What motor oil should I use?

What motor oil should I use? Whether your a DIY(Do-it-yourselfer) changing your oil or just picking up a quart because your running low this is a common question. You go down the aisle of your local autopart or department store chain you'll see a multitude of choices. It can confusing and overwhelming to many. Can you choose just any old one? I don't think you should though in a pinch you may get away with it but, over the long term you should use correct one for your application. Using the incorrect oil over a long period could damage your engine or at least make it work harder. If you use the correct one your engine will thank you by giving you less problems and perhaps better gas mileage(and who doesn't mind that these days).

Well first and probably obvious place to find the correct oil for your vehicle is your owners manual. If you don't have one you should get one. It provides a valuable resource in using and maintaining your vehicle. If you don't have one they are usually relatively inexpensive enough to pick one up. If your car is a recent model you may be able to get one from your dealer. If it's an older model I've found that you could probably pick one up for your vehicle fairly cheap on Ebay. Another good idea is to pick up a repair manual from Haynes or Chiltons specific for your vehicle. Also if you can ask your local mechanic or auto parts store to look it up for you.

What to look for when purchasing motor oil

When purchasing motor oil you should look for some basic items which can be found on most sold in stores. I'm not going to go too in depth as much of the info can be confusing(even to me). The most important as stated before is buying the correct type for your vehicle. Assuming you already know that here is what to look for.

Most likely you'll be shopping for the rating first(like above). This is the viscosity rating SAE 5W-30. This is what they refer to as a multi-viscosity motor oil. The SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. This is the group that sets the the standard specifications for viscosity. The "5" is referred to as 5-weight which is the viscosity the oil will perform at when used in winter like conditions which brings us to the "W" . "W" is for winter. Does it mean it's only to be used in winter? No this is sold year round at least it is northeast where I am. Perhaps in milder climates they may change I'm not sure. The "30"(or 30-weight) is the viscosity that the oil will perform at in hotter temperatures.

Most likely you will also see this star symbol. This is means it has been certified by the API(American Petroleum Institute) . This group represents the marketers and creates and sets industry standards for equipment, products and practices. This has been around since 1924.

This symbol kind of combines everything in one. You get the viscosity rating of SAE 5W-30. The API service rating which does change over time. Currently "API Service SM" I believe is the latest one. They generally go in sequence as in "SH", "SJ", and so on. "Energy Conserving" means basically what it says. It's engineered to conserve energy(a big catch word these days).

Petroleum vs. Synthetic

More than likely you'll see a selection of synthetic oils too while shopping. I've not personally used these but I've heard good things about it. A word of caution though. If your not already using synthetic oils or are tempted to try them stick with the Petroleum based. From what I know you usually have to flush the engine out before switching over to synthetic. The SAE ratings are the same though once you've done the switch. Perhaps I'll go more in depth with this at another time.

Well thanks for coming by and I hope this was helpful. A short disclaimer though. I'm not an engineer nor do work on automobiles for a profession. If I made a mistake or you would like to comment on this please feel free to do so. I do welcome feedback and will update the info. Thank you and happy motoring!

Sources: Motoroilworld.com, The Engine Oil Bible, Motor Oil Myths and Facts,

Ebay: Find the throttle body

Let's see if we can help those at Jalopnik find the throttle body hidden in this and other pictures on this Ebay ad. I just thought pass this along. The more help they get they just might find the throttle body. Heck if I see one.

Ebay: CutZilla!

I saw this one and I couldn't resist sharing. It's a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4x4. Yes 4x4. Nicknamed "Cutzilla". Apparently mounted on a Jeep Wagoneer frame. I'm not sure if I like it or condemn it. Definitely someone with too much time on there hands.

Alternator Rebuild part 6

We continue along now with the further adventures of "Bob the (re)Builder"! Can I fix it ? Yes I can! Well we continue along with the world longest alternator rebuild. For just a recap for those just joining us I'm in the process of rebuilding an alternator from a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair. My last step was getting the pulley fan off. Today I cover removing the rotor from the front housing.Not only do I do this perhaps to help other's but perhaps as also a reference point for myself in the future. The pictures and other stuff will help me when I not only get to the rebuilding part but also when I do other's in the future. I already have another alternator coming my way off of Ebay. That one will be Ford Mustang alternator from a slightly newer model(1990). I will also share that one here also as that will be a little different. Well on with the show.

To remove the rotor I simply gave it a few taps from my trusty ball peen hammer and amazingly it came right out. I thought I was going to need a puller so that was a bit of relief.

This picture was kind of a note to myself. Note to self: Please remember this piece going here.

This is the inside of the front housing.

The rotor is removed finally. I've also made note that much of varnish is worn off and does have some signs of corrosion. This will be another challenge restoring this. Not sure how I'm going to accomplish this part but I'll cross that bridge in another post. If anyone can give me any information regarding this feel free to chime in.

Using a 5/16 socket I removed the bearing cover from the front housing.

It came off easy enough. The bearings themselves turned easy enough. Though it had mush crap inside and looks as if there were some remnants of perhaps what was a paper(cardboard perhaps) gasket inside which had long deteriorated. I'm planning on replacing that anyway.

