Danny Demon's How to Drive it Forever Guide
Danny Demon
02-19-2004, 01:44 AM
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure.
It has struck me in reading many of the threads here at Automotive Forums.Com that one thing the average motorist may not be fully aware of is the importance of regular maintenance on their car or truck. Along with thoughtful road manners, regular maintenance is at least as important to the overall health of one's vehicle as the actual design and quality of craftsmanship that have went into the making of their particular vehicle; whether a Cavalier or a Honda. Part of the reason a car like a Honda gives such famous longevity of service is the fact that people that buy them tend to take more pride in them than the typical Cavalier owner does in theirs. It does not have to be this way. If anything, a Cavalier should recieve more attention from its owner than a Honda. Change the oil in a Cavalier every 3,000 miles and change the oil in a Honda every 10,000 miles and see which engine starts having trouble first. Common sense would indicate that regular maintenance is the smart and responsible thing to do no matter the price or prestige of one's car. We should all take pride in our vehicles. New or used. Luxury or economy. Expensive or less expensive.
Lubricants and fluids are the lifeblood of any contemporary vehicle. We should therefore ask ourselves which types of lubricants and fluids are recommended for use in the most expensive cars in the world. Without exception that recommendation is synthetics. Maybe we don't have, or don't want to spend, the money to buy a Lexus or a Mercedes. But everyone can afford to buy synthetics. That synthetics seem to be more expensive is an illusion. Because of longer change intervals and longer optimum performance and dependability synthetics in the long run are actually less expensive than their petroleum based counterparts. In the long run quality is a bargain.
Several years ago I decided to go with Mobil 1 synthetics for my engine-Motor Oil, ATF, Chasis Grease and Gear Lube. I chose to do so for a number of reasons. Mobil 1 is the choice of NASCAR. That is kind of cool. Even more important to me was the convenience of being able to buy Mobil 1 products just about anywhere. The same can pretty much be said for the synthetics from Pennzoil, Quaker State, Valvoline, Castrol, and so on. All synthetics are fine products. Though there are differences between the various brands of Synthetics only chemical engineers and scientists are qualified to debate them. The rest of us are just repeating what we have read or heard about such in depth debates. All we car and truck owners really need to know is that Synthetics are better, much better, at protecting our vehicles than petroleum based products are.
However, this maxim is beginning to muddy as more and more companies are developing blends of synthetics and petroleum in an attempt to maximize the benefits of both types of products. The new Valvaline Maxlife products are a good example of this blending. The profitability of petroleum based products with the mechanical benefits of synthetics. A compromise but still a notch up from traditional petroleum products. Though better than traditional petroleum oils these new blends still fall short of pure synthetics. However, if you change your oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months then blends make good cents. But if you want the maximum protection that only pure synthetics can provide then you can cut your costs by going to longer change intervals. From 3,000 miles to 5,000 or even 7,500 miles or as some dare devils are known to go for 25,000 miles or even longer without changing their oil. Most of these extreme interval types do change their oil filters on a much shorter interval schedule however. You can hardly wear synthetics out, but it does eventually get dirty. I do my oil change in a semi-traditional manner twice a year. Synthetic oil, filter and lube. My own blend of old and new.
In addition to some of the more obvious benefits of synthetics, such as less wear and tear on internal moving parts, there are numerous hidden benefits as well. For example, the superior flow characteristics of synthetics saves wear and tear on Batteries and Starters. It takes less electricity and less torque to start a cold engine with synthetic oil in the crankcase than it does for the same engine filled with petroleum based oil. The list of hidden savings from synthetic oil use is quite long. I also use synthetic power steering and brake fluid for obvious and not so obvious benefits. I use the synthetic ps and bf products from Valvoline.
The above is the best geneal Tip I have for anyone that wants to take care of their car or truck the best they can. Regular interval synthetic lubricant and fluid changes with the appropriate filters. With the above said, in the end the one thing that trumps what kind of lubricants and fluids a person puts in their vehicle(s) is Regular Maintenance. There is no substitute for regular maintenance.
Then there is the cooling system. Coolant is the one thing that you definitely do not want to take the advice of industry experts on. Use a 50/50 mix of Coolant and Distilled Water. Change your coolant every other year no matter what type of coolant you use. Stick with the factory fill. Orange to orange and green to green. Don't mix. Cooling system problems are the number one cause of vehicle breakdown. Never go more than two years without changing your coolant. If you only do partial coolant changes then do so every year. No exceptions.
Another Tip has to do with filters. Change those filters every year. Air Filter and Fuel Filter. Transmission Filter along with a partial ATF change every year if you do any towing. Every other year if not.
