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The manual specifies engine oil. 20w50 or straight 30w will be just fine.

Thank you! Will do... possibly even with better sound quality!

A good idea in hindsight. I also could have just turned on a space heater nearby. At least I remembered to stop the pendulum on the ticking clock!

That might have something to do with it for sure. I know some people who use 10w40 in their Triumphs with no issues, and Lake has a video out talking about how it's possible to increase friction and reduce wear... so maybe the goal has changed along with engine design? Anyway, the best thing to do is to try it and test it. That's how you'll know what's going on inside!

Yes, but that is NOT 180 f on just the coolant gauge, it is 180f saturated ENGINE temp (oil temp)

@@tjm3900 good point! Basically, if you're not going to go for a drive, just leave the car alone. It'll be just fine.

@@tjm3900 Most people can only measure the coolant temp. Fr the novice its a reasonable number. True engine temp harmony is not reached until all fluids are the optimal temp. Ask Lake how important this was on a NASCAR engine

Interestingly, he's got a recent video out where he was talking to a PHD in the subject, so apparently there are folks even more knowledgeable on the subject out there! Glad to still be helpful!

Depends on the carburetors. In an SU or Zenith-Stormberg, the air piston is still going to be mostly or fully down--so even with the throttle open it won't make a significant difference in compression readings. With a Weber, that's a different story since they don't have an air piston and therefore don't operate the same way. Also, remember that the gauge probably isn't super accurate anyway--especially since the dynamic compression while the engine is running is likely to be quite different than the static pressure from just turning it over. What we're looking for is a comparison between the different cylinders; not the absolute compression reading.

My wife said the same thing. I saw him being interviewed at the PRI trade show in Indiana last year, and geeked out that I knew who it was. My wife, who was also there, was like "Who?"

Just take the lumber out of a Morgan.

The brass caps should unscrew, and there would be oil underneath.

That's fair enough, but remember that the multi-million-mile Volvo probably had the vast majority of its oil changes done before the last decade. I'd be curious to see UOA results before and after--or I wonder if anyone's done back-to-back testing using a classic car motor oil followed by an off-the-shelf oil. All that said, you make a great point about the valve spring pressures, which are a big part of the equation. Flipping sides again... Rotella T6 and other diesel oils may have higher ZDDP content, but as noted in the videos it's a different type of ZDDP and may not be active at the pressures generated in a gas engine. I do still think the specialty oils may be the best bet, and would note that you generally don't have to mail order the lubricants. At least in the US, Valvoline VR1 is available at any Auto Zone (and most other parts stores), and you can find Castrol Classic through Walmart. They're widely available, inexpensive, and according to Lake suitable for classics. In any case, I'm sure we'll all agree that regular maintenance and driving the cars is much more important than which brand of oil you choose.

Aybe as a standalone factor. I think the general level for corrosion is a little higher anyway (I could be wrong), but even more important than the zddp level is how it compares to other levels, such as detergents. Remember it's a balancing act. But either way it'd be interesting to see a wear comparison....

We might in one of the other parts of this 3 part video. MT90 or MT85 is what I use in all of my classics. Perfectly suitable for an overdrive, and in fact better than many 30w oils without additives.

@midwestmotoring I had this discussion a awhile back with Richard Widman (Widman International), he did not know of an oil formulation on the market that was 'ideally' suited for Laycock O/D's + gearboxes, but did comment on an industrial lubricant that is used primarily for earthmoving equipment. Unfortunately, it is only available in 50 gallon drums. I have had good luck with MTL's in my O/D box for over 25 years. I think MT90 may be a bit too high viscosity for our use (especially in Northern latitudes) MT85 might be better, and even Pennzoil Synchromesh (but that could be too light. I am surprised specialist vendors such as Penrite have not produced and marketed a specific product.

Glad to help. There's one more coming!

