Short and sweet, I just went 19,300 miles on my last oil change in my 1997 Lexus LS 400 with 180,000 miles.  About a year’s worth of driving for me.  The car is doing great, and I want to keep it that way.  Catastrophic damage can occur from lubrication failure due to oil breakdown or loss of oil from dissipation or consumption.  So, the two important factors to consider are timing, and oil grade.  And, they each influence the other.

Oil formulation and wear is a science in and of itself (refer to my previous article How Often Should I Change My Oil?).  Not all oils are the same, and not all synthetic oils are the same.  I am not an expert on which is which.  But what I do know is that I trust Mobile 1 to take me 15,000 to 20,000 miles between changes.  Simple is better for me.

Funny thing is, I still know a few people who like to spend their oil change money every 3,000 miles; must be therapeutic or something

Happy Driving!

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A couple of minutes later I stepped out the meeting room again to take her next call.  In a less than calm tone she conveyed that she just had a blow out.  I waited for the bad news (I mean the really bad news), but it never came.  She did not roll the vehicle full of kids.  And I was relieved that at that very moment a Texas State Trooper was pulling up behind her and telling her to get over to the right and off the road.

Since we had a spare in the vehicle, the Sherrif’s Courtesy Patrol was able to quickly change the “flat” and get her back on the road.  I use the term flat loosely because the tire looked more like spaghetti than a tire.

I try to pay attention to my vehicles continually.  Only 5 days ago my regular inspection found the rear tires to be in satisfactory shape – good for another couple months until I purchased new ones. 
 
 
But the tire did not agree.  This reinforces the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.
 
 
Check your tires regularly…

■ Air pressure
■ Tread depth
■ Tread ware patterns
■ Sidewalls
■ Feel of the steering wheel for tire balancing

And get them balanced and rotated routinely – some tire stores recommend every 7k to 10k miles.  Your tire professionals will also tell you whether your vehicle needs an alignment.  These considerations are paramount to the safety of you and your passengers, as well as for economic reasons.

I am planning to go to Discount Tire to replace the rear Dominators with BF Goodrich All Terrains.  The A/Ts are wonderful tires in my opinion and experience – for both onroad, and off.  Many times I go to Sam’s Club to get tires, but Discount has the A/Ts in stock, and Sam’s doesn’t.

The tire guy reviewed a few factors that can cause such a blowout as this.  Other than manufacturer defect or hitting some serious road debris, the thing that stuck out was the tire’s age along with the possibility of prolonged parking.  If the tire is set in one position for a long time (months? years?), the belts can warp or bend to some degree. 
 
 
Then they cannot handle the stress of flex and ultimately weaken and break.

The fact is that we recently purchased this 2000 Ford Excursion to replace our foundering 1999 Chevy Suburban.  As it goes with used cars purchased from a dealership, you usually don’t know anything about the previous owner or how he treated the vehicle.  That is to say that there is the possibility that the vehicle sat somewhere for a long time.

Looking at the date stamps on the tires, I saw 3107 on the front (31st week of the year 2007), and 2404 on the rear – meaning it was 4 years old and still not completely worn out.  Also, I have been advised to check out the dates on even new tires.  Seems there were recent news reports of tires being installed that had sat in warehouses for many years, and then failing on the vehicles.

Books can be written about tires – and have been – but my goal was to share with you my recent personal experience along with some tire-food-for-thought.

Happy Trails,
Michael

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■ “I change my oil every 3,000 miles”
■ “I change the oil in my diesel every 10,000 miles”
■ “My fiance burned up the engine in her first car because she did not know to change the oil”
■ “I run 50 wt in my old muscle car because the oil pressure is so low.
■ “Oil companies have conspired to tell us to change our oil more frequently than necessary”
■ “Is synthetic oil really better than regular motor oil?”

What do they all have in common? The answer is that they are things that have been said by yours truly, plus some more. While there will always be theories and debates around motor oil, we’ve come a long way, and here are my thoughts and experiences.

Proper engine lubrication is essential to the life and performance of your automobile’s engine, and there are many factors to consider. Different oils come in different grades. They have different intended purposes; different intended usable lives.

