Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

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gspider78
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:05 am
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider

Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby gspider78 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:32 am

What is the best viscosity and oil brand to run in this car?

Ragno124
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:48 am
Your car is a: 1981 124 Spider
Location: Northwest Chicago Suburbs

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby Ragno124 » Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:16 am

Valvoline VR1 20w50 as it has some zinc in it. I only drive my car in the summer so it may be a little heavy for colder temps.
Steve Muzzillo

1981 124 Spider 2000 (ex-turbo)
2006 Acura MDX
2008 Honda CRV
2014 GMC Acadia
2017 Acura RDX

baltobernie
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Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 6:00 pm
Your car is a: 1973 Spider [sold]
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby baltobernie » Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:30 pm

There are quite a few Oil Threads on this and other websites. You can spend a lot of time researching the "best" oil for your car, but using the correct viscosity and changing every 3,000 miles (or at least once a year before wintering) in normal use will be just fine for your car.

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Odoyle
Posts: 440
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:06 pm
Your car is a: 1983 Pinafarina Spider
Location: CA

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby Odoyle » Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:25 pm

As Bernie said, the right type of oil depends on where you live and what season it is. Out here in southern California I use Castrol 30weight flat with zinc ddp additive during summer and 10/30 Castrol during colder months with same zinc additive. The zinc helps to decrease the wear on flat tappet motors.

Shadoobie
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:07 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Pininfarina Spider 2000

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby Shadoobie » Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:55 am

To be honest, you're likely to get as many different responses as there are brands of oil. Everyone seems to have their own ideas that they've formed over time, and I've noticed that car guys tend to be fiercely loyal to oil viscosities for some reason. The fact is that any modern brand is bound to be far more efficient an oil than the oil that was used in the 70s due to technological advancement and the '79 has hardened valve seats designed specifically for unleaded gas, negating the need for a zinc additive. The factory recommended viscosity for temperatures above 5 degrees Fahrenheit is 15w40 so I'd trust the engineers who built the engine on that.

AJFiat
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:14 am
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby AJFiat » Tue Feb 06, 2018 7:49 am

Even in the 79 though I thought we wanted some zinc to prevent wear on the flat tappet cam?

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RRoller123
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Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
Location: SAGAMORE BEACH, MA USA

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby RRoller123 » Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:14 am

Correct, the zinc is not about the valve seats, that is the unleaded issue. The zinc is about the cams.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

Shadoobie
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:07 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Pininfarina Spider 2000

Re: Oil type Fiat 124 Spider with 132c3 2000cc Carb

Postby Shadoobie » Sun Feb 18, 2018 2:03 am

Also, if you look at the cams on the late model spiders compared to the early ones you will find that the late model cam lobes are far wider. Fiat did this to compensate for the lack of Zinc due to the addition of a catalytic converter. Zinc would probably prevent wear to an even greater extent, but I believe you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who has used regular oil on a late model spider who has worn their cams out, regardless of mileage. It just doesn't happen.


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