-=> jahmas #1 @1410000*80 wrote to All <=-

 j#@> Well I decided to change my own oil yesterday as I haven't done this
 j#@> for a few years and my local garage was booked for a few weeks. I also
 j#@> wanted to put Castrol Syntech in my Honda Accord which is something
 j#@> some mechanics frown on. I think they only make money buying the cheap
 j#@> shit oil and filters in bulk. So, Saturday morning a friend of mine and
 j#@> I set out to do his Camery and my Accord. The last time I did an oil
 j#@> change was in my 1988 Subaru Wagon. What I didn't know was, you can't
 j#@> really get at the drain plug in a Camry or Accord since they sit so
 j#@> low. So, I had to get the car jack out and jack the car up enough so
 j#@> that I could see the damn drain plug. My drain plug was so tight that I
 j#@> couldn't break it free. Luckily I am an old pro at tricks and used vice
 j#@> grips on the end of the ratchett to extend the length of it. Once I
 j#@> broke it free it was all down hill from that i.e., drain the oil, refit
 j#@> the plug, change filters etc., and then put in the Syntech. BTW you can
 j#@> get oil in Walmart in 5gal bottles. Did I save any money? Perhaps in
 j#@> the long run. The quality of the oil is much better and supposed to
 j#@> make your car last longer. I studied these engineered carbon molecules
 j#@> in organic chemistry. The carbon chains are packed tightly together in
 j#@> a more uniform pattern and should penetrate bearing surfaces better and
 j#@> take longer to break down. I have heard that your horsepower will
 j#@> increase slightly as a result but this is yet to be seen. The cost is
 j#@> more i.e., $23.95 for 5 gals of oil. I used to use Castrol in my
 j#@> air-cooled bugs and Porche 914 when I had it at the recommendation of
 j#@> an aircraft mechanic who rebuilt my bug engine. It was the only oil
 j#@> that didn't foam up and seemed to hold up better with heat. So, now
 j#@> what would be the recommended Oil Change Interval? Forget the 3000
 j#@> miles as this is not necessary. It's a ploy from the oil industry to
 j#@> buy more oil. I think minimally you should change your oil every 5 to 6
 j#@> thousand as long as you monitor your levels. I am also wondering if I
 j#@> can go longer with the Syntech oil? I am not sure about this. Any ideas
 j#@> out there?

Well the interval of 3000 miles isn't really a ploy, it depends on the way you
drive how often it is actually neccessary to change your oil. The 3000 mile
thing was derived by averaging out road conditions and factoring in different
driving styles. For the majority of drivers, 3000 miles isn't really needed,
however I have seen people that do not maintain thier vehicles except to watch
the fluid levels, they drive thier vehicles fast, get leaks, where water is
leaking into the oil. These people like that should change thier oil every 1000
miles, if they want thier engine to stay running for years. My father was an
airplane mechanic in the military and he taught me mechanics, I've never paid
anyone to work on mine or my families vehicles. When I was younger and a bit of
a hot rod I changed my oil every 3000 miles because I was rough on my engines
and after 3000 miles my oil really was beginning to look like shit. As I grew
older I wasn't as rough on my engines and the oil would last longer. Now
probably every 5000 miles is what I actually change it at now. But there is
still enough people out there that do hot rod and treat thier engines rough and
until that changes that average of 3000 won't change, it has gone up however I
can remember when it was recommended that you change oil every 2000 miles when
I was a kid. I also think I wouldn't push it too far above 5000, due to the
fact as your oil heats and cools etc... over and over the oil will slowly begin
to lose it's lubricating properties, when this happens engine damage starts to
occur. At first it may not even be visible, but it will lower the amount of
life your engine will give you. Synthetic oils usually have a higher
lubrication value and hold it longer then natural oil, but why push it, I'd
rather spend $30 every 5000 miles then either spend $1000+ for a new engine or
buy a new vehicle.


- Timothy Cornett
- Deep Space 69 BBS
- telnet://nwebt.com

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