Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[GonePlaid]

FWIW: 323K(miles), 288K.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Funny, I found this at the closest used dealer to me.

View attachment 3261907

They were closed at the time I looked. Supposed to be a no haggle dealer. Looks pretty clean except where that trim looks to hang down on the front, it is. It's attached to a rusty cross member which I don't think is frame. Definitely needs a crawl under. 04, around 120K miles.

I've been using synthetic oil for many years. I believe one reason why my engines last so long. I change it once every six months (15K miles). Towards the end, once a year. GM now ships their cars with synthetic.

With my '78 Nova, I used an oil additive called Marvel Mystery Oil. Their claim is that it's super refined and penetrates deeper into the engine. I came across it seeing people adding it to piston aircraft engines. That car engine was used for 25 years and never needed any work other than oil, belts, water pump, radiator, and battery.

 

[ric426]

If it means anything, in 2009 I replaced my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee (V-8 of course) with an Xterra. That was the very first non-American brand vehicle I ever owned. However, since the Xterra was designed, tested, and built in North America I was obviously easing my way into foreign brands.

The X has been pretty impressive and as a life long Jeep owner (actually I still own one) I'll say with all due reverence to that iconic brand, that the Nissan seems a bit less quirky. Good luck with your search!

I'll second what Al says about the Xterra. I bought one the first year they came out and drove it 120k miles. Only real complaints I had were that the early ones were underpowered (knew that going into it) and that the catalytic converters kept cracking, but they kept replacing them. I'm sure they must have changed that design ASAP. Liked it enough that I'd buy another one.

 

[BassmanPaul]

Yep, it happened to me once. I didn't know it until then that you can form salivary stones and they can block the duct and cause a spit backup with rapid swelling and pain. Mine was in the duct right under the front of the tongue and eventually I was able to feel the stone poking out the hole. I grabbed it with a pair of tweezers and it popped out. Instant relief. Looked like a tiny kidney stone. I'm all too familiar with those.

Glad you're feeling better Paul!

Thank you. I too have a lump under the front of my tongue. I had an Ultrasound today to see what is going on but the antibiotics seem to be working ‘cos I’m feeling more myself.

 

[GonePlaid]

I've been using synthetic oil for many years. I believe one reason why my engines last so long. I change it once every six months (15K miles). Towards the end, once a year. GM now ships their cars with synthetic.

With my '78 Nova, I used an oil additive called Marvel Mystery Oil. Their claim is that it's super refined and penetrates deeper into the engine. I came across it seeing people adding it to piston aircraft engines. That car engine was used for 25 years and never needed any work other than oil, belts, water pump, radiator, and battery.

Full synth in all of mine for past 15 years. Love Marvel, the oil, not the comics.

 

[GonePlaid]

Thank you. I too have a lump under the front of my tongue. I had an Ultrasound today to see what is going on but the antibiotics seem to be working ‘cos I’m feeling more myself.

In Public?!?!

 

[Al Kraft]

Funny, I found this at the closest used dealer to me.

View attachment 3261907

They were closed at the time I looked. Supposed to be a no haggle dealer. Looks pretty clean except where that trim looks to hang down on the front, it is. It's attached to a rusty cross member which I don't think is frame. Definitely needs a crawl under. 04, around 120K miles.

I suspect it has the 3.3. Liter V6 which IIRC had a 105K mile timing belt replacement requirement. Other than that there wasn't a lot to do on those engines except oil and coolant changes. A good look underneath is smart as it will provide clues about drive train condition/maintenance and indicate any signs of off-road abuse.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Funny, I found this at the closest used dealer to me.

View attachment 3261907

They were closed at the time I looked. Supposed to be a no haggle dealer. Looks pretty clean except where that trim looks to hang down on the front, it is. It's attached to a rusty cross member which I don't think is frame. Definitely needs a crawl under. 04, around 120K miles.

Nissans are nice. If I didn't own a Subaru I would look for a used Altima. But I'm not handy like you guys looking at @BadExample @agedhorse @Passinwind and @Al Kraft .... and the rest of you grumpies who get their paws into their cars!

 

[agedhorse]

I'm not so handy at working on cars anymore.

 

[SoulReflection]

I'm not so handy at working on cars anymore.

That's OK Andy...keep doing what you are doing. We are all better off for it .

 

[ric426]

Nissans are nice. If I didn't own a Subaru I would look for a used Altima. But I'm not handy like you guys looking at @BadExample @agedhorse @Passinwind and @Al Kraft .... and the rest of you grumpies who get their paws into their cars!

The most fun car I ever had, and the best customer service I ever got was a Subaru. I had a 2003 WRX SportWagon that was a blast to drive. I still miss that car, but I gave it up to get my wife the last new Jeep we could find that still had a 4.0L inline 6. We're still driving it (with the front fenders rusting to pieces).

