What type of oil?

catieeb06

Hiya,

I have a Petrol 1.6L Peugeot 306 L Reg.

Thing is, it seems to be burning oil so I need to top it up every couple of weeks. I don't know what type of oil to buy and I want to purchase a good few litres to keep me topped up for a while.

Anyone know?

Thanks

Catie x

vax2002

if its burning it, well buy 5l of the cheap supermarket 20/40w the re-filtered stuff, it wont burn that so easy.
PS when was the oil filter last changed ? when they get muck on those it shuts a valve and the oil pressure rises causing oil burning.

catieeb06

Without meaning to sound stupid but what do all the numbers mean?

With regards the oil filter- I am not too sure. I bought the car off my brother who bought it from my Gran. I put it in for service in January so I can only assume it was done then?

It has 87k on the clock if that helps?

rev_henry

The oil and filter will have been changed at service time. That's the main thing they do in a service. Vax means 5 litres, 20w50 is the type of oil. You don't really need to know what 20w50 means, just as long as its the right oil. Look in the owners manual, it'll say what type of oil to use, but 20w50 tends to be the cheapo stuff and will probably be fine in a car that age. Wilkos or the supermarkets have it cheap.

Hammyman

Kwik Fit do free top ups up to 1 litre.

Hammyman

rev_henry wrote: »

The oil and filter will have been changed at service time. That's the main thing they do in a service. Vax means 5 litres, 20w50 is the type of oil. You don't really need to know what 20w50 means, just as long as its the right oil. Look in the owners manual, it'll say what type of oil to use, but 20w50 tends to be the cheapo stuff and will probably be fine in a car that age. Wilkos or the supermarkets have it cheap.

DO NOT TAKE ANY NOTICE OF THIS ADVICE WHATSOEVER. 20w/50 is too thick for pretty much any engine in any car on the road in the UK, even classics. It will result in premature wear of the engine, it won't stop any rattling nor will it stop any oil leaks.

catieeb06

So what do u advise?

It's got some 15/30 castrol gtx my dad gave me in it at the moment but its expensive stuff and seeing as it needs topping up every other week I would rather find a cheaper brand but not sure of the type I need to put in.

s_b

needs 10/40 semi synthetic
try giving it a good run if granny owned it as piston rings might be gummed up too

flashg67

pop your reg number in here to find the correct grade, (or check the handbook):- http://www.castrol.com/castrol/iframe.do?categoryId=9024084&contentId=7044829

mikey72

Don't know what Hammyman's shouting for,

shell recommend a 10w 40, but list a 20w 50 as ok as well above -5C.

It may be a bit thick in winter, below -5C, but back in the early 90's most cars used 20w 50.
Lidl do a decent 15w 40 for a tenner, but I'd probably use a 10w 40 as well.
I have two cars, (one from the mid 60's, one from the late 80's,) both need a 20w50, the biggest problem is finding it at a reasonable price.


From the shell site,

Recommendation

HELIX HX7 10W40

Alternative recommendations, <2000: -30°C to 25°C, 5W-30; -30°C to 40°C, 5W-40; -20°C to 25°C, 10W-30; -20°C to 40°C, 10W-40; -20°C to 50°C, 10W-50; -15°C to 40°C, 15W-50; -5°C to 50°C, 20W-50

vax2002

Its burning oil most likely due to the valve stem oil seals leaking, its quite common on car of that engine, the engine was a bit of a throwback on that year, more hoses than a fire truck as it was designed for a rwd pick up.
It was quite powerful in its day for a 1.6.