Re: Oil change myth?The van served well. RIP!
It's demise was a few months AFTER I sold it.
It was not replaced with another van, simply because our kids had grown up,
and we needed a regular car and pickup truck.
With three drivers, I currently have a 98 Cavalier(son's car) 05 Impala
(Wife's & road car) 99 NB(220HP, turbo'd (MINE!)
80 Ford Ranger P/U (long story, involves wife's wanting stuff from parents
house & remodeling our house.)
(Old 78 LUV got too worn out for reliable use, so I sold it for $250)
"Powerless" <powerless@gmail,com > wrote in message
news:g4cbr9$ss9$2@aioe.org...
> sheesh. instead of a new car, i think your fmaily needs a new driver. ;)
>
> "Chuck" <Chnospam@cox,net > wrote in message
> news:yel7k.3327$3q7.3145@newsfe15.lga...
>>I really doubt it! <G>
>> The lifter noise probably means that you waited a bit too long, or you
>> have a bit of varnish build up that might be removed.
>> Is it just one lifter, as it was on our old and long gone 89 MPV, or
>> more?
>> It had itty bitty lifters, much as the NAs have.
>> The 2.6L 4 in the MPV ran OK at 215,000 when I sold it, just used oil,
>> and
>> had the "little blue cloud" at startup.
>> It's demise was a few months after I sold it. First, the auto tranny
>> started having problems, then it was wrecked.
>> The MPV's real claim to fame was surviving a rollover on an interstate,
>> along with everyone in it. I put air in the tires that had deflated,
>> used
>> some bailing wire on the cracked plastic fan shroud, and drove it from
>> the
>> wrecking yard about 250 miles home. The frame was OK, and the damage was
>> mainly sheet metal skins, and a delaminated motor mount. Also, the MPV's
>> dead animal count was one small deer, three medium dogs, uncounted
>> squirrels, one bird, one possum, and what looked like a worse for wear
>> raccoon. The 12 valve OHC engine didn't make much noise, and seemed to
>> confuse animals.
>>
>>
>> "I wonder if their 'oil minder' is as accurate as the lifter noise I get
>> around 3k miles?"
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "BK" <miatabill@charter,net > wrote in message
>> news:TaQ6k.612$KB4.510@newsfe07.lga...
>>>I wonder if their 'oil minder' is as accurate as the lifter noise I get
>>>around 3k miles?
>>> "Chuck" <Chnospam@cox,net > wrote in message
>>> news:Jk06k.1392$rH1.738@newsfe20.lga...
>>>> Don't know. My wife's Impala has an oil minder built in. I end up
>>>> changing oil more frequently than it calls for, based upon several long
>>>> standing rules of mine.
>>>> 1. The Mfr's oil change interval allows the engine to survive the
>>>> warranty period. Past that, expect to have engine wear problems that
>>>> become obvious around 100,000 miles on most american made engines.
>>>> Changing the oil at 1/2 the recommended interval or mileage, or when it
>>>> is obviously dark and full of stuff may allow the engine to go to
>>>> 200,000 miles without serious problems or the need for an immediate
>>>> overhaul.
>>>>
>>>> 2.Use of synthetic oil. I use it because it generally has a higher
>>>> breakdown temp rating. Two of our cars are "boosted".
>>>>
>>>> 3. Oil is cheaper than an overhaul.
>>>>
>>>> 4. Change the filter each time you change the oil.
>>>>
>>>> 5. If possible, "prelube" the filter with at least enough oil to
>>>> saturate the filter media before you install it.
>>>>
>>>> 6. If available, use an oil drain plug with a magnet.
>>>>
>>>> 7. When hydraulic lifters stick, there is generally some sort of
>>>> "varnish" buildup. A few ounces of automatic tranny (ATF) or power
>>>> steering fluid added to the oil will often solve the problem.
>>>> (conventional oils, may also work with blended synthetics.)
>>>>
>>>> 8. If the dipstick has "varnish" on it, so does the engine innards.
>>>>
>>>> 9. Don't trust a car dealer to do the work when free oil changes are
>>>> included in the deal. Always "eyeball" check afterwards to make sure
>>>> that new oil is in the engine, and a new oil filter was installed.
>>>> Don't be too surprised if you find the dealer used conventional or
>>>> blended oil on an engine that calls for full synthetic oil.
>>>>
>>>> "XS11E" <xs11e@mailinator,com > wrote in message
>>>> news:Xns9AC0B1A1FDAC3xs11emailinatorcom@85.214.90.236...
>>>>> http :// autos.yahoo,com /articles/autos_content_landing_pages/586/the-3000-mile-oil-change-myth/;_ylt=AuDbDnShsR..RX8KTe2ZlX0azJV4
>>>>>
>>>>> or: http :// preview.tinyurl,com /6mou7j
>>>>>
>>>>> The entire article is worth reading but this is particularly
>>>>> interesting to me:
>>>>>
>>>>> "For several years, automakers like General Motors, BMW, and
>>>>> Mercedes-Benz have installed computerized systems that alert drivers
>>>>> via an instrument panel light when it's time to change oil. As an
>>>>> example, the General Motor Oil Life System (GMOLS) analyzes the engine
>>>>> temperature, rpms, vehicle speeds, and other driving conditions to
>>>>> calculate the rate of engine oil degradation.
>>>>> Then, software calculates when the oil needs to be changed."
>>>>>
>>>>> I wonder how accurate this could be?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
>>>>> The Usenet Improvement Project:
>>>>> http :// improve-usenet.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>