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Jim Grant's Tech Tips
Engine
Oils?
Q: My oil of choice is Quaker
State with AC/Delco filters. I drive one of our cars eighty miles per
day and change both the filter and oil at 3000 miles, 1.5 months. The
other is around town and it gets changed at 3000 miles, the 3-month mark.
The last one is a ‘72 Corvette, engine overhauled just before I purchased
the car 5 years ago. This one I change the oil and filter when it's placed
in winter storage. The Corvette is driven anywhere from 1.5k to 2k miles
per summer. The oil is changed once per year. How should the classic car
owner handle oil changes? I've never used full synthetic oil in any of
my cars and would like to know your thoughts about this issue, pros and
cons. In what conditions would you recommend the use of full synthetic
oils. Should you upgrade to high efficient filters when using the synthetics?
-
Dave P.
A:
I’m pro on the use of synthetic engine oils and use them in my vehicles.
But with that said, what you have been using (regular engine oil) is a
cost effective and has been proven over the long haul. There are many
vehicles on the road with over 200k miles that have used regular engine
oil. I feel that the maintenance choice that you have made on your primary
vehicles is sound. About the only thing I would do different with the
Corvette is change the oil a minimum of 2 times a year. Why? The inside
of the engine, even when the vehicle is not being driven, is a chemical
lab at work. The oil that is in the engine is being assaulted in a variety
of ways that causes the additive packages to break down and reduce the
protection. My suggestion? When you first bring your Corvette out for
summer fun give it a good drive and really warm the engine up. Then shut
the engine down and drain the oil immediately. Running the engine causes
the oil to pick-up contaminants that have formed over the winter and suspend
them in the oil. Draining the oil while it is hot proves to be more effective
at removing these contaminants. Then install fresh oil and a new filter
for the summer.
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