What Kind of Oil do I need?

[Gizmo]

slightly off topic but thank you for this thread... you reminded me to go start my car since it hadn't been used for a few weeks (due to hubby being ill).

I may not know which oil to use but I wouldn't expect someone else too either unless they were the main dealers mechanics! (I do know where to look for it though, and how to check it).

[Shalom]

I remember those commercials too. I can't remember if they were for an additive, or an actual oil. Interesting idea, but those products, if I recall, weren't around very long.

It was for Slick-50, if I remember correctly. This was an additive with PTFE suspended in it; they used to advertise that it had Teflon® in it, until DuPont, which owns that registered trademark and wanted nothing to do with this misuse of their product, hit them with a C&D letter. One argument against it was that if PTFE is such a great thing to have in your oil, how come none of the automakers recommended it, and none of the major oil companies put it in their product? Answers to that basically invoke conspiracy theories (as in, they're trying to destroy your car so you'll go buy another one). It's also been claimed that the particles clump together and plug up your oil filter, or at least sit in there rather than circulating around your engine, which doesn't help.

I am embarrassed to relate that I actually put some Slick-50 in my car once; this was an '87 Pontiac with the Chevy 2,8 V6. It didn't seem to do anything one way or the other.

As to oil grades, my '88 Chevy calls for conventional 5W-30 oil. If you use that grade, though, it will run roughly enough to fail at emissions, if it runs at all. (Too thin, leaks past worn rings and fouls plugs; the car has 221K miles on the original engine.) With 10W-30 it works a lot better. My new Subaru, on the other hand, calls for synthetic 0W-20 oil, which runs $8/quart at the cheapest; it's gonna be expensive changing the oil on this beast...

[Chromatix]

There are periodic contests to see who can make a VW Beetle engine run without oil for the longest. Typically, the same engines are used in subsequent contests, after being fixed. But this is definitely not usual - it's a peculiarity of the way the old VW engine was designed - probably related to the fact that it also doesn't need water.

Most engines will die *very* quickly if there is no oil at all - they heat up in the wrong places, scrape holes in things that shouldn't have holes in them, and eventually they actually go out of shape, which is what siezes them. Quick application of logic: if the engine didn't need oil (or water), why did the manufacturer put them in?

They wll usually die somewhat more slowly if the oil level gets too low, or if it gets dirty enough to block the filter, or old enough to start breaking down into simpler chemicals. Compared to that though, putting in the wrong type of oil isn't so much of a problem - in an emergency, you can normally use oil that is fairly close to the correct grade, especially if it's for a top-up rather than a full change. (Don't try this on an exotic, though.)

I've heard that dirty oil often results from continuous urban driving, and that taking it for a hundred-mile motorway drive can then clean it up somewhat. This was from a non-crackpot source, too. Useful to know if you do a lot of city driving and don't want the cost of reduced oil-change intervals.

I've also heard that running a diesel car on biodiesel made from vegetable oil tends to clean up an engine so rapidly that you should change the oil filter as soon as you change fuels, drive for a hundred miles, then change it again. The biodiesel effectively washes away deposits left by the fossil diesel, and leaves them in the oil. After the second filter change, you can go back to normal filter change intervals.

[protege]

I remember those commercials too. I can't remember if they were for an additive, or an actual oil. Interesting idea, but those products, if I recall, weren't around very long.

Even though I try to work on my own cars, I'm by no means an expert. I do know that some older engines don't like synthetic oils. The tolerances are a bit greater than those in a more modern engine--you'd get oil past the pistons...leading to the inevitable fouled spark plugs, and a bluish exhaust. That's why, I always follow what's in the Official MGB book, and listen to what my usual mechanic (great guy, even though he's a Triumph owner ) advises.

[Jester]

Wasn't there a TV-shop commercial where they stated that the engine could run without oil? And they demonstrated this by taking away the oil pan (not sure if that's what it's called) and the motor ran? Although they didn't tell how long

I remember that commercial vaguely, and as I recall, it was not for a automotive shop or garage, but rather for a specific brand of oil. There claim was that a vehicle with their oil in it could be drained of oil and run perfectly fine. Basically the idea was that their oil would adhere enough to the engine parts to allow them to continue to run without issue. Couldn't tell you the brand of oil, though. One of the majors, I'm sure.

