My PI is rebuilt and uses very little oil between changes (minor leaks not
yet solved!!) certainly not enough to warrant a top up. It does have inlet
valve guide seals (Chris Witor) and I change every 3000miles. I use a 10w/60
synthetic oil (AU$50 for 5 litres)
In Australia it is fairly easy to get your oil analysed for contaminants as
many mining contractors etc
regularly check their oil in 300 tonne truck etc to determine engine wear.
I'm sure this is the same
all over the world if you check the Yellow Pages
These are primarily: Silica ... Dirty, ineffective air filter
Tin Copper ....Bearings wearing badly
Water....usual but you don't want too much!!!
Petrol distilates....usual but you don't want too much
again
I can't recall the full suite of contaminants but most well maintained
vehicles are normally well within limits
if you stick to the manufacturer's recommendations (note. most say 6000miles
or six months which ever is
first and if the car is used in arduous conditions such as city stop/start
or high speed running the servicing of
oil etc should be increased accordingly.)
The best thing for a car that doesn't get used much except for short trips
is a good high speed run for maybe 100 miles. This gets everything nice and
hot and evaporates much of the fuel and water contamination
in the oil. This is why many engines appear to use more oil on a infrequent
high speed outing.
cheers AndyT
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Asgeir Nesoen [SMTP:asgeir.nesoen@inl.uio.no]
> Sent: Thursday, 17 June 1999 18:31
> To: 2000-Register@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Spin on oil filter adaptor on a PI saloon
>
> At 11:30 17.06.99 +0200, you wrote:
> >On Wed, 16 Jun 1999, you wrote:
> >
> >snipped<
> >
> >Just for the record: Among enthusiasts, FRAM has a very flimsy reputation
> >in the US. Their quality seem to be very variable.
>
> This is a bit important. I have never had any trouble with FRAM filters,
> but how can I tell if the filter works well or not? Is there any method of
> measuring the oil quality in a car? I usually change oil only once a year,
> but I have been thinking of doing it twice. And I change my filter always
> when changing oil.
>
> I know that all cars burn oil, and the engine is dripping every once in a
> while, but the thing is other fluids drain down into the sump as well,
> primarily gasoline. That can make it seem like the engine isn't burning
> any
> oil at all. And at times I'd love to really KNOW how good my oil is. The
> reason for this is the fact that my engine doesn't use oil at all after a
> major overhaul, and being the sceptic person I am, I start thinking about:
> "What if the oil is full of petrol and water etc?". I don't like being
> fooled by the fact that the oil level seems constant over looong periods
> of
> time...
>
> And I am using 20W-50 oil, which is getting harder and harder to come by,
> I
> find it usually under "Racing Engine Oil", but it costs a fortune...
>
> ---Asgeir---
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