Hi folks!

I recently changed my cars engine oil, I was trying to find PETRONAS Selenia K but couldn’t since, rather than ordering online and waiting for long.

I decided to use a Diesel engine oil, designed for Maruti Suzuki Swift(which uses a Fiat 1.3 M-Jet engine) by PETRONAS.

I spoke to my cousin who is a service advisor at Toyota and informed that it’s a fully synthetic oil anyway and diesel and petrol it’s works for both regardless they saying it’s designed for Swift(i was imagining it’s a branding for folks to just tell them you don’t know you drive a fiat) [emoji12]

So, now I am thinking will it make any difference? I read online and learnt Diesel engine oils are better anyway they handle heat better and also keep engines cleaner.

Was hoping if anyone of you ever used it ?

My cars ODO is 57000 kms, should I switch to Selenia or it won’t harm the engine at all. I saw black grease inside the cars engine where we add oil, I was abit shocked can petrol cars have that ?



Also, do petrol cars heat up more if diesel? The guy who changed my oil had a tough time removing the oil filter, he was like petrol cars heat up too much so it was jammed but am just confused listening to him and reading online.

Also, please share your thoughts about engine flush, if works ? Do you recommend even if it works ?
I did only once and that too when my dad didn’t change the oil for long there was less oil and more grease when they tried changing oil.

So I bought 2 litres of cheap oil and added a 1 litre engine flush and ran engine for like 10-15 minutes, then the oil was black as Batman’s dark night.
That was 23000 km, to now it’s 57000 km

If the oil filter won't come off there are 3 possibilities.

1. He needs his shreddies.
2. Some arsehole with biceps like Popeye has overtightened it.
3. Some arsehole with no business being near a car has cross threaded it.

As for the oil if it's the right grade and meets the same acea spec it'll be fine. Diesel oils I believe have a higher detergent content.

As for the oil flush the jury seems to be out as to whether they're effective, not effective, or downright bad for the engine. Never felt the need to try it myself.

Best way to go is more frequent oil changes.

Hope this helps.

Hi Pyabbi. From your post it sounds to me as if your car has not had it's oil changed regularly? Hence the build up of what you call "black grease". I run our Panda and my son's Punto (both 8 valve petrol engines) on 5w-40 oil. The Panda is on Petronas and the Punto is filled with Fuchs, both to Fiat's recommended spec. I do have favourite brands but as long as it's a name I recognise, the price is good and it meets the spec I'm happy to use it.

As Tiger Tom says the best way to go is regular oil changes. However if you get too obsessed with oil change intervals you can end up wasting a lot of money unnecessarily but neglecting it can be much more costly! As a general rule of thumb, for ordinary road cars, I would say 10 to 12,000 miles or yearly, whichever is sooner, is a good benchmark but check the manufacture's schedule. I personally would never go for extended interval oil changes. Flushing oils/additives, in my experience, certainly do a reasonable job of loosening up sludge and other contaminants inside the engine. In my view though this can be a problem because if there are semi solids or solids buried in the sludge then they may well be liberated when the sludge deposits are liquidise and get sucked up into the oil pump inlet strainer. At best this will restrict the pump's ability to deliver. You may get severely reduced oil supply at higher revs just when it's needed, and at worst you could get a total blockage which may lead to seizure! You'll not be surprised to learn therefore that I'm not a fan of flushing oils/additives. Better just to let "sleeping dogs lie" in the quiet little corners where it tends to gather.

Oil filters, especially canister types, can be stubborn to remove especially if overtightened when fitted as the rubber sealing ring can really get a grip. When I was young and inexperienced I even remember hammering a large screwdriver right through the body of a tight one to gain leverage. Many years ago I brazed a Mini timing chain (A series engine) to an old socket which I can wrap round the body of the filter and then apply as much force as necessary with a "T" handle, ratchet or power bar - never have problems now!

As Tiger Tom says, diesel oils have traditionally had a higher detergent content than petrol oils and I notice that both of the oils I've mentioned previously say, on their containers, that they are suitable for use in petrol and diesel engines. Therefore, if I were in your shoes with an engine which you say seems to be "sludgy", I would use one of these oils and allow the higher detergent content of the oil itself to act on the deposits. Then change the oil at, perhaps half the recommended interval (for example 5000 miles). My hope would be that the less aggressive action of the oil's detergent, compared to a flushing oil, would give the more solid deposits time to gently desolve rather than floating free when the less solid "gunge" is liquidise by a flushing oil. Expect to do this a couple of times and expect to see the new oil become black and dirty looking very quickly. In fact my son's Punto had not had it's oil changed for about 18 months when he let me have it last so I will be changing it's oil at around 6 months/5000 miles because there are small traces of "gunge" when you look inside the filler orifice.

All of this is, of course, just my opinion. I'm now in my early 70's and have formed these opinions over many years of being involved with Cars and Horticultural Machinery but I'm very aware that other people hold different opinions! So, I offer these opinions for consideration only, you must decide if they fit your circumstances and whether you want to give them any credence. I do hope this has been of help.

Let us know how things turn out won't you?
Regards
Jock.

I would just add that the filter should always be changed at the same time as the oil, especially if you have a "dirty" engine. Filters are pretty cheap anyway.

https://www.oilspecifications.org/acea.php


The A/B class's A5/B5 oils have lower HTHS viscosities, which means that they provide better fuel economy but they may not provide adequate protection in engines that are not designed for them. ACEA A3/B3 and A3/B4 on the other hand require oils with higher HTHS viscosities that may not provide as good fuel economy as an A5/B5 oil but may offer better engine protection in certain engine designs.

I didn't carry the bottle with me, it was left with just a few tablespoons and i feel, it was 5w40 ACEA A5/B5, i couldn't find online its ACEA number too jusu bottle photographs, i have attached that, i remember reading it somewhere on the packing.

I feel, you both are right.

This oil would clean my engine that it needs, i personally have a feeling using engine flush isn't a good idea. I saw many videos the oil color changes, and a simple oil changes all the necessary doesn't over does anything, i have a feeling this guy makes sense, he is just as wise as you Pugglt Auld Jock he has YouTube channel with his name Scotty Kilmer, but he said in one video where he answered someone's question, who makes worst engines, FIAT OR HYUNDAI and he ended with FIAT


anyhow, He said, engine flush might move some sludge away from the rings that holds them in place and i have a feeling it would really spoil old cars, or the ones that have been running past 100,000kms. It is just a feeling i have.

Perhaps, i am thinking it would clean it well, in just 7000 kms and will switch back to ACEA A3/B3. It just appears to be more high performance as, Maruti Suzuki, uses Fiat M-Jet engines yet they suggest oil change by 10,000 kms.