few questions about home servicing - vy clubby

[JET-33]

im looking at doing more things myself eg basic home servicing and just did a little bit of research at repco as well as on the castrol website and the hsv manual that came with the car. i have a few questions i couldnt find answers too....

1. power steering fluid: cant seee anymore in the book that says how much fluid is required for a change. castrol bottle came in 500mL.

2. brake fluid: same as above, cant find any info on how much is required for a change. castrol bottle came in 500mL.

3. the price of castrol edge (titanium) 5w-40 was double that of magnatec 10w-40 but repco has 20% off for racv members until the end of feb so i am considering it. only problem is that with magnatec you can 5L and 1L bottles (i require approx 5.7L) but the edge 5w-40 only comes in 5L. they did have 1L bottles of other weights but even they were around $35-40 for 1L so not much bang for buck.


the castrol website also says i can use the same auto/trans fluid (ATF DEXIII) for power steering fluid instead of buying the actual castrol p/s fluid. are there any pros/cons in doing this? it does seem to be a bit cheaper but surely it would be better to use the actual ps fluid instead of the auto/trans fluid...?

OH, and they said around $16 a plug for NGK TR6's....think ill be grabbing them off chevo :yup:

[Steele304VS]

I got the Bosch platinum plugs from repco $22 each i think but would've got the TR'6's if they had them in stock.
i just use DEX3 for power steering. took reservoir out and inspected metal filter, it turned out it had a hole so bought new genuine for $60

brake fluid should be fine with 500mL

as for oils. buy what ever you feel like. i've been experimenting for a while.

good luck

[VZ_V8]

The trans and the power steering require dexron III fluid so I used to use Transmax Z in the trans and I still use it in the power steering. Has been the best soo far. Currently have Penrite MGO70 in the trans but unsure if I will stick with it next time. The P/S system is very small. Buy two 4L bottles which will be enough for your trans and P/S system.

I used two 500ml bottles when I did the last brake flush. IMO there is nothing worse then getting half way through and finding out I don't have enough then not being able to complete the job properly. I just use what I need, seal it up and keep it for next time, its not like its going to go to waste. If you plan on doing the clutch as well, make life easier for yourself and buy an Xtreme clutch bleeder extension.

Engine oil, I use Castrol Edge Titanium 10w60 and buy two 5L bottles. I use 6L for an oil change so I use 1L out of one of the bottles and then keep that bottle for the next 4 changes, just using 1L each time.

Last time I did plugs I used Bosch Fusion plugs. Can't remember the price but they weren't very cheap thats for sure.

[JET-33]

If you plan on doing the clutch as well, make life easier for yourself and buy an Xtreme clutch bleeder extension

auto trans and clutch :confused:

[JET-33]

Engine oil, I use Castrol Edge Titanium 10w60 and buy two 5L bottles. I use 6L for an oil change so I use 1L out of one of the bottles and then keep that bottle for the next 4 changes, just using 1L each time.

Last time I did plugs I used Bosch Fusion plugs. Can't remember the price but they weren't very cheap thats for sure.

did you find the thicker oil to be noisy?

how do you rate those spark plugs? did you have ngk prior?

[VZ_V8]

auto trans and clutch :confused:

:lol: my bad I just assumed you had a manual for some reason. The manual boxes use auto trans fluid as well so that wasn't a giveaway ahah.

[VZ_V8]

did you find the thicker oil to be noisy?

how do you rate those spark plugs? did you have ngk prior?

Nope not noisy at all. Very quiet in fact. Have been using it since 10,000km and my ute is now at 55,000. There is a ton of people on here using it and Steve from mainlube reckons it offers the best protection out of all the off the shelf oils.

As for the plugs, they do their job, thats all I can tell. Haven't had an issue with them but they didn't make any difference over the factory ones. Mind you though the plugs didn't really need changing for any reason when I did mine, I am just pedantic and swap stuff for the sake of it. :lol:

[JET-33]

i know what ya mean.

has your engine ever been opened eg cam or any internal work?

[VZ_V8]

i know what ya mean.

has your engine ever been opened eg cam or any internal work?


Nope its standard, just the basics like mafless tune, exhaust, otr etc. I give it a very hard time on the race circuit though and it hasn't missed a beat.

I change the oil every 5000km with no exceptions. Have done since I bought it.

[JET-33]

has anyone used both castrol edge (titanium) 5w-40 and magnatec 10w-40? just wondering if anyone has any comments based on experience in using these 2 oils one after the other.

is the full synthetic being slighter thinner worth the money over magnatec?

[Phillshz]

has anyone used both castrol edge (titanium) 5w-40 and magnatec 10w-40? just wondering if anyone has any comments based on experience in using these 2 oils one after the other.

is the full synthetic being slighter thinner worth the money over magnatec?

I use Magnatec 10w-40, found it quietens the AFM lifter noise in L76/77`s. Holden/HSV spec 5w-30 or 10w-40 for the LS engines and so do GM and i`m sure more vettes see weekend racetrack duty in the US than SS`s and HSV`s do here. 10w-60 would be ideal for extreme conditions (if not too thick for a modern "tighter" motor) but for street duty the cost is prohibitive over a 10w-40 oil.

Trans Z is good but expensive! Dex 3 will serve you fine if you are budget wary.
Spark plugs don`t seem to make any difference,just fit what is recommended.

Cheers Phill