Hello listers,
My car is a 74 MGB with a rebuilt engine. The engine has less than 10000
miles on it. The rebuilders have alot of experience with LBCs, and
recommended using 10w40 full synthetic whenever possible. That's hard to
find around here, so I've been settling for Valvoline Durablend 10w40. A
friend offered to get me some Red Line synthetic, so we got 10w30
because of Red Line's recommendation to use that viscosity for basic
all-around driving. I added the oil and everything seemed ok until today.
This afternoon, I had to stop at a light and noticed an unusual amount
of vibration from the engine, as well as an abnormal rumbling. I feared
that the oil might have caused some issue inside the engine, and
examined the alternator just to make sure that it wasn't part of the
noise. It wasn't. I drove a short distance to an oil change place and
had the oil drained and replaced with the usual Durablend, but the
vibration was still as bad as before. I called for a tow truck to get
the car home. By the time we arrived at the oil change place, the
vibration was present while the engine was under load, which had not
been the case before.
My father's not a professional mechanic, but has alot of experience with
many different cars. He doubts that I've done any real damage because
the difference in oil viscosities is so small. He suspects that a valve
has become misadjusted. I adjusted them to spec while the engine was
cold about 2000 miles ago, but don't rule anything out.
I'm beginning to suspect the gearbox. After getting home, the wrecker
dropped the car in the street and I prepared to drive it into the
garage. The engine seemed smooth as usual before I put it into gear, but
upon putting it into first and engaging the clutch, a lot of vibrating
and rumbling started and didn't stop until I stopped the car. I'll check
the gearbox oil after it's had time to cool, but at the least there is
oil present.
Any ideas on what's wrong with my car? If I think of anything else that
might have contributed, I'll post it. Thank you for your help, and to
those in the US, enjoy your holiday.
-William Killeffer
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