What Oil?

[Dean]

I know this subject has been raised before, but i'm wondering what oil to put in my 1.6 'S' series.

It's done 85K and It hasn't got any mayo at present. The car isn't going to be used daily.

Any suggestions?

Dean.

[ChrisM]

Duckham's Q :) 20W/50?

[Monty O]

Tesco's.....

[Chris Y]

It should really be 10/40. Assuming the engine's been treated well and the seals are all good, it won't need anything thicker.

As for brand, well they're all much of a muchness these days. Don't set too much store on a famous brand like Castrol, etc.

If you have a local motor factors, go in there and ask if they have any recommendations. If not, try getting some valvoline or Morris lubricants 10/40.

Don't buy the really cheap stuff (Tesco), it'll be full of wierd additives and will probably break down sooner than good oil, especially if the engine is subjected to high temperatures repeatedly.

[Monty O]

...there's nothing wrong with Tesco oil!

[MaestroTurbo]

...there's nothing wrong with Tesco oil!


I agree. It's made by Castrol anyway, we use it in our non-turbo cars with no problems and its changed regularly.

[Steve H]

Duckham's Q :) 20W/50?

Isn't Duckham's recommended by several people on this site as being particularly suitable because it doesn't exhibit so many problems with mayonnaise build-up.

T'other thing is I would have thought 10W oil a bit thin for a really worn engine (eg 80k miles plus). The gaps need a bit more thickness for bridging across to limit wear. 15W or even 20W would be better under these circumstances. All speculation, does this make sense?:suspect:

Steve H

[gothbob84]

Any idea of whom makes ASDA's elcheepo oil? i've not personally used it.... I use halfords oil fully synthetic on the hle and mg and vp and no problems with mayo build up....

[MaestroTurbo]

Isn't Duckham's recommended by several people on this site as being particularly suitable because it doesn't exhibit so many problems with mayonnaise build-up.

T'other thing is I would have thought 10W oil a bit thin for a really worn engine (eg 80k miles plus). The gaps need a bit more thickness for bridging across to limit wear. 15W or even 20W would be better under these circumstances. All speculation, does this make sense?:suspect:

Steve H


All very well and good but the W is the cold thickness of the oil until a certain temperature. 20W 50 is great if your engine is shot but at 120 degrees it will be no thicker than a 15w 50 which lubricates better at start up, and if your engine isnt worn why make it worse?

80k plus doesnt always mean excess wear, my monty diesel still has 10w 40 oil at 192k and uses a litre every 3k so it will really depend on the circumstances.

A 15w 40, often cheaper than 10w 40 because it tends to be mineral is a good choice

[e692wtt]

The 20w part of 20w/50 relates to its viscosity at a defined temperature (don't have the details to hand, am at work) and the 50 part refers to its viscosity at a higher defined temperature. The temperatures are defined in the oil testing prodedures.

In my Monty 1.6L (149k on the clock), a 20w/50 creates a lot less smoke than a 10w/40. In Fleagle my other 1.6L (26k on the clock) a Vauxhall Semi-Synthetic 10w/40 (it was a tenner at my local parts place, only reason I got it, though it just so happens it was intended for a Vectra V6 at one point) there is really no smoke at all.

There's a fair bit of 'mayo' though with the Vauxhall Oil, whereas with Duckhams Q 20w/50 there's no mayo at all all year round... the latter, brand-wise, is my oil of choice for minimising mayonnaise issues. I personally would use a 'branded' oil rather than a supermarket oil, but that's just my opinion. If you change your oil every few thousand miles then it would be fine to use any oil (wouldn't recommend the recycled stuff at £3 a gallon though!).

[Monty O]

Ah, recycled oil at £3 a gallon? is that 10/40, 15/50 or 3.15pm
...from the chip shop?

[MaestroTurbo]

The 20w part of 20w/50 relates to its viscosity at a defined temperature (don't have the details to hand, am at work) and the 50 part refers to its viscosity at a higher defined temperature. The temperatures are defined in the oil testing prodedures.

In my Monty 1.6L (149k on the clock), a 20w/50 creates a lot less smoke than a 10w/40. In Fleagle my other 1.6L (26k on the clock) a Vauxhall Semi-Synthetic 10w/40 (it was a tenner at my local parts place, only reason I got it, though it just so happens it was intended for a Vectra V6 at one point) there is really no smoke at all.



Correct, thats why i said 'cold' being the low temperature viscosity and the latter the 'hot' end of the viscosity test. 1.6's are known for being oil burners so in your 150k case its no wonder it uses less 20w 50 than 10w 40 because the engine is obviously well worn for whatever reason.

[Ricky]

Dont be silly, the 3:15pm from the chip shop goes in the fuel tank, actually come to think of it so does the recycled stuff at £2.76 a gallon (thats what it was last time I bought it for my Escort from Asda, which was years ago.....!):laugh:

[Simon]

I ran my replacement Gold Seal engine on GTX 10W 40 from day 1. Nearly 80,000 miles later no creamy gunge issues and the oil consumption is negligable really, despite a weep on the cam and crank oil seals.

[Monty O]

Why do people have such an issue with mayo? My understanding is that this occurs when water becomes emulsified in the oil, such as leeking head gasket or lots of short runs when the engine doesn't warm up enough to get rid of moisture. Normal running should produce this even with the cheapest oils.

[e692wtt]

It's mostly us paranoid owners of S-series Montegos pre-Mk II (when the Rover grille and flush rear lights as well as Roverised seats were introduced) and 1600 Maestros of the same vintage (but they weren't facelifted in the same way). At this stage, the 1600 breather system was totally changed, and the oil filler pipe deleted and a filler point on the cam cover fitted instead. The cut off is when the cars were certified as being able to use Unleaded petrol.

(I think) it applies to all O-series cars too. It's mostly owners of 1600cc cars than complain though :o .

Essentially, if the engine has an oil filler pipe at the front of the engine bay, it will suffer to some degree.

The mayo blocks up the breather system and the crankcase fumes then pressurise the block. Oil then blows past various oil seals onto things like the cambelt and clutch - which is a lot more hassle than keeping the ventilation system clean. It's a minor inconvenience, to be honest :) , as weekly checks are enough to keep on top of the problem (if it arises).

It can be a tangible problem though. I call it 'character' :laugh: .