Engine oil grade ?

[F6frogie]

Hi, my F6 has become harder to start now the weather is colder and I just wondered if it would be wise to change to a thinner engine oil. I have 20W 50 in at the moment as I always do but was thinking of maybe putting some 10W 40 in - would this be wise or could it cause more wear on the engine.

The car is always outdoors too and it was -5 outside today :eek:.

I have also thought of changing the coil - would any 12V coil be OK to use or is there a certain spec one I should get?

Kind regards, Matt

This was on the 24th Dec

 

[malcolm]

Looks cold over there. I used to have troubles in the winter with 20W-50 especially when combined with a dodgy starter motor, but it's becoming difficult to get over here. I'm on 10W-40 just now, but with a new starter motor that spins like a turbine in all weathers. Actually Castrol recommends 10W-40 for the Renault 4 GTL.

My understanding is very limited. I think the 20W or 10W bit is all to do with how thick the oil is when it's cold. And the 40 or 50 bit is how thick it is at 100 degrees C. So for colder climates you'd want a lower W number (0W or 10W), but you'd want a reasonably high number after that (40 at least) for an older engine that wasn't designed with the tolerances we have these days.

Please correct me or agree with me everyone else - I'm not sure on this.

I don't think a new coil would make a difference unless you changed it for one one that came with a ballast resistor and wired it in appropriately. That can compensate for load drawn by the starter. Also I've found a good ignition service and new ignition leads can make a big difference in cold and damp weather.

 

[jjad]

I agree with Malcolm: the higher the number, the higher the viscosity ("thickness"). The 'W' stands for 'Winter', and the second number is the viscosity at 100 degrees Celsius.

I run on Castrol GTX Magnatec 15W-40, but then my GTL is garaged and not driven much in the winter. Personally I'd be wary about having a very low 'W' number; I'd be worried about excessive wear. What do other people use/think?

 

[F6frogie]

Yes, it is a bit cold here malcolm but can vary - it was -8 yesterday morning and my partner was unable to get to work because of a snowfall the night before ! In the summer though I have seen it as high as 45°c !

Yes, this is what I thought about an oils thickness too - the first number was it's viscosity when cold (hence W = winter) and the second when it was at operating temp (I did not know it was 100°c though) - I just thought it was a good idea to have everones opinions and see what they were using.

The r4 has really become difficult to start as the colder months have crept it - it is kept outside and used every week.
I have changed the battery as if it did not start within the first 2/3 tries it was like it had a flat battery and cranked over slowly - even though it was reading 12.6v I think it had lost it's deep cranking ability !

I have also just changed the starter - I posted earlier about this as I had actually found a great deal especially as the euro is so good against the pound at the moment. £10 (+£18 postage - total less than 30 euros !) for a starter which was bought in 1991 and used less than 30 times (I obviously had to take a chance and belive him) before due to other problems the car was scraped and the parts were recovered.
When it arrived it was obvios it was like new - and since fitted works perfectly but the car is still difficult to start - not like it was in the warmer months.

The leads, plugs, points, condenser - in fact most of the car is new ! the dwell is set to 54° and when running is fine - I'm just a little picky and would like it to start instanly as I know it did before and am sure it could now.

 

[Pavel]

My Sunoco Oil supplier recommends use the 15W40 API SD or SF as well. I use 20W50 yearly, however, I haven´t nerve to try my R4 today. We have -12.5 °C here in Prague. Pavel

 

[iancr900]

Batteries can suffer in the cold, borrow a bigger one with more cranking amps and see if that improve things.

 

[Pavel]

Wow, the engine started today! After one month standing in the street, today we have very rainly and 2°C. I moved it in our company work room for next performance.