Not completely it seems, or you wouldn't have watched the video. ;) The truth is that in a lot of cars it matters less. But at the same time, VR1 and Castrol Classic are often cheaper than the oil you might put in your daily driver... so why not use it and get the more suitable oil?

Too bad. It may sound complicated, but with a little education from sites and videos such as this, you CAN make informed choices that will make a difference. Sorry, the days are over where you just buy a can of Castrol GTX

Thank you!

A few of the videos show the procedure, but it's really difficult to show the timing light and how to use it. The trouble is the frame rate of the camera, which is maybe 30 frames per second. That makes it hard to show the flash from a timing light, which would appear to be inconsistent and not as meaningful as in real life. There is a video related to the distributor though, which may be helpful!

Here: this might help with an explanation of advance timing. czcams.com/video/-j_4OPEd4Xg/video.html

@@midwestmotoringthanks for that! Yea it’s was very informative. I’m just kinda stuck. I sent my distributor out to advance to get rebuilt. Got it back and he said to put it between 14-17 BTDC. Putting it at 14, my car runs fine I have standard points. I have an electronic timing gun that you can set the advance on it with a dial. I’ve been told the MAX amount of advance you want on a TR6 is a range of 28-32. I set the gun to 30 and point it at the pulley but it doesn’t line up with TDC. Clicking up on the timing gun eventually I get to 46 and it lines up with the TDC mark. What gives?

You're overthinking it. The distributor is only capable of a certain amount of advance, so I doubt it's getting to 46. By the way that max advance is also at high RPM, such as 4000 rpm, so if youre trying to set the timing that far at idle thats the wrong idea. If it runs well at 14 at idle, just bolt it down and go for a drive. If there's no pinging and it runs well you're good to go!

@@midwestmotoring yea that’s the thing I’m getting back fire through the carbs and poor acceleration under load. It’s strange I’ve tried going back and forth on this timing but can’t seem to get it right. I’m thinking of installing a Petrnoix electric ignition and just doing away with the points

Part 2 might help, but what questions are you hoping to answer? Maybe I can just post it here.

Yeah, it's not too terribly different. The biggest changes will be that a TR6 box comes apart more. So the layshaft is several pieces, for example. The bell housing will not come off, so it's a little harder to reach things up at the front and you'll need longer pullers. That sort of thing. It's all detail changes, but the gearboxes work the same way.

The ones you can buy today are decent again. There was a problem with them in the past not being round.

I've heard this recently. Definitely interesting to know. It may also contribute to why oils are starting to come out that are both gasoline and diesel oils. Less of a difference in the additive package, so why market 2 different ones

I believe that the spring pressure forcing the lifters against the cam lobes has the potential to penetrate the oil's film, which is why ZDDP (in the correct amount) is beneficial. Mind you, not every classic car has very high spring pressures, but with oils like VR1 or Castrol Classic being the same or less money than other oils of the same viscosity... there's not much of a case to not use them. I did look up the spring pressures on a Triumph TR6 engine once. If I recall, it wasn't quite as high as a small block Chevy engine, but since the system is dynamic and pressures are different with the engine running, under load, etc... it could easily go into the zone where the ZDDP is activated.

There's a difference in how parts are lubricated and sometimes that's due to the 'mechanical limitations'. A bearing can usually be fed a steady flow of oil so you can get hydrodynamic/full film lubrication. Other parts can't build or maintain that, like lifters (though there are lifters for some engines with a tiny hole that supply extra oil), so they need additives for mixed and boundary lubrication. ZDDP build on the surface and then get sacrificed, others continously circulate like moly. Piston rings go through all three lubrication regimes. And I guess the eye opener is that it's not always about what's in the bottle ⬆️ that matters, but what's not in it ⬇️. 😄

@@PSA78 it's helped me figure out what to run in the cars for sure. I'm just happy someone can explain the science in plain English--there's too much being spent on marketing to be sure otherwise. Thanks for the comment!

Definitely noted. I'm looking into better microphones as well to help the sound quality in the future. Thank you!

