oil change

[tc_sj]

My car has 6000 miles and I am ready to change the oil to Mobile 1, I live in San Jose, Ca so what type of weight should I use : 15-30 or 20-50

After searching I see folks using Motorcraft FL1 HP / Mobile 1 / and Wix, can you get this in local auto store?

BTW, Engine made by CHP 427W

Please advice

Thanks
Tan

[SPF2245]

First, I'd talk with the engine builder...have him tell you the oil of preferance. Second, I love my FL1 filters and found that the Ford dealer can get them cheaper in bulk then anyone else. I ended up getting a case and saving about $5 per filter...granted, I'll never use all the filters in the life of the cobra.

[Bob In Ct]

It's Mobil1, not Mobile 1. Use the lightest weight you can that gives you the pressure you desire. Don't use 15W-50 to get to 60PSI if 5W-30 will also get you there. Flow matters too. You may be just sending the oil through the bypass. I prefer the Mobil1 filter, but the 3 you mentioned are all good filters.

Bob

[scootter]

Tan,
I would do as suggested and check with the engine builder. I have the 514 and run Kendall GT1 10-40 with a Wix filter. I buy my stuff from Weavers auto supply on Oakland Rd here in San Jose. If they don't have what you want, they will have it within a few hours. The Ford dealer wanted 3 times the price for spark plugs then Weavers charged.
Scott

[Got the Bug]

The Roush comes with an FL1-HP, so I'm going to stick with that for now. When I stopped by Sunnyvale Ford to pick one up they had one, but I think they usually need to order them....$18 smackers!

Roush recommends 10/30, but I agree that you should check with the engine builder.

Scott - Can you measure the size of the Wix for me? Someone said that the Wix is a little shorter, which makes it easier to remove/install.

[tc_sj]

GTB

The WIX (stamped 51515) oil filter on my car measure 5 in long and the gap from the end of the filter to the cross beam chassis is 3/4 in

Scott, thanks for the info,I will call CHP(engine builder) Thu to see what they recomend, I was thinking of take advantage of 4th of July day off to change my oil, look like its not going to happend

Thanks
Tan

[speed220mph]

FYI: Wix makes NAPA filters.

[scootter]

Doug,
Tan beat me to it. Mine is also a 51515, and the Fram used to be XG8A which was the same size. Don't get the R when you buy the Wix. It is for racing only. You can take a look at their web site.
Scott

[tc_sj]

FYI

Called the Coast High Performance today and they recomend to use 10-30

Tan

[Got the Bug]

Interesting note regarding oil.

A friend of my parents works for Honda Racing as a development engineer. He stopped by my folks house for a visit and naturally the conversation turned to cars. Since he's around cars and racing 12 hours a day, you'd think he'd be sick of talking about cars...not the case though

He told me that they run standard off-the-shelf 10/30 oil in all of their racing engines. They don't run synthetic at all. They tested all of the major label brands and there wasn't any significant advantages or performance issues.

Doug

[tc_sj]

I though regular oil you change it at every 3000 miles and synthetic you change it between 7500-10000 miles ( I figure the synthetic cost twice as much regular oild so that might be the case)

I have heard synthetic is better oil but not good for old car may be cause leak due to fine blend but I am not sure.

On my wife Benz, the manual stated synthetic require and change interval 7500 miles recomeded, I use regular oil on my Porsche/BMW and change it every 3000 since its not require synthetic oil.

Oh man I am confuse and lost

TC

[Got the Bug]

TC - Roush recommends using 10/30 and that the oil be changed every 3 months or 3,000 miles. Synthetic is an option for you, but you may just want stick with 10/30 since that's what your engine builder recommends.

We run Mobil 1 in our Mercedes and the last oil change interval was 10,000 miles.

[bobcowan]

IMO, the choice of oil and change intervals is one of the most controversial subjects in motorsports. What works vs. what doesn't, heavy vs. light, synthetic vs. dino. I've done a lot of reading on this subject over the years, and here's my "conclusions":

1. Weight - use the factory/engine builders recommendations. Differant materials and differant build techniques matter. You can adjust pressure a little bit by changing the weight, but not a lot. But using a 20W-50 oil in an engine designed for 5W-20 is going to cause problems.

2. What works: They all do. Some are better than others, but there doesn't appear to be any significant differance beween, say, Castrol and Penzoil. But there is probably a differance between Penzoil and K-Mart brand.

3. Synthetic: Engines usually gain a little power with it so there must be a little less friction. Therefore, it must be slipperier (???) Sounds good on paper, doesn't it? But really, I think the big advantage to synthetic oil is it's resistance to heat. Heat will significantly reduce the effectivness of the oil to do it's many jobs. Every heat spike reduces the oils ability. Add enough of them together, and you have a problem. So I use synthetic in everything I drive.