A fourth Tip, pour a can of 'Complete' Fuel System Cleaner into your gas tank at least twice a year. This will help protect your Fuel System from the ravages of corrosion and harmful deposits. Helps keep the fuel pump working. Helps keep your valves from sticking. Helps keep those expensive fuel injectors spraying a good pattern. Helps keep your EGR valve from sticking on a piece of carbon and your O2Sensor(s) sensitive to the air/fuel ratio so that your Computer can make good decisions.
Do these things I suggest before you start having problems with your vehicle and drive your car or truck relatively problem free and nearly forever while doing your part to save the Ozone layer. Start heeding my Tips after you start having problems and you might meet with less overall success. Still, if the vehicle is worth keeping it is worth switching to blends or going all the way to synthetics. Whichever type of products you decide to use in your vehicle doing regular maintenance is not open for debate. If you do not follow industry interval guidelines then you should know why you follow your own. Take pride in your set of wheels and you will greatly increase the odds of being able to drive your car or truck for a much longer period of time than you would if you neglect it. A well maintained vehicle has greater trade-in value. And because a properly maintained vehicle is more fuel efficient and less poluting than a poorly maintained one you will be helping the environment. You will have done your best to behave responsibly with the second largest investment you will probably ever make. End of Sermon.
DD
It has struck me in reading many of the threads here at Automotive Forums.Com that one thing the average motorist may not be fully aware of is the importance of regular maintenance on their car or truck. Along with thoughtful road manners, regular maintenance is at least as important to the overall health of one's vehicle as the actual design and quality of craftsmanship that have went into the making of their particular vehicle; whether a Cavalier or a Honda. Part of the reason a car like a Honda gives such famous longevity of service is the fact that people that buy them tend to take more pride in them than the typical Cavalier owner does in theirs. It does not have to be this way. If anything, a Cavalier should recieve more attention from its owner than a Honda. Change the oil in a Cavalier every 3,000 miles and change the oil in a Honda every 10,000 miles and see which engine starts having trouble first. Common sense would indicate that regular maintenance is the smart and responsible thing to do no matter the price or prestige of one's car. We should all take pride in our vehicles. New or used. Luxury or economy. Expensive or less expensive.
Lubricants and fluids are the lifeblood of any contemporary vehicle. We should therefore ask ourselves which types of lubricants and fluids are recommended for use in the most expensive cars in the world. Without exception that recommendation is synthetics. Maybe we don't have, or don't want to spend, the money to buy a Lexus or a Mercedes. But everyone can afford to buy synthetics. That synthetics seem to be more expensive is an illusion. Because of longer change intervals and longer optimum performance and dependability synthetics in the long run are actually less expensive than their petroleum based counterparts. In the long run quality is a bargain.
Several years ago I decided to go with Mobil 1 synthetics for my engine-Motor Oil, ATF, Chasis Grease and Gear Lube. I chose to do so for a number of reasons. Mobil 1 is the choice of NASCAR. That is kind of cool. Even more important to me was the convenience of being able to buy Mobil 1 products just about anywhere. The same can pretty much be said for the synthetics from Pennzoil, Quaker State, Valvoline, Castrol, and so on. All synthetics are fine products. Though there are differences between the various brands of Synthetics only chemical engineers and scientists are qualified to debate them. The rest of us are just repeating what we have read or heard about such in depth debates. All we car and truck owners really need to know is that Synthetics are better, much better, at protecting our vehicles than petroleum based products are.
However, this maxim is beginning to muddy as more and more companies are developing blends of synthetics and petroleum in an attempt to maximize the benefits of both types of products. The new Valvaline Maxlife products are a good example of this blending. The profitability of petroleum based products with the mechanical benefits of synthetics. A compromise but still a notch up from traditional petroleum products. Though better than traditional petroleum oils these new blends still fall short of pure synthetics. However, if you change your oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months then blends make good cents. But if you want the maximum protection that only pure synthetics can provide then you can cut your costs by going to longer change intervals. From 3,000 miles to 5,000 or even 7,500 miles or as some dare devils are known to go for 25,000 miles or even longer without changing their oil. Most of these extreme interval types do change their oil filters on a much shorter interval schedule however. You can hardly wear synthetics out, but it does eventually get dirty. I do my oil change in a semi-traditional manner twice a year. Synthetic oil, filter and lube. My own blend of old and new.
