Hi all,

I'm new here - I have an American 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager with the 3.3L V6 that I've had since 2005.

I imported it to Europe a year ago to use in the spring through fall for a sailing regatta circuit (it goes into indoor storage in the winter). It has been put to use towing a 17.5-foot (5.4 m) RIB (motorboat) with some sailing gear and has made a few long trips thus far. We drive it quite slowly but there are a lot of mountainous regions here and trips can be strenuous.

It had its first oil change recently, after which it has been running pretty rough during this last trip. I normally use synthetic 10W-30 in the US, but I understand European oil is generally lower viscosity than American. Does anyone know what viscosity of synthetic European oil is comparable to 10W-30?

Any extra advice for towing on long, hilly trips?

Thanks,
Dagny

 

Hei Dagny,

In Europe 10W-30 grade typically denotes a mineral oil, synthetic ones usually have a wider viscosity range.
My Chrysler authorized service would use Castrol Magnatec 10W-40 . Not a bad choice, me thinks.

 

Thanks! I'll check it out and get back to you. It will probably be a little over a week before I'm able to change the oil again.

 

Well, I got the oil yesterday and changed it today. The Magnatec looks better than whatever was put in during the van's last change. Next long drive is coming up in 3 days, so we'll see how the van does.