Hi guys!
I'm new here, although i have been reading various threads for some time now... Decided to register because i have a problem (duh). Anyway, to shorten the story, i live in Croatia EU (mostly warm climate), own a Fiat Bravo II, 1.6Mjet 88Kw/300nM (120ps), 2011, 160k Km (~100k miles), it has DPF. I do about 10-12k km a year and this last year i drowe on Mobil1 ESP Formula 5w-30 (C2/C3). In general i can't say i had any problems with that oil, DPF indicator never turned on (AFAIK) even though my wife and i mostly drive short distances in the city. I do take the car on a freeway once or twice a month to "blow some steam off" (can't remember the right term :))... Car does not burn oil, when checking the dip-stick after 12k km, oil loss is negligible... But there is one issue i have, it's the click-clack sound when the engine is cold, i believe it's the valves. When cold, the engine is "lazy" and a bit loud, gas pedal response is a bit slow. I never put my foot down when the engine is cold, but when it reaches working temp all the simptoms dissapear... So, i'm not sure, but i would guess that 5w-30 is a bit thin for this engine, taking the warm/hot climate (especially in summer) in consideration. AFAIK, the engine demands Fiat 9.55535-S1 and ACEA C2 oil spec. Some local "experts" suggested i go with a 5w-40, others say nothing except 5w-30, so i hope you understand my dilemma... Can you please suggest what oil would be best (price/performance wise) for this small displacement JTD turbo diesel (with a DPF)? Thank you very much.
Is 5w-30 any good for my 1.6JTD?
- Thread starter Antony013
- Start date
Use any oil that has the actual approval required by the manufacturer and ignore grade as it is largely irrelevant.
Click-Clack noise when the engine is cold and goes away when it warms up sounds like piston slap to me.
Sometime when you have cold-started the engine, open the hood and listen at different places in the engine compartment. Does the noise seem to be coming from the upper or lower part of the engine?
M1 5w30 ESP is pretty thick for a 30-weight, and I guess you could try a 5w40. But I don't think it will silence piston slap.
My Camaro has had piston slap since new and I have tried many different oils (light and heavy 30's), but none of them silenced cold-start piston slap.
I have found that if I rev the engine to above 1700 rpm when cold, the piston slap goes away.
Other than that, I just turn up the radio. 273,000 miles, and it still runs fine, so I'm past worrying about it.
Sounds like normal Fiat engine noise to me 
Without DPF I used Total Quartz 9000 Energy 5W40 on my Fiat diesel (1,9L, not same engine), it quietened it a lot on cold starts.
With the DPF I guess we can't recommend this oil. I'd try the Quartz Ineo first instead (it has quite a lot of moly and low ash)...no I don't have Total shares 
Without DPF I used Total Quartz 9000 Energy 5W40 on my Fiat diesel (1,9L, not same engine), it quietened it a lot on cold starts.
With the DPF I guess we can't recommend this oil. I'd try the Quartz Ineo first instead (it has quite a lot of moly and low ash)...no I don't have Total shares Thank you all for your replies...
So, @Popsy you are suggesting i try "Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 DPF"? Although i can't find any tech specs for this oil i see positive reviews and it's actually realy cheap at the moment im my local store... 5L is around 30e
Any thoughts on Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 C2 which is ACEA C2 and has Fiat 9.55535-S1 spec, or Motul 8100 X-Clean FE 5W-30 which also has Fiat 9.55535-S1 but complies C2 and C3?
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http://www.lubs-products-database.total.com/gallery/ORIGINALS/visuels/23000/23437
https://www.oil-club.ru/forum/uploads/monthly_06_2016/post-2-0-43845100-1465547515.jpg
There is a very important difference between C2 and C3 , look it up :
https://www.acea.be/uploads/news_documents/ACEA_European_oil_sequences_2016_update_REV_2.pdf
Although SAPS requirements are identical, C3 mandates HTHS visc.>3.5cP .
Your Mobil1 ESP Formula 5w-30 is C3 oil, addressing the requirement of C2 oils too.
https://www.mobil.com/English-HU/Passenger-Vehicle-Lube/pds/GLXXMobil-1-ESP-Formula-5W30
Although lacking the formal Fiat approval(lots of oils say "FIAT XXXX preformance level" or "meets or exceeds FIAT XXXX specification" which is NOT the same as having it approved by FIAT -and that costs $$$...) I'd still choose it over a C2 oil.
