In a message dated 7/21/02 10:55:27 AM Central Daylight Time, iqmpike@xxxx writes: > Quick question for the group... I have heard MANY storied on what > kind of oil to put in the Delorean.. I have heard 10W50, 5W30, etc... > > I went and bought 7 quarts of Penzoil 5W30 SYNTHETIC oil.... > ...> And last, what kind of transmission fluid should I use? (I have an > automatic)... and, is the slick50 transmission protection additive > safe to use? > thanks! > Mike > Mike - I am a store manager for Jiffy Lube and i think i can answer all of your questions - 1. the correct weight of oil for the vehicle varies with the climate at which you live in. this is important to follow because if you live in a cold part of the country (below 14 deg F for much of the year) you will want to have an oil with a smaller first number, as in 5W-30, the 5 is the smallest common weight for the W (winter viscosity), so that will flow to the upper cams and jets quicker than a heavy oil (such as 20W-50) from a cold start. this all leads to engine wear protection. the faster the oil gets there, the better. the second number is the 'summer' viscosity, or the viscosity the oil runs at when the engine is at operating temperature. if the engine is started in a 'summer climate' temperature, the first number really means nothing because the oil isn't that cold. all of the above is in general if the vehicle does not specifically state a preferred viscosity. you should always go with what the manufacturer recommends. sometimes the preferred weight is also required to achieve low-emissions certification or for better fuel economy. for instance, the newest fords and hondas (2002 and newer) are preferring 5W-20 oil YEAR ROUND!! most other makes like chrysler and GM recommend 5W-30 or 10W-30, depending on the climate. for the DeLorean, the shop manual and the owner's manual provide a chart for determining a correct weight of oil to use. i only drive my car in the spring, summer, fall so i chose a weight in the middle of the climate chart which described my region's temperature levels. i choose to run 10W-40 oil. your choice my vary depeding on your climate and which weights of oil are actually available in today's market (it is not easy to find 20W-50 or some of those super-heavy oils anymore). personally i wouldn't go with anything heavier than 15W-40. that's already some pretty thick stuff!! i just personally feel safer with something a little thinner in there, knowing it's getting lubricated well at start-up. for you in new mexico (or was it arizona...) i would probably go with 10W-40 or 15W-40. as far as what brand of oil, it's not that big a deal. as long as it is API certified it should be ok. it's all a matter of personal preference. the whole debate over 'oil with parafin in it' is a big joke. i won't get into it but don't listen to any of it, it's something blown way out of proportion. also with synthetic, i don't see any reason why not to run it if you want to. some people say if you have an oil engine and you start running synthetic in it, it will leak. well it might but that's because every molecule of synthetic oil is the same size as opposed to the cluster-fk of stuff in conventional oil - the synthetic oil isn't thinner, it's just that it's easier to flow thru seals. get it? the most important thing with oil, by far, is not what brand, type, weight (to a point), etc etc. the most important thing is the change your oil AND filter every 3000 miles OR three months, whichever comes first. also when you drain the oil, pour a quart of fresh oil thru the engine and let it run out the drain hole. this will flush the last bit of sludge in your pan out. also when you tighten the drain plug, don't over tighten it or you may strip the pan! as for slick 50 or other oil/crankcase additives - i would avoid it. especially anything with teflon in it. it will probably boast that it has teflon in it if it does. dupont themselves even state that teflon is not for use in internal combustion engines, but everyene uses it that way anyway. while it may be safe and ok, i'd rather not wonder about it the rest of my life and i just leave it all alone. as for the tranny, there are TWO types of oil in it!! the torque converter and gears are bathed in Dexron II ATF. Dexron II was superceded by Dexron III ATF and became the factory OEM tranny fluid in domestic vehicles around 1993 i believe. Dexron III has the qualities of II only it is even better and has better temperature withstanding qualities. your tranny will be just fine with Dexron III, available at any auto parts store. then there is the final drive. the final drive is very similar to a differential only it is built into the tranny as more or less one piece. when a transmission contains a seperate final drive, as in the DeLorean, the transmission is now called a transaxle. the shop manual recommends using 80W-90 gear oil. this is also in the same fluid in the steering rack and pinion. if i were you i would probably put synthetic gear oil in, it's a little tougher than regular petroleum-based oil. synthetic is a 75W-90 weight oil. this was long but i hope i explained everything thoroughly for you!! Later, Andy Soma576@xxxx 1982 DeLorean DMC-12 VIN#11596 Fargo, ND 58102