2004 Jaguar Penzoil Platinum

[StrateLOSS]

Hey all, I have a 2004 Jaguar XJ8 with 78,350 miles to be exact.

Bought it last August with 69k miles. Ive gone ahead and changed all its fluids, a few times just to get that over with.

Now to the motor oil. When I got it I put Castrol Syntec 5w30, kept it in for 2 or 3 thousand miles. Changed that out with Castrol Edge, ran that for a few thousand miles as well. As you can assume, I was running rinsing cycles... After that I put Castrol GTX Highmileage 5w30, put a few thousand miles then added a half quart of MMO for 600-700 miles.

What I have in it now is some Penzoil Platinum 5w30, 1500 miles on the fill. Now this batch of oil I was planning on taking to 85k miles on my motor. I have it in since 75,300 miles.

 

[StrateLOSS]

I just added almost 3/4 of a quart yesterday. It may have consumed some, may not. I dont think I topped it off proper because the oil level is hard to read on this car.

my plan was to change the oil filter at 81k, then top off with another 1+ qt of the 5w30 and run the oil to 85k miles so that from that point on I can do 5k OCIs. BUT the oil is almost black after 1500 miles ?

I know color shouldnt matter, and that I obviously want to clean the motor out some. But what Im asking with almost 2 quarts of *makeup* oil can I run this oil safely with 7500miles with a new filter in between ? Im in NYC, so driving conditions are EXTREME. Lots of traffic, lots of low gear pulls, lots of stopping, lots of idling, lots of humidity, NYC ages cars fast.

I do have an analysis kit coming in the mail but want to use it on the 85k-90k oil to see whats going on with my engine.

Why is this oil so dark after such little use ? 5 or 6 weeks of it.



Lets discuss this because I have so many questions.

 

[StrateLOSS]

The reason I have 2 posts is because on the first one, the page kept bugging out and scrolling and wouldnt let me type anymore. hence a second post thats a continuation of post 1.

anyhow heres a link that I have timelined posts on with everything I did engine oil wise.

http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30997

may know what Im saying there, may not. I need help/reassurance/advice here, where the pros are. Thanks.

If posting that link is prohibited, sorry mods , you can delete it. But it just shows photos of my filters, and explains whats Ive dont the days that I did it. I read the sticky uptop it said to be as specific as possible, that thread has the specifics.

-Vic

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: StrateLOSS
Why is this oil so dark after such little use ? 5 or 6 weeks of it.


1) You used MMO, it loosened some junk up and maybe dissolved it.
2) Pennzoil Platinum does have some CLEANING PROPERTIES.

 

[StrateLOSS]

I used the MMO on before I used the high mileage oil, now Im on PP. Think the additives in the PP, and whatever was left from the HM oil, on top of the MMO is contributing to this ?

IDK that seems confusing.

On the Edge, with 2500 miles I think , the oil was a mild brown. add MMO and 5-600 miles later it was an eww black. Changed that oil out and put in the HM oil. That darkens pretty quickly.

That oil I ran for 3-4k miles, I dont remember but I did list the mileage on my thread that I linked so I can find out if it truly matters.

Now comes the PP 1500 miles later.... I dont doubt the MMO helped clear light varnishes and stuff because when I put that in the motor has been idling much smoother since. no more fluctuations.

But what I really want to know is, at this rate of particle collection is the oil safe to run the way I plan too ?

or should I just scrap it at 80k, which will be a 3k OCI.

 

[crazyoildude]

its dark because it is doing its job and cleaning

 

[ahoier]

I'd wait for the oil sample to come back....BUT the thing is, it's not going to be totally accurate, since it'll be partial previous owner's oil, combined with the 2 Castrol runs that you added + that MMO. The MMO could be the black oil culprit, it's doing it's cleaning I know that's how my little Rio was when I took it for my oil change after running Seafoam in the crankcase for 2k - came out extremely dark; went back to PYB 5-30 and the car ran a lot better.

