All cars are different, and some can be quite different. My dandy little 1976 Honda Civic station wagon was perfect in one way, but completely imperfect in another. It was a perfect little city cruiser for under 45 mph. As a 4 speed, it was quite peppy, and very roomy. But on the highway it was another story. As a 4 speed with relatively low gears, the engine was really humming at 50 miles per hour. And, it was screaming at 65 or 70!

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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