Castrol Magnatec

[Gibbo70]

Hello all,

I would like to know how many people have had an issue with Castrol Magnatec. I have just purchased a 00 VX L67, had no oil leaks, with 200 thou on the clock. I did an oil change using Magnatec & in less than 200 klms, oil started leaking through the rear main seal & Oil filter housing. My guess is the bloke I bought the car from (1st owner) used cheap, nasty oil & i've used a decent oil thats far too thin ??? (recomended oil).

Also, anyone know why I would have a build up of some grey jelly/sludge like stuff on the inside of the master cylinder above the fluid level. The fluid also looks like it is syrupy !

Regards, Scott

[monkeys437]

I use 10W40 nulon synthetic on my VS l67 with 240k on the clock and it leaks from the rear main at most about 250ml in 8000 km. I dont think the thickness has too much to do with it (although a thicker oil would leak slower), just it's a common place for the V6 to leak from.

[cander24]

V6 rear main leaks are extremely common. You should be able to run a 10 or 15w oil in your L67 without a drama. The timing may be more coincidental. Personally though i'd avoid castrol oils al together. A thicker oil should leak a little slower.
Re the stuff in your master cylinder, that's what you get when brake fluid and water mix (through age and condensation etc). I'd be carefully cleaning all of that out and doing a full brake fluid flush asap. The fluid should be flushed yearly.
Cheers

[Gibbo70]

I use 10W40 nulon synthetic on my VS l67 with 240k on the clock and it leaks from the rear main at most about 250ml in 8000 km. I dont think the thickness has too much to do with it (although a thicker oil would leak slower), just it's a common place for the V6 to leak from.

Ya think its just coincidence it started to leak when I did the oil/filter change ? Mines leaking about 1 ltr/1000 kays. I added an oil stop leak which stopped the leak from the oil filter housing but done jack for the rear seal. I'm considering using this stuff.... eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d ......have you heard of it or know anyone who has used it ?

[TonyJZX]

isn't the rear main seal the bane of ecotec AND LS1 owners???

once they hit six figures you can count on it

[som]

Your brake fluid is definitely overdue for a change as cander24 has already suggested. As far as your oil leak goes,again as has been mentioned, they are really common but just as a matter of interest I'm pretty certain that you only have to remove the gearbox to access the seal.I had mine replaced a couple of years ago and from memory it wasn't super expensive. It does not surprise me though that a lighter viscosity oil would be more inclined to leak and there is a fair chance that an oil change was overdue also.eg.If you want to find or create an oil leak simply use an engine flush.

[Crisis63]

Used Magnatec on my LS1 SV8 from new and my CV8 I have now. No issues. Also both Landcruisers. Never had problems.

[blacknight]

I used Magnatec 10w/40 semi synthetic without any issues, though on my 180K+ VX it does seem to need a minor topup every month. I noticed (to me anyway) the oil does turn darker faster than Mobil 1 10w/40 which i used previously. I dont see any oil leaks or seepage from the rear main bearings, and i think i'll have a proper look under the car when the car on on the hoist next month

[Gibbo70]

Used Magnatec on my LS1 SV8 from new and my CV8 I have now. No issues. Also both Landcruisers. Never had problems.

Hey Crisis,

Did you own these vehicles from new/near new & use the magnatec every oil change ?
I'm thinking that the previous owner has just used what ever 20/w50 oil was on special at Kmart and the car/seals have become accustomed to it. Then i've put a reasonable quality semi synthetic oil (10/w40) thats much thinner & the seals don't like it. Also what ever additives are in it, seem to gather at the top of the dipstick, burning to a dark brown stain. (Wasn't there before I changed the oil)

[Gibbo70]

Liquid Intelligence 230 Stop Leak Seal Expander...“Liquid Intelligence 230 Will Stop Oil Leaks by Swelling and Softening Dried and Hardened Seals and Gaskets. Guaranteed.”
Anybody heard of this stuff or used it maybe ?

Where (apart from Holden) can I buy the seal and seal housing as a kit ?

[goose202]

If you've only just purchased it, perhaps it's been leaking all along and the previous owner just cleaned it up for sale?

[Gibbo70]

Hey Goose,

HaHaHa, the lazy bastard didn't even wash/clean it when I went round to buy it ! Iv'e had it for just on four weeks now, and I drove it for two weeks before I did the oil change, was completely free of oil leaks.

[goose202]

Heh well I guess it's not that then!

[Crisis63]

Hey Crisis,

Did you own these vehicles from new/near new & use the magnatec every oil change ?
I'm thinking that the previous owner has just used what ever 20/w50 oil was on special at Kmart and the car/seals have become accustomed to it. Then i've put a reasonable quality semi synthetic oil (10/w40) thats much thinner & the seals don't like it. Also what ever additives are in it, seem to gather at the top of the dipstick, burning to a dark brown stain. (Wasn't there before I changed the oil)

I owned the SV8 from new and picked up the CV8 after 40,000ks. My mate who is a lecturer at MTA used it in his LS1. Your motor may have been showing these signs and the previous owner has used thicker oil and added additives to stop it leaking or to sell it. It happens.

