15/40 castrol edge

B

bri p6b v8

New Member
Hi all,i have the chance of getting some castrol edge 15/40,i have heard that this oil is the dogs dangley bits,will this be ok for my V8s :wink: :D
 
The V8 was designed for 20W-50 and I will always use that.

15/40 may make it rattle a bit

Richard
 
Hi Rich,i have always been lead to believe that a low mileage or good v8 was good to use the 15/40,i best change it and put some 20/50 in it,any suggestions wat the best make of 20/50 is cheers :oops:
 
Hello Bri,

Which ever 20W50 oil you purchase, it must have sufficient ZDDP to ensure that the camshaft and lifters do not suffer premature wear. Typically the oil should contain not less than 770 PPM (parts per million) of zinc and not less than 700 PPM of phosphorus. Not all oils do and choosing the wrong one can be expensive for your engine.. :shock:

Ron.
 
bri p6rover said:
Hi Rich,i have always been lead to believe that a low mileage or good v8 was good to use the 15/40,i best change it and put some 20/50 in it,any suggestions wat the best make of 20/50 is cheers :oops:
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I am sure that Sparky was full of a thinner oil when I got him, but after talking to a chap called Holly, the engine builder man at RPI, I changed it to Halfords Classic 20W-50 and it certainly changed the characteristics of the engine. It felt tigher, quieter, and more responsive somehow. Holly told me that they always use Valvoline (IIRC) 20W-50 in all of their Rover V8s, even brand new ones.

I am sure some have a different view, but I will always use 20/50 in mine.

Richard
 
Second vote here for the Halfords Classic - very like the old Duckham's Q!

I'm told Comma do a classic oil now as well.
 
Make that 3 for Halfords Classic :D

There was much debate in many forums about the stuff and who makes it. Popular vote is for Comma I believe. It's a lot cheaper then Millers and Castrol and until someone has conclusive proof that those brands are better, and why, I'll continue to use it.

Dave
 
Holly at RPi is a true artist engineer! Knowing he is building your engine makes me feel extremely warm and safe! He makes up for some of the other "quirks" of dealing with RPi.

Ergo I'd listen very hard indeed if Holly says Valvoline is the bee's knee's! Up to now I've used Millers, but after comments from Ron I shall see if I can find a supplier for Penrite next time.

Anybody using anything other than these three (Valvoline, Millers, Penrite) please make very sure to check on the web for the actual oil spec and see that it corresponds with the %'s quoted by Ron above. And then only let it stay in the engine for 3,000 mls / 9 months. And always change the filter - none of this 1 oil change only, next, oil change & filter :evil: !

Chris
 
chrisyork said:
Anybody using anything other than these three (Valvoline, Millers, Penrite) please make very sure to check on the web for the actual oil spec and see that it corresponds with the %'s quoted by Ron above.
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Where can we check that then Chris?

chrisyork said:
And always change the filter - none of this 1 oil change only, next, oil change & filter !
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Always do! :D

Dave
 
OIls are always a tricky subject IMO as folk will swear by what they've used for 50 years even though there may have been some considerable progress made over the years.
The chart below is helpful and not my work but available on the P5 forum where they have spent quite some time filling in gaps as they've gone :) I'm sure they won't mind spreading their love here :wink:
OilsChart.jpg
 
To find out I simply Google the website for the particular oil. Example, Comma Classic 20/50 turns out to have 70ppm zinc and 60ppm phosphorous. Oh Dear!

On their website Millers have a very usefull summary of the difficulty of choosing an oil for a classic:

Changes to the anti wear additives in modern engine oil formulations can have a serious effect on older engine designs. Accelerated camshaft/cam follower wear can be a sign of this problem.

Engine builders are reporting frequent cases involving serious wear on camshafts and followers during the running in process, and / or within a relatively short period of time after an engine rebuild. Inevitably, the problem will be attributed to the surface hardness or the quality of the lubricant.

However the situation is not as simple as it appears, and this paper sets out to explain the changes that are occurring in current additive technology and how they will affect older designs of engine component.

Historically, the anti wear additive used in the majority of formulations was a zinc / phosphorous based compound known as ZDDP. (Zincdialkyldithiophosphate)
The bad guy in this story is the phosphorous content of ZDDP and its associated ash content that has a detrimental effect on sensitive exhaust emission systems. As the car manufacturers demand long drain intervals (combined with low viscosities, e.g. 0w30, 5w30) there has been a need to replace the zinc / phosphorous additive with other additives. Hence many new formulations developed to meet the OE specifications from Ford, BMW, VAG, Mercedes etc have reduced levels of ZDDP.

However the anti wear characteristics of these new additives are different to ZDDP in certain circumstances and therefore require different specifications for the surface hardening on camshafts, followers, gears etc.

These oils will not present a problem in your new Ford Focus, but will cause serious problems in your Cosworth Ford DFV or Lotus Twincam Ford, where the surface hardness has not been developed in conjunction with the additive pack.
Click to expand...

Chris
 
chrisyork said:
To find out I simply Google the website for the particular oil. Example, Comma Classic 20/50 turns out to have 70ppm zinc and 60ppm phosphorous. Oh Dear!
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Easy when you know who makes the oil, which in Halfords case we don't (or we're not 100% sure). If it is Comma then the above figures apply (there's not a zero missing off the end of those numbers is there?). Maybe the old adage of "if in doubt don't use it" applies here. Millers or Penrite next oil change then. I've been putting Millers Classic Mini oil in the gearbox so I should probably treat the engine to Millers oil too.

Dave
 
quattro said:
The V8 was designed for 20W-50 and I will always use that.

15/40 may make it rattle a bit

Richard
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The V8 was designed for 10W30, just check the oil specification label underneath the bonnet and the original service manual. Fair play to the man who uses the stuff.
 
Sorry to dissagree Junkman, but pretty much everything I've ever read about Rover V8's, including the owners manual, Haynes manual and the under bonnet decal, has said use 20W-50 oil.

I'm a bit confused with these data sheets about Zinc levels though. I've just looked at the Castrol Xl 20W-50 and Penrite 20W-50data sheet and that says they contain 0.08% Zinc and 0.076% Zinc respectively.

However, that table that Grim V8 posted said Castrol Xl 20W-50 only had 9ppm compared with others at 1500ish ppm. So what am I looking for to compare them equally?
 
1000ppm = 0.1% which is what Penrite suggest is a safe level, although they do say that 0.07% (700ppm) should be ok, which is the level in the Comma oil.
0.08% = 800ppm, 1500ppm = 0.15% so we should be able to compare them easilly enough, assuming the figures quoted are either ppm or %
 
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