Best Oil for my Jaguar XJS straight 6 in Houston

[spikepaga]

Hello all! New here..great forum.

Looking to get some opinions about oil for my 1995 Jaguar XJS with a AJ16 engine,103K miles.

I live in Houston, Texas...temperatures can get as high as 105, but during the long summer we hover around 98

I have been using Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W30 and 10W40 on the car, mainly because I was attracted to it because of its seal protection properties. I change it every 5 to 6K miles.

A lot of guys in my area like to use 20W50 on the same engine, but I think this is too thick, even at our temperatures .

Now I am considering going over to either Amsoil ZROD 10W30 or Amsoil premium 10W40 or Redline 10W30 or 10W40.

Jaguar recommends every possible oil on their manual and subsequent technical bulletins,So thats no help.

Am I good with the 10w30 and 10w40?
Is the ZROD appropriate for my car?. Really looking forward to hearing some opinions

 

[CATERHAM]

Welcome to BITOG!

Your Jag isn't that old and doesn't require oils that thick.
Any 5W-30 synthetic is actually preferred to any 10W-XX or heavier oil.
If you have an oil leak problem (you didn't say) I'd use M1 5W-30 HM but nothing heavier.
Amsoil 0W-30 would be good and if you like Red Line, their 0W-30 would be the best choice and definitely not their obsolete 10W-30 oil.

Hope this helps.

 

[Win]

I ran everything from straight 40, to 5/30, and everything in between, in my AJ6's.

Honestly, I'd just go to Wal Mart and get the 2 gallon jug of Super Tech 15-40, and call it good. Did that many times.

FWIW, I have plain vanilla Pennzoil 5/30 in my Xj8, and M1 10/30 in my V12.

Jaguars are not picky about oil.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Win

I'd just go to Wal Mart and get the 2 gallon jug of Super Tech 15-40, and call it good.

If you value the car that's pretty close to the last oil I'd run.

 

[toneydoc]

Caterham knows oil backwards and forwards. He gives good advice the vast majority of times. Mobil 1, Pennzoil platinum, and Castrol Edge are all excellent choices. 5w30 would be a good weight for the TX weather.

 

[spikepaga]

Thanks a lot for your replies.

I do not have any leaks on my car with the Mobil 1 High Mileage. I developed a couple after I switched and they where promptly fixed

My fears with a 0w ,is that it is that it gets to hot where I am at, and also moving away from the Mobil One high mileage with the seal conditioners concerns me.

A lot of these AJ16 engines develop rattles when run with a thinner oil, and they tend to quiet down with a thicker oil, which is why I suspect a lot of owners throw 20W50 in there. I thought that a 10W was a good compromise, but you think I should go as low as 5W, year round??

 

[spikepaga]

Originally Posted By: spikepaga
Thanks a lot for your replies.

I do not have any leaks on my car with the Mobil 1 High Mileage. I developed a couple after I switched and they where promptly fixed

My fears with a 0w ,is that it is that it gets to hot where I am at, and also moving away from the Mobil One high mileage with the seal conditioners concerns me.

A lot of these AJ16 engines develop rattles when run with a thinner oil, and they tend to quiet down with a thicker oil,( I do not have any at the moment) which is why I suspect a lot of owners throw 20W50 in there. I thought that a 10W was a good compromise, but you think I should go as low as 5W, year round??

 

[toneydoc]

Most of the guys on this website will talk about oil flow at startup, which is when a LOT of engine wear occurs. The thought is that lighter oil will allow more flow quickly and minimize wear during that crucial period and the oil will not break down even during TX heat. There is nothing wrong with 10w oil and I run it in AL fairly routinely.

 

[fxrider]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Win

I'd just go to Wal Mart and get the 2 gallon jug of Super Tech 15-40, and call it good.

If you value the car that's pretty close to the last oil I'd run.
I agree, try some Shell Rotella T-5 10W30 . Great oil for a great price. $16.00 for a Gallon @ Wal-mart.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: spikepaga

My fears with a 0w ,is that it is that it gets to hot where I am at, and also moving away from the Mobil One high mileage with the seal conditioners concerns me.

A lot of these AJ16 engines develop rattles when run with a thinner oil, and they tend to quiet down with a thicker oil, which is why I suspect a lot of owners throw 20W50 in there. I thought that a 10W was a good compromise, but you think I should go as low as 5W, year round??

Well you've come to the right place.
There a ton of myths about motor oil and the first number of an oil grade is one of them.
0W or 5W for that matter has absolutely NOTHING to do with how think or thin an oil is at operating temperature. The low first number simply means the oil flows better on start-up than a 10W or heavier oil; that's all. When it comes to synthetic oil there is no reason to use any oil with a first number higher than 5W and it is counter-productive to do so.
The most advanced oils today are of the 0W-XX grade because they generally have a much higher viscosity index and this includes racing oils.

No one who understands motor oil uses the antiquated 20W-50 grade. If you feel you needed to run a heavier oil the heaviest oil I'd recommend would be M1 0W-40.

 

[spikepaga]

Thanks Caterham, I really appreciate your information.

So it seems that you feel confident enough that a 95 AJ16 Jaguar engine is modern enough to handle the 0W30 and 5W30 all year round...very, very interesting.

The reason I have been using what I have been using is because I think that straight six is too old to handle that type of oil....