Well there you have it. Another step in the process. Now I'm looking into how to remove the bearings. Also on how to refinish the rotor and other parts too. Thanks for coming by.

1938: Millers Falls, Massachussetts (2)

1938: Millers Falls, Massachussetts (2)
Originally uploaded by dok1

One of my contacts on Flickr is dok1(Aka: Don O'Brien). Recently he's been sharing photo's from his youth regarding his families travels in the late 1930's. He shares photo's like this one where he and his family stayed at various motels and motor courts. The clincher is that he gives his father's corresponding diary entry for each photo. It's such an interesting glimpse into the past regarding pre-war America. I hope you'll check out his whole series.

More Craigslist humor part 2

I was checking Craigslist again and came across another humorous car ad here.

$1200 CASH >> sorry no trades.
CAR NEEDS TO BE GONE BY THIS WEEKEND!!!
Runs.
Needs tranny to be rebuilt, No smoke, no knocking.
Interior is on premises.
Decent body.
It has been stored in a garage.
Needs to go ASAP.
Will need to be towed or trailered.
Come check it out.
NO TRADES
SERIOUS inquiries only please!

Accompanying this ad was only a partial picture of the car. So what kind of car is it? I think that would be important information before plunking down $1200 for a car. How about a full picture of the car to help? My best guess would be a late sixties Camaro. How can they expect serious inquiries without a serious ad? Oh the humanity. Morons should not own classic cars.

da

I was just surfing around Craigslist and came across this ad for a "90 civic hatch". I couldn't stop laughing at this one. Here it is....

just put it on da road monday but wanna buy something else. its a 4 speed blue hatch. runs good. only thing it needs is a hood cause it has some rust on it. the throtle cable gets stuck sometimes buts it no biggy. it has a sunroof, vinal interior. runs stong for da year. im still waiting on da title from da registry but i know down der yall only need my registration which i have. hit me up cause i wanna get rid asap.

I'm surprised he put periods at the end of his sentences. I get a laugh out of ads like this. Obviously no thought put into it. After the third "da" I just started cracking up. I'd almost guarantee the person probably talks like this also.

Lord of the 'Ring

I found this video of the Corvette ZR1 attacking the famous Nurburgring track in Germany. Doing an amazing lap of 7:26.4. It's an awesome video to watch. It made the hairs on my neck stand up in a few places. Enjoy the video!



Sources: Autoblog and GMNext

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood

I found this one over at Bring A Trailer blog. It's a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood. It's listed on Craigslist for a mere $800. I would call that a steal. If it were local I might have even checked it out. Why did it catch my eye? I spotted one locally at a car show(see picture below) the exact same color. A very cool car indeed.

Alternator Rebuild Part 5

This alternator rebuild is going to have more parts than there have been Rocky movies. Probably take as long too. Anyway earlier this week my impact wrench arrived and I was itching to use it. I finally made it to my brothers garage to use his compressor. After some adjustments to the fittings I got the impact wrench work and I was off. Where we left off was that I was stuck getting the pulley fan nut off.

Using 15/16" impact socket I applied it to the nut. Squeezed the trigger a few times and it came off like a charm. Amazing what will happen when you have the correct tool for the job.

Now it'll be how to remove the rotor from the housing. Also I can start removing the paint, rust and repaint the pulley fan. The saga continues.....




Previous Parts:
Introduction
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

I can see the (brake) light

My wife had both her taillights go out at the same time. Can't chance having the local law enforcement pulling her over or causing an accident. So I thought why not turn it into a short how-to for here. So here we go into how to change the brake lights on a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. First of all I went down to the local parts store and picked up the required bulbs. The part number is 3057LL by Sylvania. The only tool you'll need is a decent Phillips head screw driver. To access the rear light housing you'll have to first open the rear door.

On the inside of the door jam next to the light you'll see two Phillips head screws. Those are the ones you want.

Unscrew these and the rear housing will pivot out. The opposing side is held in by a tab and should just come out with a small pull.

The brake light is the top one.

Turn about an 1/8 of a turn counterclockwise and pull.

The old bulb should be easy to pull and just install the new bulb with a click. You can the reinstall bulb into the housing. Then reassemble everything in reverse order.

Test it out and make sure it works. If all goes well you can do this in less than 15 minutes. There we go on how to change a brake light bulb in a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. I'm sure Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country are similar. Thanks for coming by and I hope this was helpful.

71 Cutlass before and after

Before Circa 2006

First of all I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July! I just wanted to share a little tidbit. Recently I went to a local salvage yard to check it out. It's one I've been to before and is one of my favorites. One particular car of interest was a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass they had. Now I had seen this the there a couple of years back so I was interested if they still had it. Not surprisingly it had been pretty well picked clean. This was a bit more than the normal pick-a-part stuff. First it had the whole roof chopped off. Then you look in the back of the car the rear end had been cut off. I was like "WOW!" I just though it was interesting the difference a couple of years makes.

After (2008)