Engine Oil and general maintenance recommendations

[Club-Bongo]

Morning All,

We've just taken ownership of our new Bongo "Bella", she's a unconverted, Silver, 1998 AFT 2.5D with around 77000 miles on her.

I'm looking for some advice on the following:

Engine Oil - How often to change? and a recommendation on what oil to use.

Transmission Fluid - When to change?

Coolant - When to change and how often?

We're ( Me, my wife and two daughters (a 3 yr old and 8 mth old )) are planning our first trip away in a few weeks which will hopefully take us from Newcastle to Lincs, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Bristol, Derby, The Lakes and back to Newcastle.

So advice on any other maintenance tasks that need carried out would be handy too

In the mean time there seems to be a million things that we need before setting off!

Thanks in advance!

[Bob]

Hi, and welcome aboard.

Engine oil change is 6 months/3000 miles with service and oil plus filter change at 6000 miles/annual, whichever is first.

If you have the blue coolant it's 2 years but some use red 5 year, they are not compatible.

Recommended oil is 10w/30, 5w/30 for colder climes, with 10w/40 or 15w/40 perfectly acceptable.

We live just SW of Bristol so if you need a recommendation for a camp site or just want to call by and empty the loo and fill the water just shout.

Afterthought: The distance travelled may well show in kms, so 5000 of those strange metric thingies to 3000 miles.

[teenmal]

With that sort of millage on your engine (as we all are) looking for that bit "extra protection" I would recommend Castrol Magnatec 10W-40 or Magnatec 10w-30.

At the end of the day oil is like Whiskey ,none Bad just some better than others.

The cheapest thing you can put in your engine is Water and Oil , the dearest is None.

PS also check the Oil Company recommended oil change periods for your particular engine (WLTD), some of the original recommendations are well out of date with modern oil technology.
Cheers.

[Club-Bongo]

Thank you both.

I did wonder if the change intervals could be altered by what i presume would be improvements to oil in the 20 years since it was built.

That said, i'll likely stick to the 6 month/3000 mile intervals....if only so i can escape to the garage!

Thanks for the offer Bob, although it'll show you how under-prepared we are when i say that there isn't and won't be a toilet to empty I may take you up on the offer of camp site recommendations.

Having checked, our anti-freeze is blue, i'll get the summer season out of the way and have it changed. The oil has been changed by the deal we bought it from so that should be fine as was the timing belt.

There's a god awful rattle at idle which i have a feeling is going to be the under-body cowling as i can see some holes that look like they should have a screw or bolt in....thats next weeks job, stop the annoying rattle.

[cmm303]

Changing the coolant is best done by a bongo savvy garage or, failing that, a trusted mechanic who is humble enough to follow the Bongo bleeding videos without shortcuts.

For oil, You can use semi-synthetic. No point spending out on the fully synth.

Auto transmission uses Dexron III ATF

Worthwhile also getting the oil in the diff(s) and transfer box (4WD) checked / changed. Often neglected. Make sure the breather on each diff is clear at the same time.

[mitchelln]

When changing the coolant, it is well worth changing the thermostat whilst you are at it. They seem to be prone to sticking open!
Symptom is the temp gauge appearing not to be working.

[cmm303]

When changing the coolant, it is well worth changing the thermostat whilst you are at it. They seem to be prone to sticking open!
Symptom is the temp gauge appearing not to be working.

and worse still, have been known to stick in any position including closed.

But its an awkward job especially on a 4WD. (though one member of the forum can do it with the Bongo firmly planted on the ground in a grassy field whilst drinking a cup of tea and being distracted by 101 other bongonauts sustaining only minor damage to his head )

However a genuine replacement Mazda part could be expected to last longer than 2 years, the blue coolant change interval.

[pauldeb]

I use semi-synthetic only and I do change it every 5k miles or 6months.

[Katka]

Thanks for the prod your question gave me. Just checked when the previous owners had a full service/ oil change done.... was 8000 miles ago, and we're off for a 5k Europe trip in a months time. Time to change the oil!

[Northern Bongolow]

When changing the coolant, it is well worth changing the thermostat whilst you are at it. They seem to be prone to sticking open!
Symptom is the temp gauge appearing not to be working.

and worse still, have been known to stick in any position including closed.

But its an awkward job especially on a 4WD. (though one member of the forum can do it with the Bongo firmly planted on the ground in a grassy field whilst drinking a cup of tea and being distracted by 101 other bongonauts sustaining only minor damage to his head )

However a genuine replacement Mazda part could be expected to last longer than 2 years, the blue coolant change interval.

[cmm303]

[the1andonly]

i'm an old man
well my body certainly is
what's this this clapping hand BS

[Katka]

For the oil change I'm following recommendation and have Magnatec ready, but whilst oily I think I'll also do an ATF change, at best it was last changed 8000 miles ago. The fluid is Dextron III, I've found but haven't been able to find how much should I buy to get the job done. It's a 2.5l V6. Any particular recommendation for manufacturer ?
Thanks

[cmm303]

For the oil change I'm following recommendation and have Magnatec ready, but whilst oily I think I'll also do an ATF change, at best it was last changed 8000 miles ago. The fluid is Dextron III, I've found but haven't been able to find how much should I buy to get the job done. It's a 2.5l V6. Any particular recommendation for manufacturer ?
Thanks

4.5L - 7L

Emptying the gearbox sump you will only change about 2/3 of the ATF capacity. I'd buy 5 litres and you should have some over.
Measure how much you pump out and put the same back in.
Alternatively initially refill so it comes up to the twist on the dip stick.
Then follow proper level check procedure. (ATF warmed up, engine running, cycle through gears into N, read level.)

If you like messy, you could drop the sum after pumping out the ATF and clean the filter and magnet. Some get away with re-using the sump gasket but be prepared to replace it. Lots in this thread.