Choosing engine oil for an old car

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

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For modern cars the recommendation is fairly simple: Use an oil which meets the manufacturers spec & grade & change in accordance with the service book.

What about an older car?

My Gt-Four for example - standard 90's DOHC 4 cylinder turbo, solid cam lifters, piston oil squirters, turbocharged.
Back in 1994 Toyota recommended anything from a 5w-30 to 10w-50 depending on some vague ambient temperature diagram, to an SL (or similar outdated - I forget) specification, and to change it every 5000km.

I somehow feel none of this is really relevant to a modern oil :D

If you want the maximum protection & longest drain intervals possible is it best to use the highest modern spec stuff you can get, which meets all the latest manufacturer longlife standards e.G Castrol Edge? Or will it be a needless expense, or indeed damaging for an older engine designed for obsolete additives?
What about the oil that every owners club seems to recommend by default with no apparent justification: Fuchs Titan Race Pro-S
Or will some cheap £20/5l Comma/Halfords fully synthetic do as much for an older engine as is possible?
 
I'd be very interested to hear an informed opinion on this myself, owning a Impreza STi with an engine that really dates back to the early 90's itself be it with some slightly posher vvt on the heads.

Also i've no idea why that Titan stuff seems to be recomended on pretty much every owners club regardless! Saying that i've bought into the hype and used it quite a few times myself rightly or wrongly.
 
A car of that age may present problems with fully synthetic.
My MX5 for example runs on semi synthetic.

Unless there is an owner on here, I would just go straight to the relevant owner's club forums.

Pick a good brand (doesn't need to be highest end) of oil as it will be better than the engine oils the engine was designed to use.
 
5W-40s are a good one size fits all for these pre 2000 cars. Fuel dilution on these turbo jap motors has a habit of thinning things out

The handbooks ask for old API specs which most modern oils will meet. The difference will be with turbo deposits etc etc where modern oils are much better
 
To save starting a new thread.

Simon, Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 Fully Synthetic
Fine to use in a 2005 Impreza STI and a 1998 1.898 1998 1.8 MX5?
 
adam cool dude said:
I have used fuchs titan s on my past 3 oil changes for the four. My Nissan Primera GT just gets the genuine cheap stuff from Nissan.
Click to expand...

Big price difference there!

Not sure about old cars vs new cars, surely it is about the best protection for your buck and to car manufacturer specs. If worn perhaps a heavier oil vs lighter for more power. Old engines have higher deviation then modern ones but still down to the same reason / need for lubrication.

5/40w is q a general multi grade

Shell helix ultra is just hydrocracked 'synthetic, not 'full' synthetic in the full synthetic lab sense. Fuchs titan race pro is a good ester synthetic.

All down to budget, up there there's motul 300v double ester synthetic.

To answer your question I believe halfords synthetic is hydrocracked oil which is fine for most purposes. It works. However not the same as esther. Additives wise older cars tend to quote 2 oils but less so now as modern oils have far more stable additives now for multigrade, this is where good oils hold as they require less additives as their base are truer to the specs requiring less additives making them more stable as additives break down.

Ester is the most refined lab oils and has properties that makes them 'cling' to metal longer'

Cheap oil...what's the point, by you asking here.......a turbo car....you know the answer without me trying to explain.

I use Gulf competition 5/40 which is ester synthetic.

I hopes this helps.
 
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monkeys said:
Big price difference there!

5/40w is q a general multi grade

Shell helix ultra is just hydrocracked 'synthetic, not 'full' synthetic in the full synthetic lab sense. Fuchs titan race pro is a good ester synthetic.

All down to budget, up there there's motul 300v double ester synthetic.

I use Gulf competition 5/40 whichis ester synthetic.
Click to expand...

Sorry is that marketing speaking? Yes there is a big price difference.... kinda the reason people should use the 'just oil' stuff in their ROAD cars.

