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Alan_Myers
Luke Skywalker
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Hi all,
I recently read a post here in which someone mentioned they planned to use synthetic oil in their TR shortly after a rebuild, but wisely not for the initial break-in period. I don't recall which post that was, but their intention to switch oils after 250-500 miles concerns me.
I know this is a hotly debated subject, but wanted to pass along some points Roger Williams makes about synthetic oil in our old cars, in his restoration books covering all the TRs. Keep in mind that in the course of writing his books William interviewed many of the TR specialist in England who have extensive experience with the entire line of Triumph motors.
Based on the information he gathered and his own engineering background, Williams recommends not using any synthetic until the motor has had 6000 to 9000 break-in miles. This would mean no synthetics until the the fourth or fifth oil change after the rebuild (1st change at 500, 2nd at 3000, 3rd at 6000, 4th at 9000).
The primary reason for this is the bedding in of piston rings, to prevent glazing of the bores due to the more slippery nature of synthetic oils.
Of course, different rings bed in at different rates and even the preparation of new liners effects the rate of break-in. For example, the rings provided with AE Hepolite pistons (OE) are generally known to be slow to bed in, but should give long service life if properly bedded. In fact, in the past racers have often tried to avoid the Hepolite rings. This is for the same reason they often have engines built to slightly loose bearing tolerances, rather than factory specifications. A race motor doesn't have much opportunity to break-in and are rebuilt very frequently compared to street cars.
On the other hand, slow break-in/long service life sounds ideal to me, for a car not destined to go directly to the track. Too bad AE Hepolite pistons, liners and rings are tough to find these days.
Other brands of rings may bed more quickly, but personally I'd rather err on the side of caution, allowing the motor a full opportunity to break-in before switching to synthetic oils.
The other main reason to think twice about many synthetic oils Williams mentionse is that many such oils are formulated with a much higher detergent content. This is particularly true of "long life" or "extended service" motor oils intended for 7500 miles or more between changes.
High levels of detergents may actually be detrimental to older engines, designed to run on non-synthetic oils. Over-cleaning of the engine can result in more blow-by around the rings and other negative effects.
I've personally had bad experiences with two cars (neither a TR), both with low to moderate mileage, that were switched to full synthetic motor oil. Both developed noisy hydraulic lifters and I suspect higher levels of detergents may have been the cause.
So, if you really feel you must use full synthetic motor oil in your baby, and wish to follow Williams' advice, wait for a new engine to have 6000 to 9000 miles on the clock and look for a low detergent variety of oil!
Finally, the gearbox seems to be an area where sythetic oils might best be avoided. A number of TR owners have reported their otherwise reliable gearboxes started popping out of 2nd gear after they switched to synthetic oil. Changing back to non-synthetic seemed to cure the problem.
Cheers!
Alan
I recently read a post here in which someone mentioned they planned to use synthetic oil in their TR shortly after a rebuild, but wisely not for the initial break-in period. I don't recall which post that was, but their intention to switch oils after 250-500 miles concerns me.
I know this is a hotly debated subject, but wanted to pass along some points Roger Williams makes about synthetic oil in our old cars, in his restoration books covering all the TRs. Keep in mind that in the course of writing his books William interviewed many of the TR specialist in England who have extensive experience with the entire line of Triumph motors.
Based on the information he gathered and his own engineering background, Williams recommends not using any synthetic until the motor has had 6000 to 9000 break-in miles. This would mean no synthetics until the the fourth or fifth oil change after the rebuild (1st change at 500, 2nd at 3000, 3rd at 6000, 4th at 9000).
The primary reason for this is the bedding in of piston rings, to prevent glazing of the bores due to the more slippery nature of synthetic oils.
Of course, different rings bed in at different rates and even the preparation of new liners effects the rate of break-in. For example, the rings provided with AE Hepolite pistons (OE) are generally known to be slow to bed in, but should give long service life if properly bedded. In fact, in the past racers have often tried to avoid the Hepolite rings. This is for the same reason they often have engines built to slightly loose bearing tolerances, rather than factory specifications. A race motor doesn't have much opportunity to break-in and are rebuilt very frequently compared to street cars.
On the other hand, slow break-in/long service life sounds ideal to me, for a car not destined to go directly to the track. Too bad AE Hepolite pistons, liners and rings are tough to find these days.
Other brands of rings may bed more quickly, but personally I'd rather err on the side of caution, allowing the motor a full opportunity to break-in before switching to synthetic oils.
The other main reason to think twice about many synthetic oils Williams mentionse is that many such oils are formulated with a much higher detergent content. This is particularly true of "long life" or "extended service" motor oils intended for 7500 miles or more between changes.
High levels of detergents may actually be detrimental to older engines, designed to run on non-synthetic oils. Over-cleaning of the engine can result in more blow-by around the rings and other negative effects.
I've personally had bad experiences with two cars (neither a TR), both with low to moderate mileage, that were switched to full synthetic motor oil. Both developed noisy hydraulic lifters and I suspect higher levels of detergents may have been the cause.
So, if you really feel you must use full synthetic motor oil in your baby, and wish to follow Williams' advice, wait for a new engine to have 6000 to 9000 miles on the clock and look for a low detergent variety of oil!
Finally, the gearbox seems to be an area where sythetic oils might best be avoided. A number of TR owners have reported their otherwise reliable gearboxes started popping out of 2nd gear after they switched to synthetic oil. Changing back to non-synthetic seemed to cure the problem.
Cheers!
Alan
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