Oil advice & recommendations from oilman @ Opie Oils

[oilman]

If you would like any oil advice or a recommendation for your car please feel free to ask here and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

To help us to give the most accurate advice possible we do need some information about your Van

Make:
Model:
Year:
Engine type:
Performance modifications:
Any other information that may be relevant: e.g. oil temps if known
What recommendation are you looking for? Engine, Gearbox, Diff etc.

Any oil we recommend is available to buy from us (if you would like to) for delivery throughout the UK and many destinations in Europe. We stock oils & lubricants from 9 major oil brands: Amsoil, Castrol, Fuchs, Gulf, Millers, Mobil, Motul, Redline and Silkolene, so we can supply fluids meeting the vast majority of manufacturer and international specifications.

Club 80-90 Syncronauts members get a discount of at least 10% on our usual prices... just choose "Club 80-90 Syncronauts" as your club when registering on the Opie Oils web site and enter your forum username.

Finally, if there are any products we don't stock and you have difficulty getting hold of elsewhere, let us know and we'll see if we can stock them.

We look forward to being of help!

Cheers
Guy, Opie Oils

You can also contact us by phone on +44 1209 215164
(All oils recommended are available to buy online at my web site)

[Mickyfin]

Make: Volkswagen
Model: Caravelle Syncro
Year: 1992
Engine type: 1.9 Petrol

Thanks.

[oilman]

Hi

I'd use a 10w-40.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-657-10w-40.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The best ones are the Gulf Competition, Motul 300V, Redline and Millers CFS. As a cheaper alternative the Fuchs XTR, Motul 6100 and Millers XSS are good choices.

Cheers

Tim

[R0B]

Why are you only offering a discount to 8090 syncronauts.?It should be to all 8090 members.Not just a select few.After all.We are giving you free advertising.

Club 80-90 Syncronauts members get a discount of at least 10% on our usual prices

[Mickyfin]

Cheers Tim, Rob has a point though.

[oilman]

To my knowledge, all members on here are eligible for the discount

[R0B]

Thats ok then.Maybe you should of said all 8090 members.Not just Syncronauts.Somewhat confusing wouldn't you agree?

Club 80-90 Syncronauts members get a discount of at least 10% on our usual prices

[kevtherev]

Hi

I'd use a 10w-40.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-657-10w-40.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The best ones are the Gulf Competition, Motul 300V, Redline and Millers CFS. As a cheaper alternative the Fuchs XTR, Motul 6100 and Millers XSS are good choices.

Cheers

Tim

Sorry but I would not use any of those oils.
A couple of reasons spring to mind, but as a fella who knows a thing or two about oil, I'm sure I don't need to tell you them.

Plus on visiting your site and trying to find the recommended oil my van is not listed.... or any flat four engined vehicle to be honest

for those that insist on trying snake oil... here's some constructive advice.

• If you've been driving around with mineral oil in your engine for years, don't switch to
synthetic oil without preparation. Synthetic oils have been known to dislodge the baked-
on deposits from mineral oils and leave them floating around your engine - not good. It's wise to use a flushing oil first.
• If you do decide to change, and you've been using mineral oil,
and you want to try a semi or a full synthetic oil, remember this.. because the wear tolerances that
an engine develops based on the oil that it's using. Thicker mineral oils mean thicker
layers of oil coating the moving parts (by microns though). Switching to a thinner
synthetic oil can cause piston rings to leak and in some very rare cases, piston slap or
crank vibration.
• Gaskets and seals! With the makeup of synthetic oils being different from mineral oils,
mineral-oil-soaked gaskets and seals have been known to leak when exposed to synthetic
oils. Perhaps not that common an occurrence, but worth bearing in mind nevertheless.

These are proven facts, freely available to those that look.

