Prefered engine lubricant type

[John Armstrong]

Not the usual thread, but what type i.e. mineral, semi synthetic or full synthetic?

My bikes previous owner said fully synthetic as the oil gets so hot (my bike has no cooler) and that mineral when overheated / burnt leaves deposits, which the synthetic doesn't

But I've heard others say use mineral, it's the oil that the engine was designed for and anything else is either a waste of money or could damage the engine

 

[(RIP) Proff]

Straight 20/50 mineral, Castrol, Silkolene, Morris's or Comma

not duckhams


Thats it, done me since 1972 and I only have airheads



















Now watch some fecker argue with me

 

[Rob Farmer]

The original classifications of oil for the Airheads are now obsolete. It was SE/CC and SF/CC. All were pretty ordinary grades of oil for cars. Using 20/50 is the most important part.

Oil grades are here --> http://www.unitedoil.com.au/apiclass.htm

Duckhams always seems to generate loads of moisture. I buy Fuchs 20/50 for around £7 a Gallon from these guys http://www.gsfcarparts.com/branches.html they also sell GL5 spec gearbox oil.

 

[Thunder]

Comma Classic Car oil, 20/50 mineral is my weapon of choice at £12 for 5 litres from a local distributor.

Watch out for the Halfords Classic mineral at £16.99 for 5 litres. Its Green and Duckhams by any other name!

 

[electric_monk]

My local mechanic put semi-synth into mine and it just leaked out from several places and the engine sounded horrible. went straight back to mineral and everything returned to normal with no oil leaks..
The only brands I could find were Duckhams and Halfords and have no problems with either

 

[John Armstrong]

And any thoughts on these: http://www.motorworks.co.uk/bmw/products/large_image.php?p=ENA50242&desc=

up there with Thunders putting a Civil box on his PD, or best thing since best Tesco sliced white

 

[Rob Farmer]

Treating yourself for Christmas John?

 

[kurtz]

mineral, every time.. morris oils, from halfords

 

[John Armstrong]

Treating yourself for Christmas John?

Thinking of it

 

[the civil one]

Oil has had so many advances over the Years , its hard to know.
The Oil you bought in 82 nover mind 72 will have absolutely no resembelance to the oil
you buy today .
In the Commercials at home we use Fuchs 15/W40 long drain
which is good for 60K mls ,
I use this in Everything
And its only £480 for 45 gallon !

 

[Valker]

Oil has had so many advances over the Years , its hard to know.
The Oil you bought in 82 nover mind 72 will have absolutely no resembelance to the oil
you buy today .
In the Commercials at home we use Fuchs 15/W40 long drain
which is good for 60K mls ,
I use this in Everything
And its only £480 for 45 gallon !

There is a place near me called THAMES LUBRICANTS, all there oil is Shell based and they with mix you what grade you want, well you wait. I was there 10 minutes, it has all the specification. I bought 25 liters of 10w 40 for my truck, £2.20 per liters inc vat

don't now if this helps anyone.

 

[FUTURE]

Mineral. At present I am using Penrite 20w/60.

 

[VAL. H.]

Straight 20/50 mineral, Castrol, Silkolene, Morris's or Comma

not duckhams


Thats it, done me since 1972 and I only have airheads



















Now watch some fecker argue with me

Comma Classic Car oil, 20/50 mineral is my weapon of choice at £12 for 5 litres from a local distributor.

Watch out for the Halfords Classic mineral at £16.99 for 5 litres. Its Green and Duckhams by any other name!

So apart form it being green. Whats wrong with Duckhams???



Val.

 

[Rob Farmer]

So apart form it being green. Whats wrong with Duckhams???



Val.

I noticed lots of moisture in the airbox and on into the carbs when I used it. I had the same problem using Halfords Classic 20/50. The Halfords oil seems to go "Off" quickly as well needing more frequent oil changes.

I'd be interested to hear why Proff and Thunder came to the same conclusion.

 

[John Armstrong]

I noticed lots of moisture in the airbox and on into the carbs when I used it. I had the same problem using Halfords Classic 20/50. The Halfords oil seems to go "Off" quickly as well needing more frequent oil changes.

