Made it to beaulieu, no oil light. Will check level in the morning. Fingers crossed its either fixed it slowed down.
Running Trans-Am In
- Thread starter TransAmDan
- Start date
Card under the car all day. No oil drips and oil level on dipstick looks perfect. Over an hour drive to beaulieu, so far it appears it looks like I havnt lost oil.
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
A simple rubber o-ring.....
Yes hope so. Darren gave me a bag of new rubbers. So I may change it, as if it let oil pass once it may do it again.
I checked the oil at Beaulieu, oil level looked perfect. Drove to Portsmouth, done the cruise, then came home, put card under the car while unloading, so probably there 30mins. No drips. Checked this morning, the level looks a little lower, it was at the top of the cross hatchings, now it's about 3/4's. I have brought the car to work, left card under the car for the day. Will check level again later on.
I checked the oil at Beaulieu, oil level looked perfect. Drove to Portsmouth, done the cruise, then came home, put card under the car while unloading, so probably there 30mins. No drips. Checked this morning, the level looks a little lower, it was at the top of the cross hatchings, now it's about 3/4's. I have brought the car to work, left card under the car for the day. Will check level again later on.
Chriswrx123
Premier Users
Best check that bag of rubbers Daz gave you for holes!!!! You know wot the Walsh are like.....
Chatting to another TA guy at Beaulieu yesterday, he mentioned the Mobil1 5W30 over here is different to the USA stuff. A lot of forums I read have recommended Mobil1 5W30, but think they were all USA based. Is the USA stuff different to what we get in the UK?
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
In a nutshell, yes.
As to what those differences are, I don't remember off the top of my head. I found out from a Corvette forum when I owned the Z06. A search should reveal the differences.
As to what those differences are, I don't remember off the top of my head. I found out from a Corvette forum when I owned the Z06. A search should reveal the differences.
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
Don't know how true, but:
"The synthetic oils with big brand names cost a hell of a lot more in Europe than in North America. But getting back to the original question: does anyone know if they are any different?
What I remember from what many mechanics told me and also speaking to some buddies is that in North America the oil base does not have to be synthetic and they add synthetic additives to it and they can call it 100% synthetic and that is a North American Standard.
In Europe the oil base has to be is synthetic and the additives are also synthetic therefore making 100% synthetic and that is their standard. "
"The synthetic oils with big brand names cost a hell of a lot more in Europe than in North America. But getting back to the original question: does anyone know if they are any different?
What I remember from what many mechanics told me and also speaking to some buddies is that in North America the oil base does not have to be synthetic and they add synthetic additives to it and they can call it 100% synthetic and that is a North American Standard.
In Europe the oil base has to be is synthetic and the additives are also synthetic therefore making 100% synthetic and that is their standard. "
So in a nutshell, American oil has Oil in it, and UK oil is manufactured.
Well if UK oil is fully synthetic then we wont have an oil shortage as there is no oil in it. Now I'm confused. :tinfoil3:
The thing is how does it effect me? Basically the engine is a modern ish engine, like many other cars on the road, oil of the correct weight has to meet viscosity standards and lubricate. Surely UK oil should be the same as US oil in that respect.
Well if UK oil is fully synthetic then we wont have an oil shortage as there is no oil in it. Now I'm confused. :tinfoil3:
The thing is how does it effect me? Basically the engine is a modern ish engine, like many other cars on the road, oil of the correct weight has to meet viscosity standards and lubricate. Surely UK oil should be the same as US oil in that respect.
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AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
You are correct but remember that it's only synthetic oil we can't run out of!!
There is a lot of debate around oil and I'm of the opinion that unless you have active cylinder shutdown technologies, or are using your engine in extremes of heat or cold then a regular Dino oil changed ever 3000-5000 miles is more then adequate, and have done just that with many cars without incident.
Although if you have a supercharged engine that uses the same oil as the engine then I would also consider synthetic oil then too!
But, my 2c worth is that I run what Dodge specified in the Challenger, which is Mobil 1.
