2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

What's the best oil for an FC?

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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 09:49 PM
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What's the best oil for an FC?

Need to know what would be the best oil for my 88 NA. Lemme know what you all use.
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 09:50 PM
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Originally Posted by intro_kz
Need to know what would be the best oil for my 88 NA. Lemme know what you all use.
A: Search

B: Castrol 20W-50
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 10:32 PM
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I use Castrol 10W-30

but planning to switch to

Castrol 20W-50 for my TII

but castro is a nice brand
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 10:46 PM
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yea their non synthetic stuff is really really good. I put it in the other day and noticed a difference right away, less vibration and better engine response. I was using the 10W30 stuff.
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 11:17 PM
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i just put in castrol 10w-30
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 11:25 PM
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best bang for the buck will be Castrol GTX 20w50

My car has ONLY used Castrol GTX in its 14 years of life...
the difference between 10w30 & 20w50 is HUUUUUUUUUGE
so much smoother with 20w50...
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Old Sep 15, 2004 | 11:56 PM
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Note to self, buy 20-50 next time to test this theory. Makes sense to me about the heavier weight. Castrol=Happy bearings!
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:01 AM
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10w30 in your geographical location. You don't need 20w50 in an NA unless you are above ~80 degrees all the time.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:05 AM
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Got ya. The heat makes oil thinner makes sense.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:10 AM
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Royal Purpol 10w30 in an N/A FC. Stuffs $$$ but worth it.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:13 AM
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Castrol GTX 20w50 is the norm for most experienced FC owners. I used it till I tried Royal Purple 20w50 synthetic.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:20 AM
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i use castrol as well, but ive seen the new castrol start up oil and was wondering if anyone has tried it yet.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:40 AM
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Royal Purple 20w50

I bought a case while I was out at Sevenstock.
It cost me 60bux but I've heard it's totally worth it.

It's synthetic so it actually burns better than a dino oil but I have my OMP semi disconnected and I'm runningn premix anyways.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 12:47 AM
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I am a Royal Purple user as well.
Bet I'm one of the few on here who has ever dumped 15 quarts of the stuff into the oiling system at once
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 01:11 AM
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LOL, forgot to put back the drain plug? How do you put FIFTEEN quarts of oil in?
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 01:28 AM
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A good sythetic such as Royal Purple or Mobile-One and a TCW-3 premix..
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 06:41 AM
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i use castrol gtx 15w50
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 07:16 AM
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http://www.globalwebcart.com/apolloamerica/page_211.htm has anyone heard of this prodcut before. i saw a ad for it in the new Rx-Tuner. is it good, is it bad, is it a crock of ****?
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 07:46 AM
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A rotary tech told me never to use synthetic oil, he claims it ruins the rotary motors? is this true..? ha my TII has enough problems as it is i dont wanna ruin more with the worng oil
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 08:11 AM
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I use Mobil 1, 20w 50, also use mobil 1 oil filter...
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 08:20 AM
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Originally Posted by fastcars101
A rotary tech told me never to use synthetic oil, he claims it ruins the rotary motors? is this true..? ha my TII has enough problems as it is i dont wanna ruin more with the worng oil
There is a huge debate on this which I'm not going to get into (search if you want to read the threads that have covered this), but the simple answer is go with whatever kind of oil you and/or your mechanic are comfortable with. Just make sure you change your oil every 3 months or 2500 miles and it shouldn't make too much of a difference.

Last edited by ultradef; Sep 16, 2004 at 08:22 AM.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 08:28 AM
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I have an 89 GTU and have used Castrol GTX 20W50 since by engine rebuild a year ago. I changed the oil after the 300 mile and then again at the 1K mile break in period, and have changed it every 3K miles. If you stick to the 3k changes there is no advantage to a synthetic oil. You are just spending more money on oil than you should. Save your money for the other rotary expenses.

Use a good quality oil filter, K&N or OEM, and a 20W50 oil and stick to the recommended change intervals and you are doing all Mazda recommends for this part of your maintenance regimen. Then its one thing you don't have to worry about, you're doing the right thing.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by fastcars101
A rotary tech told me never to use synthetic oil, he claims it ruins the rotary motors? is this true..? ha my TII has enough problems as it is i dont wanna ruin more with the worng oil
He is clueless.

I spoke with several engine builders over the weekend at 7 stock, and they all back up the claim that good quality Synthetics are prefectly fine. One has rebuilt hundreds of 12A and 13B motors and never found a any synthetic build up on a rotary unless the owner grandma'd the engine (never drove it past 4K-5K rpm-they should be driven to redline regularly).

This is also covered in the FAQ for FC thread at the top of this section including the oil weights to be used,
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 08:40 AM
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Oil choice is really a matter of personal preference. Though not a rotary shop, we have always preferred Castrol @ Z-1 Performance. When I got my car way back when, we decided to switch me to 20W50 since the car was driven hard and the thicker oil would protect better than the 10W30 I was running. I've been running 20W50 Castrol GTX ever since.

The old topic of synthetic/dino in a rotary has been an age old debate. A quality synthetic is fine for use in a rotary engine. I know people that use royal purple, and those that use amsoil with success. Many of the big rotary tuning shops in Japan offer their own synthetics for use specifically in rotaries. RX-7 Magazine (a Japanese Magazine) had a rotary oil comparison the other yea, I'll try to dig up the article. They compared popular brands of dino and rotary specific synthetic in terms of the operating heat ranges the oils got up to.
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 09:10 AM
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I had another question along these same lines. I was talking to a friend that knows a great deal about cars and considerably less but has some information about rotary engines. He told me that rotary engines were designed and first built for airplanes and engineered to run at a constant speed rather than having the constant fluctuation in RPMs that daily driving entails. Consequently, he said that I'd have to replace my Apex seals often. I need to know if he's just talking out of his ***.

Also I was wondering what gains there are in upgrading to 3mm seals and if it's worth it for a n/a car.
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