Service info

[cbfb]

I've recently bought a '96 SWB minibus Transit (mk5 2.5 diesel). I'm planning on converting it to a camper. Here in New Zealand if it meets the spec, you can camp on any public land (as long as there's no bylaws preventing it), so it's really worth doing for cheap holidays with me and my 2 young kids.

It has currently done 148k (km) or 92k (miles). The dealer who used to look after it has kindly provided me with history as far back as 134k (km) or 83k (miles). In terms of dates, the 134k invoice was for Sept 2009 so that's 9 years' service history. In the 9 years it's only done 14k (1.5k per year or 930 miles).

The van used to belong to a daycare centre so I believe it's all genuine. The vehicle is in good condition.

As soon as I bought it I got the oil & filter and fuel pump replaced. There is no mention in the history of the timing belt having been done. I usually get it done on a vehicle I plan to keep for a while anyway just for peace of mind. So I thought I'd check service intervals against the history and see what else needed doing.

That's where things got a bit frustrating. I asked Ford NZ, they sent me to a website offering a manual for a Ka. My local dealer doesn't have a service manual they can provide. I can't find anything on the web and my mechanic isn't too sure. The van didn't come with any books or info.

The only other option is a Haynes manual, but I've found in the past they don't always match the manufacturers' recommendations. Also they're 50 NZD (approx 25 GBP) and I'm not planning to do anything on the vehicle that I would need a manual for so I'd be paying 50 NZD just for a list of service intervals

Does anyone know where I can find a reliable source of this info? I've searched on the site but as you can imagine, "service", "interval" and "manual" comes up with heaps of false results.

[MinorMatt]

Oil and air filter + oil every 19,000km

Cambelt 5 years/64k km

Gearbox oil - doesn't really need changing - but I would do it now. Same with diff oil.

Brake fluid and anti freeze every 2 years

[dumper]

If it was mine I’d put cam belt kit on straight away along with a water pump at same time while the front end is off do tappits at the same time even with modern oil my mk8 still gets oil change every 6000 miles or mot time which ever comes first I’d also have all the wheels off and look at the brakes

[cbfb]

Thanks, I just got the engine oil & filter, fuel filter done. They checked the gearbox and diff oil, apparently full and OK looking but will do it when I have some spare cash.

I'm getting the timing belt done next week and assume they'll do the coolant at the same time. I hadn't thought about getting the brake fluid done, will get that done if there's enough budget after they've done the cambelt (and check the brakes).

My mechanic recommended 7,000km for oil/filter changes. Most people over here in NZ seem to do their diesels around 6,000 or so. In reality it will probably between 7k and 10k when I actually get around to it.

[Hondekop]

7000 km is quite pessimistic, given that Ford recommends every 15000 km for oil & filter. The fact that others do it at 6000 or what your mechanic recommends is a very thin argument IMO. There are valid reasons to shorten the service period though:
- Predominantly short trips,
- Extreme conditions (dusty, hot)
- High strain/workload (off-road, trailer towing, steep terrain)
You can also invert this: if you main part of driving is doing 500 km trips on the motorway at 100 km/h, you could extend your service period to 30000 km easily

Spend the money you save on extra oil changes on useful things like cam belt, brake fluid, gearbox and diff oil, if you ask me.

You can find the service schedules here:
https://www.etis.ford.com/fordservice/s ... uleForm.do

Ciao, Kai

[cbfb]

Thanks for the reply Kai, unfortunately the link didn't work: "FordService is not available for your selected Market (New Zealand)."

Is it in a format that you could copy/paste easily? I'd be interested to read as I agree there's no point servicing if it's unnecessary.

[Hondekop]

Sent you a PM.

[cbfb]

Thanks all I've got the Haynes manual now so I've got a fairly good idea of what needs checking.