On a side not, Im fascintaed about the comment made the other day regarding Honda K20 chain tensioner failing becoming common on 'the forums', are these the enthusiast engines where they run this ester rubbish with "no issues" cos placebo of a £40 oil change is a good thing?
 
monkeys said:
Big price difference there!

Not sure about old cars vs new cars, surely it is about the best protection for your buck and to car manufacturer specs. If worn perhaps a heavier oil vs lighter for more power. Old engines have higher deviation then modern ones but still down to the same reason / need for lubrication.

5/40w is q a general multi grade

Shell helix ultra is just hydrocracked 'synthetic, not 'full' synthetic in the full synthetic lab sense. Fuchs titan race pro is a good ester synthetic.

All down to budget, up there there's motul 300v double ester synthetic.

I use Gulf competition 5/40 whichis ester synthetic.
Click to expand...

Shell is likely to contain GTL base stocks actually which is a Fischer tropes process to convert gas into liquids like diesel and base oil.

So please tell me the benefits of these ester containing oils. They are NOT fully ester based like you would be led to believe and they only carry minimal specifications, no manufacturer specs.

They are recommended a lot by a sales man, no matter the car or conditions the same oil is recommended, masked as a bespoke recommendation. And it may not be on performance, rather his margin
 
Simon said:
Shell is likely to contain GTL base stocks actually which is a Fischer tropes process to convert gas into liquids like diesel and base oil.

So please tell me the benefits of these ester containing oils. They are NOT fully ester based like you would be led to believe and they only carry minimal specifications, no manufacturer specs.

They are recommended a lot by a sales man, no matter the car or conditions the same oil is recommended, masked as a bespoke recommendation. And it may not be on performance, rather his margin
Click to expand...

Basically Ester oils is polarised (so it sticks to and is attracted by metal) so providing lubrication longer. Multi-ester is an extension.
It was developed for jet engines predominantly. On there hand, using it on a ford focus is probably a waste and overkill.
 
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monkeys said:
Basically Ester oils is polarised (so it sticks to and is attracted by metal) so providing lubIt is rication longer. Multi-ester is an extension.
It was developed for jet engines predominantly. On there hand, using it on a ford focus is probably a waste and overkill.
Click to expand...

Yes that is very 'basically'. Please tell me about jet engines and the relevance to an internal combustion engine.

Last time I checked a jet engine had no cams, no pistons and no fuel or water pouring into the oil.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Sorry is that marketing speaking? Yes there is a big price difference.... kinda the reason people should use the 'just oil' stuff in their ROAD cars.

On a side not, Im fascintaed about the comment made the other day regarding Honda K20 chain tensioner failing becoming common on 'the forums', are these the enthusiast engines where they run this ester rubbish with "no issues" cos placebo of a £40 oil change is a good thing?
Click to expand...

I am no marketer. Just a car enthusiast.
A ford focus 1.6, a £40 oil is plenty good enough in my opinion.
Down to engines, a turbo can heat to 1000C where a low revving road car is much lower.
 
Simon said:
Yes that is very 'basically'. Please tell me about jet engines and the relevance to an internal combustion engine.

Last time I checked a jet engine had no cams, no pistons and no fuel or water pouring into the oil.
Click to expand...

Simply put, maximum lubrication and heat properties to proling the life of an engine and reduce maintenance custs (need to change v often). All engines (type ..jets, combustion car, pumping machine) regardless of nature needs their moving parts to be lubricated. A cheap basic oil would not be good enough for a highly rpm engine and require a change very often as they just break down too fast. Oil is much cheaper than engine parts or high service routine.

A lawnmower engine needs it too but just any cheap oil will do as it's engine is basic and when it is worn, junk it (cheap).

To answer your question, cams, pistons are all irrelevant....water ingress is just unfortunate, a good engine will have v little water going into an engine....if so, it is faulty. Oil degrades from moisture, breakdown and dilution, etc and hence the need to change at intervals.
 
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