94 SW2 Oil eater

On 29 Apr 2006 04:55:03 -0700, "Linda" > wrote:

>PS The xcountry delivery of my 62 factory deep pink Austin Healey
>Sprite is today I'm so excited. There are only 2 original factory pink
>ones in the US and 4 in the UK. I do all the work on the Brit cars : )


I have a twin duaghter that wants a pink Mini Cooper one day. Nice
find.
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com

"Linda" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hi Wavy,
> I guess we will just have to live with it and check every fill.
> Best wishes,
> Linda
>

IMHO checking the oil EVERY fuel up is the MINIMUM that should be done, even
on a vehicle that uses no oil. I have never seen any engine fail because of
a worn out dipstick.

YMMV

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 00:24:21 GMT, "Private" >
wrote:

>IMHO checking the oil EVERY fuel up is the MINIMUM that should be done, even
>on a vehicle that uses no oil. I have never seen any engine fail because of
>a worn out dipstick.


Not me, if it is not a oil burner, I check it every few thousand miles
unless oil presure should suggest otherwise.
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com

"SnoMan" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 00:24:21 GMT, "Private" >
> wrote:
>
>>IMHO checking the oil EVERY fuel up is the MINIMUM that should be done,
>>even
>>on a vehicle that uses no oil. I have never seen any engine fail because
>>of
>>a worn out dipstick.
>
>
> Not me, if it is not a oil burner, I check it every few thousand miles
> unless oil presure should suggest otherwise.
> -----------------
> The SnoMan
> www.thesnoman.com

With respect, I do not understand this attitude. If you wait for an oil
pressure gauge (which few cars have) to warn you of low oil it will already
be too late. Low oil pressure indicator lights are even worse and can
usually be called the reach for your wallet light. The low oil light means
STOP RIGHT NOW, do not drive home, do not find a gas station, do not wait to
check in the morning, and 'do not pass go'.

In aviation we train very hard to understand and avoid what are termed
'human factors', the most common of which is 'invulnerability'. This is the
hazardous attitude which leads to thinking that 'it can't happen to me'. In
aviation most pilots check their oil before EVERY take off. In the heavy
machinery field we check oil and coolant before every shift startup and
usually after lunch. The consequences of operating with low oil or coolant
are just too great to ignore this simple procedure. In aviation the
training is to 'preflight your aircraft like you would if you thought that
someone was trying to kill you and make it look like an accident'. We also
recognize that the most likely time to have a mechanical failure is right
after the aircraft comes out of the shop after a mechanical inspection or
any repair. I have seen cars, delivered to owners, down several quarts of
oil or coolant or missing reservoir caps or air filters or fan belts. Any
tools that you find left in your vehicle are yours to keep.

One of the things that I have liked about modern autos is the use of
translucent plastic for the fluid reservoirs for coolant, power steering and
brakes. This allows me to easily check these fluid levels by just giving
the car a shake from side to side which makes the levels easy to see without
opening the reservoirs even if the coolant is hot. A quick look around the
engine compartment will show any new leaks.

Every vehicle I have ever owned has had a place under the hood where I could
store a spare quart of oil. On my S series Saturns the spot is on top of
the frame just outboard of the brake master cylinder. Carrying spare oil
means that I never need to pay the exorbitant high cost of buying oil from a
gas station and also allows me to top the engine off when it is only down a
half quart. Running for an extended period with only 3 quarts of oil in the
sump will cause the oil to break down much faster and is not good for the
engine. Running close to or below the add mark is a recipe for disaster.

Lifting the hood often also keeps the hood hinges from seizing from
corrosion. We have all seen the bent and folded hoods on many GM trucks
caused by lack of lubrication and use. They always seemed to be owned by
people who were complaining about poor engine life and high fuel and oil
consumption.

Owners spend a lot of time here debating the merits of synthetic oils and
whether 10w30 is better than 5w30 but the fact is that there is NOTHING that
an owner can do that is easier or cheaper or will lead to more good service
or cash savings than simply checking the fluid levels and tire pressures.
If nothing else, it will alert you to a small leak that can be repaired
cheaply before it becomes a major problem and leaves you stranded beside the
road at night in the rain.

You are free to decide to operate your vehicle any way you wish, and of
course when you have a problem you can also come here and join all the
others griping about the crappy manufacturer and poor engineering or why you
think that your warranty should be extended but while this griping may make
you feel better you will not get much sympathy, and it will still be you
paying for the repairs.

Good luck, YMMV

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:22:28 GMT, "Private" >
wrote:

>With respect, I do not understand this attitude. If you wait for an oil
>pressure gauge (which few cars have) to warn you of low oil it will already
>be too late. Low oil pressure indicator lights are even worse and can
>usually be called the reach for your wallet light. The low oil light means
>STOP RIGHT NOW, do not drive home, do not find a gas station, do not wait to
>check in the morning, and 'do not pass go'.
>
>In aviation we train very hard to understand and avoid what are termed
>'human factors', the most common of which is 'invulnerability'. This is the
>hazardous attitude which leads to thinking that 'it can't happen to me'. In
>aviation most pilots check their oil before EVERY take off. In the heavy
>machinery field we check oil and coolant before every shift startup and
>usually after lunch. The consequences of operating with low oil or coolant
>are just too great to ignore this simple procedure. In aviation the

My duaghter has a used saturn that I have been check the oil about
even 500 miles until I see what it is doing. My wife has a 200
cherokee with a 2.5 in it and I check oil in it after about 2000 miles
It never requires a top off between changes. My 89 4x4 burb has 178K
on it and an it does not require a top off yet either.

