OILS

Davoe,
I know where you're coming from. I have a 2000 Gu 4.2 T/D Patrol and I was recently embroiled in a series of Posts about the pros/cons of "Cruiser Oil".

I have always believed that "oils is oils is oils" but I'm about to change mine tomorrow and stick 10.5 ltrs of this expensive stuff in to see if it does produce a marked improvement in my fuel economy &/or noticeable power/torque increase.
I always change my oil @ 5000 intervals and even though the Nissan book says the filters only need to be done every 2nd change, I change the mongrels every time anyway.....I can't see the point of putting nice clean oil through dirty filters.

There seems to be a lot more to this subject than origianlly meets the eye. Things like ask content affecting bottom end motor wear rates etc. Oh Shyte....My brain is starting to hurt again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I plan to keep my truck for 500,000 if possible (117,000 at present), so I consider spending money on it at this point to improve it's life span, is money well spent. Then again, with this Cruiser Oil, if it's cutting back on friction as claimed, is it really lubricating properly; or is it so thin that it won't provide a good film between the moving parts? It's all too much; I think I need a stiff drink!!!

The bottom line is that even if my rig blows up at some time in the future, it will be hard to tell why it's happened. Could be crappy coolant system. Could be the oil. Could be the oil filters I use (not genuine, I just grab whatever brand is available) etc etc.

I can't spend my whole life worrying about something that might never happen and over which I have stuff-all control.

Cheers,

Roachie

I consider it insurance I guess long term.

My first car was a Nissan Silvia with a 1.8L turbo in it - and i've seen what happens to these engines when people dont follow the 'change your oil + filter every 5000kms' rule. Oil lines are very prone to getting gummed up, bearings in the turbo get starved of oil and the whole turbo siezes. One particular engine I know of went through two turbos and then the engine bearings went to lunch. I bet money it didnt see regular oil changes.

The viscosity of the oil that makes a big difference too. High performance oils have a low viscosity when cold which I think provides better protection when you first crank the car over in the morning (cold engine being the worst time for wear I believe). You only have to look at how quickly petrol engines turn oil black to see how much junk they pick up in them.

My general rule of thumb is non turbo engine it doesnt matter so long as u change it regularly and according to manufacturers directions. Use thin oil in a new car, thick in a old one. Petrol turbo, semi-synthetic minimum - for the turbo if anything. Diesel - well not much choice there i dont think. Doing an oil change twice a year yourself isnt particularly hard so i figure why not. Im a fan of the repco oils too. Their semi-syth oil is good value i reckon.

Cheers,
Dave.

What does a reponsible person do with the used oil

Rod

If your in a city you will be able to drop off your used oil at a recycling centre.
Do a search & you will find plenty.

Cheers Rowler (dave)

Hi Davoe,
For longlivety of your truck use only good brands with their additive rating clearly marked on the containner I cant remember the rating letter but everyone is there for differant part of the engine and if it's on the container it's guaranteed to be in the oil,multy viscosty eexplained simply when cold the oil is rolled up like clenched fist witch gives you a lower rating lets say 15w as it becomes hot the fist uncoil and makes the oil thicker,yes i would IMHO change the filter every time with a knowen brand as I have heard stories of filter blocking oil flow and we know what that means.anyway email one of the oil companies and they should be able to set you striaght.Hope this helps.
All The Best In Health And Wealth
Jeffrey (AKA JD)

G'day Davoe,
I have always been a staunch advocate of using the best oil available and without going into too much detail, the main reason is that I have seen too many engine problems due to the use of 'cheap' oil. I'm a diesel mechanic with mainly Toyota experience and I have lost count of the number of rebuilds that I have done over the years. I am not suggesting that they have all been due to using bleep oil, but I do believe that a high percentage of the rebuilds could have been avoided if the owners had employed best practice principles and carried out regular servicing (preferably every 5,000 kms with filter change) and used a quality oil.

I guess the thing a lot of people don't appreciate is that oil is not only for lubrication, it also cleans and cools the internal engine components. As you can well appreciate, diesel is a dirty fuel and leaves a lot of carbon and sulphur deposits in the oil - to extend the life of the engine, you need to get rid of this crap on a regular basis. A quality oil will generally clean your engine far better than the cheapies on the market.

Fair enough, you can save some money by using the cheaper option in both oils and after market filters, but in the long term it is a false economy.

Diesel 1