Whining gearbox - any remedies?

[top gear]

I'm not missing any point. I'm sure cheap mineral oils are "good enough", and that is about it. It will stop the engine from seizing up. Of course all oils are better than 1962 oils and that is not the point as I am comparing the current crop available, comparing like with like. The original point I made which I have to keep coming back to, as many here don't get it and fly off on tangents about body panel rust or other unrelated matters, is how to maintain the longevity of a drive train and the smooth newness feel and sound.

It was simple, use the best oils, which just happen to be full synthetics and change the gear oil at more frequent intervals. It is not overkill. It is not oil only made for racing cars. It is thin at low temperatures and gets to the bearings, especially the top end of an engine, in about a second after the crank turns on a cold morning, which normal thick mineral oil will not. It is very difficult to compress and keeps an engine very clean. It prolongs a cat as an extra.

If you really want an engine to last use an oil compressor, available in the USA, so only available here by mail order from the US. It maintains oil compression in a vessel. When the crank starts it spurts the oil right through the galleries to the dry bearings, far faster than the oil pump can do. Also use a thermos bottle. Used on the US version of the Toyota Prius and was used on a SAAB model. It retains heat from the coolant. When the engine is started, stored hot water is injected into the cylinder head giving instant warm up and heating inside the car, avoiding any choke.

[Rod Hewitt]

"top gear" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It is very difficult to

Sorry, I think that I have lost it here. You buy synthetic oil which is "very difficult to compress". Then you buy an oil compressor to compress this "very difficult to compress" oil? Is that right?

Is synthetic oil any less compressible than 'ordinary' oil?

(As a Saab driver, I am used to using orange gnat's piss. Works fine. Labelled Saab so I guess that it must be recommended by them.)

[top gear]

It keeps oil compressed in a container, so that when the crank moves oil is injected into the galleries. Overnight the oil runs down into the sump leaving the galleries and engine upper end dry. That is one reason why most engine wear is in the start/warm up stages.

Very difficult to compress

If it is very runny, it is probably synthetic.

[Peter Parry]

Do they also suggest magnets on the fuel line?

[top gear]

No, they are not into gimmicks.

[:::Jerry::::]

If you read what is said and the context you will see that I'm calling it snake oil were it's use is not required and / or beneficial, many people do as you do and use synthetic oil due to the marketing hype - the use of fully synthetic oil in a 850 (pre BMW) Mini is totally pointless and thus anyone suggesting (like you and your alto-egos do) that people should use it are doing nothing but pushing snake oil.

- Porsche, and others, have it in from new, so

Yes, because those engines are high performance and are designed to use such oil.

The only person who does that sort of thing is you IMM, probably due to not being able to follow a debate - the only debate you are able to put into practise is that of mass-debating....

Interesting how certain phrases keep cropping up in both the messages from 'top gear' and those of "Doctor Evil" [aka Dr Drivel aka IMM]....

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You need to update your 'automotive engineering friends'. Chokes haven't been used in the UK for at least 10 years - even on the most basic of cars. Better ones got rid of them 25 years ago.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's the IMM syndrome...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

As usual, you haven't read the thread. The snake oil is an additive - Slick 50. Or any others you care to name. Designed to separate money from the gullible.

[:::Jerry::::]

Until the oil level sender unit fails....

[The Natural Philosopher]

We are talking gearboxes, not engines here for a tart.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That's because tossers like you think this kniowledge was doscovered yesterday, and never ran engines with pressure gauges.

The rest of us know not to gun an engine at the startup.

And take the first 10 miles easy till the oil is up to temp.

LOT cheaper than snake oil and add on goodies.

[Derek *]

I know talk is cheap but that's ridiculous !

DG

[top gear]

I am not recommending engines for ladies of the night.

[top gear]

This group breeds them!

Another one who can't get a simple point. The point is when all the oil has drained into the sump and out of the galleries and bearings and the crank is turned to start the engine. This is when there is maximum wear as the bearings are dry except for a residual film of oil. This device ensures oil is at the bearings before the crank moves any significant distance. Using thinner, stronger synthetics, ensures easy movement of oil around the engine maintaining the oil pressure where it matters.

Ships engines prime the oil before the crank is moved. The oil is up to pressure and the engine up to temperature before start up.

Wear occurs when metal surfaces touch each other. Synthetics ensure they are kept apart, far more than what mineral oils can, that is why the wear factor is far less with synthetic oils.

I feel as if I am saying the same things over and over in each post, so as far as I am concerned this thread is over.

[Christian McArdle]

Actually, you can get problems with air cooled engines that are not designed for it. Mobil (I think) formulated a fully synthetic oil for aviation reciprocating engines. Unfortunately, not long after release, they started having lots of reported failures. The majority of light aircraft engines are air cooled, which usually means the oil gets to a higher temperature and is required to work somewhat harder. Coupled with this, the engines run on a highly leaded fuel, which the synthetic oil had trouble with, as it was unable to clean the lead away. I have no idea if the same issues would affect air cooled road engines, like older VWs and Porsches, especially if they run on unleaded. However, there most definitely are some engines that can't use synthetics safely.

OTOH, I agree that for a water cooled engine, anything other than a fully synthetic oil is complete folly.

Christian.

[Doctor Evil]

My nephew ran a largish fleet of Cavaliers about 14 years ago. Th drivers regularly trashed the camshafts. They would start up on -3 i the morning and rev like mad and tear out of the car park. Many were s dumb, they would rev staright to 4,000 revs thinking it would warm th engine up faster. All it did was ruin the engine in the process. suggested he try some Mobil 1 at the first service. In those days, thing there was a 1,500 mile service, or walk around checkup. He sai he would have a go and get them to change the oil at an early stage, a it would cost him nothing. The service agent would bend over backward to keep the luctrative service business. Not one camshaft failed afte he started using Mobil 1 in the cars. He thought it was wonderful as car down for a day or two or three meant needless stress all around

-- Doctor Evil

[The Natural Philosopher]

Sorry it was all teh references to 'whining' and 'IMM' that implied the word 'tart' in my subconscious....

[The Natural Philosopher]

Thats because you don';t realise that (a) everybody already knows the above and

(b) has assesses that in fact, unless you are a tosser, it makes very little difference to engine life.

(c) we are talking about gerqaboxes, which very very seldom have oil pumps attached.

[:::Jerry::::]

The trouble with that is, there are components that require metal to metal contact to work, it is far to simplistic to say bung Synthetics in and all the problems go.

It's over because you know that you have been spouting marketing clap and that the real world doesn't work the same way as that of the marketing world were everything is black or white and never grey...