

ChrisGB · June 21, 2006, 22:41

Hi to All

Originally car was on Magnatec from its last service with the previous owner (I think 5W30) now, for last 200 miles, on Motul 300V 5W30

The difference is quite marked. On the Magnatec there was a lot of clatter when the engine was hot. A good thrashing made it sound quite mechanically harsh.

With the new oil, the engine is generally quieter and when very hot does not clatter like it did with the Magnatec. Biggest difference is now that the harshness has gone under hard accelleration.

Engine had light brown deposits visible under filler neck and on dipper. Now clean just like it ought to be. Will post when oil consumption has been assessed.

Update on oil consuption

Oil useage over the first 2800 miles is so low as to be unmeasurable. So far, so good.

Update on oil consuption

Oil useage over 8000 miles still no movement on the dipstick. Good stuff.

Chris

Anonymous · October 7, 2006, 22:23

I bought my '2 in June, it's W reg with fairly high mileage about 86K. It had just had a full service and the garage had used fully synthetic Castrol Magnatec, guess it's the 5W50 as I've had to top it up already after only a couple of thousand miles. Not had any trouble with the engine re: noise. Will need to change it again soon so now wondering about the fully synthetic mobil 1 10w40 as this is what the toyota dealer in Bristol North use and seems from the above thread it's popular with several of you guys... being a newbie I've been reading and taking on board a lot from the forum - useful stuff if a little confusing at times!

markiii · October 7, 2006, 23:38

magnatec doesn't come in 5w50 IIRC

ChrisGB · October 8, 2006, 22:12

Quote from: "BenJones"I bought my '2 in June, it's W reg with fairly high mileage about 86K. It had just had a full service and the garage had used fully synthetic Castrol Magnatec, guess it's the 5W50 as I've had to top it up already after only a couple of thousand miles. Not had any trouble with the engine re: noise. Will need to change it again soon so now wondering about the fully synthetic mobil 1 10w40 as this is what the toyota dealer in Bristol North use and seems from the above thread it's popular with several of you guys... being a newbie I've been reading and taking on board a lot from the forum - useful stuff if a little confusing at times!

Hi Ben

Magnatec is not fully synthetic at all. It has a small synthetic ester component. The commonly available Mobil 1 is 0w40 and that is fully synthetic. I have run many cars on it over the years and never suffere any engine wear to worry about even at high mileages.

Currently running a fully ester synthetic Motul 300V. I went 5w30 and find it to be very good. Oil consumption has been undetectable over 3000 miles. Some reckon this a bit thin for trackdays or turbo modded use, but the oil is available in thicker grades as well. See w www.opieoils.co.uk w for more info. Only potential problem of running a synthetic after highish miles on mineral oils is the potential for seals to wash out the carbon layer and weep a little or bits of carbonised deposits breaking off and blocking your oilways. If the engine looks very clean inside, this sould not be a problem, but if you have deposits visible in the cambox, it may not be such a good thing to run a highly detergent synthetic like Mobil 1 or 300v. Call the guys at Opie, they are very helpful.

Chris

Anonymous · October 11, 2006, 18:31

Silkolene Pro - S 5w-40

Gods own fully syhnthetic (genuine) oil. have used it previously on my 106 track car and noticed a significant improvement in oil temps over mobil 1.

£35 for 5l though, but well worth it.

I cannot recommend this oil enough.

I bought my '2 in June, it's W reg with fairly high mileage about 86K. It had just had a full service and the garage had used fully synthetic Castrol Magnatec
- Commonly refered to as "magnashite". Until I really researched oil technology I too used this, falling foul of their glossy ads. They were actually taken to court in the US for implying that their product was fully synthetic.

Anonymous · October 12, 2006, 13:40

Thanks for the advice, it was actually the 5w30 that I'd put in there. Definitely going to change it for something like the Silkolene at next service then!

oilman · October 13, 2006, 10:10

The recommendation according to my database is as follows:

5w-30 for VVTi's and 10w-40 or 5w-40 for others.

As to synthetics, of course they can be used, they are merely better oils that stay in grade for longer and therefore can cope with extended drain periods without losing viscosity (stay in grade).

The question is do you need them?

The answer to this is simple.

YES if your car is modded, driven hard or tracked

NO if the car is a stock street car and not stressed

Synthetics are better for turbocharged cars because they car more thermally stable and are less likely to carbonise in the bearings.

See my next post for the benefits of synthetics.

Cheers
Guy

oilman · October 13, 2006, 10:11

Why are synthetics better?

The basic benefits are as follows:

Extended oil drain periods
Better wear protection and therefore extended engine life
Most synthetics give better MPG
They flow better when cold and are more thermally stable when hot
Esters are surface-active meaning a thin layer of oil on the surfaces at all times

If you want to know the reasons why then please read on but, warning - Long Post!

Stable Basestocks

Synthetic oils are designed from pure, uniform synthetic basestocks, they contain no contaminants or unstable molecules which are prone to thermal and oxidative break down.
Because of their uniform molecular structure, synthetic lubricants operate with less internal and external friction than petroleum oils which have a non-uniform molecular structure.
The result is better heat control, and less heat means less stress to the lubricant.

Higher Percentage of Basestock

Synthetic oils contain a higher percentage of lubricant basestock than petroleum oils do.
This is because multi-viscosity oils need a great deal of pour point depressant and viscosity improvers to operate as a multigrade.
The basestocks actually do most of the lubricating. More basestocks mean a longer oil life.

Additives Used Up More Slowly

Petroleum basestocks are much more prone to oxidation than synthetic oils. Oxidation inhibitors are needed in greater quantities in petroleum oils as they are used up more quickly.
Synthetic oils do oxidize, but at a much slower rate therefore, oxidation inhibiting additives are used up more slowly.