In addition to some of the more obvious benefits of synthetics, such as less wear and tear on internal moving parts, there are numerous hidden benefits as well. For example, the superior flow characteristics of synthetics saves wear and tear on Batteries and Starters. It takes less electricity and less torque to start a cold engine with synthetic oil in the crankcase than it does for the same engine filled with petroleum based oil. The list of hidden savings from synthetic oil use is quite long. I also use synthetic power steering and brake fluid for obvious and not so obvious benefits. I use the synthetic ps and bf products from Valvoline.
The above is the best geneal Tip I have for anyone that wants to take care of their car or truck the best they can. Regular interval synthetic lubricant and fluid changes with the appropriate filters. With the above said, in the end the one thing that trumps what kind of lubricants and fluids a person puts in their vehicle(s) is Regular Maintenance. There is no substitute for regular maintenance.
Then there is the cooling system. Coolant is the one thing that you definitely do not want to take the advice of industry experts on. Use a 50/50 mix of Coolant and Distilled Water. Change your coolant every other year no matter what type of coolant you use. Stick with the factory fill. Orange to orange and green to green. Don't mix. Cooling system problems are the number one cause of vehicle breakdown. Never go more than two years without changing your coolant. If you only do partial coolant changes then do so every year. No exceptions.
Another Tip has to do with filters. Change those filters every year. Air Filter and Fuel Filter. Transmission Filter along with a partial ATF change every year if you do any towing. Every other year if not.
A fourth Tip, pour a can of 'Complete' Fuel System Cleaner into your gas tank at least twice a year. This will help protect your Fuel System from the ravages of corrosion and harmful deposits. Helps keep the fuel pump working. Helps keep your valves from sticking. Helps keep those expensive fuel injectors spraying a good pattern. Helps keep your EGR valve from sticking on a piece of carbon and your O2Sensor(s) sensitive to the air/fuel ratio so that your Computer can make good decisions.
Do these things I suggest before you start having problems with your vehicle and drive your car or truck relatively problem free and nearly forever while doing your part to save the Ozone layer. Start heeding my Tips after you start having problems and you might meet with less overall success. Still, if the vehicle is worth keeping it is worth switching to blends or going all the way to synthetics. Whichever type of products you decide to use in your vehicle doing regular maintenance is not open for debate. If you do not follow industry interval guidelines then you should know why you follow your own. Take pride in your set of wheels and you will greatly increase the odds of being able to drive your car or truck for a much longer period of time than you would if you neglect it. A well maintained vehicle has greater trade-in value. And because a properly maintained vehicle is more fuel efficient and less poluting than a poorly maintained one you will be helping the environment. You will have done your best to behave responsibly with the second largest investment you will probably ever make. End of Sermon.
DD
sa200
02-20-2004, 09:06 PM
M3267L
02-23-2004, 08:14 PM
Could not agree more with Danny Demon! My experience over the last 20 years has proven to me that synthetics are far superior to conventional oils. I run full synthetics in all of my vehicles, including transmisions, and gear boxes. From my old 86 Toyota P/U with 250 K on it to my new 04 Tahoe with 1300 miles on it, and everything in between (Dodge Strtus, Boat, RV, Quads). At around 140 K on the Toy I got a hair to replace the cam and up the HP a bit on the 22R. When the head was off I did a valve job "just because" and the only thing the head needed was one spring shimmed. All the valve guides were up to spec....at 140K. Unbelievable! All the headed ended up with was valve seals and one shim on a spring. The old camshaft lobes looked like they had around 10K on them. I keep the old cam and pictures to show friends and the like when they stick there head in the garage and look at my oil supply. I get teased because I stalk up on it when it's on sale. The cylinder walls still had faint cross hatch in them. While certainly not new, quite incredible if you ask me. I dropped the original oil in the Toy at 137 miles. It's had synthetic oil ever since. THat's what sold me on syntheic forever. I dropped the Tahoe oil at 27 miles. It's not all hype. Mobil 1 is what I use because they have been doing it the longest. All the other companies claimed it was all hype...years went by and they all started making synthetic. Mobil makes full syn tranny oil also and gear oil. Spend the money and do it. Unless you lease and change your vehicles frequently, do it.....it's well worth the money in the long run, and it's extra piece of mind.
blondetherapy
10-13-2004, 04:55 PM
Any advice on timelines for maintenance? I have a 95, 2WD which is starting to show it's age. No regular checkups with the dealer since 95. New radiator 2 years ago, coolant flushed cleaned and filled, ditto on transmission fluids in the past 2 months. New alternator, new idler arm, but feels like rotors may need resurfacing or replacement. Now just looking for a good repair/maintenance book or info to help keep my truck running smoothly for many more years.
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