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Which are the best oils to use?


Boomy

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

What does anyone recommend for a 1.6 CVH Ford Engine??

I intend on doing mostly road use - but the occasional track day - but will probably change the oil previous to Track days anyway.

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Use whatever grade the manual says for the CVH. If you can get that grade in a semi synth or a synth, then so much the better.
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  • 3 years later...

And what do we think for a slightly tuned duratec which gets driven quite hard?

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  • 7 months later...

Well this is something that i've been in a bit of a quandry about.   One thing is guarenteed, ask the question and you will receive a multitude of answers/recommendations.

In the end I've gone for Castrol semi-synth 10-40 for my 1979 (original manufactured year) Ford pinto 2lt engine.  

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Mines a '91 or '92 Redtop, been running fine on 5w/40 (Silkolene Pro S) fully synth.

I use Millers 10w/50 nanaodrive  in a 92 redtop, seems to run ok as well 

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Used 10-60 Shell Helix, Castrol Edge and Mobil 1 in the Atmo Cosworth

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Without sounding too controversial, how are people judging the oil when they say "been every happy with it", "pleased with the results" etc?

 

Without side-by-side tests on equal engines which are dismantled afterwards, how can we as drivers rate the performance of an oil? Surely all the indications are internal, or am I missing something?

 

Are we best off listening to the manufacturers and the engine builders like QED, SBD etc. who get to see the internals of used engines regularly?

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My recommendation of the Silkolene Pro Race is based both on the advice of several highly respected XE engine builders as far as grade goes.

 

Brand was initially recommended to me by Opie oils for various very long winded reasons related to its chemistry. However, I recommend the brand purely down to my experience of it.

 

A short story!

 

Years ago, when I decided to do a big upgrade to my engine, I knew the rebuild would take at least the winter. So I bought a decent spare engine from Ash (Arm) a long standing and very knowledgable XE owner on here. Before fitting the "spare" engine, I dropped the sump, fitted ARP bolts, checked the bearing shells, popped the rocker cover off and swapped it for my custom powder coated cover, I checked the top end over with the cover off.

 

The engine was an early ish XE, so probably late eighties. Condition was good, but as you would expect for an engine around twenty years old. With probably ninety odd thousand miles on it. The usual deposits, sludge and tht baked on oily lacquer type film you get in places. The engine was fitted and filled with the Pro Race.

 

Anyhow the engine did probably did nine/ten months in the Westfield, three or four thousand miles. Swapped them back over, came to swap the (low line) sump and the rocker cover's back and I must admit I was stunned. The inside of the "spare" engine, that previously had looked good for everyone of its ninety plus thousand miles looked freshly rebuilt.

 

The detergent pack in the Silkolene is superb, not just helping to prevent the build up of crud in there, but actually reducing existing stuff.

 

Later, after a rebuild on the tuned XE, for which I had all the measurements from its first rebuild, I did a re-measure as those new parts had only ever been used with the Silkolene and condition, after several years hard and highly stressed use was excellent.*

 

*Well, except for the crank thrust bearing that got lunched by oil surge under braking, a fault of the wet sump, sticky tyres, good brakes etc, not the oil. And the reason why I went dry sump.

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That's an interesting story Dave, thanks for sharing! I guess that puts you in the category of the knowledgeable few who've seen the inside of the engine before & after!

 

I did a bit of research myself a while ago (only online mind) and went down the route of 10w40 semi, but change it frequently. Doing so few miles per year and changing annually, I'll not really see much benefit of a more expensive fully synth.

 

People seem to run all sorts in the XE, but the general consensus:

  • Vauxhall have been known to recommend both 10w40 semi & 5w40 fully. 10w40 was what they used 'back in the day'
  • Vauxhall owners forums generally say 10w40 semi
  • SBD recommend 5w40 fully for anything over a daily driver
  • QED only list 10w40 CFS fully synth on their website
  • The Opie oils website recommends either, 5w40 fully being the 'upgrade' oil

This is for a road car mind, not race.

 

The usual deposits, sludge and tht baked on oily lacquer type film you get in places.

 

Isn't that what keeps the thing oil-tight after 90,000 miles? :p

 

I might have to treat it to a round of Silkolene Pro Race!

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