Oil recommendation for 2000 Land Rover 4.0L V8

[92saturnsl2]

As the title suggests, I'm looking for oil recommendations for a 4.0L V8 in a 2000 Land Rover Discovery II. Vehicle has 100k and doesn't appear to burn any noticeable amount.

It's a dinosaur of an engine, an old 16 valve pushrod, flat tappet design based on the 1950's aluminum Buick 215 V8. Not much has changed with the engine, other than modern fuel metering and emissions controls.

Looking into the oil filler cap, it definitely has it's share of caked on deposits, not quite what I'd call sludge, but not clean either. Could be a by-product of poor maintenance, engine design, perhaps a combination of both.

I'd like to begin a strict 3-5k OCI regimen, hopefully to begin cleaning out the crud, and also looking for decent protection. These motors typically don't die from lube related issues or wear-- rather they puke head gaskets at will, cylinder liners come loose, and the blocks like to warp and do crazy things at the sign of even SLIGHT overheating. Or so I've read... I'm hoping for some good luck with mine, and I figure it starts with good maintenance. If I could coax it to 150k or beyond without major work to the engine, I'd be a happy camper.

First oil change I did when I bought it was to put in generic (Blains Farm and Fleet brand, maybe Citgo or Mystik?) 5w-40 synthetic CJ-4 rated diesel oil.

I wonder if a diesel oil is appropriate for this application, or if you folks think something else might be better for cleanliness or wear? Open to any opinions, suggestions, pertinent info, etc.

Manufacturer recommends anything from 5w-30 to 10w-60 depending on ambient temperature. So from the looks of it, I could use just about anything (other than the 20 weights) and still fall under the recommended grade. Doesn't exactly help narrow my choices down any

 

[randomhero439]

Mobil 1 0w-40 all year round.

If you wana clean it good, you could run some quick changes of Pennzoil or Rotella though.

 

[Ramblejam]

With the emphasis on cleaning...

Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30
Motorcraft FL-1A

 

[wings1]

I owned the same L/R for 10 yrs and put 187,000 miles on that truck......this motor does not like syn oil.....started using Mobile 1 from new and at 87,000 miles it was using 2 qts between oil changes...Old line L/R mech for 30 yrs told me to run 10w40 PYB or 10w40 HM Pennzoil...two oil changes later and the truck was only using 1/2 qt between changes......used that until I sold it and at 187K miles it was still only using 1/2 qt which is normal use for that engine.
Head gaskets started leaking at 135000 miles and when we pulled it apart there was no sludge.....the mechanic was suprised at how clean the engine was with that many miles....that was my experience with this vehicle......good luck with it, it is a great truck.....

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: wings1
Head gaskets started leaking at 135000 miles and when we pulled it apart there was no sludge.....the mechanic was suprised at how clean the engine was with that many miles....that was my experience with this vehicle......good luck with it, it is a great truck....


Just curious but did the HG start leaking on its own, or from an overheating event? Also, did your front driveshaft ever fail, or any issues with the cylinder liners? Any other major issues with the engine / drivetrain?

 

[901Memphis]

+1 on Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30. The 0w40 would be my first recommendation if you didn't need the cleaning.

 

[wings1]

the head gaskets started leaking on their own....never over heated...this is not un-usual for these engines..that was the only major issue that I had with that motor.....keep it serviced and it should last you a long time....

never had any issues with drive shafts or U joints.....seals in transfer case dry out and start leaking and should be replaced......change the ATF, and the front shaft, transfer case, and rear diff fluid every 30K miles

 

[Merkava_4]

It says above 14 F to use 10W-40.

It says below 14 F to use 5W-20.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Mobil 1 0w-40 all year round.

If you wana clean it good, you could run some quick changes of Pennzoil or Rotella though.



I definitely agree with the 0w-40 m1 suggestion.


Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
+1 on Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30. The 0w40 would be my first recommendation if you didn't need the cleaning.



K. Guys. Haven't you seen the 338000 mile 5.0 that overkill ran m1 0w-40 in. That engine was spotless with cross hatching still visible in the cylinders.
So we know that M1 0w-40 is a stellar oil for deposits.

OP.
If it was my truck firstly I'd run a quart of mmo or seafoam prior to the next oil change. Guys here really like kreen so its an option too,or b12 chemtool.

