DIY Servicing - seeking some recommendations!!

Hey guys,

I am hoping that some of the gurus might be able to provide me with some advice in regards to home servicing (I have searched through a heap of the previous forums and found some information but it's a bit all over the place and I am hoping to get some advice all in one post!!). I recently purchased a 2010 GU ZD30 (manual) with 120,000 km on the clock and in excellent condition having been owned by an older guy who never really took it offroad apart from a few dirt tracks. Anyway, I have decided that I am going to do all of my own oil changes, etc at home despite the fact that the last time I did this was in about 1991 when I had a VB Commodore!!! The guy I bought it from did all his own servicing and said that the last one he did was about 6 months ago but he wasn't sure on the kms (thinks its about 5000 km or so) and so basically I want to do an initial service to pretty much replace all the fluids so that I have a known baseline and then I can conduct a regular service regime from there.

Engine Oil - I saw in one thread a recommendation of Castrol Delo 400 Diesel Multigrade oil and in another I think I saw a Penrite 10-W40 recommendation. Is there any particular oil that I should be considering or is it pretty much a case of anything that is a reputable brand and rated for diesel engines will be OK? I haven't even looked at the owners manual yet to see what it recommends but I also think I read somewhere that after a certain amount of km you should consider changing to a different grade - what grade oil should I be using?

Oil Filter - I was just planning on going for a Ryco filter. Is it worth considering one of the filters that you can replace the filter element on or am I better off just going for the "standard" disposable ones??

Transmission Oil - I found a recommendation for Castrol VMX-M somewhere but would be interested to hear opinions on this or other options?

Transfer Case Oil - haven't checked the manual yet but I assume this is a different oil to the transmission oil? Recommendations?

Diff Oil - haven't really researched this one yet and was probably just going to check the manual to see what it says. Any recommendations?

Brake Pads and Fluid - to me the brakes seem a bit underpowered at the moment and I'm not sure if this is because of worn pads or potentially an issue with the system not being bled properly. I'm intending on flushing the brake system and putting in new fluid (I assume it will be DOT 3 or DOT 4 but I haven't checked the manual yet) and I am also going to replace the brake pads. I saw a couple of references to Bendix 4WD Pads - can anyone provide feedback on these pads or recommend another one?

Coolant - Not sure how often this needs to be replaced but thought that while I am setting a baseline and familiarising myself with actually working on a car again that I might as well replace it while I am at it. I assume that any standard coolant would be OK but would be interested in recommendations based on experience?

Power Steering Fluid - I have never replaced this on a car and have no idea what type of fluid I need (will check the manual on this one)

Air Filter - I guess that the standard Nissan filter element will be my starting point but I'm interested in any recommendations for aftermarket air filters.

Fuel Filter - car has an additional pre-filter fitted and the guy gave me three spare filters so I will replace it. I will probably replace the standard filter too and again would start with factory filter but I'm open to any other recommendations for alternatives.

Is there anything else that I should consider replacing/checking/servicing to establish a good clean baseline?

I'm actually looking forward to getting my hands dirty and getting a bit intimate with my car (which I haven't done for a long, long time)!!

Cheers,

Gags

I have(well the wife does-says so in my sig) a 20120 crd auto,
just put slotted discs on recently(racebrakes sydney)and bendex pads and wheel bearing at same time..love them..pulls up rather nicely,,next will be braided lines ,improves it even more I am led to believe
had ours for 4 yrs and still as is when I bought it.will be following this thread as it has just run out of warrenty and now all up to us ME

Engine Oil - Penrite or Delo. Rating would be 10w-40 or 15w40. Personally Brand doesnt matter to me. They are both great. Remember everything seems anedoctal but it always comes down to these two lol. Penrite is Semi Synthetic. Delo im not sure but Delo 400 gold is excellent value. Problem is Delo is hard to get too. I definately will try one day.


Oil Filter - Look Im sure some super expensive ones have some over engineered over rated filtration that is not needed. Changing oil at 5000km on a TD42ti or 10 000kms on other diesel you can use any brand . Key is use good oil.


Power Steering Fluid - Just use your Automatic Trans Fluid.

Coolant - I just use Nulon and mix 40 percent coolant to 60 percent water. Personally everyone who has heating problems always just "drains" coolant. This does not not help one bit if your radiator is clogged inside. Better to undo and take to radiator shop
They will undo end tanks and rod clean nicely and reattach and seal end tanks.

Air filter - I have just bought K&N off ebay and been using that. Been checking and it works really well.

Tranmission Oil Manual- I just drained and used Castrol VMX-M recently with Nulon Smooth Glide additive. Its been great. Just make sure whatever you use its GL4 spec and not newer GL5 as they have some additive that
"apparently can corrode synchros".... Other people have used a mixture or just fully used Automatic Tranmission Fluid. ATF is way over specced compared to any Manual fluid as it has to work under much harder conditions like heat. Once again Anedoctal people have found much smoother shifts and quieter operations.



This is what works for me. Everyone has different views.

I hope this helps you somewhat.

Hi Gags,

Change all the engine filters and oil and all the drivetrain fluids including brake fluid. They'll tell you the condition of the internals.

For oil specs and capacities refer to the owners manual but each oil manufacturer has their own lube guides which are pretty comprehensive and match Nissan specs.

Engine Oil: I use Penrite HPR10 10W-40. Changed every 5000k's. I keep looking at who has the 10L drum discounted and buy 2 or 3 at a time.

Oil Filter: Genuine Nissan from dealerships on eBay. Cheaper than ryco from most parts stores.

Air Filter: Genuine Nissan as above.

Fuel Filter: Genuine Nissan. I don't &@ck with fuel filters. Too many bad experiences with previous diesel vehicles and other filter manufacturers.

Pre Fuel Filter: Genuine Fuel Master on eBay from reputable sellers.

Drivetrain: Castrol oils referenced from lube guide.

I did buy and fit DBA standard disc rotors front and rear but I'm not happy with the stopping power. Just bought DBA T3 slotted rotors front and rear. Yet to fit them.

Bendix 4WD pads front and rear.

Cheers
Muzza