Oil for my DeLorean and Lexus

[82DMC12]

Hello Group,

I am new here. I am seeking advice on what kind of oil and filters and should be running on my two cars. I live in Fargo, ND where the winters are cold and the summers are hot. My cars are used mainly for in-town driving. They never are subjected to repeated short trips. Always a few miles either way so they warm up fully.

My daily driver is a 94 Lexus ES300 with the 1MZ-FE engine. about 107K on the odo. Currently I use M1530 and a Fram-branded filter. I have read on here that Fram might not be a very good filter (probably fine but there are better anyway). What would you recommend? I need something that is easy to find. The SuperTech filters are interesting, and i have seen on here the NAPA Gold filters are good too?

My weekend driver is a 1982 DeLorean. Almost fully restored. The Owners Manual and shop manual recommend using 10w40, 15w40, or 20w40 for my temperature range. I have been using a Purflux filter (imported from France) and Mobil 10w40 (regular). I have read on here that 10w40 is not too stable of an oil. Should i go with a 15w40 instead? Which brand makes the best? I wouldn't mind using synthetic in this car too. This car is stored winters and only sees temp ranges from maybe 45 deg F at the coldest to 100 deg F hottest. The motor is a 2.8L V6 jointly designed by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo, commonly known as the B28F, or PRV series.

For each of my cars I change the oil every 3 mo/3K miles. I might look at extended drain intervals once I am sure that the oil and filters I am using a top-notch first.

I'm not really interested in specialty oils like Amsoil or Schaefers - no doubt they are good but I need something I can easily pick up in a store and not over the internet.

Thanks for the help!
Andy

 

[JHZR2]

M1 is great for the lexus, probably you can find a grade which will work well for the delorean as well.

For the lexus, get OE or denso 'first time fit' filters, which can be gotten cheaply from any online parts distributor. Theyre nice filters that have a prelubed gasket and torque limiting baseplate.

JMH

 

[82DMC12]

Thanks for the info on the oil, XS650. I have never heard of Delo oil. A quick google revealed it is made by Chevron/Texaco. I am in the auto service industry and this is not Chev/Tex country up here in ND. So that is probably out.

Is the Delvac primarily a diesel rated oil? I see on Mobil's site that the 15W40 meets basically every manufacture's specs on the planet. Are there any downsides to using a C-certified oil in an engine that is gasoline? Any benefits to be found? I want to be sure that I am using something that is perfectly find for this engine before I dump 7 quarts in!!

Thanks again for the assistance!
Andy

 

[Gene K]

Chevron Delo 400 15W-40 will be available in gal jugs at the local WalMart, Target, or Truckstop. It is a HDEO (Heavy Duty Engine Oil) / Mixed Fleet Oil. It is around $6.24 gal at WalMart. It has a more robust additive package than a PCMO (Passenger Car Motor Oil). The latest CI4+ formulation has Moly and Boron added to the additive package.

If it is unavailable you can substitute Mobil Delvac 1300 or Shell Rotella T.

HDEO are very good oils for cars that will spend long periods of inactivity because they have more corrosion inhibitors and high TBN (Acid Neutralization capabilty).

Gene

 

[XS650]

For your Lexus. M1 is a good oil, particularly if you want something that is easy to find. Instead of 5W-30, you might try their 0W-30. Fargo winters qualify as 0W country

. 6K mile OCIs on M1 should be a no brainer unless you are doing a lot of Fargo winter short trip driving, then you should try an OCI once at about 4k miles or so to see how it's doing.

As long as the DeLorean is only getting driven when it's over 45F out (over 20F would be warm enough) a good HDEO 15W-40 like Delo 400 or Delvac Super 1300 would be a very good oil for it. For both the engine and the flux capacitors.

The concerns about 10W-40 are mostly based on older oils, although I would still be leary of cheap modern 10W-40 oils.

Its probably a good idea to change your oil at least once a year, so as long as you are driving your DeLorean at least 6k miles per year, a synthetic xW-40 would also be a good oil. If you drive it much less, then a good non-synthetic HDEO makes more sense.

You can't go wrong with a NAPA Gold filter. Wallyworld ST filters are real bargains and reports are that they are good filters. Purolator filters are good too, particularly the Pure One line. I don't think you can really go far wrong with any good brand name filter except those made by Fram.

My favorites from walk in stores are Napa Gold and Purolator Pure One. If I were on a tight budget, it would be Wallyworld ST filters or some other house brand Champian built filter.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by 82DMC12:
.
Is the Delvac primarily a diesel rated oil? I see on Mobil's site that the 15W40 meets basically every manufacture's specs on the planet. Are there any downsides to using a C-certified oil in an engine that is gasoline? Any benefits to be found?

---

Most of the HDEO 15W-40 oils such as Delvac Super 1300 are also SL or SM rated for gas engines so are good to use in gas engines. And as Gene said, they have more robust additive package than most passenger car oils.

I'm partial to Mobil buy don't really think there is much difference between the Shell, Chevron and Mobil HDEO offerings.

 

[82DMC12]

All of your input has been very helpful to me, guys. One last question. All other things being equal, would you go with a 15W40 or a 20W50 (also an acceptable oil if the temperature doesn't go too low) and WHY?

20W50 just sounds like a thick oil to me that might cause early morning starting or after-storage starting difficult. On the other side, this IS a 'loose' European motor that might have no trouble moving it around.

The reason I ask is because the owner's manual and shop manual are both very vague and in the DeLorean owners' community there is much debate over what is best for this engine.

Why is 5W30 or 10W30 a poor choice (besides not being in the manual as an acceptable weight oil)?

Andy

 

[Pablo]

I used to have a Volvo 262C with the infamous B28F. Yes this is a loose motor, but you want an oil that pumps up easy and fast. The weakness, other than the jigsaw puzzle block is the oil system in the heads.

I wouldn't use a 20W-50 - however a 15W-40 may be perfect in this engine and is what I used to run. I also recommend using the Volvo oem MANN filter (same as almost all Volvi). Maybe consider a synthetic 15W-40.

 

[82DMC12]

Thanks for the input, Pablo.
Luckily in the DMC version of the engine the oil plumbing was reworked and the cams are strengthened. This is a very tough engine to mess up as long as it doesn't overheat. I know of a handful of DMC's with over 200K miles and at least a couple with over 300K.

looks like 15W40 is where it's at for this motor.

Andy