TR2/3/3A TR3 Oil Change

[JSpears]

It is time to change oil for my 1960 TR3. How much oil (in quarts)is recommended?


Thanks

 

[Don Elliott]

About 5 quarts will put it at the lower line on the dip-stick. I used to put in 7 quarts to take it to the top line, but it seemed to drip or get blown out till it got down. So I leave it between the bottom line and about 1/8" above that. I use Castrol 20W50 like all other early 4-cylinder owners use and in 16 summers, I've driven 94,000 miles on this engine.

https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthreads/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1919/ppuser/4127

 

[DougF]

According to the shop manual 5 qts. Most popular oil is probably 20w-50 Castrol.

 

[sammyb]

It will be a little different if you have a spin-on oil filter adaptor -- depends on which filter you use.

20W50 is great unless you're always running in really hot weather, or driving hard. When I lived in Houston, I ran straight 50wt racing oil. Up here in Olympia, WA I run Castrol 20/50. I think I have synthetic blend in there, because that's what was on deep discount. I wouldn't use a straight synthetic, though.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Certainly more than 5. Like Don, I keep the level in the lower half of the 'add/full' range.

If you read a capacity figure in a manual, bear in mind that it may be referencing Imperial measurements.

 

[Don Elliott]

I have heard a rumour that if you ask 6 TR3A owners to put the dip-sticks from their engines all side by side for comparison, you will find that size matters. Not "their" dip-sticks, the ones from the car. I mean . . . they might all be different and may all have the low and high scribe lines at different places. That's the rumour I heard. If so, that can have an effect on the number of quarts needed. For a quick conversion, 5 US quarts = 4 Imperial quarts and a liter is very close to a US quart.

 

[JSpears]

Thanks for all the information. I will start with 5 quarts and keep an eye on the dip stick readings. The oil filter is a cartridge replacement that came with the car. Any recomendation on where to purchase more?

 

[Geo Hahn]

Wait 'til after that first oil change... your question may change to where to get a spin-on filter adaptor.

I used to call that the 'Capt Hazelwood Oil Change' (skipper of the Exxon Valdez) but maybe I was just sloppy. Anyway, I find it *much* quicker, cleaner and easier with a spin-on.

The usual big 3 have the cartridges, never tried to source one at NAPA, etc.

 

[Don Elliott]

I don't have a spin-on oil filter. Everyone talks about the problems they have with the original oil filter and I'll tell you what I did to make it easy. I fumbled to get it off (that was about 15 years ago) and I looked at it carefully. Next, I cut about 1/4" off the long threaded shaft that holds it all together. Then I took the long shaft and ground the end that I had just cut shorter and put a 45 degree chamfer on the end. This taper makes it easy to centralize when you are re-assembling it all lying on your back on your rolling dolly with a light to see correctly. The shorter length means that you can spin off the original filter body using a full ratchet closed end on the head of that long bolt, before the wrench or the head of the bolt hits the crankcase breather down-pipe.