F

Frustrated Seriesist

Member
Looking to do an oil service on my S2a/3 crossover with the 2.25d engine.

I know I need 20W50 mineral but wondering if people can recommend a decent oil at a decent price.

Additionally I’m doing the oil and fuel filters - any recommendations on good brands and ones to avoid!

Thanks
 
Frustrated Seriesist said:
Looking to do an oil service on my S2a/3 crossover with the 2.25d engine.

I know I need 20W50 mineral but wondering if people can recommend a decent oil at a decent price.

Additionally I’m doing the oil and fuel filters - any recommendations on good brands and ones to avoid!

Thanks
Click to expand...
Comma or Carlube. Britpart paper element filters are fine.

Personally, I would say 20/50 is a bit thick for Britain in the winter, I use 10/40 mineral. A Series 2 was originally specced for straight 30 weight in Britain.
 
I always buy Classic Oil from Halfords, its good enough for a series engine and its fairly cheap. I dont think there is much choice in oil filters for series unless you do the standard oil filter conversion.

Col
 
Frustrated Seriesist said:
Looking to do an oil service on my S2a/3 crossover with the 2.25d engine.

I know I need 20W50 mineral but wondering if people can recommend a decent oil at a decent price.

Additionally I’m doing the oil and fuel filters - any recommendations on good brands and ones to avoid!

Thanks
Click to expand...

You don't need a mineral oil and you don't need a 20W/50. Land Rover recommend a huge range of oils for the Series 3 diesel, at the bottom of the pile is your bog standard 20W/50 mineral, I wouldn't pay any more for something in a steel can with the classic written on it, all the way up to a fully synthetic Mobil 1. You cant "over lubricate" an engine.
 
+1 on Smith & Allan
I use their Ultra 20W50 in my 2.25 petrol with no problems. It's a high miles engine, so I'm happy to use a thicker oil - if it was rebuilt I'd look at something a bit thinner e.g. 15W40.
There's a lot of discussion about "classic" oils with added ZDDP and low detergents, but for me it's more important to change oil and filter regularly and not worry about using the most expensive oil. About 10% of what goes in ends up on the drive anyway!
 
Citizen Kane said:
You don't need a mineral oil and you don't need a 20W/50. Land Rover recommend a huge range of oils for the Series 3 diesel, at the bottom of the pile is your bog standard 20W/50 mineral, I wouldn't pay any more for something in a steel can with the classic written on it, all the way up to a fully synthetic Mobil 1. You cant "over lubricate" an engine.
Click to expand...
You can. And synthetic oil will damage that kind of engine.

Reason being that it will leak past the oil control rings on the pistons, and cause bore glazing, after which combustion gases will also start to leak past the rings. Followed by damage to the pistons themselves.

The Rover Company, and later British Leyland, made Series 3s, and they did not recommend synthetic oil, which was not sold at the time.

Here is some information on the subject from the makers of a modern indirect injection, naturally aspirated engine.
You will observe that semi synthetic, with a synthetic component of no more than 30%, is an acceptable alternative to mineral oil, but it says in bold not to use synthetic oil.

https://betamarine.co.uk/general-aftercare/
 
I'm afraid you are wrong, Mobil 1 was available in 1974 as a fully synthetic oil and recommended by Land Rover for the Series 3.

That would suggest that none of the negatives you mention hold true for the 2.25 Diesel.

The point is you can run virtually any oil in this engine, mineral, semi synthetic or a full synthetic. Better lubrication means less wear.
 
Citizen Kane said:
I'm afraid you are wrong, Mobil 1 was available in 1974 as a fully synthetic oil and recommended by Land Rover for the Series 3.

That would suggest that none of the negatives you mention hold true for the 2.25 Diesel.

The point is you can run virtually any oil in this engine, mineral, semi synthetic or a full synthetic. Better lubrication means less wear.
Click to expand...
Do what you want. It will cause damage. I don't care.
 
Citizen Kane said:
I'm afraid you are wrong, Mobil 1 was available in 1974 as a fully synthetic oil and recommended by Land Rover for the Series 3.

That would suggest that none of the negatives you mention hold true for the 2.25 Diesel.

The point is you can run virtually any oil in this engine, mineral, semi synthetic or a full synthetic. Better lubrication means less wear.
Click to expand...
There was never any such company as " Land Rover".

