[TR] How often should I change oil in triumph that rarely does

[TERRY SMITH]

Thank you, Jonmac.  Very helpful.  Question.  Another variable is the filter.  I use a WIX spin-on which allegedly has smaller diameter porosity to capture more contaminants, along with full syn (which I'm reconsidering).  What were the filter specs for the methodology you describe below? 


Thanks, Jonmac,

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A  TS 58667

New Hampshire

> On May 4, 2017 at 7:21 AM John Macartney <john.macartney at ukpips.org.uk> wrote:
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>     It’s more than 10 years since I worked at BMIHT in the UK but one of the advantages of linking a company owned museum to a vehicle manufacturer (BMW, Ford and Rover at different times) was that we had full access to the main engineering and experimental departments for technical queries. This was in the early days of full synthetic lubes being available in the UK and we got many enquiries of people asking for advice on suitability, as well as those whose choice of Mobil 1 was causing problems. There were also those who felt that by switching to a full synthetic meant they could dramatically extend oil change intervals.
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>     The general rule of thumb was as follows:
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>     If you run a car with an engine produced up to 1980, change the oil and filter in line with the recommended interval in the service book. Usually this was 3 months or 3000 miles, although some much later classics could have the interval extended to 6 months or 6000 miles. This applied to both mineral and partial or full synthetics.
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>     It was pointed out in a variety of ways that engines of that period created a considerable amount of filth and contaminants that needed to be kept clear of cylinder walls, bearing surfaces and other high stress components. Furthermore, no oil used in a period in an engine should be left  for a prolonged period (a winter?) without being drained and filled with fresh. Equally, in periods of zero use, the engine should be started at regular intervals, allowed to warm to normal operating temp and periodically revved before being shut off. An alternative option for those who wanted to avoid cold season start ups was to change the oil and filter for new, then remove all the plugs, squirt clean engine oil into each cylinder and then turn the engine over on the starter with the plug leads disconnected to lube the cylinder walls and piston rings. Okay, clouds of smoke on the first start in spring time but what the heck?
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>     When I had my Triumphs, I always used lubes made by a variety of manufacturers for old engines (Castrol, Morris, Duckhams) as they had added ZDDP and these were straight 20W/50 mineral. Oil consumption was always half a pint per 1000 miles – or less, leaks were minimal and the engines ran quietly. I admit I did try Mobil 1 on one occasion and the engine made such an appalling clatter at idle, I removed it immediately.
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>     But regardless of whether your choice is straight mineral or full synthetic, to my mind it’s a false economy to not drain and refill at regular intervals. Sure, lubes today are costly but a full engine rebuild or major repair as a result of infrequent oil and filter changes would be a lot more.
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>     Of course, we could all imitate normal practice of the Middle East which is when the oil starts to discolour, you change it. This means taxis get changed oil daily and the average daily driver gets changed every week – but in such places, they pump the oil out of the ground, stuff it through a refinery and into the vehicle – and its one helluva lot cheaper that the rest of the world. I once drove a Range Rover from the west to east coast of Saudi Arabia – a tad under 1000 miles, with the aircon going full blast all the way, and the total fuel cost was about 12 dollars US. In relative terms, fuel was cheaper than the grilled goat meat available from periodic roadside stalls in the desert!
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>     Jonmac
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