There is a lot of debate around oil and I'm of the opinion that unless you have active cylinder shutdown technologies, or are using your engine in extremes of heat or cold then a regular Dino oil changed ever 3000-5000 miles is more then adequate, and have done just that with many cars without incident.
Although if you have a supercharged engine that uses the same oil as the engine then I would also consider synthetic oil then too!
But, my 2c worth is that I run what Dodge specified in the Challenger, which is Mobil 1.
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
But the standard can be achieved with both Dino and synthetic oil on both sides of the pond. So if there is a difference, what is it?
I haven't found any other explanation but then I haven't invested any more time in it yet either. Perhaps it's all BS?
Perhaps the question is, does it matter?
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
Found this:
"The formulation of the European oils is different from the ones usually used in the US. The reason for this is that European auto manufacturers, in an apparent attempt to conserve resources, tend to use much longer oil change intervals than US-based car companies. The longer oil change intervals mandate a different formulation in order to prevent sludging of the engine and other problems."
"The formulation of the European oils is different from the ones usually used in the US. The reason for this is that European auto manufacturers, in an apparent attempt to conserve resources, tend to use much longer oil change intervals than US-based car companies. The longer oil change intervals mandate a different formulation in order to prevent sludging of the engine and other problems."
saleen 192
Core Member
HTML:
AmericanThunder
Found this:
"The formulation of the European oils is different from the ones usually used in the US. The reason for this is that European auto manufacturers, in an apparent attempt to conserve resources, tend to use much longer oil change intervals than US-based car companies. The longer oil change intervals mandate a different formulation in order to prevent sludging of the engine and other problems."That would tie in with what vauxhall told me with my van it was brand new just delivery miles brand new had running in oi and l used about 5lts in the 1st 10k before 1st service then next service was 60k never used any well about a lt on that time,
Thanks for finding that. So using the UK stuff and changing at the recommended book intervals I should be perfectly fine. Thanks for getting rid of the doubt from my mind. Nice find!
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
And just when you thought you were happy..... I find the information I was looking for!
Not quite as I recall, but it would appear (and remember this is in relation to Corvettes) that a different weight oil is called for in Europe compared to the US. The standard would appear to be different?
Let me know what you think after reading it, but my opinion is that you should use US spec oil of the correct weight, or EU oil of a different weight (0W 40 vs 5w 30) because there would appear to a difference........
I spent about an hour looking at various sources, and still cannot fully, and with complete confidence, answer whether or if so, why, GM might recommend Mobil1 0W-40 in Europe. I have sent an email to a GM contact, but he is not directly linked to Chevy or Corvette, so may not be able to answer either. If he does, I’ll post again later. Here is what I did find. Yes, the Mobil1 Europe site does say 0W-40, and with their association with GM, that implies GM is ok with it. But implications are not certainties, and I could not find anything that I’m certain was stated by GM that said 0W-40 (I’m not certain whether the sticker that was pictured earlier in the thread was from GM, Mobil, or some other source). Mobil1 0W-40 does meet ACEA A3 spec, while their 5W-30 does not. The A3 spec specifically refers to high performance engines, so it makes sense that in Europe, where that spec is publicized and considered important, Mobil would want an oil being proposed for a high performance car like the Vette to meet A3. I could not find any comments by GM about A3 spec. The portion of the A3 spec that Mobil1 5W-30 fails, has to do with viscosity at ultra high temperature. Since I could not find definitive statements from Mobil or GM, I must now get increasingly speculative.
