Hey all,

The time has come for my Kitty to get her oil changed - given that this is my first time changing the oil on her, do you all have any recommendations on what runs best?

Thanks!

 

Hi Ashton,

Jaguar's recommended oil specifications vary by model year, model, and engine, so until you share with us these critical details of your Kitty, we can't give you accurate replies.

It's helpful if you use your User Control Panel to edit your signature to add these important details so they appear in all your posts, so others don't have to ask.

Cheers,

Don

 

oh I’m sorry - 1996 X300 XJ6 Vanden Plas, with the naturally aspirated 4.0L straight 6 - I’ve seen the recommendation in my owners manual, but I figured I’d just double check with you guys - perhaps some of you have found a specific brand of oil or another type to run particularly smooth.

I’m not after top engine performance per say, but rather, I’m more interested in smooth cruising and engine longevity.

Sorry for for the lack of details

 

Thanks for those details, Ashton.

Any of the top brands of oil will be just fine in your Jag, and while you can use full synthetic oil if you want, it is not required in your engine, as long as you follow Jaguar's recommended oil change intervals. Jaguar recommends the Castrol brand of oil (owned by British Petroleum since 2002), so that's what I almost always use in Jaguars. But any name brand you prefer will be fine. Today's major brand oils are uniformly excellent. Just avoid off-brand oils sold in discount stores like Dollar General and at some convenience-store gas stations, which have been shown to not meet the specifications on their labels.

Here is the recommended oil chart from the Driver's Handbook:



Personally, I use the highest recommended viscosity for my climate, since lower viscosity oils seem to promote leaks and excessive consumption in older, higher-mileage engines. Heading toward summer in Canada, 10W-40 should be a good choice, and when the weather turns colder in the fall you could change to 5W-40 for easier starting at cold temps.

Don't forget to use a high-quality oil filter. I recommend Mann because they have been a Jaguar OEM for decades and their filters have both a check valve to keep the filter full when the engine isn't running to prevent momentary oil starvation at startup, and a bypass valve to allow oil to flow even if the filter becomes obstructed. The Mann W7197 is correct for your car and you should be able to get one from a local auto parts store or one of our forum sponsors. Rock Auto also stocks them at an affordable price. If you can't get a Mann, Mobil 1 and Wix also make excellent oil filters (Wix is now owned by Mann+Hummel).

Oil threads are always popular, so I'm sure other members will respond with their own, possibly very different opinions, so buckle your seat belt!

Cheers,

Don

 

Hmmm. Smoothness? I doubt that any brand will make the engine run more smoothly than another. At least not palpably so.

Lots of opinions about which oil to use.

My opinion is that nothing special is required.

I had an XJR for many years. Same engine as yours but the supercharged version. I had no brand loyalty whatsoever. I used whatever brand of non-synthetic was on sale that day and changed it every 5000-6000 miles.

I sold the car at 171k miles and the engine was running like a watch and showed no sign of giving up the ghost anytime soon.

Opinions and experiences will vary

Cheers
DD

 

I ran Mobil 1 full synthetic in my car. Don't remember if it was 0W-40 or 5W-40. Go with a premium oil like M1 or Castrol and stick with it, you do not want to mix various brands. Cycling between 5W and 10W depending on season isn't a bad idea but keep the same brand and type. Synthetic is good if you want extended drain intervals. The premium filter is a must too.

 

I use Mobil 1 full synthetic 10-40 for higher mileage engines and a Wix filter. I can only find the 10-40 at Wal Mart and also at the cheapest price.

 

Thank you all for your replies! I’ll definitely use them. And I’m totally with you all for buying premium quality oil and fuel - even in cars that don’t exactly “require” it - my view is, even if I don’t get better fuel economy or better performance, as long as it helps my engine to run smoothly and happily, it’s worth it. Stings a bit when your at the pump of course, but it’s better than gumming up your engine.

 

Toronto....that's a cold place. I use Castrol Edge 0w40 all year round. I was using Mobil1 0w40, and before that I was using Mobil1 15w50 during the summer months. I put enough miles on it to swap the oil twice a year, so it kinda worked out, but I got tired of carrying the right amount of viscosity and just simplified it down to one year round oil. I like the extended use of synthetic oil, so I stick with that. I bought a six pack of Mann oil filters from Amazon when they were priced at $6/each.

