Service Intervals, Parts, and Brands

[Guest]

These questions were posed by naughtika (BUT506), and were discussed in a thread on our old forum.
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Hey everyone.. I know we'll all eventually ask ourselves (or others) about maintaining our cars (I know I haven't got the car yet, but im getting there)

Some questions that kinda keeps popping up on my head..

1. How often should it be serviced?
2. Does anyone have a list of what particular parts that needs maintenance/service at every service intervals?
3. Part numbers..
eg Sparkplugs - which one to get and what to avoid..
Timing Belt, Alternator, A/C & PS belts?
Oil Brand & Viscosity and what oil filter (Brand, Part # too) - for Engine, Tranny & Rear Diff, AYC?

4. Add more.. I think I've pretty much covered the general stuff.. Feel free to add more..

 

[naughtika]

my dad's recommendation (he's a mech)

1. normal service - every 5000km's
2. once approaching 80k to 90k mark.. Major Service (Timing Belt, Plugs water pump, thermostat, oil seals Replacement, Alt & P/S Belt Check, as well as tranny & rear diff flush..

I'll add part numbers soon, as I gotta get mine service really soon..

I think I'll use 0w30 oil viscosity, synth or non-synth, might stick to Fuschs (made my previous engine run alot more smoother and quieter)

also.. dont forget to grease other moving parts.. like door hinge's and stoppers for example.. and Im pretty sure my dad know the other ones..

 

[bradc]

0w30 or 5w30 are recommended oils, make sure they are fully Synth!You also need to keep an eye on your transmission fluid if you have an auto, you're going to want to replace it every 20-40000km.The AYC diff is just about impossible to full service by yourself, I would suggest taking it to a place that is familiar with EVO's and get them to do it every 10-15000km.

 

[naughtika]

0w30 or 5w30 are recommended oils, make sure they are fully Synth!You also need to keep an eye on your transmission fluid if you have an auto, you're going to want to replace it every 20-40000km.The AYC diff is just about impossible to full service by yourself, I would suggest taking it to a place that is familiar with EVO's and get them to do it every 10-15000km.

Brad why is the AYC impossible to service by ourself? is it tricky? I think I need mine done soon..

I've just done an oil change on my car today..

oil I used was Valvoline 10w30 (can't remember if its fully synth, but I think it's mixed), shop (Coventry) I usually get my oil's closed on Sundays.. engine's running smoother and it seems like the car pulls alot harder than before.. am I just delirious?!

also oil filters that we can use..either Z411 or Z142A, I used Z142A since its bigger in size than Z411, but they both fit..

next service I'll try the 0w30 full synth

--

also found something bad... I got oil leak either on my transfer case or somewhere in the box.. i dont think its a big leak.. but something i gotta look into soon..

 

[bradc]

If you do a search on ayc service and mut on cvr4 you'll figure it out

Has your car stopped ticking as much on startup? An oil change should stop that for a few thousand km's, and I've found that 0w30 or 5w30 does a lot better job at stopping the ticking than any of the 10w oils.

 

[kiwibstokes]

Is castrol magnitec oil 0w30 or 5w30? and show we use it in our cars? I have heard that how the oil bonds or sticks to the engine to protect it can cause problems with high oil pressure

 

[naughtika]

If you do a search on ayc service and mut on cvr4 you'll figure it out

Has your car stopped ticking as much on startup? An oil change should stop that for a few thousand km's, and I've found that 0w30 or 5w30 does a lot better job at stopping the ticking than any of the 10w oils.

well the good news is.. my engine doesn't do the ticking yet.. so im happy about that..

when my dad had a look at the old oil, he told me that i didnt really need to service it cause it was still in good condition, even if i've travelled 5ks on it already.. I told him i dont wanna risk it..

on my next service should i use some additive to flush out the sludges more??!? just a thought..

 

[bradc]

Ask Don (amsoil) on cvr4 about things like flush and additives, he can tell you way more than me!

As for the ticking, you're lucky, they probably did a change for you as it came into the country. As soon as it starts ticking, or 7000km, change the oil and the filter.

 

[Guest]

I think i asked this on the old fourm, but what it the recommended interval for AYC oil change? and Manual gear box oil change?

 

[bradc]

AYC should be every 10-20km depending on how you drive.

The gearbox oil actually should be about the same as on an Auto, or whenever you simply feel the gear changes get a bit stiffer

 

[Guest]

My car is harder to get into gear when cold and when warm still has to be forced a little, there is never any grinding or crunching sounds, is it possible it could be something simple like change the oil, selectors in centre consol getting dirty and need cleaning and relubing or does that sound more serious like clutch.

