No, engines certainly do fail before some cars are ready to be scrapped.Oil related failures occur, especially in higher performance cars. Valves, rings,turbos, and bearings can fail earlier due to oil related issues.
Are engines outlasting the rest of the car?
- Thread starter Seth
- Start date
- Status
It also depends on individuals. When I bought my first car I talked to a mechanic who worked in a Texaco station across the street from where I worked summers while I went to college. He said that he was probably doing himself a disservice, but he told me to change O&F every 3K without fail, and I'd see little or no engine trouble. In that time, engine-wise, I have had to:
1. Replace a camshaft in a 1975 SAAB 99 with about 60,000 miles. The analysis was a soft lobe on the camshaft.
2. Grind an exhaust valve in a 1979 SAAB 900 Turbo with 178,000 miles.
3. Rebuild the block in a 1989 Dodge Ram 50 (the Mistubishi 2600 motor) that lunched the #3 main bearing at 98,000. I had purchased the truck at 93,000 at $3,000 below book, and the Auto II class at the school where I taught rebuilt the block for $600. The analysis was the bearing had failed due to abuse. I finally got rid of the truck due to rust issues at 165,000 miles; it ran fine during all that time.
I would say that this much engine work over 40 years (1967 - 2007) may be testimony to many things, but I'd like to think that changing the oil & filter religiously every 3,000 miles had something to do with it. That's my perspective, anyhow.
1. Replace a camshaft in a 1975 SAAB 99 with about 60,000 miles. The analysis was a soft lobe on the camshaft.
2. Grind an exhaust valve in a 1979 SAAB 900 Turbo with 178,000 miles.
3. Rebuild the block in a 1989 Dodge Ram 50 (the Mistubishi 2600 motor) that lunched the #3 main bearing at 98,000. I had purchased the truck at 93,000 at $3,000 below book, and the Auto II class at the school where I taught rebuilt the block for $600. The analysis was the bearing had failed due to abuse. I finally got rid of the truck due to rust issues at 165,000 miles; it ran fine during all that time.
I would say that this much engine work over 40 years (1967 - 2007) may be testimony to many things, but I'd like to think that changing the oil & filter religiously every 3,000 miles had something to do with it. That's my perspective, anyhow.
I thought Mobil 1 was a group III oil.
I always aim to keep a car 20 years and usually come close to 15. (The inlaws are still driving my 19-year-old K-car, so that one has a shot a 20 years.) I do 3k mi / 5k km OCIs because of urban driving and I change "lifetime" ATF and "lifetime" coolant every few years, against the advice of the local VW dealership.
I don't doubt what you say, but keep in mind that the oils and engines today, fuel systems, metallurgy, etc. are much improved or at least drastically different. The oils for sure have improved exponentially.
The toyotas and fords I have owned were both running beautiful engine wise before they became unsafe, undriveable due to rusted out bodies, brake lines, etc. To be fair the fords were plow trucks that got rode hard and put away wet. The supras were just tin can rust buckets. GM seems to do better with the rustproofing as my 94 formula still runs perfect at 246 k miles and has no rust, no brake lline issues and still has the factory Stainless steel exhaust. The salt is brutal on cars in the northeast.
Kestas
Staff member
Engines nearly always outlast the rest of the car in the Rust Belt. Hence, my indifference to synthetic motor oil, and I use whatever is on sale.
Some would say that I over do it when it comes to the cost of oil changes with my 95 Geo Prizm. The guys at NAPA give me a weird look when I buy the NAPA Gold filter for a Geo. I match the filter up with 5W-30 Mobil 1 Sythetic (as suggested on here) and change my oil every 5000-5500 miles, which ='s out to every 1 1/2 months. I was told 7,000 IIRC, but changing the oil more than Im supposed to makes me feel real good and is worth the cost to me
***always open to suggestings when it comes to using better oil/filters***
As far as the engine out lasting the car, I hope to have that problem solved here in the next couple years with a Line X paint job/undercoating. This way, I will have a Toyota motor and a rust proof'd exterior
***always open to suggestings when it comes to using better oil/filters***
As far as the engine out lasting the car, I hope to have that problem solved here in the next couple years with a Line X paint job/undercoating. This way, I will have a Toyota motor and a rust proof'd exterior
Quote:
Well, there's a mirror image of that on the "other side". The point of these discussion may be for those who feel that the philosophy of the "throw away car culture" is not for them. There are plenty of people that buy new and retain the vehicle until environmental or other issues become untenable. Now, sure, in some instances it just doesn't make sense ..but it's usually more of a "habit" then it is sound reasoning. My daughter's car is one such "buy a few years old and ditch it when it starts costing you" ownership philosophy.
It's mainly a convenience thing. It can be an expensive indulgence of choice. Now if you've got the cash to spare then you're going to blow it somewhere
Very well said. No argument here. Not that I didnt think about it. I "threw" away my car with 115k miles and little over 5 and half years. I am positive if I replaced the suspension (struts, springs and bushings) it would all be good. But somehow, deep inside my heart I felt like I needed a new car. Almost like an addicted junkie, I found some reason.
True there are more issues as well that I can make a laundry list out of apart from suspension. All of those repairs will add up to one year's worth of payments. But what is the guarantee that they wont be replaced with new ones next year? This I am not sure of or I am just trying to justify my new car purchase.
Whatever it is, I did improve a lot since this is the first car I drove well over 100k miles. So, in my view I already made progress by delaying my new car purchase this long (okay thats subjective
But I promised myself to keep my new car for a long long time. New one is 07 outlander which requires 5w20 and only has 4 litres of engine oil in it (not the usual 5 in my older car). Anything to look out for? Should I go down the synthetic path on this one as well? or Should I just go with normal oil changes and everything will be
- Status