 

[StrateLOSS]

crazyoildude, I understand that much. Im asking if this oil can hold a high particle/soot count without being .for lack of a better word, saturated.

So in your opinion, can I run this oil for 7500 miles with almost 2 quarts of makeup oil and a new filter in the middle ? or should I drain the oil at 80k miles (which is 1700miles away and will be a total of 3300 mile OCI).

ahoier, You think its still the previous owners mess Im cleaning up ? It was a 1 owner,factory maintained vehicle.... so 10k OCI on non synthetic oil is what its been run on in its life.

Im beginning to think that its buildup from the bottom of the pan thats darkening my oil, I peeped through the filler hole and valvetrain looks nice and clean. Afterall when I bought it the oil in it was 9k miles old, and not too sure how long the car was sitting in the dealers lot.

It seems to fly over peoples head, but I need basicly mental reassurance on running this oil that long with said procedures.

Also I want to save the OA for the batch of oil ending at 90k miles. Thanks in advance

-vic

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: StrateLOSS
crazyoildude, I understand that much. Im asking if this oil can hold a high particle/soot count without being .for lack of a better word, saturated.

So in your opinion, can I run this oil for 7500 miles with almost 2 quarts of makeup oil and a new filter in the middle ? or should I drain the oil at 80k miles (which is 1700miles away and will be a total of 3300 mile OCI).

ahoier, You think its still the previous owners mess Im cleaning up ? It was a 1 owner,factory maintained vehicle.... so 10k OCI on non synthetic oil is what its been run on in its life.

Im beginning to think that its buildup from the bottom of the pan thats darkening my oil, I peeped through the filler hole and valvetrain looks nice and clean. Afterall when I bought it the oil in it was 9k miles old, and not too sure how long the car was sitting in the dealers lot.

It seems to fly over peoples head, but I need basicly mental reassurance on running this oil that long with said procedures.

Also I want to save the OA for the batch of oil ending at 90k miles. Thanks in advance

-vic


1) There is never any Real way to tell how much Sludge or other debris is in an Engine except to take the Engine out of the car and take it apart. Pulling a Valve Cover gasket is literally like "Peeking" at the engine.. Some tell tale clues, but not seeing where the Combustion happens.

2) Check the oil first thing in the morning, when cold. Sometimes, check Dipstick a few minutes after a trip. That is, IF you can safely handle the Dipstick. (Not very very hot that you cant hold it.)

I prefer the "First thing in the morning" method, but some cars also specify to check Warmed...

As long as you dont see any Oil on the ground when you put a Quart of MMO in, you can keep using it. It is hastening Darkening because yes it is suspending more Contaminants with MMO than without.. This is only true if the Oil was light-colored to start with.

75,000 to 85,000 miles? Your car is Young! If it had twice that, id be leary of Full Synthetics.

Your plan sounds fine.. changing Filters and topping off Oil could work. It wont HURT any. Clean, New Filters cant hurt things. And its how Fleets do it. You could even top off with Marvel Mystery Oil.

You are treating your engine Very Well. It sounds fine. Particularly if there are no actual Mechanical Issues.

 

[StrateLOSS]

HangerHarley, I really appreciate your reply !

I stopped the MMO in the oil 2 changes ago. Felt it did plenty plus the weather started to warm up so I passed on it.

I did check the oil in the morning this time around, it was halfway between low and full. It then took just almost 3/4 quarts in. I do not have anyleaks, didnt have any.

What made me want to do rinse cycles is the previous owners 10k OCI using non synth oils.After I did the few rinse cycles w/MMO, my idle fluctuation really went away (it used to fluctuate about 150-200 rpms).


now my dilemna is I have that mental block where anything more then 3-4k miles on oil is a nono. If the oil is getting this black early, I can imagine what it will be like at 80k. I feel Ill have a hardtime keeping that oil in untill 85k know all that [censored] is suspended in the oil. I do understand color is no idicator, but man I still cant fathom the thought that my young eyes are deceiving me. If I wind up changing out that oil @ 80k or 82k, if anybody wants the 5k oil on the house PM you can have it. Supposedly itll be a waste if I toss it


thanks and my, this post box needs fixing. as I type this its flickering at the top of my text and Im unable to see the letters I tyope.

