Is this oil okay for my beta engine?

[TNLI]

TBN= Total Base Number.
A measure of how much acid the oil can absorb without becoming acidic
May be controlled by additives other than detergents.

My memory of BMC engines is that they tended to wear out a lot quicker than modern ones?
My parents used to have BMC cars where the engines ahad often been replaced or rebuilt before 70k miles.
And in those days engines were considered OK when they'd fail a modern emissions test by a very big margin.

Some of the BMC engines are not that great in block wear rates. The only one that is really bomb proof is the one used for the RNLI Rother 37 offshore boats. The BMC 1500 !! That engine was marinised by a whole bunch of companies with a lot of different options like keel cooling and remote hydraulics boxes.
Alas the name plates seem to fall off the rocker covers and gearboxes. So I have no idea who marinised mine and it's taken quite a while to ID the hydraulic box, (It uses engine oil), as a TMP 100. The Thornycroft 1.5 version, (standard BMC 1500 block), is regarded as the best version, but rather rare.

You can fit a modern exhaust system if you are a go green type or don't like fumes when the exhaust pipe or stack is upwind of your berths air intake. One version common in Canada has a bubble ring tube, which is not difficult to make if you like drilling lots of holes in an external stainless pipe.

 

[doug748]

Appreciate this thread has moved to a more technical level. However for the OP when I contacted Beta a couple of years ago they simply said....
"Any 15W/40 Mineral oil should be fine. I assume you are doing a full oil change?
As long a you use Mineral or semi synthetic you will be fine." That was good enough for me.

100%. Halfords do a semi-synthetic 15W 40 for 20 quid:

Halfords 15W40 Part Synthetic Oil 2 - 5 Litres | Halfords UK

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[TNLI]

100%. Halfords do a semi-synthetic 15W 40 for 20 quid:

Halfords 15W40 Part Synthetic Oil 2 - 5 Litres | Halfords UK

.

That oil os only certified in the Acea B3 category, like the cheap Castrol GTX.

If you want a diesel to last thousands of hours before it needs a rebuild, use a real good major brand Acea B4 rated oil and vary the viscosity selection according to the graph published by Beta. For a steady warm climate a good marine SAE 30 monograde will last longer than any type of multigrades as they do not contain viscosity inhibitors that weaken the molecular structure of the engine oil causing it to suffer a premature decline in viscosity. In other words mono oils with a real base base stock will outlast even an expensive full synthetic. Alas they are far too thick for use in winter, unless you use a sump heater etc. Then you can use a major brand SAE 40 or even 50 to good effect.

 

[doug748]

That oil os only certified in the Acea B3 category, like the cheap Castrol GTX.

If you want a diesel to last thousands of hours before it needs a rebuild, use a real good major brand Acea B4 rated oil and vary the viscosity selection according to the graph published by Beta. For a steady warm climate a good marine SAE 30 monograde will last longer than any type of multigrades as they do not contain viscosity inhibitors that weaken the molecular structure of the engine oil causing it to suffer a premature decline in viscosity. In other words mono oils with a real base base stock will outlast even an expensive full synthetic. Alas they are far too thick for use in winter, unless you use a sump heater etc. Then you can use a major brand SAE 40 or even 50 to good effect.

If Beta don't care, I won't be getting worked up about it and nor should the OP in my view.


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[penfold]

What high sulphur fuel? ULSD is all that's available and has been for a while.

At low power settings high Sulphur fuel is real bad news for rings and liners. Yet those fuel companies still say it's the engine oil!

A lot of blather about lube oil here; stick to what the maker recommends, change as required and your engine will last as it should. Unless they specify synthetic it's a waste of money. It's not complicated stuff.

 

[vyv_cox]

COX engineering sell cheap 15w40 dinosaur oil, there is even an advert for one ultra cheap oil on that link. See if you can find a good used oil analysis site. I did previously post that the low oil temperatures mentioned are an issue, BUT many engine companies blame the expensive oils made by Mobil and Castrol in particular. Total, 100% twaddle, as its the operators fault for fitting too big an engine, or using it as a battery charger. There is no real solution if you keep using low power on any diesel that does not have a common rail injection system with an ECU to adjust how the fuel is used. Those modern injection systems have made the use of low power fairly OK.
If you do some more research you will also find that red diesel is often a big part of the bore glazing problem, as it is often contaminated and lacks the additives modern major brand fuel companies use in normal diesel fuel. Complex subject as the actual fuel contents varies from one company to another and changes from summer to winter. At low power settings high Sulphur fuel is real bad news for rings and liners. Yet those fuel companies still say it's the engine oil!

Cox Engineering don't sell anything.

 

[Crinan12]

100%. Halfords do a semi-synthetic 15W 40 for 20 quid:

Halfords 15W40 Part Synthetic Oil 2 - 5 Litres | Halfords UK

.