Synthetic oils provide for better ring seal than petroleum oils do. This minimizes blow-by and reduces contamination by combustion by-products. As a result, corrosion inhibiting additives have less work to do and will last much longer in a synthetic oil.

Excellent Heat Tolerance

Synthetics are simply more tolerant to extreme heat than petroleum oils are. When heat builds up within an engine, petroleum oils quickly begin to burn off. They are more volatile. The lighter molecules within petroleum oils turn to gas and what's left are the large molecules that are harder to pump.
Synthetics have far more resistance as they are more thermally stable to begin with and can take higher temperatures for longer periods without losing viscosity.

Heat Reduction

One of the major factors affecting engine life is component wear and/or failure, which is often the result of high temperature operation. The uniformly smooth molecular structure of synthetic oils gives them a much lower coefficient friction (they slip more easily over one another causing less friction) than petroleum oils.
Less friction means less heat and heat is a major contributor to engine component wear and failure, synthetic oils significantly reduce these two detrimental effects.
Since each molecule in a synthetic oil is of uniform size, each is equally likely to touch a component surface at any given time, thus moving a certain amount of heat into the oil stream and away from the component. This makes synthetic oils far superior heat transfer agents than conventional petroleum oils.

Greater Film Strength

Petroleum motor oils have very low film strength in comparison to synthetics. The film strength of a lubricant refers to it's ability to maintain a film of lubricant between two objects when extreme pressure and heat are applied.
Synthetic oils will typically have a film strength of 5 to 10 times higher than petroleum oils of comparable viscosity.
Even though heavier weight oils typically have higher film strength than lighter weight oils, an sae 30 or 40 synthetic will typically have a higher film strength than an sae 50 or sae 60 petroleum oil.

A lighter grade synthetic can still maintain proper lubricity and reduce the chance of metal to metal contact. This means that you can use oils that provide far better fuel efficiency and cold weather protection without sacrificing engine protection under high temperature, high load conditions. Obviously, this is a big plus, because you can greatly reduce both cold temperature start-up wear and high temperature/high load engine wear using a low viscosity oil.

Engine Deposit Reduction

Petroleum oils tend to leave sludge, varnish and deposits behind after thermal and oxidative break down. They're better than they used to be, but it still occurs.
Deposit build-up leads to a significant reduction in engine performance and engine life as well as increasing the chance of costly repairs.
Synthetic oils have far superior thermal and oxidative stability and they leave engines virtually varnish, deposit and sludge-free.

Better Cold Temperature Fluidity

Synthetic oils do not contain the paraffins or other waxes which dramatically thicken petroleum oils during cold weather. As a result, they tend to flow much better during cold temperature starts and begin lubricating an engine almost immediately. This leads to significant engine wear reduction, and, therefore, longer engine life.

Improved Fuel Economy

Because of their uniform molecular structure, synthetic oils are tremendous friction reducers. Less friction leads to increased fuel economy and improved engine performance.
This means that more energy released from the combustion process can be transferred directly to the wheels due to the lower friction. Acceleration is more responsive and more powerful, using less fuel in the process.

In a petroleum oil, lighter molecules tend to boil off easily, leaving behind much heavier molecules which are difficult to pump. The engine loses more energy pumping these heavy molecules than if it were pumping lighter ones.
Since synthetic oils have more uniform molecules, fewer of these molecules tend to boil off and when they do, the molecules which are left are of the same size and pumpability is not affected.

Synthetics are better and in many ways, they are basically better by design as they are created by chemists in laboratories for a specific purpose.

Cheers
Guy

Silverman · March 1, 2007, 19:59

One of the problems with the MR2, discussed before on this, is the difficulty owners experience reading the rather odd dipstick. It is just possible that misreadings on some 2's has led to very low oil levels and perhaps the odd case of more serious damage from time to time? My oil is light and difficult to see on the 'probe', but is there a darker and 100% suitable oil for the 2 which will show clearly on the 'probe'? S'man.

Anonymous · April 21, 2007, 14:55

Toyota do recommend 5W30's. We sell alot of Toyota's own over the counter to vvti owners.

spynish · August 21, 2007, 10:29

I have read this in another forum as a solution to reduce oil consumption, do you think this make sense?:

"I also own a 2001 VVT-I Avensis ( with oil burning issue ). I recently had it serviced & was advised that a new type of oil had been used. 3500 miles later, & the oil level is still on Max mark.

I believe they used 15W/40 Mobil 1 oil."

Using a 15W/40 oil will reduce consumption? I guess it's due to viscosity, right? Will you try it?

Thanks in advance!

oilman · August 21, 2007, 11:49

That is just an increase in viscoisty thats stemmed that, however it is a step backwards. The 5w-30 oils are refined semi synthetics, the 15w-40 are basic mineral multigrade and quality wise not so good. If you are using a lot of oil increase the hot end viscosity, so try a 5w-40 instead of a 5w-30.

Cheers

Guy.

spynish · August 22, 2007, 16:57

Quote from: "oilman"That is just an increase in viscoisty thats stemmed that, however it is a step backwards. The 5w-30 oils are refined semi synthetics, the 15w-40 are basic mineral multigrade and quality wise not so good. If you are using a lot of oil increase the hot end viscosity, so try a 5w-40 instead of a 5w-30.

Cheers

Guy.

Hi man,

Thanks for the advice. The thing is I'm already using 5w40 Esso Ultron. So think need something thicker. What about Mobil 15w50, is a mineral oil, right?

Thank you!