Herald oil

[willowwisp2]

Newbie, so don't shout at me for asking this!

1971 Herald 13/60 with standard motor.

Will any 20w50 oil do or are there recommended brands?

Ta.

[Clive]

Find one that has a specification on it. As in SE/SF/SG etc
They are getting harder to find, but will be available from Comma (they do a really cheap one, motorway? that I think has no spec, but the one in the yellow tub is OK) Halfords sell a rebranded comma oil as classic oil, again should be OK.

Of course, this is assuming the car will not be driven hard. If that is the case you may want a better oil, valvoline VR1, millers or penrite. Other brands are good too!

[rlubikey]

As an initial step, I look for oils that have "Racing" or "Classic" in their name or application (VR-1 - the "R" stands for Racing). Then, as Cliftyhanger says, check the specification - anything up to CL (I think that's right) will be OK, but the latest oils have reduced levels of a crucial wear reducing agent called ZDDP (Zinc DialkylDithioPhosphate) as it sloooowly kills catalytic converters in modern cars. Racing and Classic oils should have the correct levels of ZDDP, but the spec. tells you for sure.

After that, choose a 20W50 or similar. 20W60 will give better pressure on a worn engine and 15W50 may give slightly easier cold starting.

Hope this helps, Richard

[willowwisp2]

Excellent. Thanks very much for your replies.

See my other post as you may be able to help with that as well.

Regards.