Hello everybody. I used to have a sn here before, a few years ago, but I couldn't for the life of me find it when I did a search. Anywho.
I have 2 vehicles that I'm searching for some oil info on. I'll start with the Integra
1989 Acura Integra. D16a1 engine, one of few Honda engines with a flat tappet setup (requires valve adjustments). approximately 200k on car. No idea of mileage on engine, would assume the same based on what th old head looked like and the cylinder walls. Just had the head rebuilt at the local machine shop and got it all installed and running finally yesterday morning.
For the temp range we see here in Atlanta, GA, the owners manual recommends either 10W-30, or 10W-40 for the higher temps (the 10W-30 arrow doesn't quite reach to the upper temps we see down here). I've actually only put ~30 miles on this car since I've bought it, and soon it's going to become my daily driver. I'd like to get at least another 50k out of it. Most of my driving is going to consist of a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. I drive fairly aggressively, but always allow the car to warm up properly before driving the car hard. I'm not concerned with fuel economy, I just want the best protection for the engine.
The other car is my 1986 BMW 325. It's a 2.5L M20 engine out of a '91 325, not the original 325e 2.7L M20. This car is my track rat. It see's maybe 5k miles a year tops, this year included 7 autox events, and almost 600 miles of on-track use at Road Atlanta. Car has 140k on it, engine supposedly has roughly the same. I resealed the entire engine minus the HG when I first got it, and there was alot of sludge buildup. With short OCI's and allowing it to get fully up to temp each and every time I drive it (with a quart of atf in the crankcase here and there as well) the engine has cleaned up quite nicely.
This car gets the ever living ---- beat out of it. I've switched to a 4.10 lsd rear diff, as it helps me get closer to top speeds on the back straight at Road Atlanta as well as put me in a better rpm range for the powerband of this engine. Therefore when on the highway, I regularly see 4500 rpm's steady cruising. This is also a flat-tappet engine design. The manual specs a 20W-50 oil for this engine in warm weather, a 10W-40 for colder climates. I'm currently running Rotella Syn 5W-40, and the engine seems to like this oil much better than Castrol GTX 20W-50. My 1st trip t Road Atlanta with it with roughly 250 miles on-track it used almost a quart of the GTX. After the switch to the Rotella Syn, it seemed to run a touch smoother, and used less than a half quart in just about 300 miles of on-track use.
I have no done a UOA for this engine yet, but am considering it after I change out this fill. I'm basically asking, I want to keep both engines in top mechanical shape. I'd like to see at least another 50k+ out of the Integra, and at least 2 more seasons out of the BMW before it gets sold or traded for a new track beast. I've been trying to read some of the UOA's on here, but I'm not sure what to really look for. Is there a sticky somewhere that will tell me what I should be looking for in a UOA, and what properties I should be looking for in an oil to suit my needs? Thanks everybody!!
I have 2 vehicles that I'm searching for some oil info on. I'll start with the Integra
1989 Acura Integra. D16a1 engine, one of few Honda engines with a flat tappet setup (requires valve adjustments). approximately 200k on car. No idea of mileage on engine, would assume the same based on what th old head looked like and the cylinder walls. Just had the head rebuilt at the local machine shop and got it all installed and running finally yesterday morning.
For the temp range we see here in Atlanta, GA, the owners manual recommends either 10W-30, or 10W-40 for the higher temps (the 10W-30 arrow doesn't quite reach to the upper temps we see down here). I've actually only put ~30 miles on this car since I've bought it, and soon it's going to become my daily driver. I'd like to get at least another 50k out of it. Most of my driving is going to consist of a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. I drive fairly aggressively, but always allow the car to warm up properly before driving the car hard. I'm not concerned with fuel economy, I just want the best protection for the engine.
The other car is my 1986 BMW 325. It's a 2.5L M20 engine out of a '91 325, not the original 325e 2.7L M20. This car is my track rat. It see's maybe 5k miles a year tops, this year included 7 autox events, and almost 600 miles of on-track use at Road Atlanta. Car has 140k on it, engine supposedly has roughly the same. I resealed the entire engine minus the HG when I first got it, and there was alot of sludge buildup. With short OCI's and allowing it to get fully up to temp each and every time I drive it (with a quart of atf in the crankcase here and there as well) the engine has cleaned up quite nicely.
This car gets the ever living ---- beat out of it. I've switched to a 4.10 lsd rear diff, as it helps me get closer to top speeds on the back straight at Road Atlanta as well as put me in a better rpm range for the powerband of this engine. Therefore when on the highway, I regularly see 4500 rpm's steady cruising. This is also a flat-tappet engine design. The manual specs a 20W-50 oil for this engine in warm weather, a 10W-40 for colder climates. I'm currently running Rotella Syn 5W-40, and the engine seems to like this oil much better than Castrol GTX 20W-50. My 1st trip t Road Atlanta with it with roughly 250 miles on-track it used almost a quart of the GTX. After the switch to the Rotella Syn, it seemed to run a touch smoother, and used less than a half quart in just about 300 miles of on-track use.
I have no done a UOA for this engine yet, but am considering it after I change out this fill. I'm basically asking, I want to keep both engines in top mechanical shape. I'd like to see at least another 50k+ out of the Integra, and at least 2 more seasons out of the BMW before it gets sold or traded for a new track beast. I've been trying to read some of the UOA's on here, but I'm not sure what to really look for. Is there a sticky somewhere that will tell me what I should be looking for in a UOA, and what properties I should be looking for in an oil to suit my needs? Thanks everybody!!
