Re: Newbie Questions

["Giller,Bruce C." <bgiller@domain.elided>]

>What kind of oil do these cars run best on? dino or Synthetic? Any
>particular fav brands? Any to avoid? What about gear and diff? Swepco?
>Redline? or run of the mill brands.

	I run Castrol 20W50 year 'round in the Wash. DC area in my '86 Spider. 
Been buying the stuff for years and nothing bad has happened to any of
my my various cars.  I change the oil every 3000 miles and the fuel
filter every other oil change (I'm cheap).  As to the diff/gearbox, I
use Mobil 1 gear oil; it isn't a single grade but does the job well. 
Gearbox is easier to shift on those cold winter days when first starting
out and seems a bit more quiet.

>What should the idle oil pressure be? 

	When cold, the oil pressure is around 50 psi and then as the car warms
up it drops to almost zero at idle.  Since you've got lots o'miles,
check the oil level every other fillup to check on oil consumption. 
These engines have a 7 quart capacity.

>Are there any known bugs with these cars?

	There seems to a Spider Psychic Connection in which any Spider problem
discussed on this list is quickly passed on to all other Spider owners
who read about it, so be prepared...



	Bruce

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