Oil filter change in old car - how often?

[Doctor Drivel]

With links, which you never read before commenting.

[Doctor Drivel]

Nonsense.

You are an idiot!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Any article which says 3000 mile change intervals are the norm is so out of date as to be laughable. Fairly common with US articles about car oil. Filled with half facts and conjecture. No wonder you quote them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do some research into ZDDP.

There is no 'one size fits all' oil for car engines.

[thirty-six]

That gain would be normal on an old style CB system when serviced at

3000 miles. I think it was Duccellier (sp) who were first with the sliding contact which prevented point erosion of the CB, so extending the service interval to at least 8000 miles where dwell and timing needed to be checked.

[thirty-six]

Look at the size of the electrode on a platinum tipped sparking plug. Compare it with a steel/copper electrode plug. Which gives the fatter spark? You can't use the traditional plug on a reverse spark system, so you can't get the energy into the cylinder. Racing cars use traditional sparking plugs. Did it never cross your mind why?

[Steve Firth]

"Doctor Drivel" wrote: [snip]

Before you got sacked for being too lazy to push a broom around properly.

[Jules Richardson]

To be fair, they're only repeating what the manuals for US vehicles and the US dealerships say.

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

I wish I still had my manuals - I'm pretty sure it was in the official Triumph 'shop manual, but not sure about Haynes (the Haynes manual for the Stag wasn't too bad, incidentally - hailing from the days when they were actually reasonable rather than printed on bog paper and claiming that most tasks were beyond the realms of DIY).

Perhaps Triumph were over-cautious in the early days of that engine though, and would have raised the interval had things have worked out differently (but then given the short life of the timing chain sprockets and the jackshaft which drove the water pump and dizzy, maybe not :-)

It just seems that I've only seem recommendations for changing oil after "x miles of y years whichever comes first" on newer engines, never on older ones of the '70s and earlier. I wouldn't expect oil to "go off" if it were just sitting there, so long as it wasn't contaminated by something from outside.

I agree it would be a joke; it rather surprised me when I moved here! Everything here seems to run with non-synthetic oils though, so maybe that makes a difference (imagined or otherwise :-) - or maybe it's a difference in the fuel formulation.

It's certainly the norm for GM kit over here (my brother in law's a GM mechanic), and I believe it's the same for the other big US manufacturers (which makes sense; I could see GM losing sales if competitors were offering vehicles with much higher service intervals)

I'm not sure to what extent transmission packages are shared between the US and Europe. Although the US has been dragged out of the dark ages and engines with OHC and EFI are the norm these days, the engines are typically 3L or more and fuel economy is rather dreadful compared to what I was used to in the UK - suggesting that they're probably different, even if the chassis and bodyshell is mostly shared with European models.

cheers

Jules

[thirty-six]

Couldn't justify the cost, I used Valvolene Semi-synthetic.

Nicely worn, original narrow (by todays norm) tyres.

i had previously been using a company car, doing high milage, which was very particular about which fuel used, so I was able to determine that the fuel giving the biggest bang was from a filling station under the Total banner. I used this fuel from this specific filling station so as to spot changes in economy and performance when any service procedure was performed on the Maestro.

Service items affecting performance/economy also included;

Reducing cam clearance. From specified 0.014" was reduced with increasing performance down to 0.011"

Set needle height correctly to piston deck on SU carb. Used a light oil in the piston damper (not engine oil as specced in Haynes). Slimmed throttle spindle and rounded leading edge of plate. Jet was set according to best acceleration and mixture was later checked with Colourtune.

Removing float from distributer bearing. It was a CB-free distributer and should theoretically not been affected but removing the float with a shim meant that the top end was smoother and quicker.

Using dual copper electrode non-resistive sparking plugs. Filing back the earth electrode to expose the centre, which improved performance from starting to across the revs at all temperatures. Reducing the gap from 0.9mm to 0.6mm for improved performance at the upper end. This last step was particularly noticeable in overtaking performance.

Finding and sealing every little leak in the cooling system so that the system retained pressure for 20 minutes after switch off and using a 40% glycol/water mix for best heat transmission.

Took front tyre pressures up from recommended 28 psi to 35psi .

Used 18" wiper blades, not 20" . Well, it improved wiper performance.

Cleaned windows and mirrors with methylated spirits. Good vision is important when travelling at 85mph along B-roads.

[Jules Richardson]

[geoff]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Look ...

He's learned a new word and wants to use it

humour him before they fry his frontal lobes again

[thirty-six]

and replaced gearbox oil with lower viscocity grade to below the fill level. and used Molyslip in the engine oil. The likes of Molyslip might not benefit an engine fitted with a PURE synthetic, but the evidence is in the cold cranking speed improvement with lesser oils. The lower viscocity synthetic oil (or even part-synthetic) means cylinder vacuum is created earlier giving the ideal fuel mist to aid starting.

[Doctor Drivel]

I asked for these tricks you mentioned, not your justification for penny pinching.

BTW, Tesco do an API SM fully synthetic very cheaply. Not putting it in these day, is rather foolish

If you read the article I posted links to they clearly mention that lesser fuels can be used with fully synthetic oils.

and replaced gearbox oil with lower viscocity grade to below the fill level. and used Molyslip in the engine oil. The likes of Molyslip might not benefit an engine fitted with a PURE synthetic, but the evidence is in the cold cranking speed improvement with lesser oils. The lower viscocity synthetic oil (or even part-synthetic) means cylinder vacuum is created earlier giving the ideal fuel mist to aid starting.

[Doctor Drivel]

It is clear you can't read properly. The point is clearly made by the facts presented, and by even 1986 standards it clear of the amazing benefits.

[Doctor Drivel]

Read API SM spec.

[Doctor Drivel]

BZZZZ! k*****ad Alert!!!! BZZZZ! k*****ad Alert!!!! BZZZZ! k*****ad Alert!!!! BZZZZ! k*****ad Alert!!!!

[Doctor Drivel]

Read the test.

[Doctor Drivel]

Few makers here fill there cars with mineral oils from new and all the known makes recommend semi-synth as a minimum. If you read the Popular Science article they were on about hot running, higher revving smaller cc engines giving more HP. The makers cut back design as the mineral oils at the time could not cope. They were saying the limit has been removed with synth oils. In Europe the makers used the newer oils to design their engines further. The USA is way behind Europe in engine development, hence why all these car with mineral oils.

Do a search of the net synth oils and the debates to synthetic oils merits are overwhelmingly in US forums. The merits of synth oil here is well excepted, except by a few knobheads. Go into a supermarket like Tesco and on the shelves in equal numbers will be fully synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral oil cans. Only the mean, or ignorant buy minerals.

They are all in league with each other. Also servicing is lucrative. Dealers will not go for the makes with less service intervals. This was a problem with makers in Europe. Dealers were being primarily reduced to sales outlets and doing pre-delivery inspections and car breakdowns - few services were being done. They wouldn't extend service intervals to keep dealers happy. A service within the guarantee period is little more than filter and oil changes. Then look at the bill for what you get for what is only a DIY job. An e.g., is the gearbox oil. A sealed for life box is possible but few do it.

The makers sell car on CC size. Americans think larger engines are more reliable. Which is tripe. A body shell here may have an 1800cc engine when the US version would have a 3500cc V engine with no difference in performance.

[Doctor Drivel]

She would identify knobheads when seen.