Grumpy Bear

Sensation Melons Mitchell Melons is our only local supplier and the season ends in less than a week. Find a source. These are special.

187,775 Mile Service 8/25/2025 Replace all four headlamp bulbs. Passenger low beam went out and the high beams have never been replaced. So I bought the hundred dollars worth of Sylvania Silver Star H-11 C lows and 9005 high beams and set about it. Hate this job. HATE IT. Love the result. If I could just remember to turn the DRL's off during the daytime I could double or triple the life of the bulbs. I miss my $1.50 a bulb 5" sealed beams you replaced about every ten years. This is a racket and good incandescent quads work pretty darn nice. Side note. Pepper LOVES her new 5W40 lubricant. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Education cost. This time the price of a lift kit and A/T tires. We have freedom of choice but not freedom of consequences. He will pay for this...one way or the other. Pay for the correction not the continuing destruction. Most of the items on my list are either free or part of a routine maintenance program. Alignment is routine, Air it free, slowing down cost a nothing. Even the tires could be part of normal maintenance. Change at the next required set. Removing a lift in the drive and spending on a routine alignment...a no brainer. I run all the goodies out of every part of my truck. Ran the first set of tires 125K (example). Still on the OEM installed brakes at 190K. (Drive like you haven't any) Also free. Bad habit cost more than they save. Good habits are priceless and free. A guy could adopt the attitude, Yes I made a mistake and now I'm stuck with it forever because it cost to reverse it? That would just be tossing good money after bad.

275,000 Miles Service 442,570 Kilometers 8/25/2025 275K! Kind of a big deal given her history. You go girl!! 1,000 mile OCI nominal No makeup this OCI. Stayed put. Big move from 12 ounces per thousand. And it looks like a normal 1K oil service. Not inky and stinky. This has be worried. Did I over fill it? 5 Quarts Mobil 1 Euro FS 5W40 No filter change this time. Gave her a bath and adjusted tire pressured. Checked all other fluids. Looks good enough to "Keep On Truck'n"

One has little to do with the other. That said and in a more liberal meaning; it is wise to compare only to yourself. Perhaps that was the intent. If you think you can't get a 15-20% improvement, you'd be mistaken. Go all in and 30% is not off the table. Pepper is not a "Story", the results were the results hand calculated and graphed. Everyone got to follow along in 2019 were for the year it tapped 30+ mpg. The items on the list I put up were the ones I used to get that result. In print in my build thread. Can I do that with a four door V8? 30 mpg? No. But I can get one to respond to the physics involved as can anyone else that honestly tries and applies the science. As for the other suggestion. Yes. And if you won't believe 30+ with a pickup you will never get your head around 52+ mpg in a Mitsubishi Mirage for it's first year. 30,173 miles in year one using 578.75 gallons of fuel = 52.13 mpg RESULT. 718 engine hours = 42 MPH RESULT 13 mpg over the EPA combine value. 33% improvement! 6 mph faster than that national average. Rinse and repeat or Pepper using exactly the same methods to get exactly the same results. Quite a story. EPA numbers: The Mitsubishi Mirage has an EPA fuel economy rating of up to 36 miles per gallon in the city and 43 miles per gallon on the highway, averaging around 39 miles per gallon combined.

1.) Lower and stock size H/T tires. Already said. Goes to frontal area and rolling resistance. Oh and run those tires hard. Adding 3 psi over nameplate will not kill the tire nor the wear if the alignment is correct. 2.) Alignment. Tires standing up near zero camber but negative, -.2 to 0 and even. Toe positive, even and minimum, .02-.04. Shoot for zero steer-ahead and zero thrust angle. And take some caster out of it but stay in spec. 3.) Tune up and not a tune. Standard stuff. Plugs, wires air filter. PVC system. 4.) Minimum weight. That stuff in the bed/cab you don't use, ditch it. 5.) Soft tonneau cover and keep the gate up. 6.) You'll love this one...Slow down. Drive like you haven't any brakes. It's an art. Anticipate lights and traffic. Yea, it takes a few more minutes so start earlier. I'm not talking snails pace but even 10 mph make a HUGE impact. At least the speed limit. Get used to being passed but not a a$$. 7.) Scan Gauge III. You'll be surprised how much instant real time feed back corrects bad habits. Hones point #6. 8.) Stay out of the drive through. 9.) Pan heater in the winter. Cold oil is the big end of the winter fuel economy loss. On trips as long as yours 0W* oil gives you next to nothing over 5W* and use a 'slick oil' Lubricity is huge. And not all 0W or 5W oils are created equal. The cold weather properties of the specs are MAXIUMS not minimums and those that use PAO's instead of Group III at the bulk base will always have lower CCS numbers. I'll let you fret the brand.