[strgas]

oil leaks will happen due to wear and tear of oil seals and gaskets and surfaces that the seal lips run against , seals do go hard over time due to contact with oil and whats contained within the oil , its not the quality of the oil used its the changing of the oil regularly to remove deposits and chemical build ups that attack seals and gasket which in turn hardens them up and causes wear and tear of seal surfaces and metal surfaces like the rear main crank journal or the timing case seals , using products which soften seals can sometimes slow leaks but in time it will return as friction is the killer of most seals . misalignment of seals and engine components will cause flatspots in seal surfaces and where they seal against. etc etc

[Brett_jjj]

I change my engine oil and filter every 5000km in my ecotec. I first used penrite HPR15, which is a semi synthetic 15W-60 oil. I then switched to the full synthetic mobil 1 5W-50, and its excellent, it comes out of the engine the same golden colour it is when it first goes in pretty much, so it certainly keeps the engine clean, thats for sure. My engine gets a very hard time, most of the time, so I like to use the best oil I can. It was a fully reconditioned engine from redlands in brisbane, its now done 180,000 very hard km, and has no major oil leaks, so Id agree that doing regular changes helps stop seals like the rear main seal, from failing early on in their life.

[9C1pack]

Did you overfill the oil when you changed it?
I over filled a red motor years ago and though, nah it'l be right
It leaked out the rear main after that (coincidence?)

[*uwishn*]

hey man best place in our area for spare parts is nepean spare parts 88 glossop street st-Mary's. and i use penrite 40-60 great oil for an ls1 anyway.

Liquid Intelligence 230 Stop Leak Seal Expander...“Liquid Intelligence 230 Will Stop Oil Leaks by Swelling and Softening Dried and Hardened Seals and Gaskets. Guaranteed.”
Anybody heard of this stuff or used it maybe ?

Where (apart from Holden) can I buy the seal and seal housing as a kit ?

[Gibbo70]

hey man best place in our area for spare parts is nepean spare parts 88 glossop street st-Mary's. and i use penrite 40-60 great oil for an ls1 anyway.

Hey *uwishn*,

You must live pretty close to me then. Nepeans is the Best n Cheapest spares in NSW. I score all my parts from there. My Brother was the spare parts manager at Carpenter St Spares, when it was there, & he was telling me once that no other spare parts retailer can match Nepeans pricing, they sell thier parts cheaper than most retailers can buy them. BUT, unfortunatley, they don't do the seal housing. Nepeans said there was no point changing the housing, it does'nt leak, only the seal. But a so called mechanic at Autobarn told me to replace it as well, cause if I didn't, the seal would leak again, gauranteed.

As for the Magnatec oil, the only thing I'll be putting that in, is the recycle bin. I was going to get Nulon, but the 'Super Crap Auto' bloke reckoned the Magnatec was the 'ducks guts' !

[petergl67]

Using oil that is thin on a are with a few kms is bad. The thin oil can get into places you don't want it to get into from engine wear. On a brand new car it's fine but not a used car. What's all this new sythic oil crap there was no problem with the normal oils we have been using already. Spending to much on there new oils untess you need to is not worth it. Thats only what I think though and a few Mates that are mechanics. But everyone has their own opinion.

[VYMAD]

I've never had a problem with Magnatec. And I believe if oil is a darker, dirtier colour when it's due to be changed, then it shows that it is removing the carbon deposits and crap that are in the motor, if the oil is still clean, then it is not cleaning the the crap out, hence the reason oils have additives such as detergents.

[Brett_jjj]

I've never had a problem with Magnatec. And I believe if oil is a darker, dirtier colour when it's due to be changed, then it shows that it is removing the carbon deposits and crap that are in the motor, if the oil is still clean, then it is not cleaning the the crap out, hence the reason oils have additives such as detergents.

I agree. This is the reason why I change my oil and filter every 5000 k's, which is about the time when the oil is just starting to turn a darker colour. Once its turned black or heaps dark brown, it contains trapped dirt and carbon etc which just circulates through the engine with it causing more wear.Since Ive been using mobil 1,the oil has come out cleaner and cleaer as time goes on.Theres no sludgey stuff in the top of the engine, Its all spotlessly clean now, any of the top quality oils will clean the engine and keep it clean if its changed fairly often.

[VYMAD]

I agree. This is the reason why I change my oil and filter every 5000 k's, which is about the time when the oil is just starting to turn a darker colour. Once its turned black or heaps dark brown, it contains trapped dirt and carbon etc which just circulates through the engine with it causing more wear.Since Ive been using mobil 1,the oil has come out cleaner and cleaer as time goes on.Theres no sludgey stuff in the top of the engine, Its all spotlessly clean now, any of the top quality oils will clean the engine and keep it clean if its changed fairly often.

Yeah, well I change oil in the VY at 7,000 k intervals and it's quite dark each time I do a change. 147,000 k's so soon I'll start doing 5,000 k changes like you do.

[Brett_jjj]

Mines got 180,000 on it now. The engine had around 100,000 on it when I got the car, (the engines purchase reciept from Redlands engines, and the fitting reciepts were with the car), anyway, it had a blown inlet manifold gasket and the oil was white from coolant. I removed the inlet manifold and heads and cleaned it all up and fitted new gaskets etc. Then I started using the penrite HPR15, 15W-60, but it sometimes caused the engine to get a slight tapping noise happening at idle, It was always filthy dark when it was changed at 5000km intervals, but in saying that, it never seemed to clean the engine anywhere as good as the mobil 1 has. The mobil 1 was also coming out fairly darkish when I first started using it. It comes out near its original golden couour still nowdays at 5000 k intervals, and the engine is heaps cleaner, (well under the rocker covers is a lot cleaner anyway). I remember after I fixed the gaskets etc, that I must have went through about 100 litres of cheaps--t engine oil , just flushing the engine until no more crap come out in the changes.I was changing it daily at first.

[VS_Pete_1]

5000 k oil changes here too. Every now and then 2500 k cheap oil change go 4 run drain good oil and filter.