FD3 Preferred Oil Weight
 

Howdy - just joined the forum. I own a 1994 FD3 with 60k on it, Montego Blue touring 5 speed, Bose wave system, etc., completely stock but for a Racing Beat cat back. Bought it used in 2000 with 28k. I used Mostly Mazda (Concord, CA) since then for oil changes and work (fried 5th gear syncrho, new clutch, plus cracked oil metering lines). They recommended and always used Catrol GTX 20w/50. Now Mostly is gone. Anybody know what happened to Brian Richards and Mike Johnson?

Anyway, I had my oil changed at a local Penzoil outfit (Speed Oil) and they said the factory specifications say 10w/30 and that 20w/50 will damage the engine. I always trusted Mostly and I'm sure they had good reason to suggest 20w/50. Anybody have the final word on this?

Ironically, I have just been thinking about turning it into a track machine. I've been considering suspension upgrades first. But now the guys I trusted are history. I live in Richmond. If anybody has a recommend rotary specialist close to me, I'd love to know about it.

-- James

Some people who run their cars hard or have problems with gasoline dilution will use a heavier oil. I run Mobil1 15w-50 full synthetic, because I have a lot of blow-by in my 114kmi engine. There's a million threads on oil, but the general consensus is that if you change your oil often enough, then it doesn't matter what your oil preference is. If you run regular oil (e.g. Castrol GTX), be sure to change every 1500 - 2000 miles. If you run synthetic, change your oil every 2000 - 3000 miles. The apex seals in the rotary engine pass over much more area than that of a piston ring in a piston engine. The turbos (which are more expensive than the engine itself) must be well lubricated as well to insure efficient operation and longevity. So just be sure to change your oil religiously at these intervals.

You probably won't find a "final word", but lots of us use 20w/50 since it stands up to heat beater than 10w/30. Especially in warm/hot weather. The Speedy Oil type guys rarely know what they are talking about. Running a thicker oil in our case causes no damage. My motor builder recommended 20w/50 oil as well. There are a few good threads about oil in the Advanced Tech section that you might want to read.

You can try the regional forums toward the bottom of the page for info on people and shops near you.

And check out the Newbie sticky at the top of the main page of the 3rd Gen section for lots of good links and FAQs. You'll find most of the info you could possibly want by looking through there.

PS: this is covered in the FAQ. Jonski and Alberto were just kind enough to produce more detailed answers.

Dave

I wouldn't run 20w50 in the winter here in the Bay Area, 10w30 is the factory spec and is better in colder temps.

osborn, it's a bit of a drive for you, but Rick's Rotary in Pleasanton is the best. C2 Automotive in Oakland is great for suspension and alignment work.

Kinda not the winter anymore. Just RAINS RAINS RAINS!:mad: . But I did go with 10-30 during the november till last month period. I just started using 20-50 again. I would just stick to using 20-50 now since its gonna start heating up soon. And plus, alot of "oil changer" people are just "people" that have no knowldege between the difference of the rotary and piston engine. They just know the basics of oil characteristics and some know more. I worked at Jiffy Lube for a few months and now my friend works there and over my period of time there, that's what I discovered :).

Hey rynberg, do you drive by Home Depot around 630-730pm often? Like 10 out of 15 times I go to Home Depot, Pep Boys, Taco Bell, etc. I always see a red FD passing me lol. Just wondering if it was you. Sorry about the off-topicness!.

Jeremy