We have always been told that we needed to change our oil and filter every 3,000 miles. For years we just believed it without question. Perhaps it was true in the beginning when refining was less sophisticated and filtration was less advanced. But now, personally, I believe that a decent grade conventional oil has a reasonable useful life of 5,000 to 6,000 miles if you are not racing or towing or driving in dusty conditions. But before we get into a debate, let me relate some experiences that have helped me come to see things the way I do.
In my Lexus ES 300 many years ago, I had the best intentions of changing my oil. I was using a good quality brand such as Castrol or Valvoline. 5,000 miles came and went. 6,000. 7,000. 8,000. I took a job that relocated me and it got even harder to get around to doing it. Finally, I decided to pay somebody to change it for me. Too late. At around 9,000 miles, when on the way to the shop, the lubrication failed and the engine died. With a knocking engine, an otherwise very nice car suddenly became salvage.

With diesel, it is a bit different, since diesel fuel is a less refined petroleum product and has greater lubrication properties than gasoline. My neighbor advised me that he changes the oil in his diesel truck every 10,000 miles. Another friend changes his every 15,000, while changing the filter in between.

Now my 97 Lexus LS 400 with a sweet high performance 4.0 litre V8 engine, I want to make sure I don’t make the same mistake I did with the ES 300. But neither do I want to change my oil unnecessarily just to help the oil companies richer – there are other charities higher on my priority list, like my own family! Now I have gone to strictly synthetic. There are some things to think about when switching to synthetic. What brand should I use? Could switching to synthetic possibly cause harm to my car?

Second question first. Some studies have shown that some cars have developed various degrees of oil leaks when being switched from conventional oil to synthetic. For example, the Porsche 911 was identified as having a particularly hard time. But my Lexus with almost 160,000 mile is doing just fine. And my Suburban with 125k miles does not seem to have any more leaks than it already had.

There are volumes of information on synthetic oil that you can easily find, so I’ll stick to my own opinions for this article. In my own research, I came across some forums where lots of guys are getting their oil tested for various attributes and then posting their findings. What I understood was that not all brands of oil are the same. Some store brands may lube just as good as the best ones up to 5,000 miles, but then deteriorate rapidly from there. In short, I found the greatest reviews for Mobile 1 across the board (Amsoil is another top brand). That is not to say that you can’t get something 10% better by paying 3 times as much. But for a simple guy like me, I like being able to pick up a 5 quart jug of it at Wal-Mart for $23.00, and then being able to drive and drive and drive. How far can you go on it?

Some folks are talking about 25,000 miles on Mobile One and Amsoil (I even remember the old Mobile 1 commercials talking about their 25k mile tests). But I see some saying they use these synthetics and still change their oil every 3,000 miles. Like I said, there will always be debate. However, I think it is actually somewhere in the middle. Personally, I am happy to say that I just went 17,000 miles on my Mobile 1 with a Fram filter. Remember, I drive very conservatively, mostly highway. But if I drove aggressively like in my younger days, or if I was towing a boat, or lots of stop and go, then I might change my oil with fewer miles on it.

The hardest stress on your engine, lubricationally-speaking, is when you first start it up. That is because all the oil has drained to the oil pan. The positive pressure is gone, and only a thin residue remains. Oil pumps are mechanically-driven and work only when the engine is running (unless you have an electric oil pump or primer). So, you want a good quality film coating your internal parts when you first start up. That is another reason I use synthetic.

As an aside, regarding the statement I made about using 50 weight oil, it is true. It was my wonderful 1969 Buick Skylark convertible. The buddy I bought it from had had the engine and tranny souped up a bit; and then he ragged on it! With the 4 barrel Holly carb and the shift kit, she’d chirp the tires hitting both second and third – a lot of fun for teenagers. But sitting at the stop light idling, the oil pressure light would come on. Maybe it was the oil pump, or perphaps there was too much tolerance in the crankshaft and camshaft bearings. But when I added the gear lube, the oil pressure light went out and the pressure gauge rose to a tolerable level.

