Buying Oil, Some Basic Advice From Opie Oils

[oilman]

This post may seem like going back to basics but we are constantly surprised by the amount of people who do not know or understand what is written on a bottle of oil and therefore have no idea of what they are looking for, buying or using.

This post should help as a basic guide, for more detailed information contact us and we will be happy to help.

So, to be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it look for something that does!

1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. Motor oil, Gear oil etc)

2) The viscosity (i.e. 10w-40, 5w-30 etc for Motor oils and 80w-90, 75w-90 etc for Gear oils)

3) The specifications that it meets (should contain both API and ACEA ratings)

4) The OEM Approvals that it carries and the codes (i.e. MB229.3, VW504.00, FORD 913a/b, BMW LL04 etc)

Ignore the marketing blurb on the label it is in many cases meaningless and we will explain later what statements you should treat with skepticism.

So, what does the above information mean and why is it important?

THE BASICS

All oils are intended for an application and in general are not interchangeable. You would not for example put an Automatic Transmission Oil or a Gear Oil in your engine! It is important to know what the oils intended purpose is.

VISCOSITY

Most oils on the shelves today are

[neal]

What is your take on the new formulations of fully synthetics:

1. Mobil One 15W/50 vs Mobil One 15W/50 (same name)

2. Castrol Edge Sport 10W/60 vs Castrol RS 10W/60

In particular for the Mobil One, there was a lot of noise on the US Esprit forum, that the previous formulation (gold cap - Extended Performance) was much worse than its predecessor (silver cap - with Supersyn), though the new formulation appears better.

[Mark Blanchard]

Thanks for the info .

Yea, would be interested to know what you think of Mobile One 15W 50 and how suitable it is for the Esprit. I've used it for 5 years in my Esprit Turbo and it seems fine, but I'm no expert.

How about over filling oil in the engine (past high on the dip stick) good / bad?

[neal]

How about over filling oil in the engine (past high on the dip stick) good / bad?

It depends on where the high level on the dip stick is in relation to the lowest part of the crankshaft as it spins.

Certainly it you fill the sump to the point where the bottom of the crank is immersed in oil then that is bad. The crank acts as a giant whisk and aerates the oil as it rotates (filling it with air bubbles, like an Aero!). This then gets drawn into the oil pump which loses it efficiency since it has to compress the air bubbles to get flow, reducing the old pressure.

[actwon]

What is your take on the new formulations of fully synthetics:

1. Mobil One 15W/50 vs Mobil One 15W/50 (same name)

2. Castrol Edge Sport 10W/60 vs Castrol RS 10W/60

In particular for the Mobil One, there was a lot of noise on the US Esprit forum, that the previous formulation (gold cap - Extended Performance) was much worse than its predecessor (silver cap - with Supersyn), though the new formulation appears better.

Neal,

That noise you mentioned here in the States over Mobil 1 Wasn't Gold cap over Silver Cap. It was between Red Cap and the Gold Cap (extended performance). Personally, I have never used the gold cap, as I still have red cap available to me (actually, 1 oil change away from depleting my supply). After that supply has been depleted, I am switching to Redline 15w50.

[matk]

I think this is an excellent bit of information, can we have it on LEW Kato? I would pin it somewhere here but not sure where as covers G/Stevens/V8 at the same time.

[oilman]

Opie Oils Ten Percent Off Week.

Thats correct, from the 18th of May to the 25th of May EVERY PRODUCT on our site in the members section, has 10% OFF!!

**** This offer is only avilable by ordering online! ****

Grab yourself a bargain today while this offer lasts!

http://www.opieoils.co.uk

Members section here http://www.opieoils.co.uk/Members.aspx

Cheers

Simon & Guy