RE: Oil Change Intervals

[cordeiro@adi.com (Alan Cordeiro)]

Hi all,

The best reaosn for using synthetic oil is to protect the turbo, if
you have one. Just after a spirited drive the turbo is one of the
hottest parts in the engine compartment, even the '86 and later
water cooled turbos, because one hell of a lot of exhaust passes right
through them.

The auxilary water pump continues to pump water even after the engine
is shut off, but there is a period where no fresh oil is circulating
through the turbo bearings, and there is a "cooking" effect going on.

Any reduction in gum build-up that can be obtained by using synthetics
is probably more than worth the extra paid for it.

On the side, I have extended the change intervals to 5000 miles/6 months
so there is a partial compensation, not to mention a few less trips to
the recycle center......

While I'm on the line, on the subject of A/Cs, one of the more common
causes of failure is a slow leakage of freon on cars five years old
or more. Using an " A/C manifold ' gives you a good idea of its status,
and allows you to monitor the system while you charge to make sure you
do not add too much. TOO MUCH FREON CAN DAMAGE your system, so be careful.
It is better to undercharge slightly.

Alan Cordeiro