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Do I Need To Drain My Engine Oil?

L.B.

By L.B.,
in General Maintenance

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L.B. Community Regular

L.B.

Posted
Posted

hello everyone, my engine oil level is touching low on the dipstick. i am thinking to topping it up myself rather than do a service at the mechanics.

Can i just top it up with a different kind of oil? as i have no idea what oil the previous owner use. as for the gear box and diff oil i suppose im not "mechanically minded" engouh to do it myself.

p.s. any recommandation of Oil? :P its a RB20 :P

Thanks

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J'z-R33 Grand Master

J'z-R33

Posted
Posted

Hey mate,

Best to drain it, will get rid of the old black oil. It wont take you that long to do. Just undo oil cap then undo the sump bolt and let it drain out (into an oil pan of course lol) replace the copper washer on the sump plug and put it back in.

Also, how long ago was your last service?

Cheers

J

Edit, check this link out.. heaps of helpful info and Tutorials

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Li...p;hl=oil+change

(OO)SKYLINE(OO) Grand Master

(OO)SKYLINE(OO)

Posted
Posted

How did you let the engine oil level touch to low?

You should be doing regular top ups...

Anyway as J'z-R33 has said, do an oil change.

I asume you got a RB20DET... It is an older engine, I would suggest a thicker oil then the Full Synthetics.

I would say Semi Synthetic. I am using Mobil Synthetic S (Semi Synthetic) 10W-40 as recommended by my mechanic after my turbo rebuilds.

Its about $35 - $40 for 5 litres at Auto Barn / Supercheap Autos.

Also change your oil filter at the same time with the engine oil.

If you really want, take it to your mechanic and ask to see if they can do a light engine flush, that just cleans it up a bit and gets rid of any shit inside the engine, then do the oil change.

burkill Community Regular

burkill

Posted
Posted

yea, low isn't a good sign. you shouldn't let it get past halfway. you should do an oil change every 5000k's too. which means, letting the old oil out and putting new oil in. it's very simple, you should have someone teach you.

seeing as it is on low at the moment, you're probably best to top it up(correct me if im wrong) .specially if you can't get it changed asap, as you don't want to drive around on low, it could do big damage. you should check your oil level weekly.

Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted
How did you let the engine oil level touch to low?

You should be doing regular top ups...

Anyway as J'z-R33 has said, do an oil change.

I asume you got a RB20DET... It is an older engine, I would suggest a thicker oil then the Full Synthetics.

I would say Semi Synthetic. I am using Mobil Synthetic S (Semi Synthetic) 10W-40 as recommended by my mechanic after my turbo rebuilds.

Its about $35 - $40 for 5 litres at Auto Barn / Supercheap Autos.

Also change your oil filter at the same time with the engine oil.

If you really want, take it to your mechanic and ask to see if they can do a light engine flush, that just cleans it up a bit and gets rid of any shit inside the engine, then do the oil change.

mineral, semi synthetic or synthetic has nothing to do with 'thickness' of oil. that only really affects the quality. the grade determines the thickness. a 10w40 synthetic is just as 'thick' as a 10w40 mineral.

buy the best oil you can afford. stuff like the semi-synth mobil is rubbish. i'd use it only if you can't afford anything better. at the top end of the scale you have the ester base oil like motul chrono which is $$$. 1 step down you have full synthetic like royal purple, and then go into stuff like castrol edge which is marketed as fully synthetic but is not really.

I would also reccomend just dropping this oil and replacing oil and filter for new stuff.

(OO)SKYLINE(OO) Grand Master

(OO)SKYLINE(OO)

Posted
Posted
Just bought the car recently , is it bad to have your oil touching Low ..?

yer ive asked my mate to help me on this but they are slackers.

what about Penrite 10w50 ive been told from my previous owner.

or should i get Mobil Syntheic S?

Yeah man!

Cuz your car is turbo, you will burn off a bit of oil as it is normal. So I can suggest you check your oil every 2-3 weeks, thats my opinion anyway.

Couldn't tell you anything about Penrite 10W 50, as I have only used Martini Racing oil 10W 40 (Awesome but bit too thin and burns off quickly) Better use for newer engines.

Shell Helex 15W 50 (Used it but would not recommend it)

Valvoline 20W 50 (Wanted to try a thicker oil so it would not burn off so quickly, this was too thick and car ran sluggish)

Mobil 10W 40 atm and it runs smooth. Even when the oil starts to thicken abit, the car still feels good.

yea, low isn't a good sign. you shouldn't let it get past halfway. you should do an oil change every 5000k's too. which means, letting the old oil out and putting new oil in. it's very simple, you should have someone teach you.

seeing as it is on low at the moment, you're probably best to top it up(correct me if im wrong) .specially if you can't get it changed asap, as you don't want to drive around on low, it could do big damage. you should check your oil level weekly.

+1

As burkill has said, if you don't have a chance of changing the oil just yet, top it up to full, just give it a bit more oil, so above the "H" Line but not too much.

fair enough im ready to get some oil today and to pit up. can anyone tell me if its ok to put Penrite HPR10 10w50 which is what the previous owner told me?

does autobarn, repco sells them?

Yes Auto Barn , Repco, Supercheap Autos sell them. My susggestion is Mobil or Motul.

Penrite 10W 50 should be fine but but see if its a Full or Semi Synthetic... Iam sticking with Mobil. It all comes down to personal prefferance and your own experiance.

BUT I can say you will not go wrong with Mobil as my mechanic recmommended.

Again whatever you do, just top it up to full ASAP.

Cool!

(OO)SKYLINE(OO) Grand Master

(OO)SKYLINE(OO)

Posted
Posted
mineral, semi synthetic or synthetic has nothing to do with 'thickness' of oil. that only really affects the quality. the grade determines the thickness. a 10w40 synthetic is just as 'thick' as a 10w40 mineral.

buy the best oil you can afford. stuff like the semi-synth mobil is rubbish. i'd use it only if you can't afford anything better. at the top end of the scale you have the ester base oil like motul chrono which is $$$. 1 step down you have full synthetic like royal purple, and then go into stuff like castrol edge which is marketed as fully synthetic but is not really.

I would also reccomend just dropping this oil and replacing oil and filter for new stuff.

How can you say its rubbish?

(OO)SKYLINE(OO) Grand Master

(OO)SKYLINE(OO)

Posted
Posted
going to get the penrite 10w50 ( a Full or Semi Synthetic? no idea) for now to top it up

is 1 liter enough?

and am goin g to get the motul 10w40 for my next service

sounds good?

Just get the Semi for now as its just for your top up unitl you do your next oil change.

Get a litre and see how you go, if its not enough just buy another 1lt bottle.

burkill Community Regular

burkill

Posted
Posted

just put a little in at a time.

poor for a 1 or 2 seconds, let it sit. on the the first poor, poor it in for about 3-5 seconds.

check after 10 minutes, then poor a little bit more.

repeat till at the right level. just add a little more, so you don't overfill it.

GTR-N1 Grand Master

GTR-N1

Posted
Posted
what is the name of the Motul one that everyone seems to give good view on?

Motul Chrono. Owners of Italian Stallions, Crowns and Bulls often use it. Just Jap mechanics use it

ELF Excellium SM 10W-50 or 5W-40 is really good on Skylines. Powerplay Imports use it.

MOBIL 1 and ROYAL PURPLE also have a top reputation for our cars.

Don't underestimate the fact that a high quality oil, changed every 5000Kms and kept up to the top mark, is an investment on your engine's longevity!

Happy Motoring! Tez

PS As far as lubricants go, I tend to stay away from Magnatec & KY Jelly

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