Either that, or know someone with a degree in automotive chemistry!

I think he does comment about high temps in the combustion chamber breaking down oil, but I don't remember if we touched on viscosity vs temperature since that's covered in his videos on the Motor Oil Geek channel. In any case, you're absolutely right about oil coolers. They're bad for engines unless you have a thermostat as well to prevent oil being cooled. Starting during the winter is less of an issue with a multi-viscosity oil, but if you do drive your car in the winter often then it's worth considering a 15w50 instead of the 20w50, or maybe even a 10w40 depending on the application. In any case, I don't feel the need to start my cars unless I'm going somewhere. Just change the oil in the fall when it's put away. No need to start it unless you're using the car.... which I don't do often in Chicago in January/February.

Thank you so much! I never get this kind of praise from my wife, so I'm glad you guys are here! :)

So not to cop out on the question, but there are kind of a few answers. First of all, oil formulations are constantly changing--so for example Valvoline VR1 20w50 from a year ago is not the same as Valvoline VR1 20w50 from today. It's improved, so your choices will need to be updated all the time. Second, to the best of my knowledge no one has done testing on a TR6 engine specifically and analyzed the oil with various brands afterwards. Now all that said, unless you've built your TR6 power plant in a sealed room to super precise standards... you're not going to notice a difference between one oil and the next so long as it has sufficient anti-wear components (i.e. ZDP) in it. Driving on a hot day vs a cold one will probably play a larger role than the brand you use. If you want a recommendation for the "best" all around oil for a classic car similar to a TR6... then probably Driven GP-1 is what I understand to be the best at this time. There are others that are as good or nearly as good. But again... you're probably wasting your money on it if that's what you're using. If you're after a standard recommendation, then Valvoline VR1 in the engine, Redline MT90 in the gearbox, and Redline 75/90 or MT90 in the diff.

​@midwestmotoring I agree. But as classic car owners there is possibility MORE variation in how our cars are used. Some are garage queens, some are daily drivers, some are driven very hard (track days) climate and oil change intervals also play a part as does the condition of the engine (rebuilt to high standard, or old and high milage) These and many other factors play a roll.

It's a completely true story that I couldn't find much that was fact based so I had to make my own video. I reached out to Lake, and was floored with how willing to help he was. Great guy! Please support him if you need oil analysis or if you want to try Total Seal Piston Rings!

It want to say it was sometime this year, but could have been late last year. In either case, VR1 (new or older) is going to be fine for your MG. It was good, now it's better is the takeaway. One important note is that engine oil does have a shelf life. I think Lake did a video on that for his Motor Oil Geek channel. As a rule, after about 5 years, the additives can separate out and the oil is no good. I don't believe it's as simple as stirring it back in, so it should be discarded.

@@midwestmotoring I should be good then as the oil came via Amazon in 5 quart bottles. The local NAPA didn't have the quart bottles that I needed so it is what it is. I love your garage. Do you do a lot of British car work on your own? I love your channel and you break everything down so nicely so it is easy to follow. As long as I have lived in Grand Rapids I have never been more than 15 minutes from John Twist"s shop. Now he is retired he has a small workshop across the river from me and I can be there in 4 minutes. I am a lucky man. Keep up the good work. If I still lived in Aurora I would be picking your brain on a regular basis!

@@robertdavidson3090 you'd be welcome to visit. I do take on a bit of British car work. Most of it is on our own "fleet" of 4 Triumphs, a Mini, and a pair of Healeys. Not to mention the "real" cars.... But after starting the channel I've been booking up a lot of weekends and some evenings. If it keeps growing I'll have to decide if I like it more than the "real" job!

Just for clarification, I think you mean oil without a starburst and not oil that was made before they had the starburst. Even unopened engine oil is bad after a few years. Anyway, you're right that the info sheets on the oil are good and should be read. Just to be certain I'd add that it's also a good idea to have your oil tested periodically. That'll alert you to wear that's happening and to the condition of components you can't easily inspect. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks again!