It's up to you whether to go to a 5w-40 C3 oil or better yet 0w-40 C3, it would not hurt. Look for a MB 229.51 or 229.52 approval.
https://www.mobil.com/English-RO/Passenger-Vehicle-Lube/pds/GLXXMobil-1-ESP-X3-0W40
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.51_en.html
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.52_en.html
About oil level/consumption--one cannot be sure whether there is no fuel dilution,especially with DPF frequent regen cycles or short distance driving,have this in mind too.
I am not sure if I'd run it over 10K km with a Cx oil (city driving,short distances).What does the manual say about oil change under "severe conditions"?
I was suggesting the Total Ineo first 0W30, the 5W30 ECS is nothing exceptional.
Alternatively the Rubia TIR 9900FE 5W30... or like said above a 40 grade on the Mercedes lists. But I don't see a thicker oil helping when cold?
As far as lazyness and noise when cold, mine, although not at all comparable since much older and not same engine, is behaving similarly. On the plus side, it starts very well when cold (ever watched cold start videos?). I always thought Fiat was retarding the injection timings a lot when cold, but I'm probably wrong.
Oh, and also I'd change the oil a bit more often.
What filter are you using? If it's a Fiat made in China by UFI, the sometimes caused noise on my car at startup. I generally use Hengst or Purflux.
I'd definitely stay away from this:
http://www.fuel-economy.lubricants.total.com/documents/pdf/total_quartz_ineo_first_0w-30_gb.pdf
Rubia TIR 9900FE 5W30 will be fine if oil consumption is in fact low.
Well all engines are sluggish when cold.Do Fiat really retard the timing when cold?
Ain't much of a difference between 5w-30 and 5w-40 cold crank viscosities,especially considering Croatian weather conditions.
Doesn't this engine use cartridge oil filter elements? I would not expect one to make a whole lotta difference. Spin-on is a different story..Mann-Hummel have been flawless for me.
@Rollins
Thx, i will consider ESP-X3-0W40, just have to check if it is available here... Not really sure, but i think 8-10k is recommended when in "severe conditions", because the car is declared to have prolongued oil-change intervals - normally on 15k (mixed conditions) and 20k if driven exclusivly on the highway... So i like to believe 10-12k is not excessive all things considered, but i agree - less is always better.
@Popsy
Rubia 9900FE 5W30 is available here but only in 20L cans, costs about 150e for that amount... Never had any problems with cold starts, the engine usually start almost immediately. Don't know about retarding the injection timings, so no comment there 
I use Mahle filters, so no worries...
@Rollins
Ok, i'll have that in mind... About the oil filter, i'm not sure but i think i can use cartridge and a close-case filter. Was thinking on something like THIS
Quote
Although lacking the formal Fiat approval(lots of oils say "FIAT XXXX preformance level" or "meets or exceeds FIAT XXXX specification" which is NOT the same as having it approved by FIAT -and that costs $$$...) I'd still choose it over a C2 oil.
It's up to you whether to go to a 5w-40 C3 oil or better yet 0w-40 C3, it would not hurt. Look for a MB 229.51 or 229.52 approval.
https://www.mobil.com/English-RO/Passenger-Vehicle-Lube/pds/GLXXMobil-1-ESP-X3-0W40
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.51_en.html
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.52_en.html
About oil level/consumption--one cannot be sure whether there is no fuel dilution,especially with DPF frequent regen cycles or short distance driving,have this in mind too.
I am not sure if I'd run it over 10K km with a Cx oil (city driving,short distances).What does the manual say about oil change under "severe conditions"?
Quote
I was suggesting the Total Ineo first 0W30, the 5W30 ECS is nothing exceptional.
Alternatively the Rubia TIR 9900FE 5W30... or like said above a 40 grade on the Mercedes lists. But I don't see a thicker oil helping when cold?
As far as lazyness and noise when cold, mine, although not at all comparable since much older and not same engine, is behaving similarly. On the plus side, it starts very well when cold (ever watched cold start videos?). I always thought Fiat was retarding the injection timings a lot when cold, but I'm probably wrong.
Oh, and also I'd change the oil a bit more often.
What filter are you using? If it's a Fiat made in China by UFI, the sometimes caused noise on my car at startup. I generally use Hengst or Purflux.
