Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I'm about to have rings done, which will mean a chance for new oil...

What's peoples thoughts and experiences???

I was thinking of running synthetic oil from penrite, their SIN 25w60 sounds like a winner for use in summer in perth... http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/motor-oil/sin

I've never run a synthetic oil before though and i was wondering:
- Can it be mixed with a non-synthetic oil (ie: top ups)
- How will the older engine handle it? (running g16a bottom end, jimny top end (MPFI 16v) with vitara injectors).
- Is it worth it?

I'm hoping for less burnt oil and lower operating temperatures - as crawling offroad in summer on a 35+ degree day in the sun really tests the cooling system!

I would go for a semi-syn as i would not think a zook motor is worth the $$ to put fully syn into it.

btw, ho many times has that motor been opened up for the guys, seems like every 6 months or so.

usual story - change one part and the next bit cant handle it... lol

with the extra compression from the new top end, the bottom end is now not happy and the rings are leaking... so lesson learnt - if you're changing the top end, re-do the rings while its opened up! =) haha (doh!).

Anyone else tried synthetic oils? was there even a difference? (other than price).

You would think they would have told you the first time..

Btw i use HPR 15 in my zook when it gets oil and no issues i have found.

nicbeer wrote:I would go for a semi-syn as i would not think a zook motor is worth the $$ to put fully syn into it.

btw, ho many times has that motor been opened up for the guys, seems like every 6 months or so.

I just went to semi-syn Penrite HPR10 (Penrite recommended oil) runs better seems to start better and got an extra 0.5k/L economy. The engine is also using bugger all oil (used to have Valvoline low-vis).

doesnt matter too much, my mate runs 9.2 et's in super sedan down the drags and has used the cheap $25 stuff for years. He is of the opinion that its got more to do with quantity than quality.
A full synthetic or a semi may actually make your smokey beast more smokey depending on the viscosity of the oil.

how do you figure it'd be more smokey??? After having rings done i wouldnt expect any smoke whatsoever... lol

But i would have thought a synthetic oil would be far less prone to smoking?

i just run castrol 20-50 now, run some 5 -15 synthectic stuff i think it was once burnt oil quicker, noiser on start up and running

thats because 5w15 is wayyyyy too thin for a zuk engine... should be in the 20w50 area.

alien wrote:thats because 5w15 is wayyyyy too thin for a zuk engine... should be in the 20w50 area.

my bad my old man just grabbed it so i tried it

i dropped the oil on the weekend and put the 20-50 in

aaron

Oops my bad, failed to read very first line of post.
Dont forget that these engines were never really designed to use some of the newer style oils on the market at the moment.
If you stick to what is specified in the manual for your style engine then you cant really go wrong, or better still ask brian ( suzistore i assume) what he reccommends u use then if it stuffs up again im sure he will fix it for you for er... free

On all the sierra placards i've seen the factory says 15w40 or 20w50 next time i'll be using semi synthetic 15w-50 penrite as it covers all bases and I found 20W50 abit to thick in the cold weather down here.
25w50 will just make the oil really thick when cold which puts more strain on the motor and is more made for old v8 racing style motors.

If it's using the oil when hot go for a 20w60 or something made for higher running temps.

yeah thats why i was thinking 25w60 - more of a summer use - then drop oil when it start getting cooler (around may) and put something like a 15w50 or similar in...

Like i said im more concerned about the heat in summer - slow speed and nothing but dried mud and rocks reflecting heat, plus being behind the hills and sheltered from the sea breeze makes it a huge strain on the engine - so im hoping a thicker oil for summer will result in a better engine temp. My school of thought on this is that 1, sierra's didnt come with 1.6L engines with extractors, and 2, japan is a fair bit colder than perth in summer =)

Just as a side note - while manufacturers state a certain oil, you'd assume it was the best at the time - i mean, the sierra manual states 98ron petrol as the fuel - but we all shove 92 in! haha

Surely as oil technology improves, it can only help the engine life - so long as the thicknesses are kept the same.

Semi and full synthetics have totally different properties to natural or hydrocarbon based oils. I think you'll find the detergent levels and oil stabilising qualities are a big part of the cost, but in addition to this synthetics appear to be more 'slippery' for one of a better word, which can make your oil burning worse as the scrapper rings were never designed for that.

My turbo GTi had pretty bad oil temp and shearing issues. I could shear any off the shelf natural or semi/full synethic oils you could get. penrite, castrol, mobile (which from experience is the worst!! a local drag team who's car is sponsored by mobile doesnt even use it . You name it I cooked it in about 2 hard runs up the gears, loosing up to 15PSI and never making good pressure again.

I have added a cooler and gone to a ULX 10W50 in mine and havent looked back. Its a natural oil with synthetic stabilisers and at $60 for 5L its about what you're paying for a semi or full syn. Obvioulsy we're not all running turbo's though. Changing the grade is trial and error, depending on where you are and the driving you do, but id say seek advice before switching an older, possibly tired engine, to syn oils.

Cheers

id stick with non synthetic in a old school engine.
penrite is very good. i get less piston slap with this oil than any other.
i run 20 w 50. but as im cheap i use the genuine toyota oil from work and there is noticeably more piston slap when cold than when running the penrite. even though the viscosity is the same.
and no it shouldnt have any smoke with the new rings.
if it does this would then point to valve stem seals.

Cheers guys =)

Just curious too - seeing as "oils aint oils" for sure nowadays:

- Can you mix a non-synthetic oil with a synthetic when topping up?
- Can you mix different weights of oil (like a 15w50 and some 20w60)?

I dont plan on doing it - just curious as to whether or not theyd separate or react in some way with each other...

I find my GTi motor doesn't like penrite, no matter the type, I've used it in V8's for years but my zook prefers castrol, other oils cause lifter tick and degrade quicker in my zook I've found. The Edge stuff is awesome but pricey so I use the magnatec and change a little more often.

I mix all sorts in mine with no ill effects, if it needs topping up then i chuck in whatever i can get my hands on as long as the dipstick reads full and its not too dirty then thats good enough for me.

I run the castrol Edge in my subaru, seems to be pretty good. The zook gets whatever i have lying round in approx 20w-50 or so. The regularity of oil changes is very important too. Even if you can only get an average quality oil, keeping it changed regually and topped up will be just as good as using some super expensive oil. We are only talking about zook motors, there is no need to go overboard in the end.

Layto....