[California Dreamin]

And another fact.... wasserboxers sound like a bag of spanners from cold when thinner oils are used due to hydraulic lifter 'drain off' ie; when one or more valves are open and the engine is not started for a day or so, the pressure in the lifter mechanism causes the thinner oil to leak out.
There is a huge difference between what 'oil men' lol recommend and what actually works.
(Recommended 15W40, which works....10W40 does not...irrespective of whether mineral/part or fully synthetic)

Martin

[innocenti]

hi
got a 1.9 td 1990
not sure whats been used in the past , as just bought it what is the recomended grade ?
cheers steve .

[Mushr00m]

I'll stick with my Texaco 15w40 diesel oil in my 1.9 petrol injection thanks

[kevtherev]

hi
got a 1.9 td 1990
not sure whats been used in the past , as just bought it what is the recomended grade ?
cheers steve .

you must have missed that information when you searched in the wiki..
I've just looked and it's still there

15w/40 mineral.

[ewenmaclean]

hi
got a 1.9 td 1990
not sure whats been used in the past , as just bought it what is the recomended grade ?
cheers steve .

you must have missed that information when you searched in the wiki..
I've just looked and it's still there

15w/40 mineral.

I'd be a bit wary of putting 15w/40 in there until I knew the engine code and history for a td - if it's a rebuilt engine then I'd probably go for 10w/40 synthetic or 10w/40 semi-synthetic. I always go with the recommended oil for the engine code from vw - in my case that's quantum fully synthetic 5w/40 or 10w/40 - but it depends a bit on your code and state of the engine.

Kev is totally right about synthetic oils causing problems in engines with a lot of previous build-up, but if I'm not mistaken yours is rebuilt...

just my 2p worth

Ewen

[California Dreamin]

VW Diesels don't have the oil related issues that the flat 4 petrol engines have....the acceptable oil range and type is broader.
However I would recommend a 'Diesel specific' oil and not one that is primarily for a petrol engine but 'says' suitable for Diesels as well.
5W40, 10W40, 15W40 for Diesel and Turbo Diesel engines.
Personally I would be more inclined to go cheaper Semi Synthetic 10W40 Diesel/TD and change it more regularly rather than spending £30 plus on a fully synthetic 5W40 to leave it in the sump for longer.
The 5W40 might not be the most suitable when used in a high mileage (1.9TD) example

Martin

[oilman]

for those that insist on trying snake oil... here's some constructive advice.

• If you've been driving around with mineral oil in your engine for years, don't switch to
synthetic oil without preparation. Synthetic oils have been known to dislodge the baked-
on deposits from mineral oils and leave them floating around your engine - not good. It's wise to use a flushing oil first.
• If you do decide to change, and you've been using mineral oil,
and you want to try a semi or a full synthetic oil, remember this.. because the wear tolerances that
an engine develops based on the oil that it's using. Thicker mineral oils mean thicker
layers of oil coating the moving parts (by microns though). Switching to a thinner
synthetic oil can cause piston rings to leak and in some very rare cases, piston slap or
crank vibration.
• Gaskets and seals! With the makeup of synthetic oils being different from mineral oils,
mineral-oil-soaked gaskets and seals have been known to leak when exposed to synthetic
oils. Perhaps not that common an occurrence, but worth bearing in mind nevertheless.

These are proven facts, freely available to those that look.

Where did you get this info? Much of it could not be more wrong.

Synthetic, semi synthetic and mineral oils all come in viscosities, what the oil is made from does not dictate what viscosity it is (except things like 0w that have to be synthtic). A 15w-50 mineral oil and a 15w-50 are the same thickness accross all the temp the ranges, just one does a better job then the other

If you choose to switch to a semi or synthetic DO NOT use a flush, these tend to be kerosene and Paraffin based and can over clean the engine, just drain and replace with fresh oil, never use a flush for any reason.

Seals are no issue, oil manufacturres and seal manufactureers cannot afford for this to happen. Things have moved on.

From my experiance with flat 4 VW ownership 10w-40 semi synthetic is fine in most cases, and there is no reason why it should not be.

Cheers

Guy