I'm believe in fitness. Fitness this entire Pizza in my mouth.

I've had the Verano panic stop over a shadow crossing the road. GM said, "Could not duplicate" Mitsubishi has done the brake dive once or twice when someone passes and comes back in too close (showing me they are annoyed). What? My other speed is much slower. Let me show you.....

30,000 Mile Service Raven 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 1200 cc. Triple and Jatco FE015E (CV7) CVT 3,750 mile OCI. No usage. 3 quarts + 3 oz Red Line HP Euro Series 5W40 + 3 oz Red Line ZDDP additive. 1 Purolator PL 14610 filter Sample drawn. Replaced CVT valve body filter, Beck Arnley #044-0467 filter. 2 quart drop and fill Red Line Non-Slip CVT fluid J4 compatible

Just got the joke. Laugh is on me.

https://sharena21.springcm.com/Public/Document/18452/eb07a7bd-14d0-e911-9c2a-ac162d889bd1/519ec084-52d0-e911-9c2a-ac162d889bd1 https://parts.gmparts.com/product/acdelco-gm-original-equipment-dexron-ulv-automatic-transmission-fluid-1-qt-19352619 Saw the post on the forums page and thought others might have the same question or I wouldn't reply. No red flags I can see. Lower pour point and 40C viscosity only directly published data. Speaks to lighter base oil which is not an issue. Fully compatible.

And my work here is done

James, I applaud your reasonableness, but sir, the problem with rational ideas are they are only accepted by rational people. 2 Corinthians 2:3,4 (You will understand the reference.) As well meaning and as on point at the above comment is (wish I had thought of it)... Might I suggest Prov 26:4? Now about them Cubs! Nine games behind. A bit late for the "June Swoon).

Assemble This! https://www.jatco.co.jp/english_rele...1031_1557.html Read it carefully then ask: 1.) How does this friction additive reverse temperature initiated oxidation of the BASE OIL? (It is unavoidable) 2.) How does a friction additive remove the sub 20 micron wear debris the filters can not? (Debris are unavoidable) From one of the leading suppliers to the auto industry, Jatco!...OMG, what rubbish. What is the solution to the above two points? Replace the fluid to 1.) Replace damaged fluid and 2.) Dilute or flush debris. This "new" chemistry does not deny oxidation and contamination....it simply IGNORES it , like it will go away if they promote something disconnected hard enough with a pubic/environmental/governmental need severe enough. Distraction. To what end? $$$$$$$$$$$$ is that enough $$. And one thinks I don't understand business. I understand liars and don't like them. How's that trust thing for factory engineers holding up? What CLE signed off on that swill? Was one even involved?

I've been running E-85 in Pepper for the last 35K miles continuous. While I've only done one UOA on this fuel, the dilution rate was 0% by GC. Piston tops and plugs are carbon free and if they are then lands one and two are as well. Alcohol is so light that even when it gets in the sump it's gone almost as soon as it enters. Viscosity cut requires the solvent to stay in solution, right? Otherwise how would my still work?

I've posted a video before from the fella that does Engineering Explained where a military study showed no increased wear when Ethanol was used reguardless of percentage but it was an issue the Methanol. Never ran a blend in a carb car but bikes didn't seem to mind.

Interesting notes at 10 minutes in on what is considered clean.

But apparently it has access to the NTHSA TSB list and those documents. Not an AI fanboy myself. It's like a 70+ year old man. Lots of information and little filtering. See, I just proved it. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10172812-9999.pdf

I think you didn't drink the 7.5K OCI Kool-Aid, got one that hadn't any defective parts and likely drive and maintain like an adult that cares about how long the equipment last. I'd say the truck got lucky getting you as an owner. But, hey, it's just a guess. Could be the draw, sure.

