Hi guys,

Just a quick couple of questions, I have just rebuilt my FD and fired it up today but I have very low oil pressure, Its close to 0. I currently have 10/40 mineral oil in is this the correct oil? and what else could cause the low pressure?

Thanks in advance

 

you should run 20w50 oil... and also you oil sending unit is probably fail.. they are common on fd.

 

Many thanks, I will get the correct oil sorted

 

Unless you are putting your car on a race track (road course not drag strip), there is no reason to run anything over 5w30 or 10w30. The main problem with the 40 weights is their ash content. Since you do have oil injecting into the motor, it's a good idea not to use the 40's for that reason.

 

So what in peoples opinion is the best oil to use for daily driving?

 

Read your owner's manual and use what it says.

 

I would love to but I dont have one

 

Well, it repeats basically what I just wrote.

 

The owner's manual (which you don't have) as well as various placards/labels on the car tell you to use 5W-30 in cold weather and 10W-30 in hot weather. This is what Mazda recommends.
Most of us here in the States use 5W30 or 10W-30 mineral oil, Castrol GTX being a highly used oil for winter driving and 20W-50 for hot weather (above 90 degree F.) Other popular oil brands are Mobil, Valvoline, Quaker State, Havoline. A lot of people dislike Penzoil, myself included because of its tendancy to retain moisture, which leads to deposits of yellow gunk thru the engine.

 

Thanks for the input bajaman That was very helpful

 

I'm assuming your a new owner and may not know that the oil pressure sender on these cars is problematic. Many owners report seeing zero or nearly zero indicated on the gauge when idling at full operating temp. It's scary the first time it happens, but as long as you see pressure come up with revs, your likely OK. IIRC, the FSM says you should see 55 psi at 3k rpm.
The connection, just beneath the oil filter, can get fouled with oil and dirt and give faulty readings. Other times, it just needs to be changed. Another factor is that the FD is notorious for fuel dilution between oil changes, which tends to thin the oil...which tends to reduce pressure. Another reason to be semi-religious about changing the oil. Search using various terms for alot more info. Good luck.

 

i use 15w40 mineral oil in my 96 FD
its the oil the previous owner of the car used (he gave me a bottle of it along with the car and a couple of oil filters), its also the oil the shop who rebuilt the engine used hence my reason for sticking with the same stuff!