V8 Lubricant

[minivin]

Ah I went mad on Difflock and brought 25 ltrs since it was el cheapo bulk-buy cheers for the pointer in that direction anyhoo keep the discussion on the pro's and con's of the oils going as it's interesting to see what people know!

[geoffbeaumont]

Surely whether it's synthetic/semi-synthetic/non-synthetic(mineral?) is an entirely separate issue to what viscosity it is? Or do all synthetic oils have a low cold viscosity?

[Bull Bar Cowboy]

.... this can go round in circles

this topic came up on another forum and there was a reference to a web site explaining why synthetic wins hands down, as you may expect since I think it was by one of the manufacturers.

again I'll stick by my claim (from what has been said on similar forums) that synthetics will not harm an engine;- I think what should be said is the engine must be in good condition not one that is has gone round the clock a few times and is running on treacle mixed with pulverised baby octupuses to maintain a decent pressure.

My friend runs a tuned crossflow, probably similar era to rv8 after a rebuild exclusively on M1 and when he came to look at the internals some time later - sorry but don't have the mileage - the engine was like new. That is the closest to my own experience I've gotten and I did throw in some of that to a 70 K volvo 850 - can't say it was any better or worse for it. In the lwt I am using el-cheapo 20/50 since I don't know its history but would guess that the bottom end has seen a few miles; the oil pressure does drop when warm and if someones wishes to give me a gallon of M1, I can try that out on the next oil change )

If you slap M1 into a worn engine, then sure, you can expect low oil pressure as BBC said; but out of curiousity what are the bearing clearences on say RV8 compared to a modern engine, say zetec or duratec? (I will take a peak at haynes to see tonight).

Like I said at the very beginning, evereyone seems to have their own opinion .....

Opinions from unqualified individuals are one thing (generally like here, and like me )……. advise from oil, filter and motor manufacturers technical help are something different ………… that’s why I spent a lot of my bosses money and time on phone calls & visits to try and extract the meat ………

There is very little similarity between the old x-flow and the Buick 215/RV8 …….. the BMC ‘A’ & ‘B’ series are about the closest match in engines that do not have hydraulic cam followers ………

Jules made a valid comment about post 94 TVR’s ………… I am not sure what year, but when the serpentine front cover came in together with the direct driven, crank oil pump, then yes, it is documented that this pump has greater flow and thinner oils are apparently OK

Now, getting back to the point ………. young Minivin asked specifically about an early 3.5 RR engine ……. and I think the replies given are generally valid.

All I can say is that my engine behaves OK on Magnatec 15/40 and appears to exhibit little wear…………. the only way to confirm that would be regular oil sample tests and a full strip down to measure against its build specification …….. the numbers which I made careful note of during the build.

Way to often we hear ‘ oh yes its fine’ but when drilled down, there is very little (if any) factual evidence to support the claims.

It’s a bit like super unleaded Vs unleaded ………….. I can detect absolutely no difference with my engines current setup ………… yet others will tell you it’s the dogs bolloc*s ………. maybe their engine is setup differently ……… maybe they drive differently ……….. but I have witnessed a rolling road test that also showed no significant improvement that would warrant the price difference ( but that was just one vehicle in a high state of tune).

The other up and coming issue is veggy oil in fat fryers ……… I wonder what the long term effects on the engine will be ? ………… I have yet to see definitive evidence either way.

Ian

[pugwash]

It’s a bit like super unleaded Vs unleaded ………….. I can detect absolutely no difference with my engines current setup ………… yet others will tell you it’s the dogs bolloc*s ………. maybe their engine is setup differently ……… maybe they drive differently ……….. but I have witnessed a rolling road test that also showed no significant improvement that would warrant the price difference ( but that was just one vehicle in a high state of tune).

most cars will indeed see zero benefit from super to normal petrol. The major difference super has is a higher octane number. This is of a benefit in cars that have high CR where low octane fuels will pre-ignite. Modern cars with variable timing and open loop fuel maps will also benefit as the ECu can screw the timing right down and gain more power. Also cars with knock sensors and super high CR will have more power as the engein can run nearer it's performance optimum. N/A cars with normal fuelling and a dizzy have no benefit from running Super UL- it's jsut a waste of money. Every car benefits from a quality brand fuel (compared to a supermarket fuel) as they invariably have more detergant in them, so you end up with a cleaner engine and less wear. I believe there are also other benefits from brand fuel- but it's not something i really konw about- sure someone on here konws the truth of the matter!

The other up and coming issue is veggy oil in fat fryers ……… I wonder what the long term effects on the engine will be ? ………… I have yet to see definitive evidence either way.

Well in reality veggie oil has been used for a very long time in some countries- indeed a wilys jeep from WW2 was designed to run on veggie oil or just about any other fuel so it's not a new thing! It does tend to be a much cleaner burning oil (much lik lpg) so you tend to get a better condition engine. however it does seem to play merry hell with fuel lines if you raen't careful. i very briefly ran a diesel 205 on SVO before it gvae up the ghost- i had forgotten to filter the oil (which had a lot of swarf in it- we use it for cleaning kitchen machinery before first use) and it blocked the injectors, the pump, the fuel lines and everything in between.

Waits for the barage of "b****s" from the more learned people on here!

[02GF74]

Waits for the barage of "b*****s" from the more learned people on here!

(I'm keeping out of this one )

[minivin]

most cars will indeed see zero benefit from super to normal petrol.

One benefit though is in hot climates, as I knew and proved when I took my BMW from this countries climate where your lucky to see 30C, too Monte Carlo where it was trying to get 45C on the dial, Super Unleaded was the only fuel to use otherwise the bike pinked like hell under the slightest load or too much throttle. Also altitude had a marked affect on throttle responce unless SuperPB was used (more pinking thrown in for good effect)

[jules]

Sorry

I didn't mean to start something

My engine is around 40k only on it and its a very late 4.2 so it was made on the same factory line as a TVR 8 which is why I made the comparison.

It was only so when a Land Rover Dealer told him to use fully Synthetic he know why as the early 8's under no circumstances is to use thin oil but its OK for mid 90's models to use it.

And Dealer's put fully synthetic in every thing regardless of what the age is these days.

Sorry I possibly worded it badly

[Bull Bar Cowboy]

Jules,

No you didn’t word it badly at all.

I think I understood your post OK ……… because I seemed to remember that yours was a 4.2EFI ………… so it may have been a later block with the serpentine front end and crank oil pump ………. If so, then fully synthetic was a good call.

I think we are all agreed in this thread that it’s cleanliness of the oil that really matters with the Rover V8’s………….. most of us seem to do 3K oil changes.

Ian

[JSG]

I used to use 20/50 in my TVR V8S (K reg) and it kept good pressure and stayed fairly clean.

I used to use whatever I could get at the time in ALF as it didn't stay in long enough to worry about - just burnt straight out again

I'm using 20/50 in the new engine though.

[Cartman]

Minivin you won't go wrong with the Difflock bulk buy Silvex (or equivilant).

We used to run our 3.9 on the stuff and also bought it in 25 litre batches. Good stuff at a very resonable price

[minivin]

Minivin you won't go wrong with the Difflock bulk buy Silvex (or equivilant).

We used to run our 3.9 on the stuff and also bought it in 25 litre batches. Good stuff at a very resonable price

Aiy, it's Silkolene now to finish the modifications and go test it out