 

[bradc]

thats normal. I can't get mine into 1st sometimes, so with the clutch fully in I select either 3rd or 5th, then try for 1st and it *always* works. It is a perfectly normal thing, try changing the oil to castrol vmx and it will make it at least 50% better.

 

[naughtika]

just wanna add something, do we need to replace the timing belt tensioner when we do get the timing belt replaced? just a noob question..

 

[bradc]

I got mine replaced on the blue car, not sure if it is 100% needed though.

 

[VR-04-TT]

I've always been told it's a good idea to replace it.

 

[SiliconAngel]

Hmm these things have timing belts, not chains huh?

Guys, when you mention engine 'ticking' are you just talking about lifters?


Also something on synthetic to non-synthetic oils; I'm not a mechanic but I've heard this from a number of different ones - once you use a synthetic oil in an engine, you shouldn't switch back.

Here's something I found on the web as to why:

"Early synthetics got a bad reputation for leaking. This was because, despite the claims of the oil manufacturers, the seal-swell characteristics of the new synthetics were different from those of the mineral oils they replaced. If the seal-swell rate was lower, the seals shrank and oil leaked from crankshaft seals and rocker cover seals. If the rate was higher, the seals swelled a little extra and the engine was tight. Then if the owner changed back to mineral oil, or added a quart when no synthetic was to be had, things got really bad. The crank seals had become worn, in their turgid state, and then relaxed. The valve cover seals were compressed when swelled, and when the different oil was added, everything leaked like, well, an old English sports car.

Fortunately, the situation has improved; you should have no problem switching back and forth. Adding a quart of mineral oil to a crankcase full of synthetic will be fine. Read the fine print — a lot of the "synthetics" on the market are blends containing a substantial proportion of mineral oil."

Additionally here's some stuff I found on Wikipedia on synthetic oils in general:

Advantages

The technical advantages of synthetic motor oils include:

* Measurably better low and high temperature viscosity performance
* Better chemical & shear stability
* Decreased evaporative loss
* Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown and oil sludge problems
* Extended drain intervals with the environmental benefit of less waste oil created.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of synthetic motor oils include:

* Initial costs are usually multiplied by 3 compared to petroleum based oils, though at one time man-made oils were ten times greater[citation needed]. Initial costs are usually mitigated by extended change intervals, but each particular user may find as useful confirmation of that through used oil analysis (UOA).
* The lower friction may make them unsuitable for break-in i.e. during the initial run-in period of the vehicle where friction is desirable to cause wear. As many vehicles now use synthetic oils as factory fill, it can be seen that this is less of an issue than it once was.
* Potential decomposition problems in certain chemical environments (industrial use dominantly)
* Potential stress cracking of plastic componentry like POM (polyoxymethylene) in the presence of PAOs.
* Potential on some older pushrod race engines with roller lifters for the roller itself not to spin with camshaft movement, but rather slide whilst the roller itself remains either stationary or at a lower circumferential speed than that of the camshaft lobe"

So all-in-all it seems like moving to (and staying with) a synthetic is the way to go.

As for mixing oils, while that might get you out of trouble in an emergency, I'd be very concerned about the oils separating at rest in the sump, possibly giving you inconsistent lubrication over time. So dump the lot, change the filter, and make sure you buy an extra bottle of spare oil so you've got some handy when you need a top-up.

 

[Guest]

i would never run anything other than fully syn in a turbo car. i recently changed the oil and filter and it stopped the lifters from sticking. i used mobil 1 5w50 and it runs a hell of a lot smoother. mobil one does cost a little more but its awsome stuff!

 

[bradc]

mobil 1 isn't fully synth! It is semi synth

 

[aaron68nz]

i would never run anything other than fully syn in a turbo car. i recently changed the oil and filter and it stopped the lifters from sticking. i used mobil 1 5w50 and it runs a hell of a lot smoother. mobil one does cost a little more but its awsome stuff!

When I first bought my car (47,000km only) I switched to Mobil 1 5W-50 and that brought the ticking on very shortly afterwards and was almost a permament problem for the next 40,000kms even when used 2 lots of Mobil 1 0W-40. I've just started using Mobil 1 10W-30 and I only get ticking when the motor is below normal operating temperature. I'll look at going to a 0W or 5W-30 though for my next oil change.
Mind you that being said I've used Mobil 1 5W-50 on my old Evo3 and no significant ticking problems between 10,000km and 70,000km mileage while I owned it.

 

[bradc]

yeah 0w30 or 5w30 is the best option, and it needs to be fully synth, which I still maintain mobil 1 is not fully synth