Car maintenance weekend
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 3:33 pm
Ranger
Did the Dynomax Super Turbo catback exhaust, as documented in the Exhaust forum.
Caprice
Oil change. I use the "German Castrol" (Castrol Edge) 0W-30. This time it was right at 3,000 miles. But as I've mentioned before, I think as cars get into higher miles, the oil change intervals should shrink. My theory is basically two-fold, and I think the effect is more than the sum of these individually:
- As the miles mount up, oil consumption (via leaks or any other cause) means you are running with lower than spec oil capacity on average, over the length of the OCI. This magnifies the effect of miles on the oil, such as prematurely depleting the TBN or any viscosity change that the oil may normally endure (GC is good at both)
- Particularly for engines that have oil consumption due to worn rings, there will be an increase in the nasty combustion byproducts that make their way to the oil. As I said, this would be bad enough but then there's less overall oil on average so the effect amplifies, manifesting as greater PPM of each contaminant.
In other news, I also firmly maintain that this car takes 4.5 quarts, not 5. I'd run the extra 1/2 quart since it definitely uses oil, but it is particularly sensitive to oil level (the oil pressure dropping issue that has been around for over 10 years now).
CTS-V
I saved this for Sunday. First I started with an oil change. It had been 11 months and 1,300 miles so it was time. As always, I logged the oil life indication, which said 82% life remaining. This car takes 6.5 quarts. I also use the GC 0W-30 as it is a great oil for longer oil change intervals as well as having excellent high temp/high shear stability. Think of it as an Autobahn oil. Whether it helps or not, I feel better with this oil when operating the engine hard, such as I did at The Dragon. I saw engine oil temps of 285°F which is pretty high, during sustained full throttle use. There were zero issues, and even no oil consumption. I don't have the data personally but I don't know if all synthetics would have performed as well. Similarly, I like this oil in my Caprice because when I romp on the 294k mile engine, I'd like a better than average oil helping it out. I no longer favor Mobil 1 products for engine oil, by the way, and haven't for years.
Next I decided to flush the clutch hydraulics. This was done almost 3 years ago to the day, and about 5,600 miles ago. Particularly under heavy duty usage, I believe the T56 slave endures some hardship with all the heat (both from the clutch and from the exhaust). So it is good practice to flush the clutch hydraulics every other oil change. For me, it happened to be 3 years ago. The fluid looked pretty good, just a little more golden than clear. To note, these can look absolutely disgusting with miles and hard use. What happens is it will destroy the slave cylinder seals (clutch dust) and you'll be pulling the transmission. Other performance issues include a clutch that sticks on the floor under heavy use. Doing this PM avoids, or goes a LONG way to stave off, these issues. Clutch feel often improves with this job. My clutch is not original but I had no problem on The Dragon except a stiff clutch that went away after pushing the pedal once or twice. Other folks have far more severe symptoms, and again, that's why periodic flushing is a good idea.
To do the job, I use a Motive power bleeder, and the compatible thread-on cap that goes on the clutch master cylinder reservoir. Put some good brake fluid in the unit (DOT 4/synthetic does better with heat), seal it, pump it up to 20psi, then go under the car and put a hose on the bleeder. Then using an 8mm wrench, crack the bleeder open. Pretty easy job, though the bleeder is in a tight spot. I usually work the clutch during this job to make sure every last drop of old fluid makes its way out of the slave.
Lastly, I decided it was time for a tire rotation. It turns out it had been 4 years and 8,600 miles which is actually a little late for the type of tires these are (i.e. they don't last to 50k). The wear patterns looked pretty good, with a bit of a telltale over inflation pattern in the middle. I do run higher than stock pressures but visually it was nothing drastic. I did not put my tread depth gauge on them (shockingly). I did front diagonally to rear, and rear straight to front, which is the prescribed pattern in the owner's manual.
I went over the top during the job however. I decided to clean out the cross drilled rotor holes. Particularly the inner front rotor holes were all clogged with pad compound. I used a T-10 torx driver to break everything up and then followed up with a blast of air from my compressor. This made a good mess. Since the previous owner opted for these rotors, I figure they should at least work as designed.
I should have inspected the brake pads but I know they're fine. I did check the left rear (randomly) and there was tons of meat left.
Anyway it feels good to be kind of meticulous on this car. Speaking of, I should probably flush the brakes again. Last/only time would have been in 2011 pre-Dragon.
So this was a mechanical weekend. I did not wash, vacuum or wax anything...next time. I actually haven't hand washed (let alone waxed) a car since we moved here in May.
