Oil change

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3 Litre Power
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Re: Oil change

Post by 3 Litre Power »

andyd wrote:A little while ago I was being drawn to this https://www.millersoilsireland.ie/wp-co ... 0w40-p.jpg
And after a call to Millers Oils yesterday I have ordered one, with a confirmed Zddp of 1098 ppm.

It was also one of the recommendations by Opie Oils.
Perfect choice.
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3 Litre Power
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Location: In the garage...

Re: Oil change

Post by 3 Litre Power »

Vermilion wrote:I would suggest to use Mobil Peaklife (rallyformula) 5W-50 It has lots of ZDDP and its fully synthetic. Its good for camshaft and rockers,
especially for older engine and to car that doesnt' have catalytist converters. ZDDP reduces alot catalytist converters lifetime. Thats
why the won't use ZDDP anymore in oils.

IF YOU ARE AFRAID of synthetic oils Mobil HD 2000 has super much ZDPP (1800ppm) but it is mineral oil...
Kendal has lots of ZDPP oils but they are quite costly.
Valvoline VR1 is great, available in Mineral 20W-50, Part Synthetic 10W-60 and FS 5W-50, all with 1200-1300 ppm :) and ACEA A3/B4.
And cheaper than Mobil 1.
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andyd
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Re: Oil change

Post by andyd »

3 Litre Power wrote:
andyd wrote:A little while ago I was being drawn to this https://www.millersoilsireland.ie/wp-co ... 0w40-p.jpg
And after a call to Millers Oils yesterday I have ordered one, with a confirmed Zddp of 1098 ppm.

It was also one of the recommendations by Opie Oils.
Perfect choice.
:cheers:
Vermilion
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Re: Oil change

Post by Vermilion »

3 Litre Power wrote:
Vermilion wrote:I would suggest to use Mobil Peaklife (rallyformula) 5W-50 It has lots of ZDDP and its fully synthetic. Its good for camshaft and rockers,
especially for older engine and to car that doesnt' have catalytist converters. ZDDP reduces alot catalytist converters lifetime. Thats
why the won't use ZDDP anymore in oils.

IF YOU ARE AFRAID of synthetic oils Mobil HD 2000 has super much ZDPP (1800ppm) but it is mineral oil...
Kendal has lots of ZDPP oils but they are quite costly.
Valvoline VR1 is great, available in Mineral 20W-50, Part Synthetic 10W-60 and FS 5W-50, all with 1200-1300 ppm :) and ACEA A3/B4.
And cheaper than Mobil 1.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/from-Berlin-E ... SwScdZu50S

1200ppm zdpp 4l/30£
Will Walters
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Re: Oil change

Post by Will Walters »

I’ve owned my Capri for a few years now but only been driving it for just over a year, my dad was driving it for a while in between.

The oil must have been changed about 4/5000 miles ago when my dad took it to a garage but I have no clue what type of oil was put in and it’s not been topped up ever since (everyone reading this must be shaking their heads..)!

I have a 2.0 pinto that’s done 108,000 miles. Will the 10w40 GTX be suitable? I drive my Capri all year round and do between 3000-4000 miles per year.

My other question is.. do you need to jack the car up to drain the oil? I haven’t been living away from home for long and have VERY limited tools/money so just wanting to know exactly what I need to buy!

Thanks for you help :)
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Re: Oil change

Post by Paul G »

Will Walters wrote:I’ve owned my Capri for a few years now but only been driving it for just over a year, my dad was driving it for a while in between.

The oil must have been changed about 4/5000 miles ago when my dad took it to a garage but I have no clue what type of oil was put in and it’s not been topped up ever since (everyone reading this must be shaking their heads..)!

I have a 2.0 pinto that’s done 108,000 miles. Will the 10w40 GTX be suitable? I drive my Capri all year round and do between 3000-4000 miles per year.

My other question is.. do you need to jack the car up to drain the oil? I haven’t been living away from home for long and have VERY limited tools/money so just wanting to know exactly what I need to buy!

Thanks for you help :)
You will need to jack the car up, preferably by the front crossmember. If you are usings the cars own jack FFS put axle stands under it before you get underneath. You will need a bowl for the old oil to drain into - an old washing up bowl will suffice- and a 13mm spanner (ring or combination type, reasonably long, always use the ring end as the open end can slip and ruin the bolt head or your knuckles). Anyway you will see the drain plug on the side of the sump at the bottom, undo it with the bowl in place underneath. Remember the oil spurts out at an angle, it doesn't just drain down vertically until the sump is empty. To get every last drop out it may pay to drop the car back on its wheels.

While the oil is draining I'd fit a new washer to the sump plug, these can be bought when you get the oil and filter.When the oil is drained refit the sump plug and tighten it up - reasonably tight but not crazily so.

Now move the drain bowl under the oil filter after finally jacking down the car. The filter most likely will be tight to undo so if you can't get it off the cheapest filter removing tool is a long screwdriver hammered through it and used as a lever to undo it. Messy job though!

Now you will need to clean where the filter goes on and probably all around it too. Old rag or kitchen roll can be used. Take the new filter out of its box and smear some engine oil or a bit of grease around the rubber seal and spin the filter on until it stops, then continue for 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn. Don't overtighten it as it will be a cnut to get off next time - they don't need to be too tight despite what the bar room experts say.

Pull the oil drain bowl out from under the car and move it out of your way.

Now you need to fill the car with the new oil. I suggest you get a funnel and slowly pour it in, stopping every now and again and checking the level on the dipstick. It doesn't matter if it's a tiny bit overfilled at this stage.

