Rover V8 Engine Oil.

There is a big debate on this particular topic..

looks like there is a definite answer.

Terrible presentation with all that arm waving with every sentence, also there’s other brands of oil that are just the same as Valveoline VR1 and cost less.

discool said:

Terrible presentation with all that arm waving with every sentence, also there’s other brands of oil that are just the same as Valveoline VR1 and cost less.

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Yes there are other brands but the 20w50 still applies.
Presentation isn't the best but the general info is sound.

Info? What info I must of missed it, perhaps I’m like any other motor enthusiast we already know how good engine oil benefits our engines.

discool said:

Info? What info I must of missed it, perhaps I’m like any other motor enthusiast we already know how good engine oil benefits our engines.

Click to expand...

The importance of ZDDP and the proper grade of oil in the RV8.

I agree it's not brilliantly presented.

I myself was also sceptical at first but V8 developments and Turners also recommend 20w50 and ZDDP.

so the video is still relevant.

I use a mineral/classic 20w 50 oil which includes ZDDP in a1976 Pinto engine car I own, I expect my old RR use similar mineral oil when it was serviced by the Main Dealer for the ten years I owned it, that was the good old days of Duckham’s Q and Castrol GTX 20w50

When the my disco was serviced by LR in it’s early years they used 10w40 semi synthetic so that what has been use ever since, but then the engine hasn’t done a high mileage and I add a oil additive such as ZX1 now an again, so using 10w40 semi I feel is not that important at the moment.

It has been stated that ZDDP could result in the early demise of catalytic converters, but there’s more on that and other stuff on ZDDP in the link. For those that are interested that is

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/10/18/tech-101-zinc-in-oil-and-its-effects-on-older-engines/

Bad cats are a downside of ZDDP but it saves cam and tappet surfaces, and i know what i'd rather replace more frequently

As for it creating sludge, yes but that's why we change our oils frequently

Really useful video Henry B, so thanks, just purchased some Valvoline 20W50

After not using the Disco V8 for a few weeks I found I had one noisy tappet, took about 30 - 40 minutes drive before it went completely quiet. I got the car in Sept and it was serviced by the garage before I picked it up ( not a specialist generic Jap Import place ), so I thought maybe I should put some decent oil in, just incase they had chucked cheepo stuff in there.

Hadn't realised how difficult it would be to decide which oil to go for. In my 1974 P6 I'd just use a 20/50 with loads of ZDDP, however for a 2003 4.0 V8 Thor engine the handbook mentions ACEA A1/2 and 5/30 through to 10/40 etc. subject to climate. A1 now defunct and superceded by A5 but that is more for long life oils. The above video sort of skips the topic of CAT vehicles and I'm assuming is talking mainly about the classic market.

So my question for people with later V8 vehicles with CATs
- have you been using 20/50 and has the CAT been damaged
or
- if you have been using more modern oils which grade ? and has the Cam survived ?

My engine has done around 70k miles, doesn't burn any oil and apart from the tappet is normally quiet

hydraulic lifters can drain over time, oilways can sludge up and yes they can take a few minutes to pressurise again
an oil change wouldnt harm, especially if you dont know whats in there

the cam in the rv8 isnt great and will suffer over time, especially with modern 'cat friendly' oils. the 5/30-10/40 is purely for emissions/economy and not for engine life - its still essentially a 1960's engine with the associated tolerances. the 20/50 with zddp is ideal.

Cams are known to start failing from around 70k miles and once they start, will continue to wear at a massively accelerated rate

I alternate between 20W50 and, I think, 10W40, depending whether I do the oil change or a JLR garage. The latter use 10W40, so far no noticable difference. Anyway, I change every 10k km or once per year, old engine designs and a 42 year old engine and all that. The big benefit of 20W50 is that the LT95 gearbox and transfer case take the same, that makes maintenance easier.

Those original cams do live quite a long time so, even if worn out. Since some aftermarket ones are not that much more expenssive than the 3.8l ones, that's what I had installed when it was time to replace the old one. Engine got some more low rev power as well.

I've had my '87 3.5efi auto for nearly 16 years.
A good 20w/50 mineral oil with high ZDDP content changed every year or 3k miles.

These engines, the design of which can be traced back to the 'sixties, were never designed for 'slippery' oil

My old Disco 2 was 4.something ltrs and used a lot of oil
It was on 120k or so and I changed to 20/50 which saw a drop in oil consumption