Land Rovers were made by the Rover Company, and later for a short time by British Leyland.
 
From various people I’ve spoken to, 20W50 reduces the chances of leaks and all have stated anything thinner will literally just drain out from every seal/gasket that isn’t in tip too condition.

I’ve also been told that mineral is the only option and at all costs avoid anything mildly synthetic….
 
Citizen Kane said:
I'm afraid you are wrong, Mobil 1 was available in 1974 as a fully synthetic oil and recommended by Land Rover for the Series 3.

That would suggest that none of the negatives you mention hold true for the 2.25 Diesel.

The point is you can run virtually any oil in this engine, mineral, semi synthetic or a full synthetic. Better lubrication means less wear.
Click to expand...


I can pretty much guarantee the engine will burn the syn thinner stuff almost as fast as it uses fuel.

Possibly mobil 1 back then was true syn oil rather than todays blends?
 
Frustrated Seriesist said:
From various people I’ve spoken to, 20W50 reduces the chances of leaks and all have stated anything thinner will literally just drain out from every seal/gasket that isn’t in tip too condition.

I’ve also been told that mineral is the only option and at all costs avoid anything mildly synthetic….
Click to expand...

People are obsessed with syn oil, land rover owners always seem to want to upgrade/improve, in this case posh oil is simply a waste of money, in fact anything pre td5 needs old school oil and coolants.

Got an agricultural merchants near you?
I have read of people with series engines so worn they ran them on 50/50 engine/gearbox oil in an effort to stop the stuff leaking/burning!
 
In case it helps, here’s the relevant page from my original series 3 owners manual if you can read it…
…for what it’s worth I’ve always put in the cheapest I can get and change it regularly (what hasn’t leaked out anyway )
 

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Frustrated Seriesist said:
From various people I’ve spoken to, 20W50 reduces the chances of leaks and all have stated anything thinner will literally just drain out from every seal/gasket that isn’t in tip too condition.

I’ve also been told that mineral is the only option and at all costs avoid anything mildly synthetic….
Click to expand...
Our Series uses 10W40 mineral (Comma) without any issues. It is actually Petrol engined, but they aren't very different to the diesels in structure.
Mostly because that was what the local garage had when I wanted to change the oil.

20/50 will be fine too, but it may make cranking a bit slower in cold weather.
 
lynall said:
I can pretty much guarantee the engine will burn the syn thinner stuff almost as fast as it uses fuel.

Possibly mobil 1 back then was true syn oil rather than todays blends?
Click to expand...
Synth oil is very expensive. I have removed scuffed pistons from glazed bores several times. This was on old tractors, when the owner decided to run them on the oil for their modern tractors and trucks.

I got caught out myself when I had my Ninety. A chap I knew who worked on trucks gave me a drum of Castrol synthetic oil, it was one of the very high spec ones, for trucks with high mileage intervals.

I filled the 2.5TD with it when I changed the oil and filter. More smoke was noticeable immediately, and the oil started to go down on the dipstick.
So I changed it again, back to 10/40 mineral, and gave the rest of the drum away to a chap with a high spec tractor.
 
Turboman said:
Synth oil is very expensive. I have removed scuffed pistons from glazed bores several times. This was on old tractors, when the owner decided to run them on the oil for their modern tractors and trucks.

I got caught out myself when I had my Ninety. A chap I knew who worked on trucks gave me a drum of Castrol synthetic oil, it was one of the very high spec ones, for trucks with high mileage intervals.

I filled the 2.5TD with it when I changed the oil and filter. More smoke was noticeable immediately, and the oil started to go down on the dipstick.
So I changed it again, back to 10/40 mineral, and gave the rest of the drum away to a chap with a high spec tractor.
Click to expand...


I did the same years ago with a 300tdi, it drunk it like a fish!
Company I worked for tried it in their old worn out trucks, we lost a couple of engines with that oil.
 
lynall said:
I did the same years ago with a 300tdi, it drunk it like a fish!
Company I worked for tried it in their old worn out trucks, we lost a couple of engines with that oil.
Click to expand...
Remembered what the stuff was called now, Castrol Enduron. The spec was unbelievable, the letters took up most of the label.

I am sure it would be brilliant in a Euro 6 truck, but the old 2.5TD just didn't like it.
 
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