LHM in freezing conditions?

[romie]

... LHM must be OK otherwise there would be huge piles of bent and rotting Citroëns at the bottom of every mountain pass after their brakes froze up and they ran off the road...

haha, fair enough

You head of to the Alps as well eh? Fantastic, voice from experience!

Got the chains!

Good point about the diesel, the car will probably be abandoned for a week or so until I bugger off again... maybe I should start her up every day for twenty mins just to try keep some residual heat in! 8/

Or chuck in a bit of petrol mix to the diesel?

ta, romie

[romie]

....Here is the spec for Shell LHM, pour point is -55 C.
http://www.epc.shell.com/Docs/GPCDOC_GTDS_Shell_LHM-S_(en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)_TDS_v1.pdf

.. having issues finding that spec sheet... but I'll take your word for it!

[romie]

'Old' LHM can be affected by extreme cold - I've had heavy PAS and odd suspension behaviour when it's very cold.

UK diesel changes spec in the winter to have a lower cloud point (ie where it starts to get solids in it), -12 I think. I had trouble starting an HDi at about -15 when it had been stood for a few days - our friends who lived in the Clyde Valley were unable to start their 308 HDi during the same period. I had no problems with my Xantia HDi during the same period, even starting it down to -20 - but then it was used for a good run every day.

ahhhhhhh, I think I've heard this somewhere else about the different mix in winter..... maybe I should fill up on diesel as close to, (high up as), possible to the alps and so get the right diesel for the job! Thinking that they would cater for their own environment? Hmm.

[romie]

Slightly of topic but when I had my first diesel car in the late '50s (Perkins 4/99 in a Cresta), it wouldn't start in the winter because the diesel set. I remember people lighting fires under the sumps of lorries around that time because the couldn't start them - how things have changed.

Peter

I keep getting very tempted by them there 'parking heaters' 8|

Dunno, how hard it would be to retro fit to an old Xantia? :/
It would be just superb with my set-up!

[VertVega]

I asked from people driving diesel cars here and they said they use 5W40 specified for Diesel.
Then I checked from Xantia technical manual for recommended engine oils.
In general Total Quartz Diesel 7000 10W-40 is recommended (oils specifically for diesel engines)
for countries like Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Switzerland and etc.

I found pdf material for Quartz 7000 10W-40 with a Google search
where this information was given:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUARTZ 7000 10W-40
Synthetic based oil for Gasoline and Diesel engines
TOTAL QUARTZ 7000
10W-40 has been developed to cover the requirements of both gasoline and diesel engines (passenger cars and light vans)

ACEA A3/B4
API SL/CF
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check if the API or ACEA standards match with the oil you use.
I hope this will help and wish you a nice trip in the Alps.

[qprdude]

My 2.2 X7 173 runs on 5w - 30.

[romie]

I asked from people driving diesel cars here and they said they use 5W40 specified for Diesel.
Then I checked from Xantia technical manual for recommended engine oils.
In general Total Quartz Diesel 7000 10W-40 is recommended (oils specifically for diesel engines)
for countries like Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Switzerland and etc.

I found pdf material for Quartz 7000 10W-40 with a Google search
where this information was given:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUARTZ 7000 10W-40
Synthetic based oil for Gasoline and Diesel engines
TOTAL QUARTZ 7000
10W-40 has been developed to cover the requirements of both gasoline and diesel engines (passenger cars and light vans)

ACEA A3/B4
API SL/CF
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check if the API or ACEA standards match with the oil you use.
I hope this will help and wish you a nice trip in the Alps.

uhuh, er, thanks VertVega .. I've got no idea on the differences of different engine oils really :s

Doubt I'll get any sort of datasheet for the ASDA mineral oil... probably the same, but re-badged stuff they use in every other oil based product the have in the store... including all the food stuffs :p

I mean, other than the weights, what makes one oil good for diesel engines and one for petrol engines??! ugh..I'll try and figure it out tho.

Cheers, romie

[Rhothgar]

LHM is not expected by code weather.

Sylv and I drive to Austria every year. Been done to -26. Deg. probably even -30 deg. God knows what the wind chill would be on some of the pipes underneath the car.

One problem we did have was we lost gear changes. Jim will remember a frantic call to UK late one night.

But this was at around zero degrees. Had driven through spray going through Germany. This must have flicked up onto the knuckle joint which then froze as we drive further south into colder weather.

Otherwise, experienced no adverse effects in suspension, braking, steering or otherwise.

Think about it logically. Xantias were not only sold in the UK.

The only difference I could find with foreign ones is they have an additional brake shield presumably to reduce brake fade discs freezing perhaps if water and snow are flicked up over long journeys.

[VertVega]

Think about it logically. Xantias were not only sold in the UK.

That's correct but there's a minor issue with the temperature sensor of Xantia which shows
only until -30ºC and below that there is only " - - - " on the display

[Rhothgar]

Interesting!

There are not many places that get to -30 on earth.

Siberia and this particular area of Austria, Lungau, which is sometimes referred to as the Austrian Siberia! It gets pretty bleak. Must dig some photos out with 0.5m. of snow on the roof every morning one winter

[Dommo]

I read that diesel oils are supposed to cope better with soot than 'petrol' specific oils, not sure what truth there is in that but it gives you a starting point on google!

[VertVega]

There are not many places that get to -30 on earth.

That's true I have taken this pic while driving with my c5 II

[romie]

blimey, that's high-tech! newfangled LCDs eh?

Don't think my poor old 1996 xantia mk1 has any outside temp indicators. Closest thing she has to an outside temp indicator would be the thickness of ice I have t scrape of the inside of the windscreen :/

romie

[qprdude]

Often get winter temperatures of -18 up here. Temperatures of -22 to -27 have been recorded often over the years. Worst in the Highlands and the north east but plenty diesel, hydractive Citroens on the roads.