Finally, disconnect one of the Small LT wires from the coil then crank the engine over until you get oil pressure building up. Reconnect the wire then start the car, run it for 15 seconds then switch it off. Leave it alone for a few minutes which is time you could use to dispose of the old oil and filter. I suggest you tip the remaining new oil out of the container into a small one then tip the old engine oil into the container that the oil came in. It then can be taken to a local dump to dispose of it, along with the old filter.

Finally check the oil level again and top up bit by bit until it is on the maximum, run the engine and check nothing is leaking.

So to recap the tools you will need:-

13mm spanner
Longish screwdriver
Drain bowl
Funnel
Bit of grease for oil filter rubber seal
Sump plug washer
AXLE STANDS!
Old rags and newspaper etc and a plastic bag to wrap the old filter in.

I think 10/40 or preferably 15/40 GTX will be fine in a pinto despite what has been written above.

Hope this helps
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Re: Oil change

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Will Walters wrote:My other question is.. do you need to jack the car up to drain the oil?
A very comprehensive reply by Paul containing some excellent advice.
Personally, I don't bother jacking the car up to drain the oil. It sounds obvious, but before you undo the sump plug, check that the receptacle that you intend to use to catch the waste oil will actually fit under the sump when the car is on the ground!

Good luck,
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pbar
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

Will Walters wrote:
I have a 2.0 pinto that’s done 108,000 miles. Will the 10w40 GTX be suitable? I drive my Capri all year round and do between 3000-4000 miles per year.
Yes, it is. All year round. I know several people who use that, and it's all I've ever put in mine.

Will Walters wrote:

My other question is.. do you need to jack the car up to drain the oil?
You can leave all four wheels on the ground and just reach under. You can also reach it from above if you prefer, but I usually do it from underneath. If it's tight use a six sided socket though, these sump bolts seem to be made of butter, they can soon get mashed up with a normal spanner if it's very tight.
andyd
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Re: Oil change

Post by andyd »

Engine should be warm so oil drains better? Or is that an old wives tale...... :?
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Re: Oil change

Post by Paul G »

It is true that it does run out better if the engine's warm but if you are a novice only doing it using a washing up bowl to save pennies as the OP said he had to, then the bowl could catch on the exhaust and melt the side of it and it is more difficult to get to the drain plug with the bowl in the way, especially if it's been overtightened like most are. This is why I said for him to jack it up to get to the drain plug. Believe me, having been a motor vehicle lecturer for 15 years I've seen it all with novices!

If the oil is old I leave it to drain overnight to get as much as possible out.
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Re: Oil change

Post by Major_Tom »

I use Bertolli Extra Virgin.
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
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pbar
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

Paul G wrote:doing it using a washing up bowl to save pennies
I use one of those old plastic storage tubs which I cut down to about 4 inches high. Works a treat. That's my (not so top) top tip! :)
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Re: Oil change

Post by andyd »

We use old engine oil at home to stain fence panels and posts :cheers:
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Re: Oil change

Post by Major_Tom »

andyd wrote:We use old engine oil at home to stain fence panels and posts :cheers:
It works ok does it? Doesn't leech out in the rain or the sun or nuffink?
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
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Re: Oil change

Post by andyd »

Major_Tom wrote:
andyd wrote:We use old engine oil at home to stain fence panels and posts :cheers:
It works ok does it? Doesn't leech out in the rain or the sun or nuffink?
All good....The rougher the wood the quicker it dries, and for what it costs you cant go wrong :)
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Re: Oil change

Post by Major_Tom »

I have about 10 litres of that in the shed.. have been to the tip about 5 times since and keep forgetting to take it down! Bloody brain.
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
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3 Litre Power
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Re: Oil change

Post by 3 Litre Power »

Again, my advice is that you should not run GTX in a Pinto or any flat tappet engine, it doesn't have enough zinc and phosphorous anymore for these old engiines with old valvetrain designs, the Pinto is also a very prone engine to cam wear because the lubrication system for the top end of the engine is far from ideal, so again i would advise against it, Millers Trident 10W-40 is a great choice and has enough zddp.
Sorry if i sound pedantic but it's the way it is.
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Re: Oil change

Post by Will Walters »

Amazing cheers for all the responses! Haven't got around to doing it yet but shall begin collecting everything I need. I don't have axle stands either, despite what some people said I think I'll go for jacking it up.. so do I need a jack and axle stands to be safe rather than just a jack?

I re-read the thread following my post and realised I had missed what was said about Millers so ended up ordering that, only £19 on eBay :D
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Re: Oil change

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Will Walters wrote: I think I'll go for jacking it up.. so do I need a jack and axle stands to be safe rather than just a jack?
Personally, I wouldn't work underneath a car unless it's supported by axle stands.

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Re: Oil change

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Hi.

I use one of these plastic cat litter trays rather than a washing up bowl or dedicated oil collect containers. They are very similar base dimensions to a washing up bowl so no worry of over shooting ( :o ) and as the cat litter tray is much lower profile its much easier to work with but of course this is just my own preference and by no means the only option that works well but at only a few quid they are great value. Just a little tip. Hope it helps

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142081050756

Sainsburys had them for a fiver recently. Maybe lidl might have them even less :)

I dont jack up ( :shock: :shock: ) and as Paul "Pbar" has said I can actually reach the sump plug from above. I go and have a bite to eat while the oil is draining out.

Regarding oils I now use Valvoline VR1 Racing 20 50. I was too intrigued by all the recommendations for the stuff not to give it a try and the car runs great but this really is one of those personal opinions on what people are happy using and can be a very 'slippery' subject :lol: :sorry:

All the best

Nick
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