I am researching the best engine oil for our Magna's and narrowed it out to a small handful of different types. Just wondering what you would use and recommend for a low km Magna.

Your help much appreciated.

Mobil 1 0W40 full syn. I can't seem to find them anywhere yet in Perth. else i'll resort to 5W50 (any brand).

I avoid Mobil oils like the plague. Had Mobil oil in 2 Mitsubishi's from near new, both needed new rings prematurely.

i was told around the 15w-50 would be best other wise the higher stuff is too thick...

i use a synthetic 15w-50 my mecahnic mate gets me for free...

I avoid Mobil oils like the plague. Had Mobil oil in 2 Mitsubishi's from near new, both needed new rings prematurely.
holy shte, I'm sorry to head that. what grades did you use? i use 5W50 in my mazda mx-5 and it just flies, regularly revs the engine up to 6500-7000 rpm, and haven't blown it to bits yet. in fact engine's works like new and haven't lost any oil in between changes. it's the only oil i trust to do that. Also since it's syn, i've been changing my oil between 30000-40000 kms. I suppose any other similar spec syn 5W50 would also give as good results, but this is the brand i've actually been running the mx-5 like this so I know it's good.

Also with the high flash point of 5W50 over mineral oils, I know i can run the mx-5 to point of total failure of the cooling system and know the oil won't vapourise with me ending up with a destroyed engine.

The magnas are factory supplied with 0W30 so I'm trying to source a good 0W40 syn which covers the range the mineral 0W30 does and a bit more @ the higher temperature end.

i was told around the 15w-50 would be best other wise the higher stuff is too thick...

i use a synthetic 15w-50 my mecahnic mate gets me for free...
free oil! that's unfair. hey try 5W50 or 0W40 and tell me how you go. bet you'll like it even more. better if your mate can also get it for free. :)

Hi guys,

Think I am out of point...As a 2nd gen Magna.... Don't think mine fits in this category at all... :cry:

WOw.... That's interesting.... Mine is an old car... 2nd gen Magna... The mechanic that I frequent recommends 20W-50.... well... guess the older the car, the higher it has to be....

I am using Castrol 20W-50... or the BP one.... which has the same content...


Cheerios,

I can't recall what i used but i do know it wasn't synthetic. More a GP type oil. But nevertheless both engines ****ed it with Mobil oils in them. Both engines i rebuilt used Shell Helix and to be honest, they were the best they have ever been. Both cars i sold a while ago now but i hear the Express Van is still running like a dream 3 years on.

Hi guys,

Think I am out of point...As a 2nd gen Magna.... Don't think mine fits in this category at all... :cry:

WOw.... That's interesting.... Mine is an old car... 2nd gen Magna... The mechanic that I frequent recommends 20W-50.... well... guess the older the car, the higher it has to be....

I am using Castrol 20W-50... or the BP one.... which has the same content...


Cheerios,any brand with 5W50 would work for you. 20W50 is thicker at room temperature but lightens up at engine's operating temp - ie viscoscity decreases with temp.

5W50 is as more stable with temp so viscoscity does not move as mineral oil does with temp variation. This is what one needs when one start pushing and reving the engine and create hot spots within. that oil keeps its constant viscoscity and not flash (vapourise) or oxidise/carbonise (turn black like reused cooking oil). it is the main performance difference btw mineral and syn.

in fact 5W50 is at right working viscosity for engine at room temp, so you don't need to warm up in cold mornings beforw getting a move. Can drive after staring in a few seconds (need a few seconds to get oild circulating).

Is 5W to thin then?

any brand with 5W50 would work for you. 20W50 is thicker at room temperature but lightens up at engine's operating temp - ie viscoscity increases with temp.

5W50 is as more stable with temp so viscoscity does not move as mineral oil does with temp variation. This is what one needs when one start pushing and reving the engine and create hot spots within. that oil keeps its constant viscoscity and not flash (vapourise) or oxidise/carbonise (turn black like reused cooking oil). it is the main performance difference btw mineral and syn.

in fact 5W50 is at right working viscosity for engine at room temp, so you don't need to warm up in cold mornings beforw getting a move. Can drive after staring in a few seconds (need a few seconds to get oild circulating).


Thanks for the info... Now I know what series to get in future... BTW, any recommendations by anyone who had used those oils before??


Thanks


Cheerios :)

Is 5W to thin then?it's alright. what this 5W50 shows is that this oil would be at a certain viscosity range between these temperature bands, which is 5W to 50. so the wider the temperature band, the more stable the oil is to temp variation.