I forgot in the Harley post above that oil temperatures in the Twin Cam motors when worked can run OVER 300 F sump temperatures without coolers and hence the 20W50 20W60 recommendations. A point worth noting in the phos./sulfur will kill rolling elements in oil temperatures over 175 F arguments. Not even at a hundred over that point at twice the PCMO current specs. Rode the 'Tail of the Dragon' one year on my 2005 TC88 with a friend and his 2006 TC94 Ultra and a local fella that tagged along for the day. It was over 90 F that day. If you know the road then you know that speeds fast enough to keep an air cooled big twin in check are not possible and kids, we didn't ride it at a leisurely pace. At the end of that run my oil temp was under 200 F. My bike is fitted with the HD high volume oil and scavenger pumps, filled with Red Line 10W40 and running two coolers and a push in oil temp gauge as were all three bikes. Tom, my riding partner finished the ride at around 270 F. His bike on Red Line 20W50 and without coolers. That third fella on a stock TC 88 was 305F. No coolers and running HD black bottle 20W50 made by Citgo at that time. I still own that bike. Tom passed and who knows what happened to the other fella. On more leisurely rides Tom and I took across the USA at road speeds between 60 and 85 mph Oliver, my TC88, routinely ran air temperature + 90 degrees and in the mountains I would blind one or both coolers to keep the oil over 175 F. Tom was pretty much 225 to 250 F mountain to desert. Why do I tell this experience? (Remember I run two coolers and 10W40) From the SKF link a few posts ago: [Quote] When a bearing has reached its normal speed and operating temperature, the lubrication condition of the bearing is: where κ Lubrication condition of the bearing, i.e. viscosity ratio ν Actual operating viscosity of the oil or the grease base oil [mm2/s] ν1 Rated viscosity, function of the mean bearing diameter and rotational speed [mm2/s] The actual operating viscosity, ν, of the lubricant can be determined from the ISO viscosity grade of the oil, or the grease base oil, and the operating temperature of the bearing...[Close Quote] Give that some thought next time you're towing and running 0W20! And/Or running 70 in tow mode in other than top gear at Max weight. Hersey is viscosity dependent and viscosity is temperature dependent. When I first got Pepper it had a 207 F thermostat and the oil heater/cooler in the V-6 models is in the hot tank and is a 5 element stacked plate exchanger that runs counter current. My oil temps ran 220-225 F on normal days of average temperatures and over 235 F at 70 mph on a hot day; 250 F+ ratting her. Something I did not know until I got my Scan Gauge II. For most of her life she has run on Red Line HP 5W30 or HP Euro 5W30 whose HTHS viscosity is 3.7 cSt. A hard step up from the DEXOS1Gen2 5W30 call out with a HTHS of 2.9 cSt. And she was fitted with a thermostat of 170 F to lower bulk oil temperatures below what trading that Group III swill for a PAO had already provided. Top line in the graph below the top blue line is the oil temperature vs speed, OEM setup and OEM oil. Green line at the bottom is the current fitment and Red Line Euro 5W30. No one and i mean NO ONE says a word when I drop the oil temperature 25 to 40 degrees but has a cow when I up the viscosity a grade or two. What does that tell you about the understanding of such people? Experts that don't grasp the temperature relationship of the Hersey Equation. No one says a word when I use a 5W30 with a 15W40 HTHS. Again, no understanding. Or how about the fella's tell me that the saw a huge increase or decrease in hot oil pressure with a grade change. 20 degrees is about one grade and I've added recently another switching to RL HP Euro 5W40 and...nada....a half a needle width on the oil temp. Lack of understanding is killing more equipment that the OEM call outs and these people are the ones I am supposed to take advise from? I don't tell you what I think. I report what I measure. Then I do me and let you do you.

Know what motor is full of roller bearings, ball bearings and needle bearings? Big ends and mains and rockers. Harley Davidson. Know what the sulfur and phosphorus levels are for those oils? >2200 ppm phos and over 3.5% sulfur. Ever see a Harley with a lube based bearing corrosion issue? Me either nor anyone else that LOOKED. Here's a big difference between my long term experience and others anecdotal stories about, "I've done this for decades without issues?" I take my apart at life cycle end. Big difference between measurement and didn't have a issue. Had a fella once that had a motor he thought 'ticky' but running just fine so thought his program solid. Goateed him into a tear down. Wrist pins egg shaped was the source of the noise. Pins dragging the cylinder walls and locks knocked out of it but hey....it was running fine. Yea it was using a quart in under a thou but not smoking so what's the problem? Whatever....

105C? 221 F? My milage does vary. LOL. I'm happy at 160 F and adding cooling above 175 F sustained. But yea, if you change oil often enough you can get away with murder. I'm just not going to do it.

