wojtekk

Hello All

This is my first post on this forum and I would like some help and clarification with my 2003 Lancer OZ

My car is almost at the 100,000 km mark, and I’ve noticed some weird actions from the engine. Whenever I am stuck at a red light, sometimes, the rev needle “pulsates” back and forth between 0 and 1500, back and forth. I turned all the fans off and air conditioning, hoping that it was caused by excessive energy consumption. But the engine still does that. It doesn’t do it all the time, and it happens even when the engine is warm (I can understand some reving in neutral when the car is warming up)

Also I had a more technical question. I just changed the oil for the first time (what an amazingly easy process, I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier) I used Mobil 1 full synthetic oil. The oil level on the dipstick shows it at the maximum line, in the middle of the max notch. Is that the best amount for the car? Or should it have less oil, somewhere in the middle between the min and max? Should I drain some oil to avoid problems with the engine?

Thanks for all the help

Wojtek

sdhes

The level is fine, I'm not sure that is the best oil for a car with that many miles on it though, what is it 5w30, you might need something a little thicker than that. You could try running a cleaner like "Seafoam" through it, would'nt hurt with that many miles. Or, reset the ECU, but since you just changed your oil it probably has something to do with that and not the ECU. Did you change the oil filter too...I hope...just asking.

wojtekk

Thank you for your response.

I only used the Mobil 1 full synthetic 5W30 because I heard its as good as they come.

Are there any other recommendations for an older engine? Since I'm doing my own oil changes now, I'd like to be consistent. I change the filter along with all the oil changes, and I'm a strong believer of regular maintenance.

Lusion

iTrader: (23)

Well, I live in the desert and it a constant 95+ degrees. My car has 100k+ miles and I use Castrol GTX high mileage 10w40 and in the winter (85+ degrees ) 10w30.

sdhes

Mobil 1 is good, just maybe not for that engine with that many miles on it. Try 10w40 at least. Lancer oil pumps dont like that thin stuff from what I've read and heard from the evom gurus, but there are alot of different opinions on this topic. Do a search, read, and decide for yourself. Some say 10w40 winter and 20w50 in summer. Royal purple is real popular but expensive. I've been running 20w50 synthetic blend and the car seems to love it. Try the Seafoam to clean it out though.

sdhes

Thats a good combination. Maybe the high mileage is what he needs.

atilla

iTrader: (9)

i run mobil1 5w30 in my car, and i've got 103k miles on her... runs just fine. 20W50 is a pretty thick oil, i know boosted cars need thicker oil, but i don't think us N/A guys would need anything that thick. as for the level, you should be all set if you put in 4 quarts exactly. keep a bottle handy for top-offs (if needed), and in case all the oil doesn't drain out of those mobil1 bottles--they can be a real pain in the ***.

how often do you change your oil? working at an oil change place naturally i'd recommend 3,000 miles, 5,000 at the most for mobil1. the filters we use (really it's filters, period) are pretty much useless after 7,500 miles, and they are decent quality. we use all mobil stuff, sometimes group7 stuff when we're running low.

however your problem doesn't sound oil-related to me. check for vacuum leaks... punctured hoses, cracked hoses, etc. what mods do you have done to your car engine-wise? i can imagine if it's down near zero you're almost stalling. not good.