Hi just thought Id ask what is the recomended oil in the Regata 85S Automatic please?

danielsydney said:

Hi just thought Id ask what is the recomended oil in the Regata 85S Automatic please?

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Fiat engines do not usually like thin oils. Go for a 15w/40 or 15w/50 semi synthetic. All leading brands are good, so not to worry there.
Halfords oils are made or were made by Shell, so see if they have any oils on offer.

Andy.

sumplug said:

Fiat engines do not usually like thin oils. Go for a 15w/40 or 15w/50 semi synthetic. All leading brands are good, so not to worry there.
Halfords oils are made or were made by Shell, so see if they have any oils on offer.

Andy.

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Not sure if they sell that brand in Australia or if its available? The type of oil though is interesting. Its been so long since i checked the oil it should be down when the car is cold right?

danielsydney said:

Its been so long since i checked the oil it should be down when the car is cold right?

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That's right it is best to check when cold. You should check the oil regularly, even on newer cars. The older Fiat engine did like to leak at least a little bit of oil at times, that's my experience anyway, so regular checking was a must.

We used to run simple 20W/50 mineral oil on our Fiat's. I used to use Agip, I think my dad used, Shell. As Sumplug said, it best not use too thin oils. 15w/40 or 15w/50 semi synthetic is what seems to be recommended these days looking at various websites.

From memory oil change intervals are 6 months/10000km's, but I used to work to 6 months/5000km's

Troy.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/castrolhomepage.do?categoryId=3000

http://www.datateck.com.au/lube/castr_au/default.asp

TroyO said:

That's right it is best to check when cold. You should check the oil regularly, even on newer cars. The older Fiat engine did like to leak at least a little bit of oil at times, that's my experience anyway, so regular checking was a must.

We used to run simple 20W/50 mineral oil on our Fiat's. I used to use Agip, I think my dad used, Shell. As Sumplug said, it best not use too thin oils. 15w/40 or 15w/50 semi synthetic is what seems to be recommended these days looking at various websites.

From memory oil change intervals are 6 months/10000km's, but I used to work to 6 months/5000km's

Troy.

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Troy what do you make of this Selenia oil that Fiat in Australia is now recommending to new Fiats?

danielsydney said:

Troy what do you make of this Selenia oil that Fiat in Australia is now recommending to new Fiats?

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To be honest, I had never heard of the stuff until Fiat had returned to Australia and it was mentioned on their website, so I don't know anything about it.

Troy.

Fiat once owned Selenia, and both Fiat and Selenia are based in Turin, Italy...makes you wonder...!!
BTW, did you check that Australian Castrol site ??

Bearing in mind Australias a hot place (we use 15/40 in the UK where we face sub zero temperatures for a month of the year, something Australians dont have to worry about!) & I`m assuming yours has done over 100,000 miles(Australia`s a big place & mileages usually reflect that), I`d go for a semi synthetic 20/50 to reduce oil consumption.

Agree with that I would defenetely run it on any good quality 20/50, if you can't get it don't use anything below 15w.
Selenia oils are good oils I used to use the HPX, good all round petrol/diesel, reduced leaks and smoked a lot less in cars with high milage and believe it or not was a good lubricant as well!
I am surprised Fiat ship it all the way from Italy to oz, surely they must have it tinned locally!

a73uk said:

Bearing in mind Australias a hot place (we use 15/40 in the UK where we face sub zero temperatures for a month of the year, something Australians dont have to worry about!) & I`m assuming yours has done over 100,000 miles(Australia`s a big place & mileages usually reflect that), I`d go for a semi synthetic 20/50 to reduce oil consumption.

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Cars in Australia are liquid cooled for sure, so they use a thermostat, and by doing so they run at EXACTLY the same operating temperatures like almost any other part of the world ( except maybe the north and south pole.....)
Absolutely no need for a different grade/ weight of oil.....any good quality oil will do, in the weight Fiat advises.

alfettone said:

don't use anything below 15w.

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Why not?

Peter Pick-Up said:

Cars in Australia are liquid cooled for sure, so they use a thermostat, and by doing so they run at EXACTLY the same operating temperatures like almost any other part of the world ( except maybe the north and south pole.....)
Absolutely no need for a different grade/ weight of oil.....any good quality oil will do, in the weight Fiat advises.

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The type of cooling doesnt come into it, I suggest you read this Mr Pick up...

"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. The governing SAE standard is called SAE J300. This "classic" method of defining the "W" rating has since been replaced with a more technical test where a "cold crank simulator" is used at increasingly lowered temps. A 0W oil is tested at −35 °C (−31 °F), a 5W at −30 °C (−22 °F) and a 10W is tested at −25 °C (−13 °F). The real-world ability of an oil to crank in the cold is diminished soon after put into service. The motor oil grade and viscosity to be used in a given vehicle is specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle (although some modern European cars now make no viscosity requirement), but can vary from country to country when climatic or mpg constraints come into play."

Also bare in mind the viscosity required in a worn, high tolerance engine is different to a new one. Put the wrong one in & you will increase oil consumption, wear, emmissions, reduce power & cause wear to other components as well.

Most of the quote is true, but the most important facts are completely wrong, were did you find it?
I assume it's American, and the USA lubrication market/ conditions are really different from the rest of the world, I'm afraid.
And cooling is not important, pardon me, but your quote is full of temperature facts....???
Would be interesting to start a discussion with the author. ( well, on second thoughts, it's not....)