Back to oil success. There is more than just changing your oil. Think about consumption. Be sure to check it every couple thousand miles. “My car doesn’t burn oil; there is no blue smoke” you say. That is all well and good, but you should still check your oil, because sometimes it can simply disappear. There are a number of variables such as prevalent temperatures, driving conditions, average engine RPMs, ancillary systems and computer settings, and engine design, that could all contribute to possible oil evaporation or dissipation through different ventilation pathways. Simply said, keep it filled within 1/2 quart of the fill line; you don’t want it too low, and you don’t want it over filled. In the case of Manfred the school bus, with a 13 quart capacity, I might add an extra quart. It leaks a little and probably dissipates some too. In the course of a 3,000 mile trip, I expect to use a quart or two.

With the blessing of synthetic oil and some good practices, I am hoping to get extremely long life out of my vehicles.

I hope this helps. Happy trails and all the best.

Michael

PS: I use Mobile One synthetic in my boats, motorcycle, go kart, mini bikes, and lawn mowers.

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Several years earlier I had a similar problem with my 1999 Chevy Suburban. It was cold in the passenger compartment in the winter and was almost impossible to warm up. But, as turned out to be the case also with the Lexus, adding the proper mixture of water/anti-freeze did the trick. Fill the radiator, and your heater should work fine as long as your heater core and your blower motor are in good shape.

Technically speaking, one might intuitively think that low coolant would mean that the engine would run hotter and thus so would the heater. Well, the first part is true, but is not necessarily good, even in winter. However, the second part of that assumption is incorrect because of how a typical heater works…

It works like this: Coolant or antifreeze (or whatever you decide to call it) circulates through your engine block and heads to collect the heat from your engine. Your water pump circulates the heated liquid from the engine through the radiator where the heat is transferred (“radiated”) to the air that passes through the radiator fins (same principal as radiator-type heaters used in older homes). However, there is another mini-radiator inside your car called the heater core. Similar to the situation of the main radiator, the warmth of the engine-heated liquid is extracted via the heater core by way of the heater blower motor. That is why your heater works only when your engine is warmed up.

Now, the reason that a vehicle with low cooling fluid does not heat properly is because there simply is not enough liquid to be pushed by the water pump. So, your engine could theoretically overheat while at the same time you are chilled inside the car. And, your temperature gauge might not even indicate a problem.

Check your coolant level regularly! It can disappear inexplicably over time. In the case of the Suburbans of the late 1990’s, there was a defect in the heater hose nipple that comes out of the intake manifold. The metal would corrode very slowly and would cause micro leaks that were not detectable. The fluid that escaped would evaporate before it could cause a puddle. The antifreeze would be lost and the engine would overheat and the heater would underheet, and the driver would see no evidence.

With no help from the dealership, I finally discovered what was happening and replaced the faulty heater hose nipple. From then on, the truck’s heater has worked much better. Unfortunately, the overheating from early on caused warping of the head and/or exhaust manifold. So now there is a slight but noticeable exhaust leak sound that is anything but cool. However, you can keep your custom rides cool – and warm – by checking your coolant regularly.

All the best!

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Going on a ski trip to New Mexico, my brother and I were excited about seeing snow as we entered the desert plains of West Texas. But that excitement turned dark when we saw smoke instead. Nevermind that we had a fresh oil change before departing, because at high RPMs, the little engine had lost all of its oil. Now, I don’t mean that it burned it; there was no engine smoke when it ran. Instead, there was inadequate baffling between the crankshaft and the oil pan. So, essentially there was a hurricane-force gale on the oil reservoir that simply evaporated it as it blew it out of the valve cover vent tube. I learned this a little too late…

Back to the story… Going down the highway with the temperature starting to rise and the engine blowing steam, and not knowing the true source of the troubles, I made an abrupt U turn on the desert highway hoping to get water for the radiator. This having been one of those cars where the hood opens from the windshield towards the front, I am able to say it afforded me one of the most “memorable” driving experiences of my life. I had popped the hood in hopes it would help to cool things down. That did not work. However, when the blown-out oil coating the engine finally reached the boiling point, the flames bursting out of the hood toward the windshield were spectacular!

Somehow we pulled over and got the fire out, then slept upright in our sleeping bags until the next morning when a cowboy in a pickup truck towed us to the nearest “town” of Hedley, Texas (population 273 and declining).

That experience has stuck with me. It and one or two others keeps oil health on the forefront of my mind. Checking your oil regularly is important, even if your car does not burn oil. But if your car is like one of my old Toyota pickups that leaked it like a sieve, then checking it more often is crucial.

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Recently I bought a vehicle that had been in storage for 2 years. The man had told me how it started right up, and he showed me as well. But when I got it home it was a different story…

It ran, but sporadically and very poorly.

A simple cleaning of the carburetor with a little bit of carburetor cleaner helped immediately – for about 30 seconds. Then it would neither start nor run. The fuel did not really smell all that bad, but in fact it was. Upon draining the tank, I became quickly aware of how yellow the old gas was; deeply golden, whereas fresh gasoline has only a slight tint of color.

Upon filling the tank with fresh gas, the engine fired right up!

On another occasion, my ‘80 Totota 4×4 had sat for about 4 years after having been sunk in my pond. Changing the oil was easy. And I also checked make sure there was no water in the tranny, transfer case, or rear end that might have come in through the top of the vent snorkels.

Having ensured the lubrication of the drive train was essential. But, the truck still would not run. Cleaning the carburetor was not enough. It needed to be rebuilt. And rebuilding it was not enough. There were blocked air passages – VARNISH! Just like the golden-tinted petroleum-based lacquer coating that is applied over the surface of wooden furniture, the residue of old and dried gasoline is hard and solid.

It took quite a few squirts of Berryman’s B12 Chemtool followed up with blasts from the air compressor hose to clear it out. But, finally it did clear.

One of my motorcycles had a similar problem with the fuel petcock after not being run for over a year. This turned out to be simple and inexpensive to fix. But if your ride’s fuel injectors get gummed up, that is a different story.

However, one other scenario where I let an engine sit for 2 years without so much as cranking it turned out a lot differently. It was actually a weedeater. So?, you ask. Well , the interesting factor in this case is the fact that the gasoline was mixed with 2-stroke oil. The oil served to stabilize the gas so that it would not turn to varnish.

This is not to suggest that you put oil in your gas – your spark plugs would not like that, though I knew someone who would add transmission fluid to his tank and claimed it cleaned his valves. However, there are over-the-counter fuel stabilizers you can buy at your local auto parts store or super retailer. If you need to winterize your car, boat, motorcycle, or lawn mower, or if you think you might not drive it for a long time, then it would be well worth spending a few dollars on such a product.

When you add a fuel stabilizer to your tank, don’t just go back and sit down in front of the TV because you are not yet done. Be sure to take a brief drive to slosh the gas around in the tank and mix up the stabilizer; and run the engine long enough to empty the fuel line of the plain gas and replace it with the stabilized mixture. Just a little caution and preparation can save you hours of headaches and potentially hundreds of dollars.

There are a lot of times when I add something like GumOut to my tank just to keep my injectors clean, as well as fight against varnish in the tank, lines, and filter.

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It is something most people don’t think about. They simply put fuel in their car and expect it to be good to go – which is reasonable. However, it is not sustainable indefinitely.

Gasoline is refined petroleum. As such, it is filtered many times before it goes into your gas tank. Then it is filtered again by your automobile’s fuel filter before it reaches your engine. This is very important since most engines made since the mid to late 1970’s are fuel injected, and clogged injectors can be very costly to fix.

If your fuel filter works properly, clogged injectors is not your worry. Instead, there is the danger of ruining your fuel pump. When the filter has done its job, it becomes full of rust, dirt, and other impurities. The flow is restricted and resistance against your fuel pump will ultimately do it in.

In the case of my family Suburban, I was sure to change the oil and air filters, and even have the transmission filter replaced. But by 125,000 miles, the fuel filter had never been changed. Then one day the fuel pump died. That means having to drop the gas tank to replace it. And that means a lot of money or a lot of time, or both.

When replacing the filter, I did a simple little test. I wiped away the gas from the intake side and blew into it. I nearly burst my cheeks when trying to blow. It was clogged. Then I tried the same thing with the new filter and found no resistance to my breath.

Now I am still dealing with lots of residual fuel pump problems that are very expensive in terms of time and money. Boy, do I wish that I had taken 15 minutes to replace that $12.00 fuel filter long ago.

How often should you replace it? My suggestion is about every 36,000 miles. But recommended frequency many vary by vehicle, filter size, fuel quality, etc. Be sure to check manufacturer specs as well as your local mechanic and auto parts house.

Fuel filtration for diesels is a bit of a different story for a different article.

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