[Mytical]

Ok I am more of a "Car go, me like car" type of person, but even I know how to find out what oil to use..and how to change oil. May be one of the FEW things I can do to a car, however. Unless "Percussion fixing" counts

[BeeMused]

This is exactly why we have a mechanic on staff for our fleet. He keeps an eye on the maintenance intervals and when a driver reports some weird noises or anything else he'll check and repair if needed and possible. That way we can catch problems very early and avoid more expensive repairs or replacements. OK engines can go boom out of the blue, but if they are well maintained it rarely happens.
By now our garage is well equipped with the special tools needed for our brand of trucks. But that's still cheaper than going to an external garage or replacing a truck.

[Daemonmonkey]

Absolutely correct, sir. Not at all possible. So don't worry about what kind of oil to buy...why buy any at all? Just run your engine without it. There's no way anything bad could possibly happen.....

Wasn't there a TV-shop commercial where they stated that the engine could run without oil? And they demonstrated this by taking away the oil pan (not sure if that's what it's called) and the motor ran? Although they didn't tell how long

Wouldn't peanut oil be just as good? Or would that be too much like offering milk to a cow?

I remember when I was a kid (5-6 years old) my dad let me play with his model train. I thought that the locomotive needed some oil so I tool some frying oil to make it run smoother... It did, for a while

[Jester]

I bought it from my parents, and my dad used to be a mechanic. If I'm in doubt, I can always ask Dad...

When in doubt, I ask either my mechanic, my friend back in Phoenix who's a mechanic, or my stepdad, who could very well have been a mechanic.

On the other hand, I don't even attempt to offer advice or assistance regarding others and their vehicles.

I don't get this almost ever, as I work in a restaurant/bar, but if/when people ever do ask me mechanical advice, I say, "My mechanic's name is Roy. Would you like his number?"

[aurelemsrealm]

If you work in a convenience store, customers automatically assume you should know every little detail about their cars because they don't have a clue themselves. I always get questions about fuel tank capacity, oil, antifreeze/coolant, tire pressure, and so forth.

I know my car because I have taken the time to read my owner's manual, and you know, drive it everyday. Plus, I bought it from my parents, and my dad used to be a mechanic. If I'm in doubt, I can always ask Dad because he was the one who maintained it before I bought it from him and Mom.

On the other hand, I don't even attempt to offer advice or assistance regarding others and their vehicles. That way, they can't blame me for their stupidity when things go wrong since they wouldn't listen anyway. They can just blame me for "not being helpful," instead. It's up to them to decide what they want, and go get it. All I do is ring up what they bring to the counter or tell me they want.

I may do simple maintainence on my own vehicle, but I'm no mechanic. I take my vehicle to a mechanic for all major maintenence and repairs. My only advice to customers who have questions is to take it to a mechanic because that's what I'd do.

[sylvier]

No, no canola oil is too cheap - extra virgin olive oil is the way to go

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

On some cars, such as my Saturn, you really have to be diligent about oil changes every 3000 miles, even though for most other cars that's a myth.

This is because of the design of the engine--it has a timing chain and if oil is allowed to get too old the chain can become loose and break somehow.

Not that this makes me do oil changes any differently than I did with my old car--I had the oil changed in that car every 3000 miles anyway. It's just the number that sticks in my head, and getting oil changes a tad more frequently sure beats a destroyed engine.

[EricKei]

Absolutely correct, sir. Not at all possible. So don't worry about what kind of oil to buy...why buy any at all? Just run your engine without it. There's no way anything bad could possibly happen.....

Funny you should mention that. My brother managed to FUBAR an old econobox car back in the day by literally NEVER checking nor changing the oil for months and months (after all, he was the more experienced driver, so what does my opinion matter? Note that he also ignored Dad's thoughts on this as well, which matched mine exactly...) -- Naturally, after half a year or so, the car engine just STOPPED.....On the freeway when he was tooling around with some buds. Luckily, they got it off to the side without incident. They popped the hood, only to find an engine more-or-less fused into a solid block, the metal having turned blue from the heat...

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

If his Saturn is anything like mine, all he has to do is pop the hood and note the type of oil specified on the oil filler cover--in my case 5W30.

And I do this about every time I fill up with gas, since the car is in its "burn oil for shits and giggles" phase. Saturns are notorious for doing that. But it's a decent car once you get past that, so I just buy a few bottles of oil every now and then and consider it the cost of driving the car.

Perhaps he would've listened to you if you used finger puppets or something.

[Jester]

For the record, I killed my first car (a 1971 Dodge Colt, color was....faded pale yellow, looked ghostly white at night, I had bumper stickers on the fenders in a vain effort to improve its looks, and my friends and I called it the "U.A.V." for Urban Assault Vehicle) by not thinking to put oil in it.

So the dude is as wrong as my first car is dead.