[Quotes from the link] The higher the κ value, the better the lubrication condition of the bearing and its expected rated life. This must be judged against the possible friction increase because of the higher oil viscosity. κ > 4 (i.e. better than full film lubrication) will not further increase the rating of the bearing. However, κ > 4 may be useful in applications where the bearing temperature rise is small and additional lubrication condition reliability is desirable. This would apply, for example, to bearing applications with frequent start-stop running conditions or occasional temperature variations. So basically what I've been saying. More than you need only hurts economy, not reliability. One of those 'additional lubrication condition reliably" situations is when using cheap VM's. An additional note: EP/AW additives containing sulphur-­phosphorus can reduce bearing life. Generally, SKF recommends testing chemical reactivity of EP/AW for operating temperatures above 80 °C (175 °F). Not in doses used in PCMO's of any era.

https://www.skf.com/us/products/rolling-bearings/principles-of-rolling-bearing-selection/bearing-selection-process/bearing-size/size-selection-based-on-rating-life/lubrication-condition-the-viscosity-ratio-k I expect SKF relying on Hersey makes them (SKF) unreliable orators as well. If you think this post has little to do with ICE's then your understanding of 'elements' is lacking and you can't be helped. Kind of what PROOF looks like. Saying something is true doesn't make it so. K factor and knowing that the value is chosen for up and running in a normalized state and formulating to handle it AND the absence of that state while in transition and THEN attempting to make the argument that transitional regimes are the majority is a two legged stool you rest your belief on. EP and AW are for the aberrational condition. Not the basis for lubrication. A main bearing is a rolling element. A roller rocker on a cam lobe is a rolling element bearing. Cam bearings. Pump shafts and so on. Even a flat tappet cam is an element of a very large radius running on another with a tapper. Tapered roller. One element or thirty, diameter of a millimeter or nearly infinite radius, the principles of lubrication remain no matter how many ignorantly laughing emoji's one might post. I expect at least one detractor will consider himself wiser than those who design and teach this science. Blah, blah, blah... So ignore me and ignore those opposing me. Look at the EVEDENCE the PROOFS. What your children are being taught at University. Or not..... Keep right on believing OEM's are looking out for YOU. I just read one manual that states "Failure to have the Oil Condition MONITOR reset when changing fluid WILL RESULT in damage not covered by warranty. Yea...looking out for me. Should have blow up thirty times already. But gearboxes are considered by many to be "black boxes" of mystery. It would be like saying failure to reset you OLM will blow up your motor. Same company's handbook states normal CVT operating temperature is between 120 and 175 F and then fit the unit with a fluid HEATER who's source of heat is cooling water with a regulated temperature of 192 F and feed from the hot tank making it impossible in anything but artic conditions to run cooler than 205 F. Lots of experts say allot of things. Most of them are not true but they are PROFITABLE. Go ahead, roll those eyes and tag those post.

I see we are neighbors. Good, then we have some common experience. How does the truck run on a -20 F winter day first start of the morning? Does is hang on to the 1-2 shift or the 2-3 a bit longer than when hot? Too cool. Then there are perhaps some parameters within the TCM or ECM that require a certain temperature to satisfy some requirement or another. Too cool. Now I don't own an Allison 10 so don't know it's programing but I'd still wager that the temperature in which ALL requirements are satisfied for 'normal' operation is something like 105-115 F AFT temperature. My 6L80E is 107 F. Anything between that trigger number and 'too hot' is a sound operating temperature. Too hot is over 175 F and will be for every transmission that uses hydrocarbon lubrication. So 120 F to 175 F is target. (120 F to 160 F for older boxes still using full conventional fluids). That doesn't mean the OEM designed it to operate in that area. Wear is not their first priority. Fuel economy and cost take priority over wear as long as wear keeps them out of the warranty claim box and they don't mind loosing a certain percentage of them even to that. Bean counters are not engineers and even engineers are subject to bosses whose priorities are not the consumer they sell to but the shareholders they placate. Anyone that tells you that 120 F is too cool and will accelerate wear is full of Internet regurgitated . Anyone that tells you that running over 175 F continuous will not shorten the life of the fluid/gearbox, ditto. There isn't any Kryptonite seals or clutch bonding materials saved only for Allison and no Unobtainium fluid that will take the heat of the sun. Does this mean that a box running 215/225 F is doomed? Not necessarily. It means the owner/operator will need to be more diligent about fluid exchange and live with less cushion for that long grade or silly hot day. Transmission life follows fluid life and the fluid doesn't know or care what box it is in. This information originally came from Kendal Oil and has been displayed two dozen different ways by every Internet concern there is; often corrupted to read transmission life and not fluid life. You may notice that the OEM temperature range and the fluid change intervals come pretty darn close to the chart. You will also notice that when they don't the warranty miles isn't all that. There is no 'forever fluid'. Do with this information as you please. It will have no effect on my equipment whatsoever.