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm not so handy at working on cars anymore.

As time has gone by I'm willing to just do the troubleshooting and leave the wrenching to trusted colleagues. I'll occasionally dig into something for someone else, but usually afford myself the luxury of having repairs done by others these days.

 

[ric426]

I don't like wrenching on our vehicles any more either, but I'm even less inclined to pay someone $100/hour plus parts to fix something that I know I can handle. I just piss and moan about it more now.
When our kids were in their early to mid teens, I started teaching them what little I knew about wrenching on cars. The first rule I taught them was that working on cars is one of the only times in life that you're allowed to use whatever language comes to mind at stressful moments. Extra points for creativity.

 

[BadExample]

I'm in that don't get dirty unless needed zone...

The cheap X is still in play, but no hitch, and has been outweighed by discovery of I6's in Trail Blazers. Carfax reveled the nice looking pathfinder was repo'd in Indy, then auctioned 4 or 5 times in a row. Looked at it anyway, very nice outside, trashed interior.

The MIJ brands all look in worse shape for the price. Not off the radar, but stuff like very faded trim, paint off plastic bumper covers, fogged out headlights.

I'd probably go for something in a higher price bracket, but all I need is something that will look reasonably good and run good for 3 or 4 years. That's assuming no one kills the replacement again!

 

[Al Kraft]

I've been using synthetic oil for many years. I believe one reason why my engines last so long. I change it once every six months (15K miles). Towards the end, once a year. GM now ships their cars with synthetic.

With my '78 Nova, I used an oil additive called Marvel Mystery Oil. Their claim is that it's super refined and penetrates deeper into the engine. I came across it seeing people adding it to piston aircraft engines. That car engine was used for 25 years and never needed any work other than oil, belts, water pump, radiator, and battery.

MMO is sort of legendary around general aviation circles and actually with older airline mechs from the radial engine days. It was used more as a fuel additive to prevent carbon build up and offer some additional upper cylinder lubrication. When you look at the chemical composition the real "marvel/mystery" part is why it actually works so well. When used as an oil additive it may provide some mild cleaning that could have been useful decades ago, but is totally unnecessary with modern oil additive packages and will most certainly decrease viscosity.

As for synthetic oils, most tribologists and lubrication engineers are in closer agreement than the general public where this topic often seems more polarizing than religion or politics. IME true synthetics (i.e. Group IV and V, PAO and ester (for instance) based respectively) were unique in the very early days by providing base stock properties that were beyond what traditional oils could offer even with advanced refining techniques. Skipping forward to today with the current definition of synthetic oil (which now includes Group III highly processed/molecularly reconstructed (hydrocracked) mineral based oils - the result of a late 90's lawsuit between Mobil and Castrol), the margin of difference between conventional and synthetic base stocks is much narrower. In fact, many current synthetics and synthetic blends are really heavily processed mineral oils...which is in no way a bad thing.

Current API and SAE specs/requirements regarding motor oils are really driving blenders to very robust additive packages and mainly Group II (or II+) and Group III base stocks and blends. The good news is that even "conventional oils" are incredibly impressive compared to the best oils of decades ago. Where operating conditions dictate (e.g. extreme hot and/or cold temperature operation, extended idling, trailer towing, etc.) a "true Group IV or V synthetic" may occasionally provide better performance, but not always. While having an inherently higher VI base stock is helpful, IME the additive pack is where you'll find the ingredients that support extended drain intervals.

Current engines run very clean and tend to help support higher drain intervals even in city and short trip conditions. The good news for people buying used vehicles today is that even if oil and filter were only changed twice a year and conventional products were used, there is unlikely to be much of an lubrication related issue that will impact engine life in any significant way. There are a few engines that have design attributes where oil type and drain interval are very significant, but for most vehicles it is surprising how hard you'd have to work to create an oil related failure.

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm not so handy at working on cars anymore.

Actually it seems like you electrical engineers would make better mechanics on cars these days than us mechanical engineers....what a turnaround since the 1960's!

 

[GonePlaid]

Nissans are nice. If I didn't own a Subaru I would look for a used Altima. But I'm not handy like you guys looking at @BadExample @agedhorse @Passinwind and @Al Kraft .... and the rest of you grumpies who get their paws into their cars!

Shoot! Last time I did a tuneup, all ya needed was a flat blade screwdriver and a card to gap the points.

 

[Al Kraft]

Shoot! Last time I did a tuneup, all ya needed was a flat blade screwdriver and a card to gap the points.

I really liked the GM style distributors with the little metal window you could open and stick an Allen wrench through to set the dwell angle instead of having to adjust the point gap with a feeler gauge. And the uni-set points/condenser assembly completely eliminated the occasional issue of dropping a condenser strap screw into the distributor.

