Car Talk.....

talking about car repairs, with Ray and Tom, Click & Clack the tappet bros.

http://cartalk.com/

got the oil changed in one car, Wanted to do both, but maybe tomorrow. I woke after falling back to sleep this AM and almost blew it off till tomorrow. Glad I didn't The old car isn't as important.

oil is changed on both cars. Yesterday was rough, getting colder, and was breezy. Wanted to get more things done, but was dragging. Would like to do something today, but colder now, this early. Not gona be as breezy today, and ledd tomorrow. Have some parking stickers to put on the cars, and have to take the old ones off, that may not be easy, and they are on top of the rear window defroster wires, so can't scrape them. Hope the old ones peel off. The city changed the ones we just put on last week.

5w30 winter................10w30 summer??????

that was NOT my original question??

how Often do you change your oil?? every 1,000 miles?

the better the oil, the longer you can go, BUT thinner oil, 5 weight, and some call for 0, is better in the winter, if it gets cold, so it flows easier when starting, which is the most wear till the oil gets circulating. In the summer heaver is better, like 10 weight because it is warmer out, and will flow easier, And what makes multi viscosity oil is molecules that expand when it gets hot but Don't lubricate, just thicken, but the Base oil is the lower # with thickeners added, more have to be used with 5W30 than 10W30, and in the summer the motor gets hotter so best to have more oil that lubes.

When to change depends on how you drive, and the temperature outside. The additives will last longer in better oil, and most say no longer that 7500mi, or 7.5 mo, so up north, it is better to change 2X/yr, with the weather, but if the car is driven hard, short frequent trips, or a lot of stop & go, which is harder on the oil and additives, really more often that just mainly highway speeds.

I don't put many miles on either car, so buy the better oil for the newer car, add a fresh qt with fresh additives and oil, and put it in the older car. The newer car is fuel injected, so the gas is better managed, and I don't take lots of short trips in it, and get it up to operating temp, and for longer, which is better on the oil, so even the used oil should be healthier, and the cost is like buying the cheaper oil for both cars, and getting the benefit of the better oil. Only thing is I have to save the winter or summer weight oil till the next yr to use in the old car in the right season. More work and thought, but my old car is 25 yrs old, and has 87K mi, and it was bought 2 yrs old with 35K mi on it, and the newer car is 4 yrs old, and has 12K mi on it, and I plan to keep both till they quit. I also buy the better filters, and change them every 2nd oil change, and normally they could go longer.

nicely said,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
thanks.

checked the coolant in the old car and it was full, though I had driven it 1.5mi to the diner, and heat will make it expand. Checked the oil and a bit concerned. First I saw bubbles on the dip stick that isn't a good sign, and then some white streaks on the sides of clear oil on the stick. Moisture in the crankcase makes an emulsion with the oil like mayo. Odd it was just on the sides of the stick. In the oil it turns it to mud. Could have been scraping it off the sides of the tube the stick fits into, since the oil was clear. Gona have to try to figure it out. Maybe there is still a small leak. The white mayo looking stuff will collect, like on the underside of fill caps and valve covers if there is any moisture. Checked it after driving home, and no white stuff on the stick.