Check your oil!

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

What I find interesting is that my oil runs the hottest temperature between the other 2 liquids being monitored, the transmission and the coolant? Does that seem odd?

I guess not-- the coolant can only get so hot before it starts to boil away, whereas oil can get a lot hotter and still do its lubrication job. So the coolant's temperature is thermostatically controlled.

What I found interesting after installing my Scangauge II is how responsive transmission temperature is to ambient temperature. On a hot day the transmission runs hotter; on a cool day it runs cooler. So towing on a hot day stresses the transmission more than towing on a cooler day. That's my conclusion, at least.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

They say not to overfill a transmission, so this shop almost ruined both your engine and transmission. That's quite a feat for one visit.

Yup. It's a miracle the seals didn't blow out.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Greg A

We have one vehicle that the engine oil light just doesn’t come on till the engine is almost dry. Almost got us, but we learned to manually check that car often now or it will get ya.

🤔If your vehicle is going almost dry between any reasonable oil change interval it’s got be leaking like sieve or smoking like a steam train. Either way it’s not the idiot light I’d be worried about.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

What I find interesting is that my oil runs the hottest temperature between the other 2 liquids being monitored, the transmission and the coolant? Does that seem odd?

Nope. Oil temps should go over 220f to get rid of moisture accumulation. Water boils at 212.
220-260 is recognized as ok for non synthetic oil. 300 for full synthetic 😎

[cpaharley2008]

So these numbers look okay? This was taken towing the E19 home from Osoyoos. Notice the eco mode which is 4 cyl towing....

[Farther]

Originally Posted by stratos175

I was sold that day on Subaru's she drove that car into the ground. LOL Just wish they would make a vehicle that would tow a 21'.

Your wish may have been granted. I read on another site that a new Subaru has a 5000-pound tow rating.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

So these numbers look okay? This was taken towing the E19 home from Osoyoos. Notice the eco mode which is 4 cyl towing....

Nice dash layout! Those numbers are well within safe areas, I’d expect higher on uphill pull in hot weather.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

They say not to overfill a transmission, so this shop almost ruined both your engine and transmission. That's quite a feat for one visit.

This is why I still change my own oil.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

This is why I still change my own oil.

Me too ! Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I was inquiring about fuel additives, not oil additives.

sorry! It was an oil discussion and I skipped right over the word "fuel".

Okay - fuel version...

Gasoline is sold with additives - you can't buy it without them. None of the additives add energy - they're there mostly as detergent, and stabilizers. Lots of development and research go into fuel composition, and so I find it really hard to believe that some add-in package with be worth using, compared to what you can buy from the pump. Unfortunately the most extensive (maybe best, maybe not) additive packages are only offered in higher-octane gasoline as "premium" gas, so I suppose that if you are using regular gas but want premium additives you could buy the additives separately.

I've never had an engine problem which could be related to fuel, so I haven't seen a need for fuel additives.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

What I find interesting is that my oil runs the hottest temperature between the other 2 liquids being monitored, the transmission and the coolant? Does that seem odd?

Not at all. The oil is exposed to the hottest engine components, and can handle being hotter than coolant.

[mizterwizard]

Some observations.

If the engine is down 4 quarts and the transmission is over 4 quarts then I would bet there are 4 quarts of engine oil in the transmission. Engine oil will kill most transmissions.

Overfilling a transmission does not "blow out the seals". The seals on a transmission are not under pressure at any time and would never "blow". What would happen is that the rotating mass inside the transmission would run in the fluid and the fluid would get whipped into a froth. Frothy fluid will not work well to lubricate the moving parts or actuate the hydraulic components. That is where the risk comes in.

Every owner's manual will tell you that if the low oil light or low oil pressure light comes on you should immediately pull over to the side of the road and shut the engine off. Most often it is a sensor or gauge issue but the first thing to check is whether there is oil in the engine.

Proper vehicle operation and maintenance is a public safety issue. It used to be you could get a ticket for having a breakdown on the freeway. It should be required to have some understanding of the needs of your vehicle before you are licensed to drive it. With aircraft you have to be type certified for every aircraft you fly. I'm not advocating that for cars but some understanding of what makes them work aught to be required.

