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Post by terryvanman on Feb 2, 2015 18:08:58 GMT
I need some advice please. After driving around in my new car with a soppy smile on my face for a week or more. It's time to knuckle down and start looking after it. Can any of you exsperts tell me what engine oil I should use {both my modern vehicles use synthetic] What gearbox fluid? what brake fluid? and what antifreeze. Thanks in advance. yes I really am a numpty Oh yes, how long should the wiper blades be? as mine look very short.
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Feb 2, 2015 18:26:32 GMT
The answers are all SEARCH and it depends on age of engine and whether the auto box has been reconned (very rare if not!)
More info required
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 2, 2015 18:50:32 GMT
The answers are all SEARCH and it depends on age of engine and whether the auto box has been reconned (very rare if not!) More info required Thanks Phil. I've done a search and found out that Dexron is the oil to use for the gearbox and power steering, is that right? Every time I try to search for "What engine oil should I use" it just comes back as Engine oil leak. thanks again
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Feb 2, 2015 19:01:17 GMT
Dexron is NOT the default but not always right if the gearbox has been rebuilt. Use same as gearbox in power steering and EP90 in back axle
In a worn engine 20w/50 qualilty mineral oil or 15w/50 if you can get it. Unless engine is recently rebuilt waste no money on synthetics but change every year or 3000 miles whatever
Brake fluid DOT4 not silicon
Antifreeze standard EG with additives eg Comma NOT organic types 33-50% concentration changed every 2 years
There are many many more opinions on here but mine has served me right almost 25 years
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 2, 2015 19:04:49 GMT
Dexron is NOT the default but not always right if the gearbox has been rebuilt. Use same as gearbox in power steering and EP90 in back axle In a worn engine 20w/50 qualilty mineral oil or 15w/50 if you can get it. Unless engine is recently rebuilt waste no money on synthetics but change every year or 3000 miles whatever There are many many more opinions on here but mine has served me right almost 25 years Thank you kind sir.
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Feb 2, 2015 19:06:58 GMT
The answers are all SEARCH and it depends on age of engine and whether the auto box has been reconned (very rare if not!) More info required Thanks Phil. I've done a search and found out that Dexron is the oil to use for the gearbox and power steering, is that right? Every time I try to search for "What engine oil should I use" it just comes back as Engine oil leak. thanks again What Phil is saying Terry it will depend on whether the box is original or not? when it was rebuilt? whether you use Ford spec 33G or a Dexron base oil? I would suggest asking the previous owner! oops I was typing at the same time as you two
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 2, 2015 22:29:59 GMT
Thanks Phil. I've done a search and found out that Dexron is the oil to use for the gearbox and power steering, is that right? Every time I try to search for "What engine oil should I use" it just comes back as Engine oil leak. thanks again What Phil is saying Terry it will depend on whether the box is original or not? when it was rebuilt? whether you use Ford spec 33G or a Dexron base oil? I would suggest asking the previous owner! oops I was typing at the same time as you two Thanks for the help, I'll talk to the guy, he's a member so maybe he's spotted this and get back to me
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Post by harvey on Feb 2, 2015 22:48:56 GMT
As far as the BW35 is concerned I'd use the M2C-33G fluid regardless of whether it has been rebuilt or not. Using that won't cause problems, but using Dexron can. Most transmission rebuilders, let alone owners, don't know what fluid should be used. Even in a rebuilt box with friction materials supposedly suitable for use with Dexron won't get around the problem of the extra heat generated by the slip that the friction modifiers in Dexron introduces.
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 20, 2015 9:07:29 GMT
Morning all, I've found this from an owners manual, I am going to buy some runny stuff and was wondering which is the best [more importantly what's still available] ones to get? can someone advise me please.
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Post by richardlamsdale on Feb 20, 2015 9:51:01 GMT
Morning all, I've found this from an owners manual, I am going to buy some runny stuff and was wondering which is the best [more importantly what's still available] ones to get? can someone advise me please. I use Classic Oils ( classic-oils.net) and they have a good selection. I did some research recently (there's lots of threads on here - the best one I found was roverp5.proboards.com/thread/2579/oils-aint and I summarised things for myself at www.roverp5bcoupe.com/oils-fluids/). There seems to be a common view that the mineral content on some modern oils is very low, which can lead to increased engine wear. Modern Castrol GTX is quite different to the 1950's/60's version. Penrite oils seem to have one of the highest mineral (Zinc and Phosphorous) contents, so I went with Penrite Classic Light. Castrol TQF is still available as well for steering and gearbox - I went with that and all seems fine so far.