 

[fdcg27]

Caterham has demonstrated both an abudance of knowledge and a logical approach to oil requirements.
Win, OTOH, has actually owned cars with the same engine that your's has, and actually has an old V-12 XJS, in which he runs an oil close to what Caterham would probably recommend.
I doubt that you'd go wrong following the advice of either member in choosing an oil for your car, although they advise you to use entirely different grades.
Most engines are pretty forgiving of an oil grade a little thicker than what they really need, although you may notice some loss of pep using a 15W-40.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Win

I'd just go to Wal Mart and get the 2 gallon jug of Super Tech 15-40, and call it good.

If you value the car that's pretty close to the last oil I'd run.


It was my first Jag and it went 236,000 miles and still ran like a scalded cat when I let it go. How much longer did it need to run?

The AJ6 / AJ16 engine simply isn't particular about the type of oil that goes in the sump.

 

[spikepaga]

Hi Win....I disagree that they like any oil

If you visit the Jaguar forums you know that some owners go over 300K miles on these AJ16 cars without even taking the valve covers of....and other owner have chain guides that rattle like [censored] and there have been some AJ16 leaky head gaskets lately. I think this is because of the oil they are dumping into their sump.

What I really like about the Mobil 1 High Mileage is that its formulated to protect seals and gaskets.

Based on the responses here I think I am ready to go to Mobil One High Mileage 5W30 year round...I thinks this might help with the infamous start up rattle so many owners suffer from....they are probably rattling at start up because their oil is too thick!!

I would even go to the Redline 0w30, but I am not sure how kind that is to old Jaguar seals

 

[tig1]

A friend has a 95 Jag six cyl and uses M1 10-40HM.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: spikepaga

If you visit the Jaguar forums you know that some owners go over 300K miles on these AJ16 cars without even taking the valve covers of....and other owner have chain guides that rattle like [censored] and there have been some AJ16 leaky head gaskets lately. I think this is because of the oil they are dumping into their sump.

High mileage oil will have ZERO effect on a head gasket that is mostly exposed to compression and coolant...

Poor maintenance of the cooling system and/or father time do in most head gaskets... Electrolysis due to dissimilar head and block metals works it deed, especially if coolant has lost it's rust & corrosion protection...

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: spikepaga


If you visit the Jaguar forums ....



Welcome to BITOG - always good to have another Jag lover on here.

I've been around the Forums - Jag Lovers, at least. I just looked at my notes and my last submission to the XJ40 online repair manual there was November 5, 2002 - an FYI note on how to bypass a failed primary fuel pump and energize the secondary to create a limp home mode for primary fuel pump failure on the Xj81 (aka the 1993-1994 Xj12). Didn't make it in as the guy who did that manual moved on to another marque by then. I should probably resubmit it.

The AJ6/AJ16 six cylinder cars routinely went hundreds of thousands of miles on the cheap swill that passed as lubricants when they were new, a long time ago. The trannies aren't really particular either. The ZF tranny in my wife's Xj6 shifted like new at 171K when I bought her the new Xj8 (X350) in 2004, and the ZF in my XJ6 shifted like new at 236K - both on a steady diet of cheap Super Tech or Harvest King Dex III done at every oil change. I'm sure you already know the tranny in your XJS has a drain plug and you can drain 3 qts of ATF at overy oil change when you are changing your oil.

If you are worried about the timing chain tensioner on a seventeen year old car, just replace the tensioner. Ditto if it leaks - fix the leak. Oil is a lubricant and coolant, not a mechanic in a bottle.

Motorcars, Ltd., in Houston probably has any part you could ever need for your car, but you probably already know that. I've bought quite a few parts from them over the years.

An E type is still on my list of Jags to own at some point, but I don't know if I want a recent one like yours, or an earlier six cylinder car. I wish I had more room for cars.

 

[spikepaga]

Originally Posted By: Win
Welcome to BITOG - always good to have another Jag lover on here.


Thanks Win!!...XJS has the updated tensioner and does not rattle..and all leaks get taken care of as soon as they are found...as you know, some of us Jag guys are very obsessive about our chariots......my E type and XJS where my grandfathers, and I hope to pass them down to my future kids...but I want to enjoy them too...so I want the best I can buy.

It would be much easier to do a rebuilt on my V12 than on the AJ16..parts for the AJ16 are simply not available (God forbid either scenario!)

I have been noticing a trend with some AJ16 XJS and X300 owners of head gasket failures at the front of the engine where it seeps oil, and too many noisy engines...this is why I am interested in what my engine really needs. There is a lot of things people heard from someone else, but little substance.

So far what I have found here makes a lot of sense. Why would I not go to a 0w30 or a 5w30 from my current 10w30...it seems that there would be no downside..only the added protection of better lubrication at start up

 

[Norm Olt]

Any dino HDEO in 15W-40 would work just great in the Great State of Texas, AMSOIL AME 15W-40 if you are considering a significantly longer OCI.

Cheers!

 

[Win]

I think you should use whatever oil will make you feel comfortable with your cars. If a higher capability lubricant is what you want to use, by all means do that.

But you were mostly spot on in your first post that Jaguar recommended pretty much every oil - that's pretty much because they're just not very particular about oil.

What I would do is to drive your cars, and enjoy them, and not worry too much about it. If something breaks, just fix it. They're easy cars to work on, and parts are inexpensive. If some guys are having bad head gaskets after seventeen years, that's probably a coolant neglect issue.

AJ16 parts should be abundant. In addition to Motorcars in Houston, Coventry West in Atlanta is a big and reputable parts supplier. I bought a lot of parts from a place called Jagbits, and some others. Parts won't be a problem.

Enjoy your cars. I sure miss my AJ6 powered cars.