Spider S4 Oil Pressure

My brother just brought in Cyprus this lovely and in perfect condition Spider S4 (1991) and would like to know what must be the idle and cruising oil pressure values as look to be lower than the corresponding ones for my Alfasud. The car hasn't be serviced for over a year so new filters, oils etc will be replaced soon.
Also would like to know which engine oil you prefer to use especially for the warmer days.

p.s. He will be an Alfaowner registered member soon.

[spiderserie4]

Hi welcome! That looks a nice car - very good gaps between bumper and body!
my S4 cruses at 70 mph with a hot engine with the needle at the next point over half (5 bar or 70 lbs)
At tickover when very hot it goes down to the first bar on the guage, maybe a tiny bit below if in a bad traffic jam and I have turned off the heater!. (1 bar or 14 lbs) - and that is on a well cared for engine with 150ooo kms on it with regular changes.

If you ask about oil you will get a hundred different replies!
The sticker under the hood says 10/40 - some people say 20/50 - I personally use Castrol 15/40
If I was in a very warm climate "year round" I would use 20/50-
Just get a brand name and you should be OK-

[classicgal93]

She's a beauty. The Motronic Spider would have different pressure values than the Sud. At idle the oil pressure drops drastically, that's normal.
A great idea is to get the workshop manual (car disk) for the Spider. I have one and it is full of info. I put 10/40 in my 2 Spiders that is what the manual says is best. I haven't switched to synthetic but maybe some have?

Thanks guys for your info. The car was initially registered and spent 10 years in Italy and later at 2001 was brought in the UK by an Englishman. The car has only 38k on the clock and NO rust whatsoever. I am not joking, we spent the last two days checking the car and apart from minor scratches and the usual for the Nord engine valve gasket leak has nothing else. Oh I forgot, the door mirrors don't work but may be an electrical issue like a blown fuse. The car has been loaded with lots of spares from Classicalfa and will be serviced upon MOT and local registration.

Thanks again.

[spiderserie4]

The door mirrors are on fuse no 1. (cant remember if this is No 1 on the left or No. 1 on the right!) a 16 amp fuse is fitted.
If this is OK (dont try inspecting it, just change it to be sure!) then maybe the relay is the cause. The relay is a square one marked L on the below diagramm. If not this, then perhaps the switch is the cause (dont know if this can be opened or if you could just spray some contact cleaner into it and hope for the best!), and if not this then perhaps the mirror motors themselves have frozen up. The glass can be prised off (with care) and the motors checked, cleaned up perhaps and "unfrozen"

You will get a lot of good tips on here for the S4 spider - so keep the questions coming, and lets have a few more photos!

It looks that the "Classic Alfas Section" is so helpfull that can compete with the "Alfasud/Sprint/33" one where I am usually getting help or give one if required.
"spiderserie4" thanks for the mirrors step-by-step check-up. As my brother hasn't a lot of mechanical knowledge or experience it looks that any questions raised will be through myself.
The car just arrived so the pics below are from those sent by the previous owner currently living in Newcastle.
I will revert as soon as the car is back from the garage where the heavy duty staff will be carried-out. The car has also a hard top but looks that in Cyprus will not be that necessary even during the winter months.
Thanks again.
Nicolas

[spiderserie4]

a really very fresh and original interior! You can tell the interior is not messed about with as the door panels have no screws on the outside from crappy mechanics opening the covers, breaking off the clips and not bothering to replace them so screw a bloody ugly screw right through the whole lot!.....meaning the original clips are all in place. A good sign of being cared for

just one point about the hardtop - I am guessing it never have come with it originally, as the hazard switch (left-most one in the centre of the 3 switches below the gearstick) is not a "double" switch and does not have the buttons for the heated rear screen. If the hard top was originally sold with the car, the hazard switch would a double switch with the heated screen.
as seen on left of this photo of mine:

BTW- if the power mirrors problem turns out to be the switch, these are top rare and therefore expensive, about 70 euros (I can let you know where to get one in germany, if needs be, the guy has just 2 left) - with some luck it will be the fuse or relay.

The hard top has rear glass window and is heated. Also has cabin light.

As already mentioned the use of the hard top will be a rare case so at the moment we will get through the whole suspension set-up and replace bushes, shocks and coils if required. The front headlamps will be replaced with ones for a RHD car and new tyres will be fitted. Finally a full valeting including polish/wax will be carried-out.

Mirrors etc will be checked upon return of summer holidays, so will revert.

[Erik Loye]

Congrats on your brother's beatifull Spider. Though the Spider S4 is build in the 90's the engine is still a 1950s construction, so the 20W-50 is a good recomendation. Unless you know the engine has been run on full or semi syntetic oil until now, don't stat using it. Even though the engine has only run 38 k miles or km lots of grude and deposits might be in the oil gallies etc. Using syntetic oil will desolve this, which might be good but it could very likely bloc oil gallies an oil way.
The valve cover gasket on my S2 1750 engine has been leak free since I cleande the faces abd got a new and glued it with Hylomar to the head face.
Erik

[spiderserie4]

By the way when you change the headlights for the rhd ones, worth checking that the little motors which adjust the up/down movement of the lights are actually working (you can hear them whirr when you move the rotary switch in the knee bolster, below just to the right [EDIT: actually it is to the LEFT The switch to the right is the dash light dimmer.my mistake] of the steering wheel - these clip into the headlamp bowl at the top (useful if you have a load in the boot so you don't dazzle oncoming drivers, and not every spider has them) - its is a euro thing, Uk cars rarely have these...sometimes they are stuck, but you can often wiggle them about and get them working again!

[Squadrone Rosso]

It looks really nice We love Cyprus too so lucky you

Many thanks guys, it looks that you are really experienced with the S4.

As already mentioned my bro and I are on holidays so the Spider will be taken seriously in about two weeks.

UPDATE: The car arrived in Cyprus safely in it's own container.
All four coils and shocks (Koni reds) plus bushes from Superflex have been replaced. Also a new battery was needed. The one in car had Alfa Romeo logo......not the first one fitted by the factory? RHD headlamps will be replaced next week and full valleting thereafter. MOT will follow. Oh I forgot, tyres will be replaced with a fresh set.

To our surprise no rust was found, just a couple of dents that will be treated so that no respray will be required.
More photos soon and pending my bro's enrolment to "Alfaowner-Forum".