20W50 is thicker at room temperature as opposed to 5W50, but thins out at normal engine operating temperature - that's why one'll need to warm up the engine before pushing it as the hot spots one'll create- the places that really need this oil most may run dry as the oil is too thick when cold to get there fast enough to replace the oil being lost @ these spots (ie. scraped away by pistons).

this is not a problem with 5W50 as the oil's already @ the right viscosity and already free flowing when engines cold. shown this condition when cold one can have the impression this oil may be too thin. it isn't, its right. the viscosity doesn't change (very much) when it's heated it up.

This oil is still alright when all coolant has leaked out of your radiator and your engine temp indicates max Hot.

0W40 or 5W50 type oils has been engineered and lab created with extreme temperature stability to operate at the outer limits of driving conditions and thats why one pays for it.

heh. I should be a oil salesman. :) Guys, I'm not.

oh, one word of caution, if you're thinking of changing to syn when running mineral all the time, please run one service interval with semi-syn first to allow any baked on carbon deposits in crankcase to dissolve. syn oil is sure to dislodge these deposits/flakes of carbon (also what syn oils are designed to do - clean engine) and may send it to a vital part of the engine before going to the the filter.

I use Castrol Magnatech and I find its a good oil. I change my oil and filter every 5,000kms. Im a little cautious when using thin oils like Mobil 1 although they do yield good results.

Blake.

I use Castrol Magnatech and I find its a good oil. I change my oil and filter every 5,000kms. Im a little cautious when using thin oils like Mobil 1 although they do yield good results.

Blake.Hi Blake, why do you change every 5000kms? also mobil 1 has different grades. the one's im refering to are full syn grades 5w50 or 0w40. I've got full syn 5W50 in my mx-5. i drive that car very hard - and i change my oil between 30k to 40k, because the oil's ok.

Castro magnatech (is 15W or 20W50?) is thicker when cold @ room temp, but at engine operating temperature, it'll have the viscosity as the synthetics. the synthetics keeps its light viscosity when engine is cold (or hot) and is more temperature independent. when engine's running normal, the castrol magnatech or any other mineral oils that's got a 50 temperature band will have the same viscosity as a synthetic with a 50 band.

Furthermore, the higher flash point (look @ msds of oil) will allow the oil to better survive a hot/overheated engine without losing its lubrication function. mineral oils will oxidise - thickens(increase viscosity) and turns black - you'll notice a gradual rise in fuel consumption as internal engine resistance increase with higher oil viscosity - this also happens gradually with mineral oil in normal driving as the oil's cooked on contact with hot moving parts. at worst in a very hot engine mineral oil will flash - vapourise when spread thin on contact with super heated engine parts. your water temp sensor may still read normal, as this sensor doesn't detect hot spots seen by the oil.

the synthetics maintain this correct viscosity range all the way down to temperature band 5W, while minerals drop out of this viscosity range at higher temp bands of 20W or 15W, so require to warm your engine up for a mineral oil to effectively function.

The main reason I change oil so often is to ensure my baby has nothing but clean blood so to speak lol Its a little excessive but Magnatech isn't overally expensive and I do enjoy doing an oil change for some odd reason.

I used mobil 1 in my 2.4 TE and that was a great oil, you could definatly feel the difference at startup. You can also leave it in alot longer.

I've just been told by many mechanics your better off to use a semi-synthetic oil and change it more often than leaving a fully sythetic oil in for longer. Im going to switch back to mobile 1 for a while next oil change and see how that goes, but that does hurt the pocket when your changing it every 5,000kms lol

Blake, your magna specs impresive. hey, you don't have to use mobil1, any other syn with grades 5W50 or 0W40. 0W40 is better for the magnas i'll say. i use mobil 1 5w50 because i've always used it - since many years ago i looked at all the syn spec and decided it's the best on paper. i might not use it in the next change, I've seen their recent price tags. if you change syn @ 15k km then i think you'll see the same economy as changing every 5k currently, where you'll have a better performance oil which could last up to 50k. :)

hey i had a look under the magna - to see if i have the right tools to change oils - i haven't & there's so little space to turn a spanner. :) would you like to change oils for me?.... just in case you have withdrawal symptoms having to wait longer after you go synthetic. :)

regards,
Peter

I use Castrol Magnatech and I find its a good oil. I change my oil and filter every 5,000kms. Im a little cautious when using thin oils like Mobil 1 although they do yield good results.

Blake.

im the same as blake.. MAGNAtech all the way

I had a recommendation to try Motul 8100 E-xcess full sythentic so i bought this oil. Will pop it in along with a new filter on the weekend and will let all know. For the price i would expect it to fantastic oil...