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Post by Welsh Warlock on Feb 20, 2015 9:52:59 GMT
Engine Oil : What is best for your car will depend on whether the engine is original or not and whether and when it was rebuilt. If it’s original and done many miles there's little point in using modern synthetic or even semi synthetic oils. The key is regular oil changes. Bear in mind that the engine is not made of glass and has been used so throwing expensive oil at it won't magically improve it over night. The engine's condition will very much depend on how its been looked after in the past. If the engine seems in good order I would do an oil and filter change and use a good 20/50. Depending on how the new oil looks after a few hundred miles I would do the following. If the oil is clean then just keep using a 20/50 and change it every 3000 miles or 12 months whichever is first. If the oil is dirty (more than dark brown after a few hundred miles I would drop the sump and clean it out. Its surprising just how much sludge can be sitting in the sump. I would also remove the rocker covers (new gaskets required – cheap and readily available at motor factors for the Rover V8 – Tip – use a SMALL dab of liquid to hold the gaskets in place while you refit the covers ) and clean out inside and reassemble using a new oil and filter. Then change oil every 1000 miles until it is clean after 1000 miles. Effectively clean out as much of the black crap as you can and flush the engine using new oil every 1000 or so miles. For many of us that 1000 miles will be an annual change anyway. Gearbox: Listen to Harvey. He knows his stuff. Use the M2C-33G fluid. Most motor factors will either have it in stock or can obtain for you in either 1 litre or 5 litre containers. Even my local Parkers' motor factors chain usually has it in stock. If you aren't sure if the gearbox fluid has been changed then change it. It can make a big difference to how smooth the box changes up and down. If you're feeling adventurous drop the gearbox sump and clean it out. Don't forget to order replacement gaskets if you decide to drop the sump on either the engine or gearbox. Topping up the gearbox to the correct level is a black art - there is plenty of information on here. If you overfill you are likely to be rewarded with puddles of ATF when you park up for a while as the torque converter drains back. Rear Axle: Any quality SAE90 EP gear oil should be used. Again this is available from most motor factors off the shelf. If you don't know if it’s been changed then I would suggest you change it. Could be very old. Don't forget to obtain a replacement sealing washer for the drain plug (You should replace the main oil sump plug washer as well.) Brake Fluid: IF and I mean IF the system hasn't been changed then DOT4 or better fluid is correct as Phil says. HOWEVER if the brake fluid is purple it has been changed to silicone fluid and YOU MUST NOT MIX SILICONE AND STANDARD BRAKE FLUID. They are completely incompatible and in order to change requires the whole system to be emptied of one and all of the seals to be cleaned/replaced. The fluid in yours is probably standard DOT4 compatible. It should be clear/yellowish. If it is hasn't been changed for more than a couple of years it is worth flushing through the system with new fluid. DOT4 fluid is hygroscopic. It absorbs water over time and under continued harsh braking (down a steep long hill for example)the water content can cause the fluid to boil and a consequent loss of brakes. The more yellow the fluid the older it is and more likely that water has been absorbed. If there are black particles in the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir then its likely the seals are beginning to deteriorate. This can be due to wear and tear but also water content in the brake fluid will cause the seals to deteriorate more quickly. If there is a black mist at the bottom of the reservoir then it is even more important that its flushed through by bleeding. Just make sure you open the bleed valves carefully and I would recommend having a couple of spares handy just in case one (or more shears off). It might be worth spraying the bleed nipples with penetrating oil a while before trying to open them as they can shear off and it can be a pig of a job to get them out if they shear fluch with the claiper/backplate. Brass replacements are available. Don't forget to check the effectiveness and concentration of the antifreeze, particularly at this time of year. Power Steering Fluid - As previously stated – same as the gearbox. The fluid here normally gets overlooked and when I changed mine it was very brown rather than the red colour it should have been. There is also a filter in the reservoir and replacements are available from the club for not a lot of money and it is easy to change. Bleeding is dead easy too. Worth also checking the fan belt and power steering belts while you’ve got the spanners out as they are relatively easy to inspect, cheap and easy to change and could save a lot of brief. Don’t forget to top up the dash pots on top of the carbs. I’m not going to comment on what oil to use as opinions seem to vary. I’m sure you can figure out the washer bottle for yourself Did I miss anything?
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 20, 2015 10:12:02 GMT
Well Fook me, now that is what I call a reply, thank you!! thank you!! for a newby like me that is so helpful. Sir I will buy you a beer when I meet you...thank you again for the help and above all the reassurance.
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Post by Welsh Warlock on Feb 20, 2015 10:37:56 GMT
Well Fook me, now that is what I call a reply, thank you!! thank you!! for a newby like me that is so helpful. Sir I will buy you a beer when I meet you...thank you again for the help and above all the reassurance. Whilst I appreciate the invitation at the start of your reply I think that may be a little over the top and not my cup of tea! A beer may be OTT but I may take you up on a cup of coffee though. If you fill in your profile with your location it will help us to know where you are geographocally and put you in touch with people near to you who can help with advice and access to spares etc.
