oil.....what are you running and what are the 'effects'

[theelanman]

as it says above....
with all these oils available who's using what and what pressures are you getting......
the manual says 10w/30 for temps over -20degC....ive just changed to 10w/40 and am getting a higher oil pressure than I was before....
just wondered what everyone else was running and any observations...
also any definative answers on the best to use...
cheers
G

[paulwatkins]

After my run-in period, I switched to Castrol Edge Sport 0W-40 (same viscosity but not manufacturer as per the service bulletin - which says Mobil 1) but it appears to have found a slight leak somewhere.

It's nothing major, just a thumbprint size patch of oil on the garage floor after a spirited run! It is not a continual leak.

When I was running her in with 10W-40 Duckhams during the run-in, there was no leak, but with the thinner stuff, it has found a gap!

I think I'll switch back to 10W-40 at the next change

[muley]

I've been using Mobil 0/40 for some while, but switched to the Castrol Edge 0/40 last oil change (it was £9 cheaper). According to the spec sheet it is slightly thinner than Mobil at 100deg. - the slightly lower oil pressure bears this out. have used a bit on last weekends run - 500+ miles but the very minor oil leak I had with Mobil has stopped ...

As the car had nearly 70,000 miles I'm thinking of trying a 10/40 partly synthetic - Halfrauds has the Mobil S on special at £23 at the moment - has anyone used this in their Elan?

Cheers

Jim

[Paul.P]

I use Castrol RS 0/60 fully synthetic , as recomended by many lotus garages. It is quite expensive, but ive never had a problem, & my engine has done 110k now.

[kmckmc]

So,

How many people here are using 10w30 oil? What is your operation condition's idle oil pressure according to M100's oil pressure gauge?


I just phoned Mr. Kenny Brown of Motor Engineering Ltd. He told me that a recommended oil pressure is around 2 Bar (M100 in operationg condition at idle).

Are your Elan M100s at 2 Bar ?


Please advise.

[theelanman]

sorry forgot to mention that I'm running with 10w/40 as I was before the head gasket change......Ive just got a higher pressure now than I had before.....
is this typical???........will it come down after Ive 'run it in'????

cheers
G

[lotuska]

Why would changing the head gasket affect oil pressure??

I though that it was more affected by tolerances on the crank (main bearings etc), oil pump... and therefore would only really change if you've had a complete engine rebuild.

[theelanman]

Why would changing the head gasket affect oil pressure??

I dunno thats why I started this thread.....
since I changed the head gasket Ive noticed that my oil pressure is up about 0.5 bar at idle and 1bar+ under load.....
it used to be 2.5 at idle and 5 under pressure...when warm....
now its 3 at idle and 6.25 under load....
its confused me as Ive not done anything 'special'......and Ive used the same 10w40 oil that I used last time.......
so indeed...why should it go up??......
Ive still gotta run it for 500 miles and do a retorque on the head bolts but other than that its finished......just running at higher pressures now....and am a little concerned until someone tells me otherwise....
cheers
g

[ailwyn]

G,

This (what is normal oil pressure) has been discussed before.

Mine runs at (when warm) 2.5 bar @ idle, 5 under load. While warming up it's usually around 7.

As I know nothing take no notice of what I say, but I personally wouldn't be bothered with the readings your getting, now if they were a lot lower than before or the needle just pointed north then I'd be concerned.

A.

[Simon_P]

Put 0W - fully synthetic in - Made the valve lifters noisey

So switched back to 10W - =quiet again

There seem to be many questions about noisey hydraulic lifters......

Simon

[Scott J]

I've been using Halfords 5W/40 fully Synthetic since purchase at 115,000 til now at 142,000.


Kenneth Brown Motor Engineers have never said not too.

[kmckmc]

Today I emptied the SHELL 5W40 which I put in last week. I now replaced it with Castrol FORMULA RS 10W50.

So, It runs at (when warm) a bit less than 2.5 BAR @ idle, 5.2 BAR under load. While warming up it's usually around 7.

Have other people tried this one?

Cheers,

[Elanlover]

Mine runs at (when warm) 2.5 bar @ idle, 5 under load. While warming up it's usually around 7.

This is exactly what I see. I've just started using Amsoil synthetic Euro spec 5W-40 with their Ea synthetic filter.

[Oliver]

Today I emptied the SHELL 5W40 which I put in last week. I now replaced it with Castrol FORMULA RS 10W50.

So, It runs at (when warm) a bit less than 2.5 BAR @ idle, 5.2 BAR under load. While warming up it's usually around 7.

Have other people tried this one?

Cheers,

Ouch! Engine oil is an expensive hobby
My readings seem identical to yours. I`m using Elf 5w-40 full syn. 87k miles.

[muley]

I've been using Halfords 5W/40 fully Synthetic since purchase at 115,000 til now at 142,000.


Kenneth Brown Motor Engineers have never said not too.

Hmm, interesting post - as I have been using that oil in the other cars (Ford, Honda) for years and it seems to work well.

Priced for the budget conscious, too

Cheers

Jim

[muley]

So,

How many people here are using 10w30 oil? What is your operation condition's idle oil pressure according to M100's oil pressure gauge?


I just phoned Mr. Kenny Brown of Motor Engineering Ltd. He told me that a recommended oil pressure is around 2 Bar (M100 in operationg condition at idle).

Are your Elan M100s at 2 Bar ?


Please advise.

With 0/40 oils mine show around 2 bar at idle. Slightly under when hot (i.e. when the fans kick in...)

Jim

[L.G.]

I have another oily thing to say - ask; I've heard that it is not advised to change the viscosity of the oil that's been used for a long time on an engine. It may result in excessive oil consumption and may damage the engine. If any of what I've written is true you should just continue buying the same thing.
To answer the real question, I changed from shell 5w-40 to mobil 15w-50, my pressures haven't changed a big deal (they are pretty much the same as ailwyn's)

Cheers
L.G.

[JOSLER]

Im running mobil1 0w-40 my friend put me on to this expert on oil and he sent me this info:

Carl,

The 0w-40 is fine, and not too thin.

I would suggest either a 0w-40 or 5w-40 synthetic so your on the correct track.

From us we would recomend Silkolene and Motul as an upgrade.

Regards

Guy.

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________________________________

From: website@opieoils.co.uk [mailto:website@opieoils.co.uk]
Sent: Wed 04/07/2007 14:02
To: sales@opieoils.co.uk
Subject: Website: Oil Recommendation



CustomerTitle: Mr
CustomerName: Carl Joyce
CustomerPhone: 07733326951
CustomerEmail: josler@ntlworld.com
VehicleMake: Lotus
VehicleModel: Elan M100
VehicleYear: 1991
VehicleEngineType: Petrol
VehicleEngineModel: SE Turbo
VehicleModifications: None
VehicleDrivingStyle: Fast road driving
VehicleAdditionalInfo: I'm currently running 0w40 Mobil 1 but am a little worried that it is too thin. It is a recommended Oil in the Lotus Elan Central forum and everyone seems to use it.
Another mate told me that running too thin an oil isn't always good for a turbo.

(This is a copy of the e/mail)

So it seems to be ok to run this oil hope this might be helpful.

[Elanlover]

I have to say, since switching to the synthetic Amsoil the engine seems a bit less noisy.

[rip]

Another mate told me that running too thin an oil isn't always good for a turbo.

That's because a Turbo spins at around 150,000 rpm and therefore gets VERY hot.
Modern oils may not thin as much as older formulas when they get hot though.