Engine Oil

What does it recommend you use in the Owners Handbook? Use that.....

Mike

Well, the handbook doesn't say anything. There is the book which is given out with all Fiats though, and it says that they use 15W40. When I asked the parts guy at Fiat he said it should be 10W40, some Sei owners say 10W40, others say 15W40. So I don't really know which is right :-(

Oh no, here we go again.

If your manual says 15w40 and it's proved ok then stick with it. If you have been using mineral then stick with it. buy the highest spec oil in that viscosity that you can afford, look at API numbers.

I use Millers oils in my land rover and the wifes saab, I think they are excellent oils.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

Neither will do any harm. Use what you've got now, then got the 10/40 from Fiat next time it needs a change. I really, really wouldn't worry about it. It won't make a toss off difference for one oil change worth of miles, if at all. FWIW my bro ran a manky old diesel passat for over 100K miles using s**te waste oil from his other cars! Never did it any harm..

Mike

Use the oil which your car is designed to use - check the handbook - easy.

10w40 15w40, near enough. if 15w40 works then stick with it.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

halfway

The API number doesn't appear to be a number. It seems to be either SL or SJ (the others are obsolete). I don't know how to tell whether one oil is better than another, they all look the same when they're in sealed containers in the shops.

API SL or SJ in either viscosity will be excellent for your car. As to why your car should start using oil, then I don't know and would not worry about it for a while. Neither of those viscosity grades should be consumed in any quantity and certainly there is not enough difference between them to distinguish in normal use.

Huw

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember petermcmillan snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com saying something like:

Ffs, just use it.

Any ideas what the Selenia (Fiat and Alfa) oil's like? It's about =A330 for 5 litres. If it's no better than normal stuff, then it's a waste of money, but if it's really good, then it may be worth it. I can get

15% off on the net, but it's still more than double what I pay for my current oil :-(. It's probably not worth it is it?

15% off on the net, but it's still more than double what I pay for my current oil :-(. It's probably not worth it is it?

No. You'd see no difference in using that or Halfords £13 for 5 litres of oil of the same rating. Just use that, it's hardly a high stressed engine now is it? It'll last well over 100K whatever you use as long as you change it when you should!!

I'm worried about you Peter. You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with small fiat engines.. there's rather more in life to worry about.

Mike

15% off on the net, but it's still more than double what I pay for my current oil :-(. It's probably not worth it is it?

NO

(petermcmillan snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Slippery. Oily.

Well, I know it's not really a high performance engine, but it is stressed. Fairly short trips, and being just 39bhp it does need working harder than some. They say that they benefit from frequent oil changes. I've heard that cheap oils can go like water by the time they need changing, I don't know whether it's true though. My oil could be exposed to a bit of condensation, so a long lasting oil would be better for it.

Interestingly I found out that the Fiat Selenia oil is 10W40, although my car handbook says that it's 15W40. I suspect that Fiat may have changed it.

Never had that problem myself. Trust me, it's only a small engine but it's oil won't get worked that hard. Working an oil hard in my book means thrashing a Turbocharged Saab down country lanes, so hard that when you stop and get out and have a look, the exhaust manifold and turbo are glowing bright red. The oil cools the turbo - do you get my point? It gets worked HARD. So however much you cane your Seicento, the oil is not really working that hard, or certainley well, well within it's specs.

And I only used cheap Halfords £13.99 for 5 litres stuff for semi-synth mineral stuff (mauve container) and never, ever had any problems.

Mike

Trouble with 10/40 oil, it causes pinking.

HTH

FFS don't tell get him started again :-)

Mike

IME, Selenia isn't worth the money unless it's being used in a new Alfa / Fiat engine.

My 33 16v used to literally piss Selenia all over the place when I used it, so I switched to something a little thicker.

Your Sei with it's ancient 900cc engine _definitely_ doesn't need it.

I'd be quite happy running a 900cc Sei on own-brand £5 / 5 litre carton stuff.