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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2000-11-01, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2000. Oiling way to longer engine life Chatelaine Magazine reports that women make up to half of all vehicle purchases. According to Chatelaine, women are responsible for 55 per cent of tune-ups and 45 per cent of major repairs. Whether you’re a woman or a man, you may often wonder why you should bother with changing the oil in your car? The answer is simple. Your car’s engine generates temperatures in excess of 200°C under normal oper ating conditions. If it’s a turbo, that’s more like 300°C! The oil helps pro tect your engine. Oil prevents metal- to-metal contact and cleans out dirt and combustion by-products. Many people don’t realize that oil is also an important part of the cooling sys tem, dispersing about 20 per cent of engine heat. Today’s cars are designed with smaller, more fuel efficient engines, and are built to tighter tolerances. The engine oils you put in have to be of an equally high standard, and the manufacturers are continually researching new and improved prod ucts. But nothing lasts forever. Over time, the oil will lose some of its vis cosity (ability to flow) and will pick up enough dirt and water in suspen sion that it needs to be replaced. Engine manufacturers generally rec ommend an oil change every 5,000 to 6,000 km. If you do nothing else in the way of preventive mainte nance, do these oil changes. They are the single most effective thing you can do for long engine life. And at about $20 per oil change, it is also one of the cheapest. Are all oils the same? Should you just put any kind of oil in your car? The short answer is no — not all oils are equal. All oils conform to high standards. The biggest difference is in the additives that each company adds. These additives will enhance the oil’s cleaning effects in the engine, will lay down a protective layer on the metal walls to reduce internal friction, and help the oil to resist thermal and viscosity break down. There are also other additives or oil treatments you can buy separate ly. Such additives can help any oil remove engine deposits, protect engine parts, and improve fuel con sumption. They are available at auto motive stores or wherever you get your oil changed. The Car Care Council answers some common questions about motor oil: Q. My owner’s manual says I need an API (American Petroleum Institute) service rating SF engine oil. All I can find is SG. Is that okay? A. Yes. The API service ratings pro ceed in alphabetical order, so SG is a higher standard than SE Owner’s manuals typically say “use SF or higher oils”, for example. However, you shouldn’t put an SF oil into an engine that requires SG - that could void your warranty and shorten your engine life. Q. What’s a multigrade oil? A. The grade of an engine oil describes its viscosity (ability to flow). At lower temperatures, oil thickens and doesn’t flow as easily - like molasses in January. The lower the number, the more easily it will flow at low temperatures. Multigrades are oils that contain additives called viscosity index improvers, and so they offer a range of viscosities (e.g. 5W3O). The lower the number in front of the “W”, the greater the oil’s ability to flow at low temperature. The number after the “W” indicates the oil’s viscosity rating at normal engine operating temperatures. The “W” in the grade stands for winter. Q. Do I need a different oil in sum mer? A. Your owner’s manual will tell you what grade of oil your car needs. Most newer cars use a 5W3O oil year round. Older cars may need a bit more viscosity to keep the protective film on the cylinder walls. You’ll probably need to use a 10W30 in the summer, switching to a 5W3O in winter for better starting and cold performance. Q. Should I change the oil filter every time 1 change the oil? A. Most owner’s manuals call for a filter change every second oil change. However, the filter collects all the sludge and dirt from the engine, and your clean oil will be running through a dirty filter after every second oil change. Canadians average 2.8 oil changes per year, the difference between changing the fil ter every time and every second time is not much more than $5 a year. Considering the importance of clean oil to your engine, it’s awfully cheap _ insurance to change the filter every time. If nothing else, be sure to fol low the instructions in your owner’s manual. Q. Can I mix different brands of engine oil? A. Yes, if you must. Because all oils are manufactured to API and SAE standards, you can mix different brands. Because every company has its own additives aimed at enhancing the oil’s performance in your engine, you should not make a habit of mix ing them - you’ll get the best per formance by using the same oil. At a pinch, it’s better to add a litre of 5W30 to an engine running on 10W30 than to run with low oil, but it’s not a good idea to mix grades. Q. How often should 1 check my oil? A. Get to know your car. Some engines bum more oil than others, and you may have to add a litre of oil once or twice between oil changes. Others don’t bum much oil. Check it regularly, whenever you get gas or at least once a week. If you’ve been driving, give the oil a few minutes to settle back into the sump. Then pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, put it back in all the way, and pull it out again. Read the level of the oil - it should be between the lines marked “full” and “add”, or “max” and “min”, depending on your car. Affordable Cars 1995 PLYMOUTH NEON SEDAN 5 speed, air, stereo.sport pkg. only $5295.°° 1993 DODGE CARAVAN V6, air, stereo, running boards, good mileage. ONLY $6195.°° 1993 DODGE CARAVAN Commuter van, well equipped, above average condition. only $4995.°° 1993 FORD TAURUS GL SEDAN 3L., auto, air, stereo, drives excellent. only $4295.°° 1992 FORD TEMPO GL SEDAN V6, auto, stereo, good value. only $2995.°° 1990 FORD EXT. CAB P.U. 4X4 5 speed, stereo, air, box liner, more. only$6195.°° 1989 OLDS CIERRA SEDAN V6, auto, air. stereo, above average. ONLY ’2895.'” 1989 FORD TAURUS WAGON Well equipped, certified. only$1995.°° MURRAY MOTOR SALES 230 Huron Rd., Goderich 524-2888 -Help protect the environment i Reduce, reuse and recycle Tips to help you survive our Snowbelt winter It’s a well-known fact that every year a large majority of the more than 16 million vehi cles on the road are caught unprepared for the first blast of really cold weather. Don’t be caught unprepared. Spending a little bit of time and effort now, can save you time, effort, frustration, and even money later on. Here is a quick list of things to check before that first nasty blast of winter: Cooling System If it hasn’t been done in a while, flush out your cooling system with a good chemical cleaner and put in fresh anti freeze. Remember to use the anti freeze in its proper propor tions. Pure anti-freeze (most often made of ethylene glycol) does not cool or protect as well as the proper mixture of water and anti-freeze which is described on the anti-freeze container. And don’t forget to check containers, belts, hoses, the pressure caps and thermo stat. Battery & Electrical System If your battery is more than a few years old, have it checked. Cold weather is hard on batter ies. Be sure connections are clean and tight. Corroded or loose connections can give the symptoms of a weak or dead battery. Engine Is it time for a tune-up? Faulty wiring, worn spark plugs, a sticking choke or emission control devices that need attention, can all lead to hard starting. A diagnostic check-up of the engine can be a good winter pre-investment. Oil & Filter Dirty oil can give you trou ble in the winter. Now’s the time to change it. Change the oil filter too! And don’t forget to check the other filters on your car, including the fuel, air and transmission filters. (The transmission filter should be changed with the transmission fluid when it is changed during regular preventative mainte nance.) Tires For every 50°C. of tempera ture drop, your tire pressure decreases by one pound. Tires which are under-inflated by only eight pounds can reduce gas mileage by five percent and cut tire life by 25 per cent or more. Check your tire pres sure regularly. Emergency kit And don’t forget to carry an emergency kit in your vehicle during the winter months, it could save your life. 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