It is inexcusable that a person would not know to check their oil from time to time. Older engines used to go through a quart every tank full or two so people understood the need to keep it topped up. Today most engines will go a full oil cycle and only lose half a quart so we have gotten complacent. Many people don't even know that the oil can be checked. That isn't right but especially so if you are towing.

It is a testament to the general quality of modern engines that they can be abused like so many people do and still live. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit from some TLC though.

Medical personnel have become extensions of the police department in that they always ask my wife is she feels safe at home whenever she goes in for a checkup. The day she broke her wrist I though I would be spending the night in jail or have to take an anger management class. Perhaps we should have mechanics become cops too and impound vehicles that have been neglected or abused until the owner takes a vehicle management class.

No, more cops is not the answer. Driver's education classes should have a section on maintenance though, as should the license renewal test if you ever have to take one.

All of that not withstanding, it only takes about 1.5 quarts to lube most engines under ideal circumstances. Just don't drive on a hill or around a corner, don't accelerate or brake hard and don't work the engine hard.

[Rossue]

Awesome post!! Our society is dumbing down at an alarming rate and police powers are accelerating.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Awesome post!! Our society is dumbing down at an alarming rate and police powers are accelerating.

How does the post have anything to do with police? All references to police are figments of his imagination.

[Rossue]

Look up definition of police powers to answer your question.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Look up definition of police powers to answer your question.

Re-read my question.

[Donna D.]

Hummm.... this thread is about Checking Your Oil. Please check your political views elsewhere.

[Farther]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Hummm.... this thread is about Checking Your Oil. Please check your political views elsewhere.

Thank you!

[RockyBob]

Many engines have just gotten better and better! My 3.3 liter Santa Fe engine (290 hp) uses no detectable oil between 5000 mile changes. I check once or twice between changes ‘cause I like looking under the hood, and the level always stays right at the “dot” by the “F” on the dipstick. After 44000 total miles the oil is still so clear at changes that it is not easy to see the oil on the dipstick. And since Hyundai doesn’t mention synthetic oil, I don’t use it.

[mizterwizard]

Originally Posted by RockyBob

Many engines have just gotten better and better! My 3.3 liter Santa Fe engine (290 hp) uses no detectable oil between 5000 mile changes. I check once or twice between changes ‘cause I like looking under the hood, and the level always stays right at the “dot” by the “F” on the dipstick. After 44000 total miles the oil is still so clear at changes that it is not easy to see the oil on the dipstick. And since Hyundai doesn’t mention synthetic oil, I don’t use it.

I agree that the engines we have today are a marvel compared to what we used to have. I have often wondered if the major manufacturers could even build an engine these days that was as bad as what we used to have. For example, given the absence of regulations would they put carburetors back on in stead of injection.

We went to Mexico a couple of months ago where there is essentially no regulation of smog. What we saw was mostly simplified versions of what we have here but there were some vehicles with carbs.

I'm pretty much anti government but they get things right from time to time and clean air is one of those times. I don't know if that is political or not, to like air that I can't see.

I don't recall saying much about the police at all except that having more police is not the answer to vehicle maintenance. If that is a figment of my imagination or political then I guess I live in a fantasy world.

Even ETI conducts a new owners training for every trailer they sell. It just seems to me that a run through the basics of a new vehicle is a good thing. Whether it happens at school, at home, at the DMV or at the dealership is not really the issue to me. It just needs to happen sometime.

When ever we get a new car my wife is not allowed to drive it until she can changer the spare tire, just in case. It's sort of a game we play. I do all of the other stuff. On her Mini she has run-flats and no spare. She spent about an hour trying to find the spare before I had mercy on her and told her that she didn't need one. We did get her an inflator though. Not that I would advocate using it but if worse comes to worse....

All of my kids know what to do if the lights on the dash come on.

To be fair, many newer vehicles are doing away with their dipsticks, especially on the transmission but some even on the engine. I guess the manufacturers are losing faith in us idiot owners.