 

[beans-on-toast]

MMO is sort of legendary around general aviation circles and actually with older airline mechs from the radial engine days. It was used more as a fuel additive to prevent carbon build up and offer some additional upper cylinder lubrication. When you look at the chemical composition the real "marvel/mystery" part is why it actually works so well. When used as an oil additive it may provide some mild cleaning that could have been useful decades ago, but is totally unnecessary with modern oil additive packages and will most certainly decrease viscosity.

As for synthetic oils, most tribologists and lubrication engineers are in closer agreement than the general public where this topic often seems more polarizing than religion or politics. IME true synthetics (i.e. Group IV and V, PAO and ester (for instance) based respectively) were unique in the very early days by providing base stock properties that were beyond what traditional oils could offer even with advanced refining techniques. Skipping forward to today with the current definition of synthetic oil (which now includes Group III highly processed/molecularly reconstructed (hydrocracked) mineral based oils - the result of a late 90's lawsuit between Mobil and Castrol), the margin of difference between conventional and synthetic base stocks is much narrower. In fact, many current synthetics and synthetic blends are really heavily processed mineral oils...which is in no way a bad thing.

Current API and SAE specs/requirements regarding motor oils are really driving blenders to very robust additive packages and mainly Group II (or II+) and Group III base stocks and blends. The good news is that even "conventional oils" are incredibly impressive compared to the best oils of decades ago. Where operating conditions dictate (e.g. extreme hot and/or cold temperature operation, extended idling, trailer towing, etc.) a "true Group IV or V synthetic" may occasionally provide better performance, but not always. While having an inherently higher VI base stock is helpful, IME the additive pack is where you'll find the ingredients that support extended drain intervals.

Current engines run very clean and tend to help support higher drain intervals even in city and short trip conditions. The good news for people buying used vehicles today is that even if oil and filter were only changed twice a year and conventional products were used, there is unlikely to be much of an lubrication related issue that will impact engine life in any significant way. There are a few engines that have design attributes where oil type and drain interval are very significant, but for most vehicles it is surprising how hard you'd have to work to create an oil related failure.

I've used Marvel Mystery Oil as both an oil and fuel additive. Mostly, I added a bottle once a month or so when filling up. In aviation, my introduction to it was in radial engines.

GM recommends synthetic 0W20 Dexos1 Gen2 for my Equinox, that's what it comes with. The dealer told me that all they use is synthetic now. The longer life is a plus. In cold climates, the oil doesn't thicken like traditional oils. Years ago I needed to use a block heater to get the engine started. That isn't necessary with synthetic oil, no problem cranking when the engine is very cold.

For fuel, GM recommends products that meet the Top Tier spec, regular unleaded 87 octane or higher. The Top Tier includes cleaning agents in the additives. Sounds a lot like what Marvel Mystery Oil does, perhaps in a different way.

I trust Shell. With some other stations, you never know what you are getting. I've seen local stations getting gas from a local distributor that sells discount fuels. The stations claim that their fuel meets the Top Tier spec. Their suppliers fuels doesn't meet this spec. No doubt, a lot of underhanded things go on.

 

[Al Kraft]

I've used Marvel Mystery Oil as both an oil and fuel additive. Mostly, I added a bottle once a month or so when filling up. In aviation, my introduction to it was in radial engines.

GM recommends synthetic 0W20 Dexos 2 for my Equinox, that's what it comes with. The dealer told me that all they use is synthetic now. The longer life is a plus. In cold climates, the oil doesn't thicken like traditional oils. Years ago I needed to use a block heater to get the engine started. That isn't necessary with synthetic oil, no problem cranking when the engine is very cold.

For fuel, GM recommends products that meet the Top Tier spec, regular unleaded 87 octane or higher. The Top Tier includes cleaning agents in the additives. Sounds a lot like what Marvel Mystery Oil does, perhaps in a different way. I trust Shell. With some other stations, you never know what you are getting. I've seen local station getting gas from a local distributor that sells discount fuels. They claim that their fuel meets the Top Tier spec. Their suppliers fuels doesn't meet this spec. No doubt, a lot of underhanded things go on.

Actually all the gasoline itself in a geographic region is the same with differences only in octane rating. When a tanker is filled up they put in an additive package that is specific to the brand that it will be marketed/sold under. Obviously that additive package can vary differently between brands and that's where the top tier magic happens. Amoco and/or Sunoco used to offer a special higher octane fuel that was unique to them, but I suspect they simply use whatever the high octane fuel at the tank farm is these days.

I think your dealer actually meant dexos1 Gen 2 and it is a fully synthetic (most likely Group III) base stock oil. IIRC the only weights in dexos2 are 0/5W-30/40 combinations...I'm not aware of any 0W20 dexos2 spec oils.