Just checked the oil in the Lexus - thought it was about time (should have done it earlier, but its been so long sine I had a car that used any I've got out of the habit)
Its coming up to 5K since the last service, so almost halfway to the next (10K interval) and I was really surprised just how clean the oil was - still pretty golden looking and almost like out of the can. Its the first petrol car I've had for quite a few years, so I had got used to the il always being black when I check it.
is it now normal for modern petrol engines to have such clean oil?
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>>is it now normal for modern petrol engines to have such clean oil?
Judging from my last few cars, yes.
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This is the only oil my Forester has ever had in its entire service life [going by the service records]
www.shell.com/global/products-services/on-the-road/oils-lubricants/cars/shell-oils/clean-protect.html
I actually notice it gets dirtier than other engine oils [usually Castrol] I've used on previous cars I've owned due to the fact it's a high detergent oil. Either that or Boxer engines are dirtier than 'normal' engines.
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It's reassuring to see an oil getting dirtier. If it doesn't, one wonders where the dirt is accumulating.
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I agree, it is one of the oils jobs to keep the dirt in suspension for dumping at the next oil change.
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Modern petrols are pretty clean burning - most of the 'dirt' you see in oil is carbon ie. from badly combusted fuel. I hope most of the real dirt is in the filter.
FRV is at now just over 80k miles and the oil goes from near colourless to faintly brown between changes (12.5k miles).
Kizashi is 5k miles since last service and oil looks new.
Foz is 110k miles and oil about 6k miles old - looks clean but smells a bit of petrol.
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>> Modern petrols are pretty clean burning - most of the 'dirt' you see in oil is carbon ie. from badly combusted fuel. I hope most of the real dirt is in the filter.
By real dirt I suppose you mean metal dust and sharp stuff. We all hope the filter will work on those.
If you go gently the oil stays clean for longer. A long fast trip, not pedal to the metal which will actually use oil, just long and gently rapid, will make the oil look much darker.
I'm talking about my own jalopy of course. No idea how 'modern' it is, probably a bit conservative being a US world car. I try to remember to change the oil a bit more often than recommended.
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"Either that or Boxer engines are dirtier than 'normal' engines"
Oil in the cylinders is more likely to collect dirt from the bores and pistons when stationery, especially if parked with any tilt. My Citroen GS was the same.
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>>Oil in the cylinders is more likely to collect dirt from the bores and pistons when stationery, especially if parked with any tilt. My Citroen GS was the same.
The oil in Lygonos's Forester stays clean though. I suspect it's the short runs which do for my Foz's oil, which is why I change it every six months, or bi annually :)
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>>Oil in the cylinders is more likely to collect dirt from the bores and pistons when stationery, especially if parked with any tilt
I believe the BMW flat-engine motorbikes are best parked upright on the centre stand - if you leave them on the side stand oil can leech past the piston into the cylinder giving a smokey flourish on restarting.
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I had a flat four car, the Arna with Alfasud engine, a nice smooth zippy unit that needed to be revved to get any poke (it was in a low state of tune, not one of those four-Weber jobs). I think it used a bit of oil but it didn't smoke much and didn't make the oil very filthy. It had a very small tailpipe caked with wet-looking carbon.
Once had a short drive in one of those twin-rotor Wankel cars, an NSU RO70, which had a very trick gearbox with a vacuum-operated clutch that disengaged when the driver touched the gear lever knob, to me very counter-intuitive. It was in impeccable nick and had just been bought by a gung-ho Ghanaian of my acquaintance. The engine felt and sounded utterly beautiful.
I was fazed by the gearbox, which took careful, leisurely timing to work properly, and the braking arrangements which were also odd. So fazed that I stamped on the brake pedal unexpectedly, mistaking it for a clutch. In a word, completely disgraced myself, a lot worse than usual. Back in those days, we were very likely stoned as well.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Mon 13 Jul 15 at 17:52
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Might as well correct myself: NSU RO80.
No one ran into the back of us when I did my sudden bit of left-foot braking, and no harm was done: I seem to remember the geezer took the car to Ghana and used it there.
The annoying thing is that - with proper sympathy for its leisurely nature - the car could be driven like an automatic, in two-pedal mode. I was an impatient, ill-mannered, none-too-bright driver when younger, I'm sorry to say. But age brings a measure of wisdom.
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An easy mistake to make - a minor memory retrieval error as it will be filed in there next to the related Volkswagen K70
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>> it will be filed in there next to the related Volkswagen K70
How clever of you to think of that Manatee. This is true, not invention: I did drive a very nice VW K70 in Ghana. It had a supplementary horn that played the first bars of 'La Cucaracha' very loudly.
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Done 'em all ain I ... K70, Ro 80, Prinz etc. etc. done the bleeding lot guvnor :)
The Ro 80 engines I attempted to fine tune were all knackered, like those Mazda Wankels.
www.classicdigest.com/cars/nsu/ro80/34203
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>> Ro 80, Prinz etc. etc. done the bleeding lot guvnor :)
Yes, rotor end seal chatter soon did for Wankels. K70 was a proper four-cylinder piston engine though. Can't beat those for reliability and longevity... they've had a bit of development innit.
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>>Yes, rotor end seal chatter soon did for Wankels. K70 was a proper four-cylinder piston engine though. Can't beat those for reliability and longevity... they've had a bit of development innit.
I've only just seen your reply Sire. The 'new' post thingamajigs don't always appear and I wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for mister Jagworth's reply.
Anyway, good strong car the K70 :o)
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AC
"Might as well correct myself: NSU RO80"
Always wanted one of those - still looks modern to me.
I thought for a moment that you had a rare prototype.. :-)
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Most heavyweight Wankel car was the mid-engined triple-rotor Mercedes C111. Very few examples were made, some were crashed I think, and surviving cars still in use often have a Rover V8 replacing that Wankel. One assumes it was too pernickety and expensive to run even for the Mercedes company...
Bet it sounded good when new and on song with the original engine.
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Euro 5 diesels also seem to keep the oil golden for a few thousand miles.
Not so many years ago, it would be as black as ink straight after an oil change.
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New engines after first oil change can keep the oil clean for a while if driven gently.
Doesn't take many miles very fast to make it black though.
Change the oil when the engine maker says. They know, those cats.
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Twin rotor ugly little car, rwd, I saw once down the Beller.
Couldn't believe what it did: took off with wheelspin diagonally on the cobbles among all the random fruit and clothes merchants, and zigzagged off down the road.
That engine made a healthy grunt too.
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>> That engine made a healthy grunt too.
I imagine the driver was a car dealer, but a very sprauncy one. He was a very good, if rude, driver.
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"Change the oil when the engine maker says"
Or more often. Preferably.
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>> Or more often. Preferably.
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Especially if it is on fleet manager friendly service intervals.
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Colour of Oil - Ambo