On the subject of aircraft (I have a pilots license and work in R&D on
miltary aircraft for over 20 yeasr in the past) things are a little
different. Aircooled recip's have larger clearances because of the
wider temp ranges of the engine in operation and they higher sustained
power output levels too and they tend to use a little oil and since
you cannot pull over at 5000 feet you should check it before every
flight. ALso the engine oil provides a criticle amount of additional
cool to aircraft engines so its proper level of oil is important. A
automotive engine well servive a greater oil loss than a aircraft
engine will. ( basically with a old SB chevy, as long as it is on the
stick and you are not dogging it, you will be okay)
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com

Private,

All very good advice and accompanying rationale. Hopefully it will keep
someone from needing to do a major engine overhaul ($$) or junk an otherwise
good vehicle before its time.

To be very clear, I too believe in checking my engine oil on all my vehicles
frequently and keeping it at the full mark, even if this means adding as
little as a 1/3 of a quart. That said, with 5 vehicles in the family, the
'96 Saturn 1.9L SOHC requires the most frequent checking since it has the
least volume (just 4 quarts to full after oil/filter change) and seems to
burn the most between adds as well.

BTW, I've tried to instill this same discipline into my two college aged
sons, but the one that drives the Saturn does not seem to get the
importance, so I am constantly checking/adding when he drives back home
after being away at school.

As you have eloquently stated, checking the oil and coolant levels is
probably the single easiest thing to do to prevent major mechanical engine
problems.

Bob


"Private" > wrote in message
news:8v55g.94490$P01.4127@pd7tw3no...
>
> "SnoMan" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 00:24:21 GMT, "Private" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>IMHO checking the oil EVERY fuel up is the MINIMUM that should be done,
>>>even
>>>on a vehicle that uses no oil. I have never seen any engine fail because
>>>of
>>>a worn out dipstick.
>>

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:48:22 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> wrote:

>To be very clear, I too believe in checking my engine oil on all my vehicles
>frequently and keeping it at the full mark, even if this means adding as
>little as a 1/3 of a quart.


No need to really, as long as you are above add you are quite safe.
You might top it off before a long trip but for daily driving, it is
no big deal.
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com

If you wait for the Saturn to be down to the add mark, then it will take a
full quart. At that point, the oil in the crankcase is down by 25% of its
capacity. If for some reason you don't catch it then, and it gets lower,
you risk permanent damage.

Why take the chance? If you have gone to the trouble of checking the level
on the dipstick, and the oil is handy, how much more difficult is it to
simply remove the cap and pout in a little oil?

SnoMan, why do you continue to argue this and promote your own view?
Newsgroup readers can decide to do what they want for themselves. The key
point here is that even well maintained, but higher mileage Saturn engines
consume oil and have a combined 4 quart crankcase and filter capacity. It
really is in the owner's best interest to make sure it gets fed oil
regularly.

You are free to maintain your oil level however you like. Others are free
to do the same. Readers can choose to follow whichever advice they feel is
best for their situation. Enough said.

Bob

"SnoMan" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:48:22 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> > wrote:
>
>>To be very clear, I too believe in checking my engine oil on all my
>>vehicles
>>frequently and keeping it at the full mark, even if this means adding as
>>little as a 1/3 of a quart.
>
>
> No need to really, as long as you are above add you are quite safe.
> You might top it off before a long trip but for daily driving, it is
> no big deal.
> -----------------
> The SnoMan
> www.thesnoman.com

Relying on the oil light to come on before checking the oil is a big
fat NO NO! I'll have to tell my Honda story again...
I had a Honda come in with its check engine light on. I read the code
and it was a VVT code. I started to run the by the book diagnosis on it
until it stalled on me. I restarted it and tried to do it again but it
stalled again. When I restearted the engine it dawned on me that the
engine was noisier than a Honda ought to be so I shut it down
immediately. I jumped out and pulled the dipstick and sure enough there
wasnt a drop on the dipstick! I ended up putting 4 quarts of oil in a
4.3 quart system just to get it filled back up! So much for that oil
LIGHT! If it didnt have VVT there wouldnt have been anything on the dash
lit up. Needless to say I got that car out of my shop asap. If it had
locked up on my time it would of likely been on my dime. I check the oil
level on everything that comes in now. Especially 4 bangers as they are
the most prone to consume oil.

Remember the days when Owners Manuals said to check certain things prior
to driving and at fill ups? Oh yeah those days are still here, I forgot.

On Mon, 01 May 2006 01:53:57 GMT, "Bob Shuman"
> wrote:

>If you wait for the Saturn to be down to the add mark, then it will take a
>full quart. At that point, the oil in the crankcase is down by 25% of its
>capacity. If for some reason you don't catch it then, and it gets lower,
>you risk permanent damage


You are over playing this. If engines blew or were damaged that easy
there would be a LOT more dead cars on the road! when oil gets down
to 50% or capacity then you need to start worrying but not at 10 or
20%. I am not saying that you should run it a quart low all the time
but what I am saying is if it is a quarter to a 1/2 a mark below full
of so there is no need to panic or top it off unless you are planning
a extended trip. Also contray to popular belief, a 10 to 20% overfill
will not hurt a thing either as it take a lot more overfill than that
to cause problems. SO it you are "worried" about your oil consumption,
add a extra 4 to 8 ounces at top off to extend top off intervals.
-----------------
The SnoMan
www.thesnoman.com