 

[StrateLOSS]

what makes oil level reading difficult on this car (as are many other things) is that the dipstick housing is literally as wide as the dipstick. so when I pull it out,wipe it clean, dip and pull out to read --> oil smear on the stick and make it hard to read.

This time before I topped out (right before a 140 mile round trip) the car sat 12+ hrs overnight and allowed me to get a good reading on the dipstick.

also as a sidenote, I think I may have my current mileage on this fill confused. Im going to go and read my post to see exactly when I put this fill in :thinking:

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: StrateLOSS
HangerHarley, I really appreciate your reply !

I stopped the MMO in the oil 2 changes ago. Felt it did plenty plus the weather started to warm up so I passed on it.

I did check the oil in the morning this time around, it was halfway between low and full. It then took just almost 3/4 quarts in. I do not have anyleaks, didnt have any.

What made me want to do rinse cycles is the previous owners 10k OCI using non synth oils.After I did the few rinse cycles w/MMO, my idle fluctuation really went away (it used to fluctuate about 150-200 rpms).


now my dilemna is I have that mental block where anything more then 3-4k miles on oil is a nono. If the oil is getting this black early, I can imagine what it will be like at 80k. I feel Ill have a hardtime keeping that oil in untill 85k know all that [censored] is suspended in the oil. I do understand color is no idicator, but man I still cant fathom the thought that my young eyes are deceiving me. If I wind up changing out that oil @ 80k or 82k, if anybody wants the 5k oil on the house PM you can have it. Supposedly itll be a waste if I toss it


thanks and my, this post box needs fixing. as I type this its flickering at the top of my text and Im unable to see the letters I tyope.


I have been there and done that. I used to change my oil at 4000 Miles, even if it could have went for 15000. The old 3K can NOT be Un-beat out of one'e Head!!

If i were you, i would keep an Eye on the Oil. If it blackens Quickly, it is Cleaning, and this is good. Change when it turns "Black" even though you dont have to.

Your Car is not a Honda.. it actually appreciated the Attention being given it, and that is why it is not for Some.

TLC is what they call it.

Now GET OUT THERE and

!!! And be as Happy as that Smiley.

And one more time, to reiterate, wont hurt.. if your Oil isnt Leaking and Engine is not Overheating and its not Smoking ridiculous Copious amounts of "My Engine is Dying" Smoke, this is all good.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads and Sons!

 

[StrateLOSS]

ok went back and reviewed my Original thread.

all grades are 5w30 blend.
@ 70k I poured in castrol syntec, 73,500 miles I added 1/2 qt MMO
@ 74k I poured castrol gtx highmileage , 8 oz mmo last 300 miles
@ 76.8k I poured penzoil platinum


So I reread through that thread and I got the correct mileage. I guess my father reset tripometer B on me and I got confused on the miles travels.

this current fill is in from 76.8k miles to 78.3k miles. wait lols that IS 1500 miles.


Im going to put another 100 freeway miles on the JAG tonight for w/e thats worth. thanks to everyone that posted, I think Ill take this Fill to 83k miles (5k OCI) and and MMO to the last 500miles. Then Change my oil and run it to 90k and do the UOA.

 

[StrateLOSS]

lol thanks mann ! no its not smoking, burning, or on its last whim. Its actually very responsive and was so from day one. I do have a 2010 honda civic to take my daily pounding here in the city so I dont worry about that much.

But the JAG is expensive and I want it to last forever, I dont want to 4 or 5 years from now look at blue smoke out of my tailpipes and say "shoot, should have changed my oil sooner"

I guess I was worrying about changing this oil out @ 3kmiles, just to add new oil and it too will blacken quickly. so if this oil can handle that, Id rather let this batch take all that soot in, instead of the new oil.

