I am sure this has been covered but I could not find the data

To start, I am getting a 96 Discovery from my buddy. He has replaced tons and tons of stuff because he wanted it to be reliable.
about 1k miles ago he decided to put diesel oil in it based on discussions here and elsewhere. Since then there has been a tick from the motor. I am crossing my fingers that it is just a lose manifold but I can not help but think that it is caused by the thick oil.

It is being shipped and should arrive tomorrow. The first thing I want to do it change the oil.

What type should I change to? I live in Richmond so the winter is pretty mild here.

 

How many miles on it, what filter have you been using.
As a 96, it has to be getting some miles on the engine, I would go to a full synthetic of your choice and weight based on where you live. As for an oil filter buy either Mobil 1-301 or a K&N 3001 for their extra filtering capacity.
Make a point of changing your oil every 3000 miles to every 5000 with a synthetic.

 

it has 116k and I will be in VA. He told me to stay away from SYN since the motor has so many miles

I have no idea what filter he has been using, but I am sure it was a good one

i have posted this list on another thread, but this is the list of stuff he has done in the past year or two

New Oil cooler lines
New Transmission cooler lines
New Ypipe with cats
New Timing chain and sprockets
New Water Pump
New Fuel pump motor
New Water/heater hoses
New Power steering hoses
All new fluids
Resealed Oil pan to block
New Valve cover gaskets
New PVC Hoses
2inch rovertym HD Springs
4 Old man emu 2in HD Shocks
Fron and back rovertym diff gaurds
Rovertyme HD Steering Arm
New vehicle Speed Sensor
New Fuel tank seal
4 BF good rich mud terrain tires
New Antenna
All New front bushings
All new U-joints
All new Steering ball joints
Rebuilt drivers front knuckle/ball assembly
New Drivers side CV joint
New Rotors and breaks
Repacked all 4 wheel bearings
New Fan Clutch
New Thermostat
New Front Crank Seal
2 year old rubber drive shaft coupling
New Master break cylinder reservoir kit
Front and rear pinion seals

 

Using a Heavy Duty Engine Oil (HDEO) that is duel rated (diesel/Gasoline) is a smart idea in these hydraulic lifter engines. I use Rotella 5w-40 synthetic or Mobil 1 5w-40 TDT in the winter. And in the summer if I was going to use a Dino oil I would stick with Rotella/Delvac/Delo 15w-40. If you want to go synthetic mobil 1 15w-50 is also a great oil. If you go with mobil 1 (non HDEO) get the EP or HM or SUV flavor as they have higher concentrations of additives.

As far as whether or not to use a synthetic, many of us do and as long as your engine does not have leaky seals or is a sludge monster you will be more than fine. With a DI you should be able to remove the valve covers and see the state of the top end. If you do switch to a synthetic or HDEO you may want to do a flush with Seafoam/gunk/B12 Chemtool etc before hand.

The HDEO or synthetic will give you 5,000 mile oil changes. If you choose to use a regular Dino oil then stick with the 3,000 mile intervals.

Use a good oil filter like Mobil 1 301, K&N 3001, Purolator Pure One PL30001, or Napa Gold/Wix 1515.

 

My disco is 8 years newer, and has the 4.6 engine, but it is my understanding that these engines are all based from the same roots. I put in 5w-40 rotella fully synthetic at 102k miles and haven't had any problems or ticks. Its probably more likely that the tick was caused by something else, not the diesel oil.

 

A thicker oil will stop valve and lifter noise. My truck has never sounded better since I switched over to an HDEO. I get a little lifter noise for maybe the first 30 seconds and then that is it. Before when I used 5w-30 my engine sounded like a diesel for the first 15 minutes.

 

ok, I think I will add 5w-40 dino

If nothing else, I think it is same oil I run in the volvo.

 

well in this case, it seems to have caused it.

I am going to try a lighter oil and see what happens. If it gets louder, then I will switch back

 

i recently switched to syn Rotella and have had no issues.

 

5w-40 synthetic in winter, 15w-40 (synthetic or non ) in summer.