Thanks again for your very helpful reponses..

I used valvoline durablend one oil change and the magna just ticked like hell when cold and even when warm. I was recommended to use magnatec by my mech and a number of auto shops and it runs so much smoother. Plus magnatec is 10w to 40w i'm sure.

Peter your in WA aren't you? If you like next time yours is due or mine you can swing by and I can show you what to do. I was intimidated at first but its so basic its not funny and dead easy, plenty of room.

im not picking any of those oils in the poll because they are all fully synthetic. Seriously guys, synthetic oils are only needed in high performance engines. A magna engine is designed for a family car, they are not high performance engines (possible exception for ralliart magna). Dont waste your money on it, because quite often its too thin for ordinary engines, like magna engines, and if anything do more harm then good. I use penrite HPR10w-50 (i think thats it) and it works perfectly in my car, no valve noise, smooth as ever, just perfect. And its 30 buks cheaper then synthetic stuff.. money talks

Wow, i love the different opinions. Maybe we should make this thread a sticky (moderators?) as let's face it, oil is probably the most important content of your entire engine and it's wise we all know what oil to actually buy that's best for our Magna's.

Ralliart 410 - agree 100%, oil is the lifeblood of an engine. Extreemly important.

I just re-read my post, and i realised that i was more saying that "its not worth the extra money" as my main reason for not going synthetic. While i firmly believe this is true unless you have a high performance engine, i also really wanna stress that it can actually be detrimental to your engines health. This is because the synthetic oil is thinner, normally 0W-30 or something. This is just too thin for an ordinary engine. This will result in it being too "runny" and not lubricating properly, your engine will probably burn the oil, causing it to be even more useless and on really hot days, it will just turn to water. thats the 30 bit in 0W-30, you want atleast 40 or 50 because the last number is an indicater of how well the oil works in high temperatures. if its 30 it will start becoming uselss at an atmospheric temperature of about 35 degrees. This is bad, very bad. Hence why i always run 50 in my cars as good old queensland has been known to serve up some pretty scorching temperatures in summer!!!

Fair enough.. I was concerned aswell but this Motul 8100 is a 5W-40. Someone said elsewhere in these forums that Mitsubishi (factory) put 0W oil in - WTF! Maybe run in oil?

Fair enough.. I was concerned aswell but this Motul 8100 is a 5W-40. Someone said elsewhere in these forums that Mitsubishi (factory) put 0W oil in - WTF! Maybe run in oil?

i would say run in oil, i have heard of this before.. my parents nissan xtrail had oil in it so thin that you almost couldnt see it.. it looked like assembly oil!

What oil filter tool are you guys using to remove the oil filter in a TJ?

I use Mobil 1 Synth for both cars, have been doing so for years.

I've heard good things about Magnatec as well.

Peter your in WA aren't you? If you like next time yours is due or mine you can swing by and I can show you what to do. I was intimidated at first but its so basic its not funny and dead easy, plenty of room.
yes, i'm in wa - and many thanks for offer. i'll keep in touch via message. cheers.

I've been using Magnatec for couple of years now. Current fill is way overdue and still no tappet noise - hey, cannot tell wear and tear unless I open it every 10'000 km and compare...
Bought Shell full synth 5/40 - or was it 50.... yesterday and will change this weeklend.
Reason for trying something different is that I'm bit concerned about Magnatec build up - if there is any.
Does anybody know if Magnatec is full or part synth? Can't see in the label at all.

Ralliart 410 - agree 100%, oil is the lifeblood of an engine. Extreemly important.

I just re-read my post, and i realised that i was more saying that "its not worth the extra money" as my main reason for not going synthetic. While i firmly believe this is true unless you have a high performance engine, i also really wanna stress that it can actually be detrimental to your engines health. This is because the synthetic oil is thinner, normally 0W-30 or something. This is just too thin for an ordinary engine. This will result in it being too "runny" and not lubricating properly, your engine will probably burn the oil, causing it to be even more useless and on really hot days, it will just turn to water. thats the 30 bit in 0W-30, you want atleast 40 or 50 because the last number is an indicater of how well the oil works in high temperatures. if its 30 it will start becoming uselss at an atmospheric temperature of about 35 degrees. This is bad, very bad. Hence why i always run 50 in my cars as good old queensland has been known to serve up some pretty scorching temperatures in summer!!!please allow me to clarify:

1. 0W30 is a mineral grade. the magna TJ's are factory supplied in this oil in australia. ref manual that comes with car. all new holdens also factory supplied in this grade.

