Oil Selection

There is a lot more detailed information on oil in the Spanish section of this site on label reading, certification, viscosity and other areas. Click here for that site.

There will probably be more items added to the English part at some time, but right now there are five papers that will explain a lot:

The selection of the right motor oil for your flat tappet engine.

• Additive and wear: This paper looks at the myths and truths of additives, additive clash, the reduction of additives in many of the newer oils, the claims of many marketing people, etc. The goal is to familiarize the reader with the variables in a motor oil so that those with sliding actions in their valve systems can intelligently choose the right motor oil.

• Control of sludge and additive evaporation: This simple guide takes marketing and sales gimmicks out of the picture and helps you determine the right oil for your modern car in 4 simple steps. Click to download the one page guide.

• GL-4 vs GL-5: This paper explains the real difference between these two oil categories and why you should not use GL-5 in a synchronized manual transmission (virtually all manual transmissions used in passenger cars, SUV's, pickups, etc.). It addresses the true statements of many brands that their GL-5 is non-corrosive to brass and their false claim that therefore it can be used in synchronized transmissions. It also points out why the statement on GL-5 products "Can be used where the manufacturer specifies GL-4 gear oils" is only partially true.

• This paper is basically a translation of my root cause investigation of some engine failures and my discovery of problems with oil flow in cold weather. I did not intend to publish an English version, but after a lot of searching I found that very little has been published on the subject of used oil flow in cold weather. Less yet about what I discovered: The vehicle manufacturer was not following the recommendations of the engine manufacturer!

• This paper looks at all the recommendations that were made by Austin, Morris, Leyland, Rover, etc. over the years for the classic mini cars, vans, and pickups, the reasons for these recommendations, the myths propagated on the Web, and the things you should look at when deciding what oil is right for your Mini, whether it has a manual transmission or the AP Automatic, including the very specific needs of that AP Automatic that sets it apart from the rest of the Minis.