That'd be a great deal today, even for a rust bucket!

I get it. Unfortunately like I said it's not the same on every car. In fact it's not the same even on the same car. Triumph Spitfires changed the wiring to the distributor at least 3 times. The reason such a video doesn't exist is because it's likely to be wrong for a lot of viewers. That said, as noted, the wiring diagram will always tell you what's correct for your car. As for markings on the coils, some are marked SW and CB. CB is for contact breaker, and the SW is for switch--meaning the ignition switch. It's still + and -, and still changes depending on whether your car is positive vs. negative ground. Glad you got things going and back on the road!

Unfortunately the wiring changes depending on the car. This video was intended to be informational and not a tutorial to diagnose faults. To help with that, the wiring diagram for your car will show you the correct wiring in your specific case. You should never perform any serious maintenance without owning an appropriate shop manual, but that said I do look up information and often answer questions for our midwest motoring members. Thanks for the comment!

That varies. Your wiring diagram in the shop manual will always tell you. Generally, for a negative ground car it's the negative side of the coil goes to the distributor. That's if you're running points though. Electronic ignition complicates things. Long story short, it's not always the same, so you need the manual for your car.

I've considered such testing. In theory, I should fill my Austin-Healey with, say, VR1. Then drive a certain number of miles, change the oil, and send out a sample for evaluation. I could then try a different oil and repeat. The issue is that it's difficult to design such an experiment based around only 1 car, and it complicates things that the oil would be used over the span of multiple months--which means multiple seasons, different driving conditions, etc. Basically it's hard to define a control group. That's likely why it hasn't been done, as doing it properly would be fairly expensive. Maybe I can use the channel and make the survey results a bit more broad. If we have 100 cars using various oils, and they all send in for sampling... we could end up with something that's statistically more significant. Obviously some cars are going to be in different mechanical shape, or would be driven more or less frequently, etc etc, but if the distribution is large enough those things may be averaged out and wouldn't affect the end results since they'd be spread over a larger sample size.

I've been here... just busy with the day job and family!

@@midwestmotoring I mean the video seemed to end before the interview was over. I'd love to see more!

Glad it was helpful!

No, that's not correct. The latest spec of oil is not good for classic cars. You're looking for an oil that's made for classic cars, such as Valvoline VR1, Castrol Classic, or Lucas Hot-Rod & Classic. What he was saying is that those oils are all based on modern oils--just with a different additive package that makes them okay for classics. If you don't have the classic car additive package, the oil is not recommended.

@@midwestmotoring thanks

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I hope I was able to answer your question!

Yep! It did it's job too. Technically, cars had catalytic converters in the 80s and 90s too, and the oil still had sufficient ZDDP that it wasn't a problem for classics. It wasn't until detergents were increased that it became a problem. It's all about balance.

That's a good tip! More measurements are always a good thing. You might find one that doesn't make sense, and it could cause you to look for the reason and maybe catch a problem before it becomes serious. Thanks for the comment!

That's fair, but he was talking about earlier generations. A lot of the pre war stuff did use babbitt bearings, especially the old bikes. The TR6 engine is a descendent of the 2.0L GT6 engine, which came from the Vanguard, which came from etc etc. If you trace it back, they would have poured bearings.

Just like those Chryslers. They must have been so bad that they're owned by Italians now.

There's probably some truth to that. Maybe not indefinitely but certainly a lot longer. That said, the other side of the coin is cost. Sure, you can make a super oil that never wears out.... But you'd need NASA's budget to make that happen. Much cheaper to just change the oil for now.

I know. The furnace was going since it was a cold morning that day. Apologies for that. I'll be investing in some better microphones in the future.

Don't worry, part 2 is coming, followed by part 3....

@@bobdefalco the rabbit hole is deep. I'm definitely still learning

@@midwestmotoring We're all learning together, thanks to your channel!