Queries: Mobil 1 in the OHC at 40,000 kms and other things

[Dippy]

My OHC is currently at almost 37,000 kms. The next major service of the car is at 40,000 kms. As of now the car runs on the regular mineral oil just like any other. I'm planning to put in Mobil 1 at the 40k kms service. Will it better the engine that period onwards. What is the time interval for an oil change after using Mobil 1? Basically need more info on Mobil 1. Will be using it for the first time. I want the best for my car.

The spark plugs will also be changed in this service. Are there any better spark plugs out there which I can use?

Brake pads at Honda cost around almost 2.5 to 3k for a set where as outside a pair for the AT is for 1150/-. 950/- is for the manual. I plan to get the pads changed by my trusted mechanic who works on my office cars.

Any other things to be taken care of at the time of this major service? Would love pointers from other OHC/Vtec users

[nitrous]

Why don't U try OWS, dippy.
5W50 in OWS would suit U fine.Its as good as Mobil1.Its just that the latter enjoys amazing brand image.
Stick to the regular honda plugs and see if u need to replace plug wires.

[iraghava]

Dippy - Don't know about the Oil, have been running it on the standard stuff since day one & she works fine for me. Other users can comment on this better.

As for the Spark Plugs, since you're not running any mods on your car why do you want to waste money on plugs? I don't see the point.

Brake Pads (OE stuff) are cheaper outside but I've never found themso cheap, so make sure they're the original ones & not a Chinese/Thai/Taiwanese substitue. I've tried a couple of those & not only are they not as effective, they also wilt quickly under hard driving (massive brake fade) & emit loud sqealing sounds at times upon braking.

Easy method to identify original pads is that they should come in a brown cardboard box with a large Red Honda sticker on top detailing a lot of things about them and also Honda stamping on the back of the pads themselves.

[paras211]

mobil1 should make things smother
i put it in my corolla but got a free flow too so dont know how much did the oil help
but i put bout 700ml exrta i bought in my pulsar and it bacame superr smooth real big difference

[zenx]

I got Castrol Magnatec after and engine flush - for non draggers like me that's plenty good. New sparks - even regular ones - should make a lot of diff. Your windshield wipers may be old and hard by now too. Nothing else thats major for a 40k service, I think.

[ananthkamath]

i ran mobil 1 0w20 in my VR6 in the winter (-10 C avg here) over 5000 miles (ran mostly short trips of less than 7 miles). i saw the drained oil and it was still a golden hue. Then in the spring I ran Pennzoil 20W50 mineral oil. This oil got rid of the typical VR6 tappet clatter which was present even with mobil 1 but I changed it at 3500 miles at which point it was pitch black.

Right now I am running Shell Rotella 5w40 fully synthetic in both the VR as well as my Suzuki Bandit. One of the reasons is because it is meant for turbo-diesel trucks which have oil change intervals of 100,000 to 125,000 miles. This oil also meets both API SM (for petrols) and CI-4 (for diesels) which is a much more rigorous standard than SM. Mobil 1 does not meet CI-4 by the way.

I dont know about other guys in India but I d say Mobil 0W20 is a little too thin for our climate. If I were you I d look for Mobil 1 5w50. Or if you can get Rotella 5w40 nothing like it. The reason I chose Rotella is also because it costs $13 per gallon vs $27 for Mobil1. Thats quite a difference.

[vid6639]

I'm just wondering if changing to synthetic oil at 40,000kms is really advisable. The car's already been run-in and any damage to engine if at all would have been done by now. the advantage is better lubrication increasing the engine life but at 40K you've already used the engine so there really cant be any further damage.

Also there was a member who complained of loss in pickup after changing to synthetic. this was mainly due to the flushing. I read else where that flushing removes of all carbon deposits which fill up the seals and if you flush it out could result in loss of compression.

I am not sure of teh above but have read it here.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by vid6639

I'm just wondering if changing to synthetic oil at 40,000kms is really advisable. The car's already been run-in and any damage to engine if at all would have been done by now. the advantage is better lubrication increasing the engine life but at 40K you've already used the engine so there really cant be any further damage.

I was thinking of the same thing. The optimum time to change over to Mobil 1 is between 15K and 20K kms. I may be wrong too. But I have read this somewhere. now the engine has run almost 40K kms , so I am not sure how much of a difference switching to Mobil 1 will make.

[GTO]

Dippy,

Basically you want to rejuvenate the mechanicals a little bit. Heres what you should do:

1. Engine flush (OWS) and the Mobil 1. Use 5W-50. At 40K's the synthetic will only work its magic more!

2. Radiator flush : If you havent done it already.

3. Check the condition of all your filters (oil, air etc.).

4. For your slushbox, check the tranny fluids.

5. Stock plugs are good. Dont waste your money on so-called high performance plugs.

6. Rotate your tyres. Balance / align only if necessary.

Most important, clean it inside out. Somehow, an immaculately clean car feels much better and smoother.

The car's already been run-in and any damage to engine if at all would have been done by now. the advantage is better lubrication increasing the engine life but at 40K you've already used the engine so there really cant be any further damage.

Its not damage, but wear and tear which are the key words. W&T takes place as long as you run the engine (higher rpms = higher w&t). Also, synthetic oil should never be used over the initial run-in period.

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by GTO

Its not damage, but wear and tear which are the key words. W&T takes place as long as you run the engine (higher rpms = higher w&t). Also, synthetic oil should never be used over the initial run-in period.

Ah yes that's the word I was looking for. Yeah exactly wear & tear. Sorry dint strike me that early in the morning. lol.

So basically first 10K you should let the engine bed in so use normal mineral oil. Once it beds in then give it extra lubrication to reduce the wear rate.

But in this case if the car's already crossed 40K it's already faced quite a lot of wear and tear. Further wear and tear will reduce with synthetic but will it really make that much of a difference at this point?

[Jaggu]

changing to Mobil 1 at any km mark will give a very smooth and crisp feel to the engine, if done properly along with engine flush.

its debatable how much wear and tear it will avoid now on, but as the saying goes better late than never

again in some extreme and rare cases the thinner oil can cause some havoc wrt engine compression also

Mobil 1 safe limit for change is 7-10 k kms though one can push it safely to 20 k kms also under normal driving conditions without any issues

My vote for Mobil 1 if you intend to keep the car for long.

[Hellcat]

These are some points I have noted after my oil change to Mobil1.


Fire up more smoothly and it idles a lot more smoothly than earlier.
Car was noticeably smoother, quieter and revved easier.
There is absolutely no vibration in the steering.


Hellcat

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Hellcat

These are some points I have noted after my oil change to Mobil1.

There is absolutely no vibration in the steering.

Huh! How the hell did you steering vibrations go away by changing the Engine Oil? And why were they there in the first place?

[vid6639]

Maybe the idling became smoother and the vibrations felt through the steering reduced. Just a wild guess. lol.

[Rtech]

I think we have begun using the term Mobile1 as a blanket term for any 100% synthetic oil (sort of like we say xerox instead of photocopy or coke instead of soft drink!). There are other excellent oils out there, some cost the same as Mobile1 and others are cheaper.

I personally have tried Shell, Motul and Mobile and find Motul the best. Hard to get though. Shell is cheaper and just as good as well. Nothing wrong with Mobile, but just thought I'd mention that there are other options out there as well.

Don't forget to change the brake fluid as well in your service.