[Mgs] Reality, was:Oil Article

[Dan DiBiase]

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From: Rick Lindsay <rolindsay at yahoo.com>
To: MG List <mgs at autox.team.net>; Eric Erickson <eric at erickson.on.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:36:54 AM
Subject: [Mgs] Reality, was:Oil Article

I guess a good question to ask Eric is; How often do you rebuild the engine?

Some might argue that an engine needs to only last until the end of the victory lap.  We must be careful to not mix purposes, apples and oranges.


And more importantly (and this will get me in trouble), we're comparing new precision machines to MGs and Triumphs.  That's like comparing Intel quad-cores to VIC20s.  Our old MG and Triumph engines, while we love them for their simplicity, are little more than farm implement power supplies.  Their manufacturing tolerances are loose and compensated for with heavy robustness and wearing-in.  This whole thread started with a set of galled lifter faces.  That all but NEVER happens with modern engines.  And its not differences in oil.  Its differences in materials and design.  We have to face it.  No matter how much we love our old British hardware, its just old-school machinery.  That's what I love about it!
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The funny thing, in many ways, the new cars are more sensitive to certain things than our old cars. Oil is a good example. 
Audi's 1.8T engine - otherwise a very durable, tunable engine - is very sensitive to oil weights and changes. There are 
many well-documented sludge issues due to 1) Audi's very high change intervals (up to 2003) and 2) some slight neglect
by owners. Same with a Toyota V6 engine of a few years ago (can't recall which one, it was in early-2000's Sienna vans). 
Many are also very sensitive to octane ratings.

OTOH, when I bought my Audi, I was told by the dealer that the only thing that need breaking-in were the brakes! (Or, more
accurately, bedding in). I was told to drive the car like I planned to drive it (other than avoiding slamming on the brakes for a
certain number of miles). And our '07 Honda Odyssey minivan didn't ask me for it's first oil change until 5,400 miles, and the
second at 11,120 miles (it has a Maintenance Minder that tells you these things).

On an unrelated note (and similarly off-topic!) I have the pleasure of announcing a new driver in our household. My youngest
son passed his test on Monday. So now I am REALLY going to have to get my '76 B on the road again, just so I have
something to drive this spring! Oh, hey, that was MG content!

 Dan D
Central NJ USA
'76 MGB Tourer
'65 MGB Tourer (Project)
NAMGBR #5-2328 
http://dans65b.blogspot.com/
http://dans76b.blogspot.com/
http://dansautoblog.blogspot.com/
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dibiase/Working_MG_Gallery.html
http://dans-life-blog.blogspot.com/