Did the Dynomax Super Turbo catback exhaust, as documented in the Exhaust forum.
Caprice
Oil change. I use the "German Castrol" (Castrol Edge) 0W-30. This time it was right at 3,000 miles. But as I've mentioned before, I think as cars get into higher miles, the oil change intervals should shrink. My theory is basically two-fold, and I think the effect is more than the sum of these individually:
- As the miles mount up, oil consumption (via leaks or any other cause) means you are running with lower than spec oil capacity on average, over the length of the OCI. This magnifies the effect of miles on the oil, such as prematurely depleting the TBN or any viscosity change that the oil may normally endure (GC is good at both)
- Particularly for engines that have oil consumption due to worn rings, there will be an increase in the nasty combustion byproducts that make their way to the oil. As I said, this would be bad enough but then there's less overall oil on average so the effect amplifies, manifesting as greater PPM of each contaminant.
In other news, I also firmly maintain that this car takes 4.5 quarts, not 5. I'd run the extra 1/2 quart since it definitely uses oil, but it is particularly sensitive to oil level (the oil pressure dropping issue that has been around for over 10 years now).
CTS-V
I saved this for Sunday. First I started with an oil change. It had been 11 months and 1,300 miles so it was time. As always, I logged the oil life indication, which said 82% life remaining. This car takes 6.5 quarts. I also use the GC 0W-30 as it is a great oil for longer oil change intervals as well as having excellent high temp/high shear stability. Think of it as an Autobahn oil. Whether it helps or not, I feel better with this oil when operating the engine hard, such as I did at The Dragon. I saw engine oil temps of 285°F which is pretty high, during sustained full throttle use. There were zero issues, and even no oil consumption. I don't have the data personally but I don't know if all synthetics would have performed as well. Similarly, I like this oil in my Caprice because when I romp on the 294k mile engine, I'd like a better than average oil helping it out. I no longer favor Mobil 1 products for engine oil, by the way, and haven't for years.
Next I decided to flush the clutch hydraulics. This was done almost 3 years ago to the day, and about 5,600 miles ago. Particularly under heavy duty usage, I believe the T56 slave endures some hardship with all the heat (both from the clutch and from the exhaust). So it is good practice to flush the clutch hydraulics every other oil change. For me, it happened to be 3 years ago. The fluid looked pretty good, just a little more golden than clear. To note, these can look absolutely disgusting with miles and hard use. What happens is it will destroy the slave cylinder seals (clutch dust) and you'll be pulling the transmission. Other performance issues include a clutch that sticks on the floor under heavy use. Doing this PM avoids, or goes a LONG way to stave off, these issues. Clutch feel often improves with this job. My clutch is not original but I had no problem on The Dragon except a stiff clutch that went away after pushing the pedal once or twice. Other folks have far more severe symptoms, and again, that's why periodic flushing is a good idea.
To do the job, I use a Motive power bleeder, and the compatible thread-on cap that goes on the clutch master cylinder reservoir. Put some good brake fluid in the unit (DOT 4/synthetic does better with heat), seal it, pump it up to 20psi, then go under the car and put a hose on the bleeder. Then using an 8mm wrench, crack the bleeder open. Pretty easy job, though the bleeder is in a tight spot. I usually work the clutch during this job to make sure every last drop of old fluid makes its way out of the slave.
Lastly, I decided it was time for a tire rotation. It turns out it had been 4 years and 8,600 miles which is actually a little late for the type of tires these are (i.e. they don't last to 50k). The wear patterns looked pretty good, with a bit of a telltale over inflation pattern in the middle. I do run higher than stock pressures but visually it was nothing drastic. I did not put my tread depth gauge on them (shockingly). I did front diagonally to rear, and rear straight to front, which is the prescribed pattern in the owner's manual.
I went over the top during the job however. I decided to clean out the cross drilled rotor holes. Particularly the inner front rotor holes were all clogged with pad compound. I used a T-10 torx driver to break everything up and then followed up with a blast of air from my compressor. This made a good mess. Since the previous owner opted for these rotors, I figure they should at least work as designed.
I should have inspected the brake pads but I know they're fine. I did check the left rear (randomly) and there was tons of meat left.
Anyway it feels good to be kind of meticulous on this car. Speaking of, I should probably flush the brakes again. Last/only time would have been in 2011 pre-Dragon.
So this was a mechanical weekend. I did not wash, vacuum or wax anything...next time. I actually haven't hand washed (let alone waxed) a car since we moved here in May.