Run an interval of 10w-40,high mileage or whatever,maybe an hdeo in the 15w-40 flavour with the mmo/seafoam/kreen/chemtool. The additive will thin the oil which is why I'm suggesting thick oil.
Run a short interval,2000 miles or so then drain. From then on out I'd run a European spec oil such as M1 0w-40(this is the best priced and a world class product)or pennzoil ultra 5w-40.
Both the M1 or the ultra will do a fantastic job and are fine for all seasons,buy whichever is least expensive.
German castrol 0w-30 or Belgian castrol 0w-40 are also viable options and if cheaper than the products above I'd be very confident using any of them. Let the price guide you.
If by chance an oil leak develops napa has this additive called motor oil saver made by a German company called liqui-moly. It will stop your leak and would be smart preventative maintenance to prevent any potential leaks.
Motor oil saver contains boron and is an ester which will condition gaskets and will raise the tbn of the oil,allowing for a longer drain interval.
If not interested in a synthetic I'd use 10w-40 in the summer,and 5w-30 in the winter. PYB is my first choice but all the majors have a decent conventional product.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
K. Guys. Haven't you seen the 338000 mile 5.0 that overkill ran m1 0w-40 in. That engine was spotless with cross hatching still visible in the cylinders.
So we know that M1 0w-40 is a stellar oil for deposits.


I've also seen high mileage/high hour gasoline engines ran on nothing but 15w-40 that were exceptionally clean with imperceptible deposit formation -- that doesn't mean it's the best choice for cleaning and sealing leaks in a 14 year old engine.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: Clevy
K. Guys. Haven't you seen the 338000 mile 5.0 that overkill ran m1 0w-40 in. That engine was spotless with cross hatching still visible in the cylinders.
So we know that M1 0w-40 is a stellar oil for deposits.


I've also seen high mileage/high hour gasoline engines ran on nothing but 15w-40 that were exceptionally clean with imperceptible deposit formation -- that doesn't mean it's the best choice for cleaning and sealing leaks in a 14 year old engine.



Fair enough. All I was trying to point out was that in every example of M1 0w-40 I've seen the innards were spotless.
I'm no fan whatsoever of Mobil at all but the 0w-40 is world class,and would be great for all seasons in his engine.
We can speculate all day but unless he tries it out we'll never really know right.
The conventional recommendation might be the most prudent. That member has actual experience with the engine in question and his experience says conventional.
But I like my idea,using motor oil saver raises the tbn and would basically convert the M1 0w-40 into a high mileage oil which will improve the gasket sealing and possibly prevent a gasket failure.

 

[Ramblejam]

No worries, Clevy. There really isn't a right answer as several different strategies could effectively achieve the same end result.

As for the member with prior ownership, I certainly question his logic & reasoning -- correlation does not imply causation.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
No worries, Clevy. There really isn't a right answer as several different strategies could effectively achieve the same end result.

As for the member with prior ownership, I certainly question his logic & reasoning -- correlation does not imply causation.





Correlation does not imply causation.

That is awesome. I'm going to use that one.

Thanks

 

[92saturnsl2]

Thanks for all the suggestions fellas; keep 'em coming.

Initially I wasn't even going to consider a synthetic as there's no real severe service going on here-- It's anything but a high output engine (whopping 188 peak horsepower), actually an old aluminum boat anchor better describes it. With a crazy rod/stroke ratio of 2.18 to 1, rod angles are extremely shallow and peak piston speed is very low. The engine geometry should translate into a very low wearing engine. If not for the headgasket and cylinder liner issues, it has all the hallmarks of a million mile motor.

There are also considerable sealing issues with these engines, and they are almost impossible to keep leak-free. There is evidence of a leak somewhere, but it will need to get much worse before I can easily locate the origin.

These things aside, what benefits would a synthetic provide over a conventional in this application? Vehicle usage is mostly highway, and I intend to keep oil change intervals short, between 3-5k miles. I'll also be using the huge FL1A (Fram PH8A) size oil filter if that matters any.

I certainly don't mind using a Synthetic, and am not discounting or shrugging off the advice given. I just want justification for the extra cost, so as not to feel as though I'm throwing money away, when a more affordable conventional may do a comparable job.

Or does the ability of Synthetics to clean & maintain a clean engine surpass that of dino oils?

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Thanks for all the suggestions fellas; keep 'em coming.

Initially I wasn't even going to consider a synthetic as there's no real severe service going on here-- It's anything but a high output engine (whopping 188 peak horsepower), actually an old aluminum boat anchor better describes it. With a crazy rod/stroke ratio of 2.18 to 1, rod angles are extremely shallow and peak piston speed is very low. The engine geometry should translate into a very low wearing engine. If not for the headgasket and cylinder liner issues, it has all the hallmarks of a million mile motor.