I'm guessing that that's one reason why I was told that synthetic is "better" as it's possibly more stable.

 

[Redboots]

Any API-SJ will do. Failing that an SL. An SM will also provide the correct lubrication and protection.

If you get moisture, perhaps you don't ride it far enough

Mine gets any old stuff I can find. Currently a supermarket own brand.
I did once find some Castrol 10w60 full synthetic. That seemed to work really well. I think I paid the equivalent of £6 for 5 litres but as far as I know its only available from BMW (cage) dealers in Europe, so that will be cheap then...

John

 

[John Armstrong]

Any API-SJ will do. Failing that an SL. An SM will also provide the correct lubrication and protection.

Have a look on Google at "API" and "ZDDP"

an example is: http://www.ttalk.info/Zddp.htm

Could explain the lack of 20 / 50 in Halfords yesterday.

 

[(RIP) Proff]

Duckhams was always crap oil, mixed on Aldridge industrial estate Walsall.
It came last in all the tests I ever run on oil for my thesis [long time ago]

Ford motor company then put out for tenders in the 70's for an oil to be marketed as FoMoCo in 20/50 and 10/40 grades, and to be used by ALL Ford distributors as THE oil to be used on all services
Duckhams got the contract and great rejoicing there was in Walsall.

Within 2 years there where serious reports of Black Death in CVH engines [Escort xr3 and the ilk} whereupon it was found that Duckhams had been condensing, emulsifying and solidifying so when you lifted the cam cover it looked like someone had tipped 2 ton of Tar/ asphalt in there Also to a lesser extent in the pinto engine causing the oil spray holes for the camshaft to clog. Anyone old enough to remember Mk3 Cortinas will remember the clonky sound of a worn cam lobe

The Contract was revoked and Ford rebranded their oil as Ford Motor Oil using Silkolene and an oil blenders up Thornton le moors near Ellesmere port.
End of problem

 

[Redboots]

an example is: http://www.ttalk.info/Zddp.htm

I don't doubt it but there are so many arguments about good and bad oils it really muddies the water.
This oiltest has been around for a number of years and adds other reasons to avoid some oils.

An old, now dead, mate of mine always advocated changing the oils as often as you could... oil's cheap, engines ain't. 14 litre oils changes on me 911 using full synth was so expensive, but offset that against a new motor. Didn't bear thinking about.

 

[cookie]

Duckhams was always crap oil, mixed on Aldridge industrial estate Walsall.
It came last in all the tests I ever run on oil for my thesis [long time ago]

Ford motor company then put out for tenders in the 70's for an oil to be marketed as FoMoCo in 20/50 and 10/40 grades, and to be used by ALL Ford distributors as THE oil to be used on all services
Duckhams got the contract and great rejoicing there was in Walsall.

Within 2 years there where serious reports of Black Death in CVH engines [Escort xr3 and the ilk} whereupon it was found that Duckhams had been condensing, emulsifying and solidifying so when you lifted the cam cover it looked like someone had tipped 2 ton of Tar/ asphalt in there Also to a lesser extent in the pinto engine causing the oil spray holes for the camshaft to clog. Anyone old enough to remember Mk3 Cortinas will remember the clonky sound of a worn cam lobe

The Contract was revoked and Ford rebranded their oil as Ford Motor Oil using Silkolene and an oil blenders up Thornton le moors near Ellesmere port.
End of problem

the "black death" was very common in the CVH and seemed to me to largely be the result of idle, feckwit owners failing to change the oil.
of course it would have been more prevalent in engines using duckhams if that's what ford were selling as Ford oil, and filling with at services

my xr3 never suffered and my escort van did when purchased, but got markedly better simply by changing the oil now and again.

the old essex engines used to get it as well, but were so agricultural that they never seemed to suffer for it

persistant shagged cams in the cortina (and others) pinto engines, was solved by increasing the bore of the oil feed pipe to the cam.

i have no materiel interest in duckhams, but have used a fair amount of it over the years with none of the problems mentioned in this thread.

"duckams is crap" = urban myth IMO.