How exact was your 1.5 quart drain estimate? Knowing it runs no 1.5 quarts of oil is amazing. It makes those of us who worry about 1/2 a quart look crazy.
neglected Malibu
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Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
How exact was your 1.5 quart drain estimate? Knowing it runs no 1.5 quarts of oil is amazing. It makes those of us who worry about 1/2 a quart look crazy.
My '96 F-150 was running just fine with LESS than a quart in the pan when I got it(yeah that was a big surprise), incl what was in the filter and there may have been a quart & half in it total... I flushed it with three odd quarts I had by running it for 20-30 minutes probably five different times(wasn't tagged just ran in back yard)... That oil looked like it had 8-10K mi when drained, was nearly black... I filled it with Quaker State Conventional and at approx seven months & 2300 mi it was down a quart, still oil wasn't all that dark... I've topped up and am planning on running it out to about 4K mi before it's changed... That may well be spring as I only put 250-300 mi a month on it...
How exact was your 1.5 quart drain estimate? Knowing it runs no 1.5 quarts of oil is amazing. It makes those of us who worry about 1/2 a quart look crazy.
My '96 F-150 was running just fine with LESS than a quart in the pan when I got it(yeah that was a big surprise), incl what was in the filter and there may have been a quart & half in it total... I flushed it with three odd quarts I had by running it for 20-30 minutes probably five different times(wasn't tagged just ran in back yard)... That oil looked like it had 8-10K mi when drained, was nearly black... I filled it with Quaker State Conventional and at approx seven months & 2300 mi it was down a quart, still oil wasn't all that dark... I've topped up and am planning on running it out to about 4K mi before it's changed... That may well be spring as I only put 250-300 mi a month on it...
I would never pull the valve cover on a $400 car...JMO!
Does the engine appear to run OK? If yes then I would do at least ( 2 ) 500 mile oil changes. This will loosen up a lot of the sludge in the engine. As long as the oil passages are not clogged, the oil will clean the engine.
I've read of people using transmission fluid in place of oil for a few hundred miles as the ATF has some powerful detergents. IMHO, if the ATF does its job too well, it might free up a large chunk of sludge and clog up some important oil passages.
Why do people treat their vehicles so poorly? If you adhere to the maintenance schedule, that Ecotec engine will outlast the body of the car.
I've read of people using transmission fluid in place of oil for a few hundred miles as the ATF has some powerful detergents. IMHO, if the ATF does its job too well, it might free up a large chunk of sludge and clog up some important oil passages.
Why do people treat their vehicles so poorly? If you adhere to the maintenance schedule, that Ecotec engine will outlast the body of the car.
ATF does not have powerful detergents. Just look at any VOA.
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I would never pull the valve cover on a $400 car...JMO!
If I bought a car, even for four bills and thought that I could use it for some time, I'd see no reason not to pull the valve cover if I suspected an engine full of deposits.
I wouldn't worry about what I'd paid for it.
I'd think about how much use I could get out of it with a little TLC.
If the thing dies next week, the OP's buddy can get most of his monsy back in scrap value alone.
If it just needs a little inexpensive maintenance to do another 50K, then it's worth it to do the work.
I would never pull the valve cover on a $400 car...JMO!
If I bought a car, even for four bills and thought that I could use it for some time, I'd see no reason not to pull the valve cover if I suspected an engine full of deposits.
I wouldn't worry about what I'd paid for it.
I'd think about how much use I could get out of it with a little TLC.
If the thing dies next week, the OP's buddy can get most of his monsy back in scrap value alone.
If it just needs a little inexpensive maintenance to do another 50K, then it's worth it to do the work.
Having owned a few questionable cars like this in my college days you have two choices:
1. Follow some posters advice and blow lots of money fixing it until its broke.
2. Drive it, and when the current fill gets pretty dark around say 3k-5k change it with whatever and repeat. In the mean time get some usage out of the car and sell it in 6 months for a couple of grand.
You don't pull apart good running motors to have a peak, that's called making work!
1. Follow some posters advice and blow lots of money fixing it until its broke.
2. Drive it, and when the current fill gets pretty dark around say 3k-5k change it with whatever and repeat. In the mean time get some usage out of the car and sell it in 6 months for a couple of grand.
You don't pull apart good running motors to have a peak, that's called making work!
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