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Post by terryvanman on Feb 20, 2015 15:05:40 GMT
Well Fook me, now that is what I call a reply, thank you!! thank you!! for a newby like me that is so helpful. Sir I will buy you a beer when I meet you...thank you again for the help and above all the reassurance. Whilst I appreciate the invitation at the start of your reply I think that may be a little over the top and not my cup of tea! A beer may be OTT but I may take you up on a cup of coffee though. If you fill in your profile with your location it will help us to know where you are geographocally and put you in touch with people near to you who can help with advice and access to spares etc. will do
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Feb 20, 2015 18:30:49 GMT
Actually Alan you have missed something (well by half anyway ) Real good point about about the black bits in the brake fluid and was 100% correct years ago and when Rover recommended changing the seals and fluid every 2 years. These days the black bits are more likely to be from collapsing flexis - after tall they are probably at least 40 years old and were never designed to last anywhere near that time. These can cause all sorts of strange and dangerous braking issues and if they burst brakes will be lost completely. If the handbrake has not been serviced and adjusted regularly and properly then you will have no effective brakes at all The lube chart is nothing now but history but suitable modern equivalents are available for the P5's in all conditions and usage - the most expensive and hitec ones are not necessarily the best for a particular P5 as you say
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2015 19:39:55 GMT
Well Fook me, now that is what I call a reply, thank you!! thank you!! for a newby like me that is so helpful. Sir I will buy you a beer when I meet you...thank you again for the help and above all the reassurance. Just to add to all the good advice given, I use Comma Classic Oils which are cheaper than the "named" brands but contain the same basic mix of additives in the mineral oil base. The main thing is to change the engine oil once a year unless you are covering a very high mileage when I think the recommendation is to change a mineral oil after 2000/3000 miles.I change the oil once a year and the filter every two years as I only cover a very low mileage of less than 1000 pa. Comma also do the correct ATF fluid which is Comma AQF for original unrebuilt BW35 transmissions.Later rebuilt boxes MAY require ATF with Dexron. There's a load of stuff in SEARCH on BW35 ATF requirements.
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Post by lagain on Feb 20, 2015 21:56:39 GMT
What has happened to Castrol TQF for the gearbox ? I bought some off ebay a couple of years ago. Since my engine was rebuilt some 20 years ago I have used semi synthetic, at the moment it is Millers 20/50. When I was in the Stag club they recommended a Valvolene 20/50 that was used for classic Ford racing - or something ! I think that it had a high ZZP - or something that is good for old engines. Our engines may be a fairly basic design but they are not a basic cost to rebuild ! However if the engine has always had a mineral oil probably not a good idea to go semi synthetic as the detergents that it may have can dislodge the sludge.
Make sure that the EP 80/90 for the rear axle is GL4 specification. GL5 will damage the internals.
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Post by Welsh Warlock on Feb 21, 2015 11:44:40 GMT
... Our engines may be a fairly basic design but they are not a basic cost to rebuild ! However if the engine has always had a mineral oil probably not a good idea to go semi synthetic as the detergents that it may have can dislodge the sludge. Make sure that the EP 80/90 for the rear axle is GL4 specification. GL5 will damage the internals. Good info except that these engines are very basic and as long as they have lubrication they won't deteriorate suddenly. Reasonable quality oils are adequate as they are hardly highly stresses unlike the same engine in the TVR which has to cope with revving much higher and is subjected to greater loads for higher periods at higher tempertaures. I have used Comma products for years and although some deride them as recycled oils I have found them to be at least adequate and more than up to the job.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2015 14:47:58 GMT
... Our engines may be a fairly basic design but they are not a basic cost to rebuild ! However if the engine has always had a mineral oil probably not a good idea to go semi synthetic as the detergents that it may have can dislodge the sludge. Make sure that the EP 80/90 for the rear axle is GL4 specification. GL5 will damage the internals. Good info except that these engines are very basic and as long as they have lubrication they won't deteriorate suddenly. Reasonable quality oils are adequate as they are hardly highly stresses unlike the same engine in the TVR which has to cope with revving much higher and is subjected to greater loads for higher periods at higher tempertaures. I have used Comma products for years and although some deride them as recycled oils I have found them to be at least adequate and more than up to the job. The Comma 20/50 Classic Car Oil has a greenish tinge like the old Duckhams Oil. My engine seems to run well enough on it.
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Post by barryr on Feb 21, 2015 21:58:13 GMT
Mine too. I did 2 short changes after a 15 year lay up and it's getting better and better.
