Do it yourself and save!!
on 04/21/2008 at 03:43 PM
Drew is that hard on your back to the work? You know maybe once in a while, certainly not all day everyday five days a week or more. I was wondering if doing this kind of thing once in a while could somehow be seen as able to do it all the time, funny how some people think, isnt it? Any way good luck with the brakes............
My father was a mechanic all his life (except for his retirement years, well, mostly). He always did it himself, and the few things he had done, there was no way he was going to be fooled. Along the way, I learned how to do most of it. Ned to do the brakes, but I will have to take the rotors somewhere to be turned. I just don’t have the equipment for it.
No Late, it wasn’t hard on my back at all. I did most of the job either sitting down or lying under the car. The concrete was a bit cold, that’s all.
Drew - do the O2 sensors pronto. Next step is ruined or plugged catalytic converter(s), usually very expensive.
Whenever I buy a new car (new to me anyway), I always buy a K&N air filter to replace the paper one. Or I use the one I’ve already got; as I usually buy Jaguar saloons, they usually fit. If you are going to keep your car for several years, it is well worth it money-wise. Also, by allowing more air through, it helps with fuel combustion and improves engine efficiency. They are washable and non-replaceable, so you can argue that they consume less resources at each service time. The one filter can last you well over 10 years, by washing it every 10,000 miles or 12 months.
Drew I agree with Dick. Those O2 sensors only last around 60,000 miles and once they go the fuel injection system starts pumping too much juice. Synthetic oil is expensive but probably worth the extra. Though I found when using it in a motorcycle designed for semi-synthetic or mineral oil that it would “use” more oil. The car I have now can only use a specific VW spec synthetic. If you put cheap oil in it will wreck the camshaft. At $60 for 4 litres it aint cheap however I have read horror stories of VW dealers charging for the proper oil but filling with the cheap stuff so I prefer to do it myself. I always do all my own work, but it helps having the tools.
John C I would look into the price of generic rotors for your car. Having them machined will probably set you back as much as buying new ones.DWMF I would agree with you, but those oiled filters can be controversial. I have read several people who claim the oil can contaminate the MAF (mass air flow) sensor. These are pretty expensive to replace. This is with diesel VW’s so your mileage may differ but I will always stick with the oem when it comes to air filters.
Drew the longevity of trucks is probably more likely due to them being diesel. Diesel engines tend to rev lower, are built more robustly and some say the fuel acts as a lubricant. Unfortunately the choice of diesel cars in north America is somewhat limited as the epa has prevented manufacturers importing them. Most new diesels require ultra low sulphur diesel which hasn’t been widely available in the US until recently. If you want a car engine to go the distance diesels are the way to go!
there is a good explanation of the benefits of diesel on this site…
Part of the reason for the long life of truck engines *may be* that very thing you mentioned about sizes of dirt particles. If memory serves, 18 wheelers use a much heavier grade of crankcase oil. Heavier oil = larger gaps between engine surfaces that can be sealed by the presence of the oil, which means larger particles that can flow between them w/o getting stuck between moving parts. Given approximately equal filter quality, that should give you crankcase oil that is cleaner *relative to the minimum needs of the engine*, no?
Just as a point of reference, when I was working as a copier tech years ago I found that copier tonor, that black, flour fine dust, is made up of “beads” 4 - 8 microns in size. So.... 20 to 37 microns is what, about the size of a grain of sand? Sheesh.
GoF - yeah, 37 microns is 0.0015 inches, about the thickness of a hair from a person with thick hair. Call it fine sand.
Those big trucks have secondary “bypass filters” that use a very fine filtering media to slowly “deep clean” the oil. They are fed from a low pressure line so there isn’t high oil pressure “shotgunning” dirt particles through the filter media. These filters are very large, about the size of a 20lb fire extinguisher or a Tall Kitchen wastebasket, but they do the job. Gulf Coast Filters claims a 1 micron filtration, with each filter being able to hold pounds of dirt. And they have many testimonials of truckers who have put half a million miles on one oil change. Another company, Amsoil makes a 2 micron oil filter for cars and trucks, and also sells more “normal” sized bypass filter rigs for cars and trucks. They also sell the best synthetic oil out there, but it’s expensive. I used to run Amsoil in my motorcycles, and I had one of their secondary filter kits on my 1980s 5.0L Mustang back in the day. You could go 2 years without needing an oil change, easy.
Here is a good filter study.
http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilters/index.html
My 1962 Studebaker doesn’t have a full flow filter, so I change the oil very often. It has a partial flow filter system, where the oil is taken from a port on the left side head oil galley, through a pressure reducer and into the filter. It goes through the filter and flows back into the oil filler neck. I’m guessing that it takes a lot of miles for all of the oil to actually go through the filter, hence the frequent changes.
Anyway, I use Shell Rotella Synthetic oil and Bosch filters. At about $13.00 a gallon, it’s much less than $5.00 per qt Mobile 1, or the other major brand synthetics. The filters are $3-$5.00
DaToad, That Rotella is good stuff, used in my diesel truck engine years ago. It’s thick but can be used in cars, but I would not recommend it for cold winter season. You really should run a lighter weight for that season.
Yeah, LateFW2, Rotella is thick. I’m in Phoenix, so it’s great in the summer, and it never gets really cold. In what we call winter, I let the old gal idle until she comes up to temp. I’ve thought about putting in a more efficient filtration system, but haven’t found an electric oil pump that I could use. But what the hell, the car is nearly 50 years old and hasn’t lost any compression, so what is there must be working. I had a leaking rear main seal and when I dropped the pan, everything inside was spotless. Same on the top end when I pulled the rocker covers, spotless. Rotella really has top notch detergent qualities.
DaToad pointed to one of my favorite oil and filter studies, here is another one worth a look:
I can’t say I’m surprised at the expense. The vacuum a copier tech uses costs $300, or at least did back in the 90s, and the main reason why is the ability to filter particles down to 5 microns. Try vacuuming up a tonor spill with a regular vacuum and the walls of the room will be a pale grey.
I have been using the Amsoil filters and oil for years. Its great stuff. I especially notice the difference in a manual transmission when the temp is below freezing. The car still shifts like its summer time.
LyndonB: The MAF can get contaminated because the filter hasn’t been properly rinsed and dried. Best left overnight on an old newspaper, or several hours outside on a warm day.
Peiper: modern diesel engines are much more refined and quieter. And even Jaguar is manufacuring them now.
For fully synthetic oils I wait for special offers at Halfords.
04/22/2008 at 03:59 AM
04/22/2008 at 04:02 AM
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