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I think the key is don't start and stop an engine. Short trips and short duration
runs really contaminate the oil. I have a number of vehicles, most are non mil
items. I try and start them up at least once every three months and run them for
about a half an hour even if they go nowhere. They have to get into the normal
operating temp range and stay there for at least 15 minutes I believe. The best
thing is to run vehicles at least every month on the road to really get the oil in
the trans and diffs circulating. I have one car which I have owned for 24 years
now and I change the oil in it about once every 2-3 years. It is taken out of the
garage only once or twice per year. When I start it up it runs for at least 30
minutes at a fast idle to get it throughly warmed up. So far it has held up just
fine and I have never seen a sludging, oil breakdown, or corrosion problem yet.
I have a van that I have had for 19 years and I run it only during the spring and
fall for maybe 800 miles per year. I change the oil in that once a year. The big
problem I have is with brakes. If you have conventional brake fluid, and don't
bleed the brakes yearly it seems that the corrosion just catches up with the
equipment and cylinders start freezing up. That's why I think silicone is the way
to go, but that's another topic.
Dave
CVRFOX@aol.com wrote:
> *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
> The current issue of MV Magazine has a good article about engine oils, but...
> As we all know, changing oil after so many miles is perhaps the single most
> important preventative you can do. And the article covered this. It also
> explained how oil oxidizes over time so miles are not the only reason to
> change oil. Time is an equal enemy, and an especially important consideration
> for most of us who drive our vehicles relatively few miles each year.
> HOWEVER, the article did not say HOW LONG IS TOO LONG. Anybody have any
> input?
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon May 01 2000 - 05:30:05 PDT