2. 35 atm temperature, isn't engine operating temp in fact if day temp is 45 or 5, the cooling system in cars works effectively to maintain a set constant engine temp. The cooling system in magnas allow running 0W30 - see manual - this is the factory optimised oil grade for this car.

Also for effective fuel efficieny you'll want to use as light an oil as possible that won't burnt off when engine create hot spots when being push hard, you can go thicker with mineral to be very safe but just have to pay more for fuel burnt up overcoming higher internal engine resistance.

3. or go syn for higher performance ability, because syn oils are engineered with ultra stable viscosity that are not temp dependent - and with higher flash point so they dont burnt off.

whilst your 20W50 mineral oil seems thick @ room temperature, at normal engine temperature it'll be light. syn oil grade 5W50 is light @ room temperature, but stays like that @ engine operating temp. At engine operating temperature, these 2 oils - 20W50 and 5W50 - have the same viscosity.

hope this helps

Peter :)

I've been using Magnatec for couple of years now. Current fill is way overdue and still no tappet noise - hey, cannot tell wear and tear unless I open it every 10'000 km and compare...
Bought Shell full synth 5/40 - or was it 50.... yesterday and will change this weeklend.
Reason for trying something different is that I'm bit concerned about Magnatec build up - if there is any.
Does anybody know if Magnatec is full or part synth? Can't see in the label at all.
if it doesn't say on the label, its probably mineral. if its syn, the oil co. will definitely want you to know about it .

is Magnetec 10W40 alrite for 3rd gen magna? abur 30 bux for a 5L bottle in Kmart

yes, you can put this or any engine oil into a 3rd gen magna. Can also mix engine oils if you have to - different brands, grades, mineral & syn - apart of designe so that in an emergency you can stop at any service station to top up and keep going.

some engine oils are just constructed better than others and this is reflected in price.

i prefer (first choice) to use the syn (any brand) 0W40 and (2nd choice) syn 5W50.

I use Castrol Magnatech and I find its a good oil. I change my oil and filter every 5,000kms. Im a little cautious when using thin oils like Mobil 1 although they do yield good results.

Blake.

Hoorah a sensible person ... changing their oil every 5,000km is good ... the oil doesn't get too dirty and saves engine internals ... I just put Castrol Magnatec in my gf's Mirage ... and I found the car to be much quieter than the last time I changed the oil in it (used Pennzoil last time) ... I also change oil filter every 5,000km too ... it doesn't cost that much ... and it much cheaper than rebuilding your engine internals.

I remember seeing someone changing their oil every 30-40,000km ... now that is bad ... that's asking for an engine rebuild ... so much sludge will build up in the oil galleries and block the flow of oil causing bad hot spots and dramatically reducing engine life.

But I have nothing but praises for Castrol Magnatec ... initial start up is very smooth indeed ... and quieter too.

is Magnetec 10W40 alrite for 3rd gen magna? abur 30 bux for a 5L bottle in Kmart

That's what I paid for it at SuperCheap ... I think it was $29.95 or something like that.

i checked the oil in my gf's fathers car, and it was like sludge. I checked the sticker on the windscreen and it was due for an oil change 20 000k's ago!! wtf!! some people just dont look after their cars, and then usually get all bitter about their car when it starts breaking down... :nuts:

I remember seeing someone changing their oil every 30-40,000km ... .that's me in my Mazda MX-5 Convertible. let me clarify that i use syn mobil1 5w50. In theory, one can push that oil to 50,000km. in fact i take the mx-5 regularly to 7000rpm and i havent lost a drop of oil in between changes yet.i know the limits of my engine oils to not destroy the mx5. :)

I wouldn't do it with a mineral oil tho, it'll oxidise (thickens, turn black) completely after 15,000km.

btw, i'm not working for any oil co.

Well guys i popped the Motul 8100W-Excess oil in 2 Magna's today (my Ralliart and a VRX) and there is a noticable improvement :

The Ralliart seems to rev out smoother then it has before and seems quieter
The VRX has lost it's tic, tic, tic from the motor and is quieter (it had new semi-synth prior)

So it seems a good quality oil is a worthwile purchase. Thanks Anthony (Phillcom Rally) for the oil....

What oil filter tool are you guys using to remove the oil filter in a TJ?
Large flatblader, and a hammer.

After stuffing my wrist doing one on my first car, yes, screwdriver and hammer :D

Yeah - One car i did it with a screwdriver and the other by hand.

you can get an actual tool that is made to take the oil filter off without the mess of screwdriver through it. it's like a belt with a clamp. Only like $5-10 from Sprints or whatever. I think I sell them..... very handy though.