 

[Win]

The place for information on all things Jaguar is www.jaglovers.org although there is not a lot out there on the X350 because the earliest cars have just now dropped out of warranty and they have been virtually trouble free.

Jaguar engines are not hard on oil, have large sumps, and are perfectly happy with only one or two oil changes annually. The standard service interval is one year/10K miles and has been for at least the last twenty years.

I bought an '04 Xj8 for my wife back in '04, and I do not run anything fancy in it. The dealers put plain jane GTX 5/30 in them. Right now I have GTX synthetic blend in hers, but will probably go with PZ YB next change this fall. I use OEM Jaguar filters. That's probably what I would put in yours if I wanted to get all the prior owners crud out of it.

The oil turning black in 1500 miles would concern me a little bit. Ours sees a bit less than 4K miles annually, mostly very short trips with a few 90 mile drives to our secondary residence and the oil always looks and smells like new. It has never had any detectable consumption.

On hers, I get out about 7 quarts if I use a vaccuum extract, and about six or so if I just drain it. I've never had any trouble with the dip stick tube wiping the stick.

 

[StrateLOSS]

I guess Im doing it wrong then lols. only when it sat for a while(like over night) can I get an accurate reading. Even if it sat for a few hours I guess there still oil on the dipstick.

Ive been to jaglovers and they had great information for my 2000 xj, but not so much activity on the newer one.

Its not black atm, just a dark brown. what went in was a light golden color penzoil platinum.

I really wish I can buy one of these cars new and start from there, but unfortunately I cant buy $70-80k cars.

After posting here, and rereading my other thread I feel much better about taking it longer. The filter Im using is puralator pureone(the on on the car now is made in germany)... They seem to be better constructed then the stock ones which I think are frams ?

whats your take on puralator filters ? stp's are junk btw

 

[Win]

I've never used the Purolator's specified for Jaguars, but I'm sure they're fine filters and will give good service. I've used them in my Pontiacs, and they work fine in that application.

I think the STP filters are fine also, I used them on my Xj6's many times. The Fram filters specified for the AJ-V8 are UK made afaik, and not very comparable to the orange can Fram's. The OEM Jaguar filter is UK Fram I think, with a better looking paint job on the can.

Changing the the oil often to clean the crud is a good idea but I think I would skip the MMO (I'd rather have oil in my sump than that stuff) and just go with PZ yellow bottle every 3 or 4K until it looks clean, and do semi annuals with whatever you like thereafter if you don't like the 10K / one year interval.

The AJ-V8 works very well with oil extractors; if you are comfortable with leaving the filter in place, you can change the oil as often as you want without ever getting dirty!

When (if) you changed the coolant, what did you use? I've got to do that on my wife's as it is out on time, although the car only has about 24K. I had the dealer do the tranny at 10K, and I think I may do the diff at 30K or so.

 

[StrateLOSS]

I diy my oilchange and dont have an extractor

I think Im done using the MMO, but may continue using it as I did like the way it worked with the oil. Smoothened it out some, and yes, did darken the oil so it actually does help with the cleaning.

Honestly I dont want to go back to non synth, I did already with the GTX High Mileage and told myself this time around Im going to do an extended drain (which for me is 7500miles) I think Ill just do that and stop worrying.

Ill just watch the level, top up when needed, and swap the oil filter at 80-81k miles whenever I have time.

ahhh choices choices. I do LOVE this motor, man does it haul.

 

[Gene K]

I dont know enough about the Jaguar V8 to make a specific recommendation. The following is where I would start.

1. As a starting point read the owners manual. Likely posted online if you dont have the original.
2. Use the oil spec it recommends. I expect the specs will be for a Synthetic. It may require oil that meets Ford's European Extended Drain Spec.
3. Use the Severe Duty Schedule initially since you live in Brooklyn. I assume a lot of heavy traffic. If you want to extend from their get a used oil analysis.

 

[crazyoildude]

ok for the mental part i would change it every 6000 miles or 6 months..
Can it go more im sure it can but it cant hurt to change it every 6000 or 6 months