Bit of a newb with questions......Sorry!

Hi fellow puma brethren,

Im not a total newb to puma's or indeed the forum, as i have a track puma, however, this is my first road puma and im full of questions...

First off, its a W reg 1.7 in green, picked it up today as was desperate for a car after my fiesta van decided to eat its own clutch release bearing (fords hey!.....oh wait...).
It was cheap, and probably for a reason, but i haven't done quite enough seat time to discover all the downsides just yet.

So, my questions so far:
It's only done 84,000 miles, but i don't think its been serviced in 84,000 miles either - the oil is like gravy. So, best oil? I know its the worst question to ask, & one that has been discussed til death, but is Fords 5W 30 superior to just a regular garage supplied 5W 30? I say that because my brother is a mechanic and can source the oil from his work for very little, but if Fords own is far better, it'll be worth the extra £10 or so.

Secondly, gearbox oil - im aware you can change it as such, but im keen to top it up given the poor service history i can only assume it has had. What grade gearbox oil is it?

Regarding the service, im planning on: oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, fuel filter, gearbox oil check. Is there anything im missing? Any common puma related things to check? Clean out throttle body etc etc?
Given the thickness & appearance of the oil, im tempted to use some sort of engine cleaner before the fresh oil goes in. Worth doing? If so, what ones would you recommend?

I apologize for rattling on already, i just get very "in" to a vehicle when i first buy one, they always feel unloved and 'dirty' until i know its been serviced and cared for. :lol:


If any of this should be in another section of the forum and not in my welcome post, i'll move it. Once daylight comes i'll get snap happy with the camera and start a build thread, i plan to do several little bits to it over the next few months, providing the treacle oil hasn't condemned the engine to a explosive fiery death :lol:


Cheers guys

Hello and welcome.
I`d be tempted to change the oil for cheap stuff, then do it again with Fords own after a couple of hundred miles.
Timing belt will almost certainly need replacing (best to assume it does)
dont bother about changing the gearbox oil, a top up, if nessesary, will do.
Other than that you got an engine service about right.
Dont forget to check brakes and suspension bushes too

trublustu said:

I'd be tempted to change the oil for cheap stuff, then do it again with Fords own after a couple of hundred miles.

Click to expand...

+1

And welcome! :grin:

I was just about to say the same with the oil. Flush some fresh through the system to clean it then invest in the good stuff. Have fun.

Good plan on the cheap oil first idea, i should have thought of that. Anyone rate using an engine cleaner of any kind? Redex seems too cheap to really do anything - Auto RX seems to get good reviews but god knows.

The owners manual states not to use engine cleaners, think its because of the bore linings but Id say that's a good enough reason not to use them, if you did want to stick something in with the oil I'd personally recommend ZX1 Extralube, stuck some in with the gearbox oil too and worked a treat! also in every 1 out of 4/5 tanks fill her up with a high ron quality fuel most have cleaners in which will sort out the injection if it happens to be crappy.

Cheers Grayfox, ive settled on the idea of doing a double service (one with cheap oil & filter, then do secondary final oil swap 500 miles or so later). Shell V Power or the Esso equivalent is worth a shot for a while, unleaded is far cheaper than it used to be right now, so the price is negligible. I always used to rate V Power in my Prelude but that required it.

Cheers :wink:

+1 on the ZX1, it's brilliant stuff, been in all my cars (except my RX8) as far back as I can remember and has improved some engines beyond recognition.

That's nice to hear, especially from two experienced forum users (from what i gather from your post counts ha!).
I've used BG44K before, and although its spouted to be fantastic (depending on who you ask, ofcourse) i must admit i never experienced any real world differences. Tempted by this though if you've both used them in the Puma.
Yippeekiay, did you use it in the gearbox also or just in the oil?

Ta!

Put it in the engine in my Puma. In respect to the gearbox I never changed that oil in my ownership, had I done I would have put it in for definite.

Now wondering why I never put some in anyway :roll:

Interesting, very interesting....

At about £13 a bottle (enough to do the engine and maybe 40ml in the gearbox) im tempted by it, your experiences seem very positive, its just a worry given the fragility of the bore liners in these engines. If the wrong grade oil can do damage, who knows what oil additives could do, long term.

How long did you have your puma for after doing the treatment, yippeekiyay?

I had it for 4 years, bought it with 44k miles, ZX1 went straight in, sold it with 82k. Had 4 trips to the Nurburgring in it where it was given a good thrashing legally hahaha....oh...and did I mention it also had a nitrous kit so was forced to take a hefty boost now and again.

Engine when I sold it?.....sweet as a nut, probably stayed that way in part due to the ZX1 but who knows. I might have just been fortunate to have had a strong engine

Wish I'd kept it

Awesome, that's a nice reassurance that it atleast did no harm over quite a substantial period of time & mileage.
I do love forums like this, there is no single place better to get real world reviews of products that specifically meet your application (in this case, puma's) so i do really appreciate the input fella.

:clap: