Quelling Piston Slap - Best oil

[mack-attack]

update:

after my new oil changed listed above, i started my subie after it had cooled to the point where i new the slap would start again, and it seems like the slaping noise has lessened! while it still make noise it isnt as loud and it seems to fad somewhat faster also. It may be the heavyer weight oil and the lucas working together. anyway it seems like it has helped! it also seems to idle smoother?

my 2 cents..

So whats your guys opinion. which one would be better? rottela 10-w30 or the standard mobil1 5-w30?

my subie has 180,000 and has a partially rebuilt engine(new head,timming water and oil pump). at the moment the new rotella seems better but Im not harming my engine am I? I got the oil at walmart for like 12bucks and used half a bottle of lucas synthetic oil stabilzer.

 

any thoughts or comments would be welcome.

[Ricearu]

i probably wouldn't run rotella with lucas, but I guess half of a quart won't really hurt it. I run Rotella 15w-40 with WIX filters on all my 100k Plus subies. It shut up the forester's piston slap, and It NEVER went away before then. It did it cold, warm or hot before the rotella. My wife bought a Legacy LSi last month, had new "valvoline" 5w-30 from some lube shop, and was 1 qt low when we got it. I added a quart of rotella to it and It shut up the slap on that beast too!

 

EDIT, I also live in TEXAS. A BAWLS COLD winter here is 17*... ABOVE 0!

[Setright]

Fairfax!

 

Synpower cured the 2nd and 3rd gear crunch in my Alcyone Tubro..from 1988! Previous owner had tried ATF...drain, replace with SYnpower...drive 50 or so miles...plain sailing

 

1st gear still a notchiness, but no crunch.

 

 

It has also kepy my 1999 Impreza shifting smooth...and fast!

 

Synpower is in ALL the Danish Subaru's these days...word spreads fast in the local club ;-)

[mack-attack]

Heres a off the wall question. the subie i have is a 1998 outback with 183 thousand. i bought it from a dude that had the engine rebuilt. newgaskets,head,timming, piston rings, bearings waterand oil pump and new clutch. when i got it home i drained out the regualr dino mobile1 5-30 and put in dino 10-w30 rottela. should i have not don this? it seems to have helped the slap. but i also noticed that it has started to leak fresh oil. i dont really know were its comming from. maybe the valve cover? would this happen when the engine was rebuilt less then 50 miles ago? could it be from the rottela?

thanks

p.s. its not comming from the drain plug or filter...

[Fairtax4me]

I really hate to drain $40 of synthetic gear oil after only a few months of service, but I wanna try the Synpower. :-p But it appears that Valvoline TDL 75w 90 is a different mix than the Synpower 75w 90. Valvolineeurope.com says about the TDL fluid

Applications

 

For use in the total drive line when a GL-3, GL-4 or GL-5 is specified by the manufacturer.

 

Recommended for conventional as well as ultra modern gearboxes and transmissions of passenger cars and trucks.

 

For:

- ZF Gearboxes

- Eaton Axles

- Transferboxes

 

Not suitable for limited slip applications.

http://www.valvolineeurope.com/english/products/transmission_oils/gear_oils/cid(501)/synpower_tdl_75w-90/product-information

 

Valvoline.com (US site) says the opposite for the Synpower labeled fluid sold here.

SynPower® Full Synthetic Gear Oil

Formulated for ultimate protection and performance

 

Contains additives to assist in protecting gear teeth

Maintains excellent low temperature fluid protection down to -50°F (-46°C)

Provides outstanding thermal stability for cleanliness and longer service life

Contains special additives to reduce chattering in limited-slip differentials

Recommended for (conventional and limited slip) manual transmissions where an API GL-5 or MT-1 fluid is specified

Protects parts from rust and corrosion

Compatible with conventional gear lubricants

http://www.valvoline.com/products/brands/synpower/gear-oil/59

 

So... Question time! How can I get some TDL from across the pond? :-p

 

 

 

would this happen when the engine was rebuilt less then 50 miles ago? could it be from the rottela?

 

It's coming from an O-ring or seal that he didn't replace, (wrist pin cover, separator plate, cam cap O ring, etc) or possibly a seal that he DID replace with a low quality aftermarket part.

Either way, it was going to leak. The new oil didn't cause it. Crawl under the car and figure out where the leak is coming from. Front, rear ,left, right side of engine? This will help pinpoint where it is leaking and what needs to be done to stop it.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Fairtax4me

[mcbrat]

thought I'd add this here... I found this recording of the slap while researching my noise mine sounds just like this, but not as loud...

 

http://www.butkus.org/subaru/piston_slap/subaru_piston_slap.htm

[bluedotsnow]

I don't know about piston slap I have a non interference ej22. in my old ej18 I used lucas oil stabilizer and lubromoly. I'd have to say that using lubromoly on a regular basis is not the best idea because of price and gas millage. I did find that running this combo every 4 or 5 oil changes really helped it run smoothly.

 

lubromoly is a German half synthetic oil that contains small amounts of molybdenum. in the later ej engines this element was used in the cylinder jackets and other parts of the engine for reduced friction, its also used in gun barrels.

 

anyone else used lubromoly?

 

http://www.lubromoly.com