Hi doug the spec of that oil says it is suitable for non fuel injected engines, my beta is fuel injected
I also read it is best to use oil that isn't sythetic/part synthetic - just basic mineral oil

Cheers

 

[SaltIre]

COX engineering sell cheap 15w40 dinosaur oil, there is even an advert for one ultra cheap oil on that link. See if you can find a good used oil analysis site. I did previously post that the low oil temperatures mentioned are an issue, BUT many engine companies blame the expensive oils made by Mobil and Castrol in particular. Total, 100% twaddle, as its the operators fault for fitting too big an engine, or using it as a battery charger. There is no real solution if you keep using low power on any diesel that does not have a common rail injection system with an ECU to adjust how the fuel is used. Those modern injection systems have made the use of low power fairly OK.
If you do some more research you will also find that red diesel is often a big part of the bore glazing problem, as it is often contaminated and lacks the additives modern major brand fuel companies use in normal diesel fuel. Complex subject as the actual fuel contents varies from one company to another and changes from summer to winter. At low power settings high Sulphur fuel is real bad news for rings and liners. Yet those fuel companies still say it's the engine oil!

Thanks. My research was to use engine oil specified by the manufacturer in the handbook.

OM 221 20031 HE REV27 0921

 

[SaltIre]

Hi doug the spec of that oil says it is suitable for non fuel injected engines, my beta is fuel injected
I also read it is best to use oil that isn't sythetic/part synthetic - just basic mineral oil

Cheers

Simply by reading the manual, Triple QX 15W-40 Mineral Engine Oil does seem appropriate.
TRIPLE QX 15W-40 Mineral Engine Oil - 5Ltr | Euro Car Parts

 

[doug748]

Hi doug the spec of that oil says it is suitable for non fuel injected engines, my beta is fuel injected
I also read it is best to use oil that isn't sythetic/part synthetic - just basic mineral oil

Cheers

It would be fine, it meets all Beta recommendations past and present. Change the oil every year and the engine may outlive you.
Your original pick is good as well but it's probably best to make a choice, based on your personal convenience, and stick with it.


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[TNLI]

First of all, if you are desperate enough in financial terms to need to use ultra cheap non major brand engine oil, that it is not listed by Acea or the API for violating the oil specifications contract or agreement with them. Nearly one quarter of the oils sold by companies with names that are not on any engine manufacturers approved list, DO NOT CONTAIN ENOUGH OF THE REQUIRED ADDITIVES. Some of them are even the wrong base stock, or contaminated. I will try and find the 2 web site pages that list all the engine oil companies that are selling junk oil later. The Acea list is a long one and of more interest in the UK or EU. Oddly enough a few oils manufactured for engine dealerships, are on one list, but they were only listed for a minor error in one of the additive levels, and it was corrected a few months later.
Even Castrol got listed by the API once, although that was some years ago and only for slightlty exceeding the lower SAE number.

By Major brand, I don't mean major in your local town or supermarket, I mean the big oil players, like Castrol, Mobil, Shell, Liqui Moly and if you are fan of high tech oils made in the UK, Millers oils have a very good reputation and their own oil analysis facility.

If you use cheap oils, the engine is not going to go bang the same oil change interval, but the lack of Zinc based, (DZZP), additive along with a lack of detergent additives, (Calcium and Magnesium compounds), will be bad news in the long term. The base stock quality is also of concern, and some of the cheaper ones are already contaminated with tiny particles of sand, mud, Iron and whole lot of other stuff that you get if you use crude oil based engine oil.

I don't know the exact specs required, but at present the cheapest diesel, (REAL DIESEL ENGINE OIL SHOULD NOT BE USED IN A PETROL ENGINE), engine oils worth looking at are in the MOBIL DELVAC series, (There are about 10 different versions). API specs are good in terms of how they catergorise the oils, BUT in the UK or EU it's easier the use the ACEA spec's, so it is a B4 oil that is required.

At present I'm going to use DELVAC XHP EXTRA 10W40 for a BMC 1500 that is so old it was in my Ark. That truck oil has a TBN (Total Base Number) of 15, so it contains a lot of Calcium based detergents to help clean the engine and prevent sludge formation. I don't have the Zinc figure, but I bet it's a nice high one, so it should be good at protecting the engine during cold starts in particular and at preventing longer term corrosion.


Yes it's a full systhetic, BUT in the UK that term means or includes HC ( Hydro Crack), base oils, so it's not a real German standard Synthoil, or a high tech Millers Synthoil. You do not want to use a real synthetic, as their base stocks act like solvents to some extent and could cause a temporary increase in leak rates, as sludge and varnish are often helping an oil seal or gasket to function in an olderr donkey.

OIL FILTERS are very important, so MANN, BOSCHE, MAHLE or MOBIL (USA). If desperate then FRAM are OK. Make sure it's a genuine oil filter, not a far Eastern copy, as some of those sold on auction sites like Fleabay are no good.

 

[Crinan12]

I wouldn't say I'm desperate to use non major brand ultra cheap oil. Just keen to get the correct stuff and was looking for a wee bit of reassurance.

 

[TNLI]

Sorry Crinan, just joking to some extent. You can do worse than Triplex, for example a number of shops are selling an oil called ULTRA PRO in various viscosities.
Ultra is the name of a Shell engine oil series and those oils are made from natural gas liquifaction by products. Reffered to as a GTL, (Gas To Liquids), and they are one of the very best engine oils for a turbo diesel or petrol car, (Acea A3/B4), The Ultra Pro I looked at had no Acea cat listed and its API cat is used for diesel tractors.