fully synthetic oil question - OK to use?

[Ron Miel]

Thanks for all your replies - most helpful.

I'm still in two minds whether to stick with 5w30 or swap to 5w40 (or 0w40 although it doesn't get that cold down here!) for my trip to France - will it make any difference in the heat of Provence and up and down those hills in the Alps? I guess just doing the oil change will help.

Ron Miel - where did you get the MotorMaxx coolant enhancer from and how much is it? I have looked on their American website and it looks like a good additive. I have however, just replaced the coolant yesterday - can I empty some out of the bled hose and top up the reservoir (carefully!!!) with this product? or perhaps do it the other way around using a funnel on the bled hose so the old coolant comes out of the header tank.

Cheers

Darryl

Hi Darryl

Here: http://www.motormax.eu/, and pricing's there.

A tip: MotorMaxx in Edinburgh is a one man small volume importer, doing this as a sideline. He doesn't have a secure third party handling online shopping module on the site - instead you're asked to fill out the response form and he'll call you for credit card details. However, he can take for ever to do that, and I preferred to not give him my card info direct anyway, so I arranged to pay him by cheque. If you want to do likewise, just send him an order direct by letter, enclosing a cheque made out to "Mario Campanile", to:

Mario Campanile
MotorMaxx
....address as on the website

He'll then supply in about a week.

Yes, it can be added to your existing coolant, and there's instructions how to do that. I wasn't fully happy with them though and if you search on "motormaxx" in the forum, there's an old thread discussing how to do it in a Bongo. You've got to get coolant out from your expansion tank to make some room, without getting air in, so it takes more than one go to get the whole US Quart bottle in. Don't worry, it can be done but also don't forget that unless you take out even more of the existing coolant, and then add back MotorMaxx mixed with an equal volume of whatever anti-freeze you've got in (assuming a 50/50 mix), you'll be diluting the coolant and reducing its protection levels. I think that meant three or four add, run to mix in, remove some more, then repeat, cycles and, as you'll also be taking out a small amount of previously added MotorMaxx on each "remove", you do need to use the whole bottle to get a good MotorMaxx concentration in the end. PM me, if you can't find the earlier thread, and have any problems.

Cheers

David

[mikexgough]

imo i would go for the 5w 40 with the heavy load up those hills and the ambient temps.that oil is going to be working very hard indeed.

me too......... just a quickie....... if your going to change the Oil again before the winter...... Wilkinsons have 10/40 semi synthetic at £9.99 for 5 litres at the moment...... As the Handbook says 5/30 or 10/30 for Oil grades then might be worth a punt for the hills/temps ....your call

[Griffalo]

Thanks for all you replies.

I think I will pop into Wilkinson to pick up some 10w40 and then change again before the winter back to 5w30.

David - Thanks for the info will have to ring him as I doubt that it will now get here before I go - I am catching the shuttle next Wednesday!

Cheers

Darryl

[Ron Miel]

Thanks for all you replies.

I think I will pop into Wilkinson to pick up some 10w40 and then change again before the winter back to 5w30.

David - Thanks for the info will have to ring him as I doubt that it will now get here before I go - I am catching the shuttle next Wednesday!

Cheers

Darryl

Before doing that Darryl, better consider carefully if you've really got time to do it properly this time, before heading off - it will take you two or three hours of to and fro to work it all into the system Cheers D

[missfixit70]

Thanks for all you replies.

I think I will pop into Wilkinson to pick up some 10w40 and then change again before the winter back to 5w30.

David - Thanks for the info will have to ring him as I doubt that it will now get here before I go - I am catching the shuttle next Wednesday!

Cheers

Darryl

Before doing that Darryl, better consider carefully if you've really got time to do it properly this time, before heading off - it will take you two or three hours of to and fro to work it all into the system Cheers D

Or just drain more than enough out of the rad, put the motormaxx stuff in, along with some neat antifreeze & bleed it, done in an hour Or am I missing sumat?

[Ron Miel]

No, you're not Kirsty.I guess I'm just neurotic about the idea of deliberately introducing air, then bleeding, especially if not done before, and then facing tough/hot driving on a precious holiday - but perhaps I'm missing something

[Griffalo]

I thought about using the bleed pipe (with a funnel) to poor in the motormax stuff and extra coolant and opening the header tank cap to watch the old stuff poor out. If done slowly and carefully it might work - what do you think?

D

[missfixit70]

Still a risk of introducing air, if you aren't sure there's the bleed video that may help, or you could pop over to weymouth & I'll give you a hand bleeding it if you want?

[Ron Miel]

I'm not expert/Bongo-experenced enough to know the answer to that. In principle, as long as you keep the open bleed pipe end just a bit higher than the expansion tank full level, then lower it to the same level as you finish filling, I guess it could work. If you get the relative levels wrong, you'll introduce varying amounts of air though.

[Griffalo]

Kirsty - seen the video and did a change last weekend using the tips on it - thanks for the offer and thanks for such a useful bit of youtube!

David - that was my thinking - if it is done carefully it might work.

D

[Ron Miel]

Kirsty - seen the video and did a change last weekend using the tips on it - thanks for the offer and thanks for such a useful bit of youtube!

David - that was my thinking - if it is done carefully it might work.

D

I was "missing something" then - you've done it before

[missfixit70]

Kirsty - seen the video and did a change last weekend using the tips on it - thanks for the offer and thanks for such a useful bit of youtube!

David - that was my thinking - if it is done carefully it might work.

D

Don't thank me, Chell & Ady were the ones that put it together, Haydn & me just pretended to know what we were talking about

[mikexgough]

if you don't get time before you travel then the oil change will help the cooling, as it well known that Semi and full synthetic oils reduce component part temperature within an engine by 20-30 C over the conventional mineral base types.....