Oil change

[DradusContact]

Checked my oil on friday night and it down to the min, so i decided to give it a full change rather than top it up. It was last done in november using the standard semi synthetic crap ford put in it.

Nothing to report really, oil was jet black coming out, which i was a bit suprised with, considering its only six months old i thought it would of looked cleaner.

I bought halfords own 5/40w oil which was the best stuff they had, even better than the castrol stuff, £33.99. If you buy halfords own £16.99 upwards you get a free screwdriver kit allegedly worth £19.99. Its a decent set, theyre well made with magnetic tips and good ahndles, but i very much doubt it has ever been on sale for £20.

 

[Dal]

An oil change never hurts. Mines probably needing one

You say you got 5w40 though? Should have been 5w30 :hide:

 

[DradusContact]

5/40 is even better though. Its the temp range isnt it?

 

[red]

5w30 Semi is the recommended specification I thought?

When you changed it did you replace the filter etc? I keep meaning to do mine but i'm an oil change virgin

 

[DradusContact]

Changed the oil filter too yes, pointless changing it if you dont. the first number, ie "5" is the lowest temp the oild starts protecting from, and the second, ie "40", is the highest temp it will work to. So the bigger the range the better.

Or so i always thought.

Changing it is very easy, though you need a ramp, or at least axle stands.

 

[Dal]

5/40 is even better though. Its the temp range isnt it?

No. The 40 relates to the viscosity. You need it at 30 (thinner), rather than 40 for a 1.7 puma engine.

A little light reading for ya

The SAE designation for multi-grade oils includes two grade numbers; for example, 10W-30 designates a common multi-grade oil. Historically, the first number associated with the W (again 'W' is for Winter, not Weight) is not rated at any single temperature. The "10W" means that this oil can be pumped by your engine as well as a single-grade SAE 10 oil can be pumped. "5W" can be pumped at a lower temperature than "10W" and "0W" can be pumped at a lower temperature than "5W". The second number, 30, means that the viscosity of this multi-grade oil at 100°C (212°F) operating temperature corresponds to the viscosity of a single-grade 30 oil at same temperature.

Many new vehicles are marked to use 5W-20 oil (Honda, Ford, and more recently Toyota) which is not much thinner than a 30 weight oil. Nay-sayers of 20 weight oil's ability to protect engines should note that typically, 30 weight oils shear down into the 20 weight range anyway. Most engine wear is during start-up and warm-up period, where the thinner 20 weight oil's flow is desirable. Overall, lab test results of the wear metals contained in used oil samples show low or lower wear with 20 weight than 30 in applications it is specified for. Some ultra fuel efficient and hybrid vehicles are marked to use 0W-20 oil. For some selective mechanical problems with engines, using a more viscous oil can ameliorate the symptoms, i.e. changing from 5W-20 to 20W-50 may eliminate a knocking noise from the engine but doesn't solve the problem, just "masks" it. Excess amounts of oil consumed by an engine burning it can be addressed by using a thicker oil, a 10W-40 might not burn off as fast compared to a 5W-30

 

[red]

Well I have 4 axle stands and a trolley jack so i should be good there.
It goes it for a proper service this month anyway but I need to start doing a half yearly mini service really.

 

[DradusContact]

Done now anyway. From what i have just read the oil thins out rather quickly and the affect and your engine is negligible.