We had 3.9 disco v8 that hadn't been well looked after and had 70 k miles on it. I swapped that to 20/50 comma and after 3 changes that behaved a lot better as well.
Regular changes are more important than oil quality as far as the v8 is concerned ( in my opinion)
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Post by Warwick on Feb 22, 2015 3:08:00 GMT
I think that it had a high ZZP - or something that is good for old engines. Correct George. ZDDP or ZDTP is what you need, and it's critical for long engine life. See Engimas' thread from a few years ago that Richard L posted a link to on the previous page. Here it is again. roverp5.proboards.com/thread/2579/oils-aintZinc dialkyldithiophosphate was used as an extreme pressure lubricant additive for engine oil since about the 1940s. It's particularly effective at minimising wear between the tappet and the cam lobe. The Rover V8 is particularly prone to wear here. It was a key additive in engine oils for decades. Unfortunately (for us), it was found to 'poison' the catalyst in exhaust system catalytic converters and so has been progressively removed from motor oils. This isn't a problem for modern engines because they tend to have overhead camshafts and roller-rockers. No flat tappets and cam lobes any more.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2015 14:39:52 GMT
I think that it had a high ZZP - or something that is good for old engines. Correct George. ZDDP or ZDTP is what you need, and it's critical for long engine life. See the link to Engimas' thread from a few years ago that Richard L posted a link to on the previous page. Here it is again. roverp5.proboards.com/thread/2579/oils-aintZinc dialkyldithiophosphate was used as an extreme pressure lubricant additive for engine oil since about the 1940s. It's particularly effective at minimising wear between the tappet and the cam lobe. The Rover V8 is particularly prone to wear here. It was a key additive in engine oils for decades. Unfortunately (for us), it was found to 'poison' the catalyst in exhaust system catalytic converters and so has been progressively removed from motor oils. This isn't a problem for modern engines because they tend to have overhead camshafts and roller-rockers. No flat tappets and cam lobes any more. I gave up trying to find the composition of some of the "posh" oils and I'm not really that bothered but interestingly, Comma show all the ingredients very clearly and the classic 20/50 has 0.08% Zinc and 0.07% Phosphorous so slightly below the the recommended amount for flat tappet engines of 0.12% for each. I'll get over that by cutting up some small pieces of Zinc and dropping it in the engine oil filler. The phosphorous could be a more of a problem as it ignites once out of water. I know, I'll put it in the rad!! Sorted.
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Post by lagain on Feb 22, 2015 20:32:55 GMT
Good info except that these engines are very basic and as long as they have lubrication they won't deteriorate suddenly. Reasonable quality oils are adequate as they are hardly highly stresses unlike the same engine in the TVR which has to cope with revving much higher and is subjected to greater loads for higher periods at higher tempertaures. Read more: roverp5.proboards.com/thread/8770/runny-stuff-use?page=2&scrollTo=69522#ixzz3SVW1YiRjJust wondering how many other very basic engines have hydraulic tappets I used to use a basic 20/50 in my mower and although I changed it regularly the engine wore out. I would not use the same oil in my Rover. Our engines get very hot when stuck in traffic and the cheaper oils will just get thinner and thinner. The oils of the 70s were the best they could manage at the time but now we have the advantage of modern classic oils that will, hopefully, stay in grade and protect.
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Post by haikuhead on Feb 22, 2015 20:58:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2015 21:47:20 GMT
Good info except that these engines are very basic and as long as they have lubrication they won't deteriorate suddenly. Reasonable quality oils are adequate as they are hardly highly stresses unlike the same engine in the TVR which has to cope with revving much higher and is subjected to greater loads for higher periods at higher tempertaures. Read more: roverp5.proboards.com/thread/8770/runny-stuff-use?page=2&scrollTo=69522#ixzz3SVW1YiRjJust wondering how many other very basic engines have hydraulic tappets I used to use a basic 20/50 in my mower and although I changed it regularly the engine wore out. I would not use the same oil in my Rover. Our engines get very hot when stuck in traffic and the cheaper oils will just get thinner and thinner. The oils of the 70s were the best they could manage at the time but now we have the advantage of modern classic oils that will, hopefully, stay in grade and protect. I don't think anyone is suggesting an unbranded oil from a discount shop, just a decent 20/50 classic car oil from a well-known maker be it Castrol, Penrite, Comma etc etc. I used to have(in the early nineties) an old 1950's or maybe earlier, Suffolk Punch Mower with a centrifugal clutch and I think I used any old oil in that and my greatest pleasure was to open the throttle wide and charge at the grass completely enveloped in lovely blue smoke and petrol fumes and I'm sure the engine was worn out anyway by 1969. The environmentalists would have hated me and I'm the main reason why Cornwall is now covered in Wind Turbines!!
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