 

What are the drain intervals you lads are running? I sadly don't own a cat anymore but in my 5.0 V8 Ford I do 5,500-6k miles running the Motorcraft brand 5W-30 synthetic blend. Have not had any issues after more than 180k miles of doing this. I imagine the Jaguar sixes would be extra tolerant of extended drains due to the large oil capacity. They hold 8.5 quarts if I remember correctly. By comparison, the Ford 5.0 holds six quarts.

 

i use castrol gtx ultraclean 10w40 and change every 5000 kilometers. so twice a year.. very happy with this oil.

 

I just love another oil thread!
in my N/A 3.2 Daimler I use Castrol Magnatec, I think 15/40.
in my XJR I use Castrol Edge
i think the key is correct viscosity for your climate, and Toronto has a wide range from memory, so maybe you need summer and winter changes.
also frequent changes for older engines - perhaps every 3-5000 miles?
and as said above, use a good filter with a no-return valve so you don’t hear any bearing rumble at start-up..

 

I think you're okay with Magnatec, but members should be aware that a lot of 15W-40 oils contain additives specifically for diesel engines, and unless the oil has an API "S" category rating, it may not be safe for use in petrol/gasoline engines. Oils rated only with a "C" category may not contain additives required to reduce certain kinds deposits typical in petrol/gasoline engines. A quick check of Castrol Magnatec 15W-40 indicates that it does carry the API SN rating in addition to the CF rating, so it should be okay.

Cheers,

Don

 

Excellent point, Don!
Rotella T-6 5W-40 syn was always my go-to. Made it convenient with the X300's consuming 9-10 qts per change and the Excursion gulping 15, to commonize. About a year or more ago, they reformulated and all of a sudden, it was no longer a dual-spec oil. So they lost not only my X300 business, but my Diesel Exc as well. I'm on Chevron's Delo xsp 400 5W-40 syn now.

 

Motul Xcess 8100 5w40. I`m using this oil on all my cars for years. It`s doing an amazing job. Maybe other oils are doing the same, but i`m not willing to experiment, just to save a few coins.
Just remember to change it every 10k kms or more frequent.

 

I think the Castrol Edge 0w40 I have been using has been working well....what makes the Motul "amazing"? Anything in particular, or like me, the engine hasn't seized, so it must be doing its job?

 

I drive. A lot.
My cars are running high mileage.
I had an Audi a4 1.9tdi, that was some 120k kms with me, bmw e36 325tds was also a high roller (100+k kms in two and a half years) and my current bmw 530D is also with me for 100k kms ( I live in a small country where people are driving for some 15/20k kms per year. Im rolling some 50/60k per year). Both bmw's have seen few sunday track days aswell.
All of these cars were and are running with Motul oil. I started using it from friends recommendation and I've never tried anything else. I've inspected all these cars under the cam cover and the results were nice. No nasty debris or buildup, no scratches on cam lobes. No oil adding between oil changes, engines are running smooth and quiet. Thats a good enough reason to stick with it. I'm not saying that other oils are crap. I'm saying that i've covered a lot of kms with motul and i'm not willing to experiment to see if other oils are as good as this.

 

Well, IMO, that's what it really comes down to. What makes the owner feel most comfortable. The car probably doesn't notice, or care, very much

Cheers
DD

 

Something like that.

I believe that if cheap oils are used, then maybe there could be some excess wear and tear in the moving parts, but again, I think that oils from higher shelf also would have pretty equal, good performance.

Other thing, that`s really important, is the oil change interval. The more often, the better. You can`t change oil too often, but a lot of people are doing it too late. Especially with "longlife" oils, that require to be changed only every 20k kms or so. That`s an absolute bullshit.

Third thing is extreme conditions. Super cold weather. Super hot weather. Motorsports. Very short drives (when oil doesn`t get heated up properly), etc.

 

Have 2 AJ16 use Mobil 0-40 Synthetic in both, works for me. Get it at Canadian Tire when on sale.
Snowball