For some reason, perhaps driven by manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, etc, and perhaps driven by more high speed Autobahn driving, the European spec setting agency ACEA may look further than US standards into the ultra high engine temperature regions. Indeed, GM sources in the US say that 15W-40 is OK for Vettes under track conditions with ultra high engine temps. But the trouble with 15W-40 in street use is that it’s thicker than you really want when starting from cold. And the trouble with 0W-40 in any use is that to get to that wide a viscosity spread, it must use a lot of VI improver, which has disadvantages as noted in my earlier post. So here’s what my best guess is right now. Mobil and GM both clearly agree that in the US, the best compromise for all but track use is 5W-30, and go to 15W-40 if you are going to the track. And note that hot days like Phoenix are not as severe as the track, so even Phoenix on the street would be 5W-30. Neither GM nor Mobil likes 0W-40 for street use in the US due to the VI improver issue. In Europe, due to the greater publicity of the A3 spec, Mobil considers it important to meet that spec, so they are willing to accept the disadvantage of added VI improver in order to have their oil meet the A3 ultra high temp spec. It is not clear to me whether GM agrees. But what does seem clear is the following. If you use 0W-40, the two small advantages you gain are a bit more protection at ultra high engine temps (ie, racing, not hot weather), while simultaneously having a bit more cold start protection for sub zero cold starts. But the price you pay is an oil with more VI improver to get the 40 spread of 0W-40 instead of the 25 spread of 5W-30. For my part, I would never put a 40 spread oil in my car because of the VI improver problem. 5W-30 is perfectly ok for hot weather, and even for a few laps at the track, and if for some reason I wanted to race the car where oil would be ultra hot for hours, I’d change oil to 15W-40, and change back when I got back on the street.
Not quite as I recall, but it would appear (and remember this is in relation to Corvettes) that a different weight oil is called for in Europe compared to the US. The standard would appear to be different?
Let me know what you think after reading it, but my opinion is that you should use US spec oil of the correct weight, or EU oil of a different weight (0W 40 vs 5w 30) because there would appear to a difference........
I spent about an hour looking at various sources, and still cannot fully, and with complete confidence, answer whether or if so, why, GM might recommend Mobil1 0W-40 in Europe. I have sent an email to a GM contact, but he is not directly linked to Chevy or Corvette, so may not be able to answer either. If he does, I’ll post again later. Here is what I did find. Yes, the Mobil1 Europe site does say 0W-40, and with their association with GM, that implies GM is ok with it. But implications are not certainties, and I could not find anything that I’m certain was stated by GM that said 0W-40 (I’m not certain whether the sticker that was pictured earlier in the thread was from GM, Mobil, or some other source). Mobil1 0W-40 does meet ACEA A3 spec, while their 5W-30 does not. The A3 spec specifically refers to high performance engines, so it makes sense that in Europe, where that spec is publicized and considered important, Mobil would want an oil being proposed for a high performance car like the Vette to meet A3. I could not find any comments by GM about A3 spec. The portion of the A3 spec that Mobil1 5W-30 fails, has to do with viscosity at ultra high temperature. Since I could not find definitive statements from Mobil or GM, I must now get increasingly speculative.
For some reason, perhaps driven by manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, etc, and perhaps driven by more high speed Autobahn driving, the European spec setting agency ACEA may look further than US standards into the ultra high engine temperature regions. Indeed, GM sources in the US say that 15W-40 is OK for Vettes under track conditions with ultra high engine temps. But the trouble with 15W-40 in street use is that it’s thicker than you really want when starting from cold. And the trouble with 0W-40 in any use is that to get to that wide a viscosity spread, it must use a lot of VI improver, which has disadvantages as noted in my earlier post. So here’s what my best guess is right now. Mobil and GM both clearly agree that in the US, the best compromise for all but track use is 5W-30, and go to 15W-40 if you are going to the track. And note that hot days like Phoenix are not as severe as the track, so even Phoenix on the street would be 5W-30. Neither GM nor Mobil likes 0W-40 for street use in the US due to the VI improver issue. In Europe, due to the greater publicity of the A3 spec, Mobil considers it important to meet that spec, so they are willing to accept the disadvantage of added VI improver in order to have their oil meet the A3 ultra high temp spec. It is not clear to me whether GM agrees. But what does seem clear is the following. If you use 0W-40, the two small advantages you gain are a bit more protection at ultra high engine temps (ie, racing, not hot weather), while simultaneously having a bit more cold start protection for sub zero cold starts. But the price you pay is an oil with more VI improver to get the 40 spread of 0W-40 instead of the 25 spread of 5W-30. For my part, I would never put a 40 spread oil in my car because of the VI improver problem. 5W-30 is perfectly ok for hot weather, and even for a few laps at the track, and if for some reason I wanted to race the car where oil would be ultra hot for hours, I’d change oil to 15W-40, and change back when I got back on the street.
