8935 messages,
Last post on Jul 03, 2012 at 11:43 PM
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Maintenance & Repair Forum.
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Oil
#8926 of 8935 Re: burning oil [ruking1]
by tamu2002
Apr 06, 2011 (2:04 pm)
I go by the minder and change it at 15%. I pay less than $15 per change.
#8927 of 8935 High Mileage Switch
by jpf
Jul 28, 2011 (9:39 pm)
Just purchased a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix with 125k miles. The car is located at our second home in Mississippi. The car will sit 3 to 4 months at a time without being driven. I was planning to use Mobil 1 Advanced synthetic oil for high mileage (75k miles) vehicles. The engine is GM's 3100 V6 and runs strong. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
#8928 of 8935 Re: High Mileage Switch [jpf]
by MrShift@Edmunds HOST
Jul 29, 2011 (7:11 am)
For only 3-4 months not much you have to do here except deal with battery issues---either disconnect the battery (and remember any radio codes, etc!!!) or put a battery tender on the vehicle; however, if the vehicle will remain untended with no one looking in on it, then I wouldn't hook up anything electrical directly to the car. If you are storing the car in a very damp/humid place (garage in humid climate with concrete walls) then I'll take that back and tell you to put a small fan under the car, crack the windows ever so slightly, and cover it with a very light dust cloth that is breathable. Gas/oil should be fine sitting for 3-4 months but if it extends to 6 months, consider using a fuel stabilizer.
#8931 of 8935 2000 Toyota Camry 4 cyl Excessive Oil Consumption
by kellysiak
Jun 08, 2012 (8:19 am)
I welcome any suggestions or comments on my car issue - I have a 2000 Toyota Camry 4 cyl which has 97K and I have been experiencing problems with losing oil at a rate of 1 1/2 qts per 1200 miles since about 70K miles. Toyota dealerships service department state it is a normal occurence to lose this much oil with no signs of usage??? This sounds completely Odd since I have always owned Toyota's and never had a problem with oil usage until this vehicle (which was purchased new and only serviced at Toyota). Please advise your thoughts .. Trade it ... Keep it and keep adding oil .. or pitch a fit with Toyota?
#8932 of 8935 Re: 2000 Toyota Camry 4 cyl Excessive Oil Consumption [kellysiak]
by MrShift@Edmunds HOST
Jun 08, 2012 (9:25 am)
Well you're either leaking it or burning it, so that would be the first step--to determine cause of the loss.
For spotting a leak, you'd have to lift the car and look for what I would suspect would be a considerable "oil wash" underneath the car. That's not as big a leak as it sounds (those little drops add up) but it's serious.
For oil burning, you can perform, or have the dealer perform, a cylinder leakdown test, in which compressed air is injected into each cylinder and the rate of escaping pressure is measured over time. This test is also good because it can possibly tell you not only that you have internal engine wear, but perhaps the cause of it. For instance, a clever technician might notice air escaping out the tail pipe, through the crankcase breather, or through the air filter---each one telling him something different as to the cause of the internal engine wear.
Given the age and mileage on the car, I would not get my hopes up about Toyota doing anything about it. If it is any consolation, since the oil burning rate has stabilized, your car will probably run like that for a long long time, as long as you keep the oil topped up.
Oh, one last thing. Have the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system checked for blockage. A non-breathing crankcase will push out oil anywhere it can.
#8934 of 8935 Re: Now I'm scared follow up [gsleve]
by eladoj
Jul 03, 2012 (9:19 pm)
I was on the scene as a Mobil Oil management employee in 1975 and ran an award winning Auto service center in 1979 for Sales and Profit.-Mobil 1 at that time was a 50,000 mile oil with filter removal at 25,000 and changed plus add 1 quart.My dad bought a brand new Corvette and after breakin was done Mobil 1 was put in and at 25,000 the filter was changed and at 50,000 it was total changed.The drained oil was clean and looked almost brand new.I have 221,000 on a 1997 Ford Truck V-8 that uses Mobil 1.--A 1967 Chevrolet Caprice Classic with 54,000 and was changed over to Mobil 1--.A 2007 Ford Taurus with 80,000 uses Vavoline synthetic.--Have not been able to find out why Mobil 1 was downgraded to 15,000 miles.--Any answers?
#8935 of 8935 Re: Now I'm scared follow up [eladoj]
by xwesx
Jul 03, 2012 (11:43 pm)
Have you run oil analyses on the oil at change to determine whether wear metals and TBN were within tolerable limits? Those are primary factors in determining the suitability of oil.
I suspect that the 15,000 interval for M1-Extended is a safe bet by the manufacturer in lieu of analysis. In other words, one could use the oil at that interval in most vehicles and expect that were it to be analysed after 15K, it would be readily protecting the engine. Beyond that and the specific application, quality of filtering, etc., would play roles in how long it would last before protection diminished.