Peter Pick-Up said:

Most of the quote is true, but the most important facts are completely wrong, were did you find it?
I assume it's American, and the USA lubrication market/ conditions are really different from the rest of the world, I'm afraid.
And cooling is not important, pardon me, but your quote is full of temperature facts....???
Would be interesting to start a discussion with the author. ( well, on second thoughts, it's not....)

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The point is we all know we are dealing with a water cooled car in this instance, did anyone think the Regata was air cooled?

I learned in motor vehicle studies at school 20 odd years ago & then again at college that countries with different climates need different grade oils to reduce wear & consumption. Anyone who knows anything about lubricants will say the same.

Australia is a largely hot country throughout the year, they dont need an oil that will protect at minus 20 degrees & the oils used there reflect this. By the same token different tolerance & age engines require optimum performance. Mileage also has to be taken into consideration to reflect increased tolerances too.

Your welcome to use 0w40 in a 25yo 300,000 mile Lada, but dont expect to do more than a few hundred miles before you do irreparable damage to the engine.

Well, you were still at school, while I was working on my motorcycles....

And..... it seems a lot has changed in 20 years...

Anyway, it doesn't matter what the outside temperatures are, any engine will run at operating temperatures around 80-90 C.

And why are you advising to use mineral oil?
After all, ( and you will have learned this 20 years ago) semi- synthetic oil is in fact hydro crack oil, with is top of the line mineral, and nothing synthetic ( in Germany f.i. it's no longer allowed to name an oil semi synthetic, there is no such a thing as semi synthetic, you can name a Fiat semi Ferrari, but it's still a Fiat....).

Peter Pick-Up said:

Well, you were still at school, while I was working on my motorcycles....

And..... it seems a lot has changed in 20 years...

Anyway, it doesn't matter what the outside temperatures are, any engine will run at operating temperatures around 80-90 C.

And why are you advising to use mineral oil?
After all, ( and you will have learned this 20 years ago) semi- synthetic oil is in fact hydro crack oil, with is top of the line mineral, and nothing synthetic ( in Germany f.i. it's no longer allowed to name an oil semi synthetic, there is no such a thing as semi synthetic, you can name a Fiat semi Ferrari, but it's still a Fiat....).

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In which case I was working on my cars when you were on motorcycles then!

Your right, engines will run at roughly the same temperature when warmed up, BUT most engine wear occurs when cold this is why you need an oil with the correct viscosity for your climate if you want your engine to last, this is the primery the reason why most engine oil has roughly the same high temp viscosity but a bigger variety of low temp ratings.

Also, the chances are a Regata will have been run on mineral or semi synthetic most its life, the build up of this oil will have put coatings all around the oil system that any amount of flushing oil wont remove.

As you probably know, synthetic & mineral oils shouldnt be mixed because they react with each other & create a sludge (many modern antifreezes also react the same way with older types too). This sludge will go on to block the capillary oilways rapidly & as a result, kill an engine fast.

A lot of misunderstanding here.
All starts below 20C is considered a cold start.
A good quality mineral or hydrocrack oil will not leave any deposits or coating as you call it.
No engine oil, mineral, hydrocrack or synthetic will react with each other, and (black) sludge is created by something completely different.
(I'm sorry, but I got the feeling this discussion is going nowhere, too many misunderstanding, what school did you go to anyway....)

Peter Pick-Up said:

A lot of misunderstanding here.
All starts below 20C is considered a cold start.
A good quality mineral or hydrocrack oil will not leave any deposits or coating as you call it.
No engine oil, mineral, hydrocrack or synthetic will react with each other, and (black) sludge is created by something completely different.
(I'm sorry, but I got the feeling this discussion is going nowhere, too many misunderstanding, what school did you go to anyway....)

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Your right, this wont go anywhere, I`m not about to back down & I`m sure you arent either. Theres no misunderstandings as far as I`m concerned.

I dont know who taught you what you know, but, if you believe you can stick any oil in any car in any part of the world & not suffer any consiquences, then we will have to agree to disagree.

By the way, the Castol oil site you seem to point everyone to recomends the same oil for both air & water cooled 126`s, different grades for certain identical 8v FIRE engines, even on the same year & also says to use thicker viscosity oil in hot countries on certain models.....

Edge Sport 10W-60 (b)
b. In hot countries: 15W-50

Thats from the site you recomend my friend...

As I said, in this Regata, knowing its in a hot country & assuming its done over 100,000 miles on mineral & semi synthetic oils in the past, I would use & recomend 20/50 Semi Synthetic.

OK, so you're suggesting a semi-synthetic ( semi means no synthetic) oil, which is in fact a mineral oil.
So a mineral 20W50 oil.....???
That was common used in the sixties and early seventies...!!!
Come on, wake up, it's 2009, 40 years of (lubrication oil) development later...!!
At least your suggestion is inexpensive, you can buy 20W50 at about 1-2 gbp (euro) a liter at large DIY stores and supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl.....
I would NEVER use it in a sophisticated Italian engine, no matter the climate nor the mileage.

One last question: how come you're not proud to have one of the best lubrication companys in the world (Castrol) in your country?