Hi
Just coming up for time to service my Stilo 1.4 Active (2004). Couple of questions - have changed oil before and have always used semi synthetic, was wondering if there was any reason to change over to full synth (or a reason not to?) - car just coming up to 100k miles. Haven't done the plugs before - any particular issues with this and I was wondering where would be the best place to get the right plug spanner (I'm used to the old fashioned set up, where the plugs kind of stick out of the side of the engine, rather than being recessed!).
Thanks again.

I was once told not to use fully synth on a high mileage car that has been running on Mineral or semi. cant remember why but I was told its not a good idea.

On the 1.4, the plugs are deeply recessed into the head extension. You need a thin walled spark plug socket and a long extension bar.

Did a wee bit of searching round t'interweb - seems the availability of the requisite thin walled socket is not that easy to come by - anyone know where to get?
Cheers

tessiedog said:

Did a wee bit of searching round t'interweb - seems the availability of the requisite thin walled socket is not that easy to come by - anyone know where to get?
Cheers

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They have them on tooled-up.com, not sure if this is the right size though:

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/sealey-3-8-square-drive-spark-plug-socket-16mm/150218/

I had no issue using the standard spark plug socket in my Halfords took kit on my Stilo if that helps

mariocinq said:

I was once told not to use fully synth on a high mileage car that has been running on Mineral or semi. cant remember why but I was told its not a good idea.

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Sorry don't agree. It's never too late to switch to fully synth. And if you still have doubts, Mobil make a Mobil 1 oil specifically for older cars:

http://www.chemcorp.co.uk/creo_files/upload/related-items/momobil_1_extended_life_10w-60.pdf

I had a noticeable drop in oil consumption going to full synthetic. Castrol edge 10/60. The plug socket from my socket set fits OK.
(2.4 motor)

i think that's a bit too thick for the car of the op at 60 probably better to stick to something like a 5w40 and it will be half the price of a 10w60 also.
I think it was an old myth about not using on an old car due to leaking seals etc as the more modern synthetics were very thin(comparitively) and would easily leak from any small orifice the dyno oil wouldn't.
I think they add seal conditioners in all fully synth oils to overcome this anyway(resoften a hardened seal?).
the other issue was a synthetic oil acted like a flush and shifted all the old dyno oil build ups causng blockages and starvation.
fully synth engines tend to be very clean with little or no crud buildups (oil buildup)
I think these are things of the 70s-80s.
get a fully synthetic from a local motorfactor or supermarket for under £20 for 5l and it will still most likely be better than your semi-syn.
if you do short journeys or don't exactly thrash the car you could think about a 0w40 or even a 0w30 to gain some mpg, but the price tends to go up probably £35+
edit looked up you spec
should be 5w40 the fiat spec is FIAT 9.55535-M2 MINIMUM ACEA A3 spec should be used(or better)(SELENIA K)
infact found some old pics of the cheap asda stuff I used a few years ago
meets specs





not saying there arnt better oils out there, depends what you do with car.

The reason you had less oil consumption is of the thick oil you put in. You should go down to 5W-40 or similar according to the manual.

to be fair the correct spec for the 2.4 20v is 10w60, so if using a thinner oil consumption could have been artificially high, correct oil returned it to normal consumption.
the original poster has a 1.4

The post about not going fully synthetic after using mineral oil etc. is a bit wrong. What I've read and heard is that fully synthetic is compatable with mineral and semi synthetic oils. You can pour in fully synth into a engine that has mineral oil and vice versa.

However if you have a worn engine the gaps and such are larger than from the beginning. The mineral oil may fill those gaps as it has different properties and all may seem fine. When you replace the oil and put in fully synthetic the engine may get louder. This is due to the different properties of the oil as the synthetic oil may have different flow rate or something like that. Don't remember the details. It will show that a already worn engine is worn basically.

This will also show if you have really old oil in the car for a long time. It will deteriorate the oil seals faster. And as the old oil is thicker it may leak alittle or not at all. When you replace the oil and put in fully synthetic it may start leaking more or leak where it didn't before. This is also because it either flows better or creeps more than the old oil. It doesn't cause leaks but simply shows the faults better.

Synthetic oils are better as they have cleaning additives etc that keep the engine clean and have additives that makes it stick to metal surfaces and other benifits.

I've heard that people may put in thicker mineral oil in worn cars to make them sound better as a way of fooling buyers.

I always use fully synthetic oils in my car and it usually runs quieter and uses less oil in my case. I replace the oil once a year anyhow. I don't have really worn engines either.
I got a old corolla from an estate that im fixing where I used semi synthetic in case its worn since it has run almost 300 000km.

My general understanding with mineral vs semi vs fully is you can go forwards from one to the next, at each service, but should never then go back.

sussexa said:

to be fair the correct spec for the 2.4 20v is 10w60, so if using a thinner oil consumption could have been artificially high, correct oil returned it to normal consumption.
the original poster has a 1.4

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That is correct. I looked on Castrol website and that was the recommended grade for 2.4 motor. It appeared going to full synthetic reduced oil consumption. It is very low now that I have replaced leaking cam cover gasket. (the rubber had gone rock hard)
The semi synthetic used when I got it was 15/40W so was actually thicker but went though more of it.

no 15w40 is thinner than 10w60 once warm
if its burning oil its most likely when hot, and that's 40 v 60
at temperature 10w60 is a lot thicker than 15w40.
a 40 @ 100c approx. 16cst
a 60 @ 100c approx. 26cst
the 10w 15w not so much difference at cold cranking viscocity
the 10w 7000cst @ -25
the 15w 7000cst @ -20
figures lifted from first chart I could find listing both your mentioned oils
http://cdn.speednik.com/files/2012/12/OILCHART.jpg

of course if your talking about a cold engine off condition leaking oil then yes a 15w is thicker than 10w but I cant imagine much difference ?

hope this helps
10w60 is regularly mentioned to be too thick for most cars, but some alfas and fiats seem to drink other grade oils.
fully synthetic should always be more stable and less volatile like for like so not use much, dyno oil when hot used to sort of vapourise and get ingested through the breathers as well as burning so uses more oil, fully syn doesn't tend to burn or be volatile so more of what you put in stays there(engine problems / leaks aside)

Hi folks
Stuck with semi oil in the end and even just the fresh oil seems to make the engine run quieter (smoother?).
Also tried the plug socket from my halfords set and it fitted fine - as a couple of replies suggested.
Thanks for the comments on this

Hi again
Just a thought - how often should the fuel filter in the stilo be changed (can't recollect that it has been done recently). Also where is it and is it straightforward??
Cheers

tessiedog said:

Hi again

Just a thought - how often should the fuel filter in the stilo be changed (can't recollect that it has been done recently). Also where is it and is it straightforward??

Cheers

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The petrol 1.4 doesn't have one, it's a mesh on the pump and is a lifetime part, so you don't need to worry about changing it.

Thank you!

Looking at a stilo 1.4 on eBay which is local to me. The description includes "runs well except for an electrical fault which makes dash board needles jump around clock reset and dash board lights randomly light up". Anybody any idea what the problem might be and how easy or difficult or cheap the fix might be?
Cheers