I use Mahle filters, so no worries...
@Rollins
Quote
Rubia TIR 9900FE 5W30 will be fine if oil consumption is in fact low.
Well all engines are sluggish when cold.Do Fiat really retard the timing when cold?
Ain't much of a difference between 5w-30 and 5w-40 cold crank viscosities,especially considering Croatian weather conditions.
Doesn't this engine use cartridge oil filter elements? I would not expect one to make a whole lotta difference. Spin-on is a different story..Mann-Hummel have been flawless for me.
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If you want to give 5w-40 a try, look up
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.51_en.html
... for options.
Castrol products should be easy to find.
Or this:
https://d23zpyj32c5wn3.cloudfront.n...00_X-clean_5W-40__28GB_29.pdf?1492017640
IMHO the present oil is a good choice of yours but if you'd like some added (reserve in) protection in the hot summer weather then give 5w-40 ACEA C3 a try.
Yes,very hard to find HDEO in less than 20l.packaging,alas.
I would never extend the oil change interval to the optimistic lengths specified in the owner's manual with a ACEA Cx oil in an engine with 4.5l. sump . With your type of use(city driving) I would not go over 10K ..and probably less if it happens to be used mostly in the winter months during a given OCI.
I don't know if you have any access to local surveys on diesel fuel quality(or at least on some of its properties like bio-component %) but you'd better check out Infineum Winter Diesel Fuel Quality Survey :
https://www.infineuminsight.com/media/2228/infineum-wdfqs-2018-v10-14112018.pdf
https://www.infineuminsight.com/media/1049/infineum-wdfqs-2016-13032017.pdf
https://www.infineum.com/media/80722/wdfs-2014-full-screen.pdf
The fuel lubricity result for Croatia is not far from the limit (HFRR, μm 460 (max)). I was under the impression that the 7%min. FAME content was mandatory by EU legislation. Turns out that it is either not the case...or many of the EU sellers just don't care...
Yep, this type of filter I had in mind.
Originally Posted by Antony013
Thanks man, for all the info... I'm definitely aiming for Motul 8100 X-clean 5W-40, it's even on sale now in a local store (5l ~ 40e).
I will order it now and that filter i mentioned before... 
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I suspect your clattering is just diesel knock. Diesels are always pretty noisy until they warm up, on top of this a lot of manufacturers leave the EGR open when the engine is cold to force exhaust gases through the EGR cooler which helps to speed up the warm up time. This is probably why your engine feels sluggish when it is cold.
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Antony013
Thanks man, for all the info... I'm definitely aiming for Motul 8100 X-clean 5W-40, it's even on sale now in a local store (5l ~ 40e).
I will order it now and that filter i mentioned before...
Originally Posted by Bailes1992
I suspect your clattering is just diesel knock. Diesels are always pretty noisy until they warm up, on top of this a lot of manufacturers leave the EGR open when the engine is cold to force exhaust gases through the EGR cooler which helps to speed up the warm up time. This is probably why your engine feels sluggish when it is cold.
I hope to exchange the oil tommorow, i'll post my impressions after that... Thank you everyone 
Regarding your mediterranian location......I would worry more about the rust protection than anything else
Originally Posted by Antony013
Thanks man, for all the info... I'm definitely aiming for Motul 8100 X-clean 5W-40, it's even on sale now in a local store (5l ~ 40e).
I will order it now and that filter i mentioned before...
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So in Dalmacija you do have hot summers, comparatively speaking to the rest of Europe. Is it that hot? No. I have spent a lot of time in Dalmacija, and never had a feeling my eyes will boil over and then jump out. I did spend a lot of time n Las Vegas, and that is feeling you have in mid July. Yet, my father in law runs 5W20 oil in Honda Pilot.
Castrol FST 0W30 is really, really good choice, and I would be running that if we had it available in the US, but we do not.
As for clatter, I would say it is normal FIAT thing. I owned Lancia Lybra 2.4 JTD, and holy moly did it have clatter. But it made more than 500k. Also, BMW engines will be smoother, so do not compare it.
I have spent a lot of time in Dalmacija, and never had a feeling my eyes will boil over and then jump out. I did spend a lot of time n Las Vegas, and that is feeling you have in mid July. Yet, my father in law runs 5W20 oil in Honda Pilot.
Yeah, but it's a dry heat, lol!
