I cannot comment on JCB's oil specifically, but, as I understand it, oil designed for diesel use is generally superior to that used in petrol engines. They contain higher detergent levels, etc. which should help keep the engine innards clean.

well the oil isnt a copy...
but i strongly agree that chinese copys are crap,
i work on outboards, and you see parts saying from the usa, then in small writing, made in china and were like doh... every chinese crap engine we see tends to go wrong, got one atm, the ecu went, but lets not go off topic!!

right a stupid one but to save starting a new thread etc...

anyway i checked my oil when car was cold, i was a bit low, just above the bottom mark, as in basically on the bottom mark, and i just went to put some in just now (engine was hot) and checked the oil first and it was just below the top one, now does oil expand when it gets hot? and should i wait till its cold or does it not matter?
the engine will be cold now anyway just wanted some advice

Should be done with a cold/cool engine, or one that's stood for a good 5-10 minutes after a run.

Did you wipe the dipstick and reinsert it to get the reading when it was hot, or did you just pull it out and look?

If the latter, then you're the dipstick...

i thought so, i thought id just check
nonnono im not that stupid dont worry!

did pull a spark plug out of a machine once to see why it wouldnt turn over, and it then turned over and spurted engine oil in my eye

OOh quite a lot of odd info early on in the thread

good quality oil is essential as air cooled engines are harsher on it.

fully synth may be overkill, but as its creeping down in price why not

£89 for 20 litres...better be bloody good at that! costco sells 20l semi synth at half that

diesel oil ok

flushing oil unneccesary just change the oil more often and filter every other change

never drain the oil then try to warm up the engine (but guessing thats the typing going faster than the brain)

tappets are done on a stone cold engine, oil drains best when warm( its now also being recomended that once the oil stops flowing and gets to the drip stage that the plug is re fitted and engine filled, to avoid the oil fully draining from crank journals and oil pump >shrug< dont see it myself)

after oil change pull one wire off coil and spin the engine with the plugs out 'till the warning light goes out, this primes the system and stops you running the engine with air in the oilways. fit plugs, re connect coil, check oil level and start.

Sean

Excellent stuff, Sean.

I would still (and will personally continue to... ) 'flush' a newly-purchased engine unless it's absolutely clear that the oil has always been changed SO regularly that it's clearly unnecessary. It should only need doing once, and it's the best way of shifting the gunge that will be sitting in all the lowest parts of the engine. Thereafter, use decent oil which, in my case, is Millers semi-synth as it's served me really well with a number of classic cars and I can get it for around £17/5l which is not a lot more than 'ordinary' stuff.

The proof for me is in the clean-engine pudding; oil that is still pretty much translucent at each oil change.

I've paid a bit over £60 for 20l of Fuchs full synth from Opie Oils.



Something was going faster than my brain when I did precisely that on the Acad... Drain oil. Change exhaust crossbox. Idle engine to cook exhaust paste. Realise. Swear.