What weight oil do I use in my Kent 1700cc motor?

[pleask]

I've only had my '92 Caterham (Kent 1700) for a few months now and wish to do an oil change. I am unsure what weight oil to use.. advice please? I live in a climate (Victoria BC) much like Seattle WA, wet in the winter and rarely goes below freezing.

Also, any idea what the volume it takes is?

I just noticed there is a catch tank of sorts under the coil. It looks like oil in side.. what the heck is this for?

Thanks, Pat

[GWise]

The catch tank is oil, but I wouldn't recommend reusing it. Empty when you you change your oil.

It all depends on what you intend to do - but for a street driven car you'll want either 40 or 50 weight in the crossflow. You can use a higher weight oil to increase your pressure if it's a bit low. Don't forget the ZDDP for the flat tappet kent.

[pleask]

The catch tank is oil, but I wouldn't recommend reusing it. Empty when you you change your oil.

It all depends on what you intend to do - but for a street driven car you'll want either 40 or 50 weight in the crossflow. You can use a higher weight oil to increase your pressure if it's a bit low. Don't forget the ZDDP for the flat tappet kent.

Thanks, just to clarify is that straight 40 or 50W or 20-50?

Pat

[Doug Liedblad]

....... Don't forget the ZDDP for the flat tappet kent.

Any of the good racing motor oils should have plenty ZDDP.

Redline and others make a 'break in' additive that you can use all the time but some say it's best to have it as part of the formula.

[GWise]

10-40 or 20-50 should be fine. I tend to use a high quality 10-50 with about a half bottle of ZDDPlus. The 20-50 is overkill for my engine but it's a lot easier to find and I'm not searching for every bit of power for my car on the street. When I finally get it out on the track, I plan to use Torco Racing 10-40. Another option is diesel oils, but they tend to have a higher amount of detergents.

[Doug Liedblad]

Diesel oils no longer have the ZDDP level they use to.

I believe it is higher than automobile oil but it's not as high as it was.

[moosetestbestanden]

Get Valvoline VR1 50 weight sez I. They also make a 20-50W which is too thin for my current application but would probably be fine. Come track time I'll switch over to their 60W.

It's cold up there (ask me how I know!) so let the car idle a while before blasting off.

Edit: Some zinc & product info here

[Doug Liedblad]

A Redline technical support person told me their oil works best at 160آ؛F and up.

It takes my Zetec with a Raceline wetsump about 10 minutes to get to that temperature from cold. I don't recall if that is under load or just idling in the pits.

Best to warm the oil for several minutes before vigorous driving, especially if you have a large drysump tank.

[escondidoron]

I use Brad Penn 20w-50 in my old pre-Xflow. No additives required. No problems so far (4 years on) under my stewardship.