engine oils !!

[gadgit]

Now me gearbox clutch is back in the car (Ralt RT30) F3 I,ve got to fill the engine with fresh oil.

I'm not a skinflint, but I've got a MR2 engine in the Ralt and feel reluctant to spend a fortune on oil so what would you put in it !!!

gadgit.

[zefarelly]

I used Millers last year - seemed fine, but I've just switched to 76 through the Anglo american oil company seems like good stuff and because of the exchange rate its cheap ish !

[Red Dog]

Mobil One Race 10-50w or Castrol R 10-60w fully synthetic - you can cook it and it will not lose film strength. At 120-125 degrees mineral oil is like water and those bearings are history.

[Peter Mallett]

Y'know I don't actually worry about oil. It gets put in the engine at rebuild and I think I top it up once in every ten hours of running!

Then the engine gets rebuilt again. (Hope I'm not speaking too soon here).

I think we use Millers.

[Tim Falce]

After a lot of trying different oils I now use Valvoline 20-50 racing. I get good oil pressure with it even when hot and after a race I am still getting 30-40psi on tickover whereas with most other oils that I tried the gauge wouldn't even register. This is in an older Jaguar engine though, you may have closer tolerances in your engine and could get away with a good synthetic oil.

[Chris Y]

20/50! That's treacle!

[zefarelly]

I use 20/50 synthetic oils don't like old engines with rope seals . . .it just heads south onto the tarmac, likewise gearbox oil . . .it just lubricates the prop shaft !

[alfasud]

Do you know who built the engine... maybe you should ask them?

I've seen everything recommended for racing oils from synthetic 0w20 (I'm not kidding) which was marketed as a "qualifying oil" for Formula Ford, if I recall correctly..... all the way to petroleum based (or semi-sythetic) single weight SAE 50, or even SAE 60 for large capacity V8's, drag racing, air cooled v-twin bike engines etc.

Most larger capacity or older design engines are tending to use the treacle.... the 20w50 (used either the Penzoil 25w50 racing oil or the 20w50 in my Alfa) and many newer engines are running the synthetic 5w30, 10w40 or 15w50 etc.

Trust your engine builder... not some random people off the internet!

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by alfasud

Trust your engine builder... not some random people off the internet!

I don't think it's a case of trusting random people off the internet, there is a wealth of experience contributing to this forum and it is up to the original poster to take whatever information he can get and pick what he wants to use.
As for trusting engine builders, the proof is in the eating or how ever the saying goes. I bought a so called all singing and dancing racing engine two years ago from a "professional engine builder" and it lasted half a season before the oil pressure started to go south. I stripped it down to find the bearings shot to pieces, the oil pump looking like it had been lubricated with ball bearings and it also had a bent crankshaft and one or two other things that hadn't been assembled inside correctly.
I have never really trusted any supposedly professional persons before and I should have stuck to my principles but I didn't have time to build it myself on this occasion.
Sorry about the rant and going

[alfasud]

didn't mean to offend with the "random people" comment falcemob, but it just seems that unless we know more about the engine in question, and it's lubrication system... then just posting that I've used Penzoil 20w50 in my Alfa (or Lotus or Jag) isn't going to help a lot. Although if someone has another F3 engine from a similar era it might be more useful.

agreed that some professional engine builders aren't all they are cracked up to be either, but you should expect them to know more about their own engines than most of us do.... one would hope the guy that did your engine was an exception.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by falcemob

This is in an older Jaguar engine though, you may have closer tolerances in your engine and could get away with a good synthetic oil.

Agreed Alfa, that's why I included the above line.
No offence taken.
This is a good site and may help

[HiRich]

Sort of in Alfasud's view, there are two questions here:
- What specification do you need?
- Then, which brand/product is best in that specification?

For specification, falcemob's link is very interesting. But you should also consider what Toyota specify for the standard motor, and seek advice from known tuners and users. You could do worse than try a punt on the tuners (phone or email them). A decent person might be reasonably open (especially as one day you might be handing them a unit for rebuild), provided you're straight with them and don't timewaste.

[Chucky]

We used to run Mobil 0W40 synthetic in older Mugen (and TOMS) engines with great success. Engines always ran their life cycle (about 2000-2500km) with acceptable wear, oil pressure was always in the right range. They would have been 95-98 spec or thereabouts.

I don't believe in dinosaur oils anymore, period. I haven't heard an argument that holds water in favour of dinosaur oils. We've ran syntheitc in everything from Kent engined FFords to Buick V6's (with rope RMB seals) to 6litre Ford V8's (also with rope seals) and not had a problem.

[zefarelly]

I trust my engine builder implicitly I'm happy to take advice, and most honest people say the same things, but equally one must be exceptionaly wary as many a lie has been heard in the paddocks, often from people waiting for you to fail then give them your money to rectify the problem !

as for oils the grade to use is fairly fixed for my engine, its just choosing which make !

[dtype38]

Originally Posted by Chris Y

20/50! That's treacle!

When you run old Jaguar engines you need it as thick as possible... then it doesn't "disappear" as quickly

[Al Weyman]

Some old hand who races V8 Rovers recommended I run the Unipart Green oil (20/50 I think I will have to check) in the chevys. Seemed to work OK and is reasonably priced as well, only problem is they may have discontinued it. I was running Kendal but it is expensive and I have massive sumps on my cars.

[andy97]

Gadgit's Toyota MR2 engine in his Ralt RT 30 shoud be to Monoposto 2000 spec. ie STANDARD. I would therefore assume that he can use whatever oil Toyota recommended in the first place. Personally I use Synta Gold (made by Mobil, I think) in my FVJ which is the oil I buy for my Audi quattro.

[R59]

I tried Valvoline 20/50 racing, it went black as the ace of spades after one race, as did the innards of the motor!

I went back to Mobil 1 5W-40, though would use 10W-50 if I could get it.

0W runny stuff - used to find all of the iffy seals where 10W-50 would stay where it was supposed to be.

So - Mobil 1 it has to be!

Yes, old engines like thicker oil - it doesn't run out of the gaps as fast!

Rob.

[Al Weyman]

I have just stuck 7 quarts of Motorquip 20/50 in the Chevy, spec seemed to be right according to some of my old tech books at least it was only £5.95 for 5 litres and if nothing else will do to bed the new engine in, probably as good as something you can pay twice as much for.