Interesting Oil Change

[rodneym]

Originally Posted by patrickt

RodneyM -- not only was it interesting, but I'm actually receiving praise for posting it. Now I feel particularly good about myself.

If only Chas were here...

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by rodneym

If only Chas were here...

I miss Chas. In honor of Chas....

Patrick only a dumba$$ would post a thread about a missing 1/2 quart of oil.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

I miss Chas. In honor of Chas....

Patrick only a dumba$$ would post a thread about a missing 1/2 quart of oil.

... and I would cheerfully tell my ol' pal Chas that he can "spice up" his next oil change by incorporating the safety check of a dab of Torque Seal on his drain plug. That way he could quickly confirm that it hasn't loosened itself while on the way to his favorite oyster bar. And just to irritate him a little further, I would include a nice pic, like this:

[DanEC]

It's been years since I've had one of those done. What did their report say? From the analysis it looks pretty good off the top of my head.

But 4 years - come on Patrick - that doesn't sound like you! I was starting to feel guilty at about 20 months for mine.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by DanEC

It's been years since I've had one of those done. What did their report say? From the analysis it looks pretty good off the top of my head.

But 4 years - come on Patrick - that doesn't sound like you! I was starting to feel guilty at about 20 months for mine.

If there is no fuel, antifreeze, or moisture in your oil then there is no purpose in changing it on a "time basis," only on a miles basis as it wears out. Now, mind you, I keep my car in a climate controlled garage in the house. So there is no more condensation on that car than there is on the television set. Cars parked outside are a different story. That distinction is rarely put forth in the literature.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by patrickt

If there is no fuel, antifreeze, or moisture in your oil then there is no purpose in changing it on a "time basis," only on a miles basis as it wears out. Now, mind you, I keep my car in a climate controlled garage in the house. So there is no more condensation on that car than there is on the television set. Cars parked outside are a different story. That distinction is rarely put forth in the literature.

Yeah, but the one thing I noticed missing in the report was a pH reading on the sample. That's what I bought the little gizmo for in this thread.

Inexpensive oil tester

It pretty much indicates my occasionally driven cars need to have oil changed at least every 2 to 3 years to stay within an acceptable pH range even with only 500 to 1000 accumulated miles (per this gizmo). And my cars are parked in a dry, well-insulated garage. FWIW.

[patrickt]

Alright, I'll ease it back to three years.

[1795]

Now I now where that 1/2 quart of oil went, evaporation!! You need to drive that cobra more often so that you cannot go so long between oil changes.

[patrickt]

Ain't that the truth, and everybody knows that aged engine oils provide lower friction and much improved wear protection capability over that of new oil. See: The Effect of Oil Drain Interval on Valvetrain Friction and Wear