There are also considerable sealing issues with these engines, and they are almost impossible to keep leak-free. There is evidence of a leak somewhere, but it will need to get much worse before I can easily locate the origin.

These things aside, what benefits would a synthetic provide over a conventional in this application? Vehicle usage is mostly highway, and I intend to keep oil change intervals short, between 3-5k miles. I'll also be using the huge FL1A (Fram PH8A) size oil filter if that matters any.

I certainly don't mind using a Synthetic, and am not discounting or shrugging off the advice given. I just want justification for the extra cost, so as not to feel as though I'm throwing money away, when a more affordable conventional may do a comparable job.

Or does the ability of Synthetics to clean & maintain a clean engine surpass that of dino oils?


A conventional oil changed at 5000 miles should keep your engine just as clean as a synthetic at 10000 mile intervals.
The real benefit from synthetics are better cold flow specs and longer drain intervals.
If your planning on sticking with a 5000 mile interval there is no point in using a synthetic.
If your getting anti-freeze into the oil then I say forget the synthetics altogether and run shorter conventional intervals to eliminate the anti-freeze.

If I can make a suggestion. Until you can fix the gasket I suggest trying liqui-moly motor oil saver in your oil. It will fix any gasket unless the gasket is physically broken or missing,until you get a chance to fix the gaskets anyways. Its cheap and if it doesn't work I'll pay for it.
You can find it at napa. Liqui-moly motor oil saver. Grab some mos2 while your there. You'll thank me later once you see the fuel consumption improvement.
So that's about it. Synthetics flow better when cold and the interval can be extended or conventionals for shorter intervals.
I'd use the motor oil saver in a sump full of conventional until the gasket leak can be verified no longer leaking,then move to a syn at an extended interval.
Jmo

 

[92saturnsl2]

No anti-freeze in the oil-- but the mileage is such that a head gasket failure probably isn't TOO far away, if it hasn't already happened and been repaired by the previous owner. 90-120k seems to be the usual timeframe for the first HG to go south.

That said, engine runs great at the present time. I plan on doing UOAs in order to detect problems early.

There is a leaky seal somewhere that oil is getting out of, but it's at the stage where it's just barely coating the oil pan. No drips or anything of the sort yet, so I'm going to let it be until I can dig into the motor a bit and replace seals when the weather improves.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
No anti-freeze in the oil-- but the mileage is such that a head gasket failure probably isn't TOO far away, if it hasn't already happened and been repaired by the previous owner. 90-120k seems to be the usual timeframe for the first HG to go south.

That said, engine runs great at the present time. I plan on doing UOAs in order to detect problems early.

There is a leaky seal somewhere that oil is getting out of, but it's at the stage where it's just barely coating the oil pan. No drips or anything of the sort yet, so I'm going to let it be until I can dig into the motor a bit and replace seals when the weather improves.


Alright. If no anti-freeze intrusion present then no problems running extended intervals with a synthetic.
Contrary to popular belief synthetic oil isn't cheap insurance so unless your going to extend the interval don't waste the money on a synthetic.
Trust me on the liqui-moly motor oil saver. It will cure your leak.

 

[ac_tc]

-First oil change I did when I bought it was to put in generic (Blains Farm and Fleet brand, maybe Citgo or Mystik?) 5w-40 synthetic CJ-4 rated diesel oil.

Enough...more than good enough.
I would change antifreze/ coolant however using G05 or old green.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Or does the ability of Synthetics to clean & maintain a clean engine surpass that of dino oils?


The ability of synthetics to clean is exactly why I recommended Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30 -- just follow their advice:

"If your engine has excessive sludge deposits due to less-than-adequate maintenance practices, Mobil 1 High Mileage can help by reducing the sludge left behind in your engine. For severe cases of sludge, short oil change intervals (3,000 - 5,000 miles) are recommended for the first two-three oil changes as reduction of the sludge takes place."

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Or does the ability of Synthetics to clean & maintain a clean engine surpass that of dino oils?


The ability of synthetics to clean is exactly why I recommended Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30 -- just follow their advice:

"If your engine has excessive sludge deposits due to less-than-adequate maintenance practices, Mobil 1 High Mileage can help by reducing the sludge left behind in your engine. For severe cases of sludge, short oil change intervals (3,000 - 5,000 miles) are recommended for the first two-three oil changes as reduction of the sludge takes place."



Mobil 1 essentially makes a similar claim for all their oils. They just choose to specify this on the HM line. 0W-40 also has a healthy dose of detergent and can clean, IHMO.

incidentally, I do think Mobil 1 HM 10W-30 did quite a bit of cleaning in my winter beater...