4. Change Interval: This probably causes more contoversy than anything else. People say every 3K. Why? because that's the way their daddy did it. Well, your daddy wasn't driving a 2004 BMW. Modern engines, modern technology, modern materials, and modern oils are far differant than they were in 1965.
First, read your owners manual. For my wifes Mercury Cougar, it's every 7.5K Miles. Second, look at how you use the car. Third, look at the oil you're using. More frequent oil changes do not do anything for the performance or longevity of your engine.
You need to understand not only what you're doing, but why you're doing it. Do you change it because it's dirty? No, your filter keeps it clean. You change it because the additive package gets used up, and the oil breaks down because of heat and physical trauma. If you use a top shelf oil, and drive the engine easily, that oil will last a long time.

That's my opinion, and you're welcome to it

[MaSnaka]

There was a thread here about a month or two ago relating to oil filters. A real good apples to apples comparison. But it did mention the filters all had an internal bipass when the element gets clogged with debris. So the oil only gets "filtered" until the filter clogs. Then it just recirculates back through the engine without any filtration at all. The study actually raised more questions than it answered as to which filter is the best. But it's worth reading. I think changing oil every 3000 miles benefits the oil companies more than the car owners. But in a Cobra that could be a couple years.

[Bob In Ct]

Compared to the cost of beer, bottled water, or a night at the movies motor oil is relatively cheap. My snake gets 9 quarts of Mobil1 5W-30 and a new filter every 1,500 - 2,000 miles (about once a year). I've been doing this for 7 years now with no leaks and no problems.

Bob

[Cal Metal]

Since retirement, I work part time in a automotive shop that services vehicles for large fleet operations such as Fed Ex. I can tell you that, for most people, Mobil 1--which I use in my Solo cars--is generally a waste of money. The key to engine life lies in good scheduled maintenance. Don't get me wrong, Mobil 1 is the only oil I would use in situations where load demands are high such as in towing and hauling where high temperatures are sustained for long periods of time. But, for the most part, the average guy just isn't presented with that problem.

We have a early 80s Nissan pick up that has had its oil changed like clockwork every 3,000 miles. The engine has 755,000 miles on it. We have gone through three transmissions over the life of that truck, but the motor has never been disassembled. The same situation hold true for a "tin can" Chev Corsica that has had the same treatment. 567,000 miles and it runs fine with the exception of a noisy internal cam tensioner which is an inherent flaw from the Factory. Both of these units use fossil 5W-30 Mobil.

Many of the manufacturers such as Ford, Honda, Toyota & Subaru have been moving toward 5W-20 instead of 5W-30 as a requirement. We have a lot of diesels (Benz; 7.3/6.0 Fords) that have over 350,000 that use Mobil DelVac 15-40. No problems there, either.

[SantaFe66]

I lived in Alaska for 15 years and discovered the real value of synthetic oils. After losing 2 rod bearings in 2 rebuilds on my Chev Blazer, it was using premium Dino oil, I switched to synthetics and never looked back. My cars always started easily in the cold weather and had excellent oil pressure in the summers (yes, it does get warm in the summer up there).

I always used premium quality oil filters as well. Those included Amsoil, Mobil1, Wix, and the high-end Motorcrafts. Change interval for synthetics is much longer than the 3000 mile recommendation, and the Hondas I owned recommended 7,500 mile intervals.

When I moved to the lower 48, I started racing motorcycles and got a real education on oils from a race bike engine builder in Bremerton, WA. He recommended zero weight synthetic race oil for my highly tuned single cylinder race bike. I used it and it worked great. I got measurable horsepower over the Dino oil I was using. Never seized, never lost a bearing. Don't think you could come close to that performance with petroleum oils. Bear in mind that I never broke in a motor successfully with synthetic oil. I always used Valvoline racing oil for breaking in rings and cylinders, then switched to synthetic. I used Torco, Mobil1, Amsoil, and Redline for racing.

As for the 60's engine I have in my Cobra.......... I broke it in with Valvoline 10w30 and then put Amsoil synthetic in and........... no leaks, starts quietly, runs strong and I don't sweat the oil change interval. I only get about 5K to 8K miles a year on my car and change the oil and filter before putting it away for the winter.

Just because they were built before synthetics were around, doesn't mean that synthetics don't work on them. Any engine, air or water cooled, can perform better on synthetic oils. Premium oil filters are a must with the long change intervals for synthetics. Depending on driving conditions and the kind of air filter you use, you need to change the oil filter accordingly. Cheap insurance, even if the good ones cost $12 - $15. If your oil filter costs less than $10, it isn't premium and 3,000 miles would be max.

My totally humble opinion. I'm sure others will weigh-in with their's as well.

Paul

[rdorman]

Assuming you have a roller cam (I don't recommend Mobil1 for flat tappet motors) then you oil choice is fine. For filters I use K&N or Purolator Pure 1 filters. I change it annually (I put about 4000 a year on the car) but change the filter twice.