Oil change

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caprikid61
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Re: Oil change

Post by caprikid61 »

Castrol GTX 15/40 4 litres on sale at asda for £18.00 but its sinthetic !! Would that be ok in a 2 litre pinto ??
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

caprikid61 wrote:Castrol GTX 15/40 4 litres on sale at asda for £18.00 but its sinthetic !! Would that be ok in a 2 litre pinto ??
I have only ever used the semi synthetic. I have noticed that the semi isn't stated on some bottles, and have wondered if it is actually just the same oil but in different packaging/labeling. Couldn't imagine that Castrol GTX is sold in two versions? Hopefully someone can shed some light on that.
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

Will Walters wrote: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?
You should not work underneath a car without it being properly supported. If you do insist on jacking up just to drain the oil then it is common practice to jack up on the front crossmember (thereby raising the whole front of the car up), and placing axle stands either side of the jack, again under the front crossmember. I use thick folded over rags on top of the axle stands to prevent any scratching and scraping.

You need to lower the car to drain the oil as the car should be level. Then I assume you will be jacking it up again (and using axle stands) to re-fit the drain plug.
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Re: Oil change

Post by Major_Tom »

pbar wrote:
Will Walters wrote: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?
You should not work underneath a car without it being properly supported. If you do insist on jacking up just to drain the oil then it is common practice to jack up on the front crossmember (thereby raising the whole front of the car up), and placing axle stands either side of the jack, again under the front crossmember. I use thick folded over rags on top of the axle stands to prevent any scratching and scraping.

You need to lower the car to drain the oil as the car should be level. Then I assume you will be jacking it up again (and using axle stands) to re-fit the drain plug.
If you really get stuck in an emergency, use the spare or spare plus a road wheel to stick under it. If the jack fails you will not be squashed. I've done this a bunch of times.
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Re: Oil change

Post by Fordoholic Nick »

Major_Tom wrote: If the jack fails you will not be squashed. I've done this a bunch of times.
Hmmmm......you are very slim Tom.... :python: ...:lol:... :sorry:
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Re: Oil change

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pbar wrote:
caprikid61 wrote:Castrol GTX 15/40 4 litres on sale at asda for £18.00 but its sinthetic !! Would that be ok in a 2 litre pinto ??
I have only ever used the semi synthetic. I have noticed that the semi isn't stated on some bottles, and have wondered if it is actually just the same oil but in different packaging/labeling. Couldn't imagine that Castrol GTX is sold in two versions? Hopefully someone can shed some light on that.
The Castrol GTX 15/40 I was looking at had synthetic engineering written on the front of the container , thats what put me off getting it . Not sure if its fully synthetic or semi synthetic or if the oil will be to thin for my pinto? I always used to use GTX 20/50 mineral oil but cant seem to get that these days .
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Re: Oil change

Post by tejb1 »

I am not the skinniest person you'll meet, but can slide underneath without jacking up to reach the sump bolt!
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

caprikid61 wrote:
The Castrol GTX 15/40 I was looking at had synthetic engineering written on the front of the container , thats what put me off getting it . Not sure if its fully synthetic or semi synthetic or if the oil will be to thin for my pinto? I always used to use GTX 20/50 mineral oil but cant seem to get that these days .
That grade of oil is fine, see Ford oil chart for our cars, below. It's the thicker oil you have to worry about as it takes time to reach the necessary nooks and crannies, especially in the winter, which is why Ford recommended 10/40.

From -23 deg C to +32 deg C: 10W-30/10W-40/10W-50
Above -18 deg C: 15W-40/15W-50
Above -12 deg C: 20W-40/20W-50
Below -23 deg C: 5W-20/5W-30

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Re: Oil change

Post by caprikid61 »

pbar wrote:
caprikid61 wrote:
The Castrol GTX 15/40 I was looking at had synthetic engineering written on the front of the container , thats what put me off getting it . Not sure if its fully synthetic or semi synthetic or if the oil will be to thin for my pinto? I always used to use GTX 20/50 mineral oil but cant seem to get that these days .
That grade of oil is fine, see Ford oil chart for our cars, below. It's the thicker oil you have to worry about as it takes time to reach the necessary nooks and crannies, especially in the winter, which is why Ford recommended 10/40.

From -23 deg C to +32 deg C: 10W-30/10W-40/10W-50
Above -18 deg C: 15W-40/15W-50
Above -12 deg C: 20W-40/20W-50
Below -23 deg C: 5W-20/5W-30

All to Ford Spec SSM-2C-9001-AA

Thanks for that info pbar , pretty sure I will just go for the 15/40 its the synthetic part that I am not sure about. Would you say synthetic is ok for a pinto ? I think the engine is in pretty good nick because the oil gauge sits about half way at tickover and 3/4 when engine is cold and driving at about 60 mph . Cheers Alex
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

caprikid61 wrote:
Thanks for that info pbar , pretty sure I will just go for the 15/40 its the synthetic part that I am not sure about. Would you say synthetic is ok for a pinto ? I think the engine is in pretty good nick because the oil gauge sits about half way at tickover and 3/4 when engine is cold and driving at about 60 mph . Cheers Alex
In all honesty, I am unsure about that. I have always used GTX and it has always been labelled as semi synthetic. But like yourself, I have noticed on some packaging it just says synthetic technology. So is it just the same oil in new design packaging? Probably, I can't imagine that GTX is sold in semi and fully synthetic options. Perhaps contacting Castrol might give the answer?

A quick look on Castrol's website states that the only fully synthetic oils are Castrol Edge and Castrol Magnatec. Whereas GTX is listed as a conventional oil. So personally I do still think that the 15/40 GTX you are favouring will be fine.
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Re: Oil change

Post by pbar »

Castrol GTX is definitely still listed as part synthetic, so I would go ahead and use your 15/40 :)

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