Ralliart 410 (greg).... glad you like the oil. Like I've said, it's not supermarket oil like Mobil, Castrol or Valvoline. One of our customers works at a oil lab who drives a turbo MR2. He took his trusted brand used oil and tested it against the Motul he started using 6 months ago. Let's just say he has since recommended all his friends to Motul. :bowrofl:

I've been using Magnatec for couple of years now. Current fill is way overdue and still no tappet noise - hey, cannot tell wear and tear unless I open it every 10'000 km and compare...
Bought Shell full synth 5/40 - or was it 50.... yesterday and will change this weeklend.
Reason for trying something different is that I'm bit concerned about Magnatec build up - if there is any.
Does anybody know if Magnatec is full or part synth? Can't see in the label at all.

Ok, the old Magnatec was some 6 months :shock: old and some 6000 km (plenty of corner driving). I usually never keep oil this long!
It was thick and sludgy as! But tappet noise were still ok, tho.
Chucked in the full synth Shell Helix Ultra 5-40 and the engine was purring.... No noise and seemed to run with very light throttle. I know, I know, sounds so amateur, but one knows his car and can tell a diff when something has changed.
Time will tell, how the Ultra performs over the time - but never going back to Magantec. Price is double tho.... :cry:

Prenrite HPR5 5W/40 semi-syn

i use castrol GTX2... and mitsubishi diamond coolant

you can get an actual tool that is made to take the oil filter off without the mess of screwdriver through it. it's like a belt with a clamp. Only like $5-10 from Sprints or whatever. I think I sell them..... very handy though.

Ralliart 410 (greg).... glad you like the oil. Like I've said, it's not supermarket oil like Mobil, Castrol or Valvoline. One of our customers works at a oil lab who drives a turbo MR2. He took his trusted brand used oil and tested it against the Motul he started using 6 months ago. Let's just say he has since recommended all his friends to Motul. :bowrofl:

Any Ideas on how much the Motul 8100W-Excess is?

Any Ideas on how much the Motul 8100W-Excess is?

Retails for $59.00 at Autobarn but Anthony from Phillcom Rally will look after you.

this (http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&engineoil_bible.html) should be put in the eula as a must read before entering the forum

For most motorists and most cars, a quality mainline oil is the best. Ones which are known to be good at their job. Stuff like Castrol GTX. They're not too dear either

with the rate at which most of us would change the oil and filter, anything more is just a waste of money and wont prolong your engines life..

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/images/saerates.gif

thin oils can damage engines!

Retails for $59.00 at Autobarn but Anthony from Phillcom Rally will look after you.
Whars the ratio on this Motul oil 15w 60?

This site...

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&engineoil_bible.html

... has a very good read on oil. He also has good info on suspension and wheels/tyres as well.

Any one know the Viscosity of the Motul Oil u can get from Phillcom ?

Any one know the Viscosity of the Motul Oil u can get from Phillcom ?

I beleive it's 5W40.

Here is a link : http://www.motul.com/redirectuk.asp?N=1.06.02.05

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/images/saerates.gif

thin oils can damage engines!


This site...

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carb...eoil_bible.html

... has a very good read on oil. He also has good info on suspension and wheels/tyres as well.

is there an echo in here?
:P
its a great read ay man

this should be put in the eula as a must read before entering the forum




This site...

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carb...eoil_bible.html

... has a very good read on oil. He also has good info on suspension and wheels/tyres as well.

is there an echo in here?
:P
its a great read ay man

have owned a TN, 150.000 ks only ever used Valvoline XLD 20W-50. Presently a TS v6 160.000. Changed the oils myself every 5.0000 ks, filter at 10.000. Have done this religiously on my 2 falve motorcycles(BMW) over hundreds and thousands of K;s, never saw any ware in my motors. If was driving hard and fast, I might? think of changing..

Just wondering when how every body changes their motor oils do you
Jack the car up
Use car ramps
Use two car stands
Use four car stands
or do it on the fllat. :confused:

only ever used Valvoline XLD 20W-50.

My uncle has a 1988 EA falcon with 650,000kms on the clock (yeah, you read that right). He changes oil and filter every 5000k. Has and will only use valvoline XLD. Damn shytbox is still goin'.

I'm running MOBIL full Synthetic and it keeps the car running as smooth as. Can feel the difference from previous oils which i changed at 5000km intervals. I also get it rather cheaply $0.00 :badgrin:

I use MOBIL 1 SuperSyn 10W-30

Recommended viscosity for Magnas.

Engine revs freely compared to Mitsu 5W-50 oils or something they put in after 1st service.