Thanks, so cruising around on the streets is fine for what I have, but if i want to race then consider another weight.
I wonder what the Vauxhall Manaro book says for oil, as its a UK car so should have UK oil, but its an LS1 or LS2. Found a post, DIY oil change - what oil? - Page 1 - HSV & Monaro - PistonHeads
I wonder what the Vauxhall Manaro book says for oil, as its a UK car so should have UK oil, but its an LS1 or LS2. Found a post, DIY oil change - what oil? - Page 1 - HSV & Monaro - PistonHeads
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
Interesting and confusing at the same time.
If it was me I'd buy US spec oil of the correct weight. In fact its what I did for the LS6 in my 'Vette and what I do for my Hemi.
Perhaps you should direct the question at Opie?
If it was me I'd buy US spec oil of the correct weight. In fact its what I did for the LS6 in my 'Vette and what I do for my Hemi.
Perhaps you should direct the question at Opie?
US and EU oils are often different in terms of specification, but a 5w-30 is a 5w-30 no matter where it is. Often, different grades are listed for different countries and that is due to different ambient temperatures, but in the US it's odd as the temperature can differ a lot between Arizona and Alaska. In European terms, a car in Norway is likely to want a different grade to one in Southern Spain.
The US and EU Mobil 1 5w-30 is a different product, I've had no dealings with the US product though, so I can only really look at it logically. I believe the US product is aimed at performance engines, whereas the EU product takes into account the more sensitive emissions systems in many cars that we have. We have a lot more diesel cars than the US and pretty much all of the newer ones need oils that are compatible with the emission systems. In the US, the cars are mainly petrol and they are not as demanding emissions-wise. Because of that, a performance oil and an 'emissions compatible' oil will have different additives and one that people often mention is ZDDP. It is used as an anti-wear additive, but it can upset some of the modern emissions systems, so a lot of mainstream oils will have reduced ZDDP levels. Some people think that an oil with reduced ZDDP is useless, that it will not protect the engine, but that would be a pointless oil. When the ZDDP is reduced, it is replaced, either with another anti-wear additive or by improving the film strength etc of the oil. The Mobil 1 ESP 5w-30 is suitable for a lot of modern low emissions engines, but it is also a good option for performance engines, like the newer BMW M-Series engines, Lamborghinis, Audi R8s etc. Lots of our customers have used the ESP in LS engines with no issues at all.
Cheers
Tim
The US and EU Mobil 1 5w-30 is a different product, I've had no dealings with the US product though, so I can only really look at it logically. I believe the US product is aimed at performance engines, whereas the EU product takes into account the more sensitive emissions systems in many cars that we have. We have a lot more diesel cars than the US and pretty much all of the newer ones need oils that are compatible with the emission systems. In the US, the cars are mainly petrol and they are not as demanding emissions-wise. Because of that, a performance oil and an 'emissions compatible' oil will have different additives and one that people often mention is ZDDP. It is used as an anti-wear additive, but it can upset some of the modern emissions systems, so a lot of mainstream oils will have reduced ZDDP levels. Some people think that an oil with reduced ZDDP is useless, that it will not protect the engine, but that would be a pointless oil. When the ZDDP is reduced, it is replaced, either with another anti-wear additive or by improving the film strength etc of the oil. The Mobil 1 ESP 5w-30 is suitable for a lot of modern low emissions engines, but it is also a good option for performance engines, like the newer BMW M-Series engines, Lamborghinis, Audi R8s etc. Lots of our customers have used the ESP in LS engines with no issues at all.
Cheers
Tim
AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
Thank you for the clarification Tim. Based on what you have said I am happy to stick to my decision to use US version of Mobil 1 in my Hemi.
I'm sure Dan is now better informed to make a decision too.
Thanks for your input.
I'm sure Dan is now better informed to make a decision too.
Thanks for your input.
