flush or no flush

[lizardking]

I have no idea of the amount of time the fluids have been in my car so hopefully I will be changing them all this weekend,
Would it be wise to use an engine flush such as forte when changing the oil or is it best to leave alone?
My engine is a b18 which has reputedly covered 76000 miles in it's life although this could obviously be a lot more,
on more modern vehicles I have always flushed as a matter of course but after searching through threads on oils the general concensus seems to be stay away from modern high detergent oils, would this be the same for engine flushes?
Are there any recommended additives for the oil or is it just a case of good quality oil will yield good results?
Any tips on cleaning out the breather system whilst I am at it?
sorry for the list of questions but I want to do the right thing

[lizardking]

No replies so I didn't flush it just did the oil and filter

[1966 122s]

I am new to Amazons (not an expert) but there is a previous thread titled "lumpy running" and other older threads discussing oil. Having read these I am going to use a good classic oil and not use a flush. I tend to use Duckhams Q 20 / 50 classic. I spoke to Castrol / Duckhams for advice and they argued against additives...."too much zinc can cause pitting of parts such as cams".... This could be rubbish and better advice would be from someone who has had Amazons longer.

More than 10 years ago I heard that it was important to use volvo rather than copy oil filters on amazons. I was told this was something to do with a valve effect within the genuine volvo filter. This could be absolute rubbish, but my post might trigger a comment by someone who knows about filters.

Graham

[Geordie C30]

It's very important to use genuine Volvo oil filters on all Volvos as the filter has a pressure valve which prevents the oil from draining down into the sump. This ensures that when you restart the engine the oil pressure builds up rapidly to minimise wear. Instead of using an engine flush run the car for 100 miles or so on a cheap oil and then change the oil and filter again and use a quality oil. Magnetic drain plugs are also a cheap and worthwhile buy.

[Andrew (UK)]

The anti-drain back or one way valve in the oil filter is by no means unique to Volvo filters and I would be very surprised if you managed to buy any oil filter in the UK that did not have this valve.

[jimbo1593]

I always use Mann filters.
I have flushed in the past and found it worthwhile.
Tend to use duckhams classics and when it loses its green tinge after only a few hundred miles I suspect that the engine needs a flush. Last time i did this i got a lot of gunk out and had no problems since...and the oil stays the right colour for longer.

[1966 122s]

I've been under the impression that the green colour in Duckhams is just a colourant that changes as soon as the oil gets hot for first time. Surprised it lasts a few hundred miles. If you buy 25 litre barrels of the same Duckhams oil there is no green colourant, so I assumed it was cosmetic just to keep sales with the general public while not present in the 25 litre barrels used by garages.

Graham

[johnjp]

When I owned my first Amazon back in the late `70`s the recommended oil was Duckhams Q.
Found this too:http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

[lizardking]

Thanks all for the info, now I'm gonna open up a new can of worms and ask you guys what oil would be best in my b18?
as I've chucked cheapy supermarket stuff in for now for 100 miles or so,till I change it again thanks

[johnjp]

Duckhams also do a `classic` oil which is cheaper than Castrol Classic.