Grumpy Bear

This 'I hate AFM' is getting old. Really-REALLY old. First hundred threads didn't get it said? Horse is dead already. Let it up!

Just an interesting little graphic of the number of miles per month I drive Pepper since I bought her. My pattern is driving the most miles in the third most efficient month. Hum.... Spend some time having these a look and the conclusion I draw is that mpg is less a function of fuel and more one of climate. In October for instance this year 7 of 9 tanks were as high as her lifetime average, a full 2 mpg above the combine October average. Roughly 10% higher. Winter fuel in an unusually warm and windless October produced September like results. Good to know.

75,000 Mile Service Routine oil change. 5W20 Quaker State UD and WIX filter. No usage observed for this 5,000 mile period. Rotate only. 75K and counting. Had TPMS calibration done and pressures reset. Bottle of Chevron Techron to the tank. Wipers on order. GM. Why change, they last three years a set. Seems boring but I like being bored in this fashion.

PSM flashed. Recall list checked. Axles are NOT an issue with Pepper. Air bag/seat belt recall ancient history. All up to date. Comparison of UOA with another member who uses Blackstone and results in from Phillips on UOA. Make is so #1. Seems all is good. Phillips did note that the residual additive package reported by Dyson seemed across the board to be about 30% low. A calibration of reference standard their best guess. Will remember to collect the batch number on next few changes to compare with production labs and run a blind with Dyson to confirm.

Value without Worth. Maybe to someone whose rich enough to not ask, "what kind of mileage does that thing get?" I've never been that guy even when I was. If a thing hasn't any worth to me it hasn't any value. Wouldn't take it if it were free. A Kelly Book or NADA book is a reflection of the broad sense of worth people place on a thing. Most often by private auction at the dealer level. It's fetch value the image of it's perceived worth. Big word "perception". Local Chevy dealer just took on Buick and is flooded with NEW 2017 Lacrosse models from other dealers all marked down about 20K from MSRP. Even now auction prices are sagging as newer year models arrive devaluing the car without putting a dent in it's worth to the right buyer. Sales guy and I talk while Pepper is getting her power steering flashed. Tell him I have a nice 2009 Lacrosse with VERY low miles on her in VERY nice shape. He takes that to mean I'm interested in a trade for his reduced 17's. So I ask him what will a 17 give me my 09 already does not except becoming 25K more in debit? Latest tech he responds. You mean like connectivity? Yep he nods. That is one high $$$$ touch screen and his eye pops. Is it more comfortable? No. Is it more economical? Hardly. Will the extra 100 hp make my 70 mph speed any faster? No. Will I get the girl in the add? Nope. Make me rich? Nada...feed me? WT* $25,000 adds absolutely nothing to my worth but adds a bunch to my cost. Bad trade Dumb Bear.

27.1 mpg us gallons life time average over 82,000 miles. I don't know how this could be dishonest. I drive. I fill. Use my Odometer and pump numbers and divide. Calibrated speedo and O'meter. Unless all these gas stations in Illinois/Iowa/Wisconsin are all double pumping! I drive 55 mph as a rule. It's one thing to get 27 for 25 miles or a tank. Quite another to average that for 82K and counting.

74,000 miles and she gets new brakes in all four corners. Rotors and pads. Maybe I live a sheltered life but I've never seen warped rear rotors on a street car. These were toast. I let her pay the $700 tab. Old cars with full pad thickness I gauge normal at about three fronts to one rear set. New stuff like this about two to one. This girl...…. She drives it.

October reflected an 8% increase in mpg over the preceding two years combine average. 27.9 mpg for the month. Got a recall notice in the mail yesterday for the electronic power steering. A simple ECM re-flash. On the to do list for Friday. Still one in the drawer for the seatbelt IF it ever fails and it looks like it will not. I see a possible axle recall as well for improper heat treat. Need a VIN check on that one.

I like this idea allot. Thanks for sharing it.

I would love to ask the question, “What is more important to consumers, Technology or quality?” The question cannot be asked. How about asking, “What is more important at the time of sale to the customer, a things value or a things worth?” Can’t pull the trigger on that one either. You would have to have an audience that can differentiate between value and worth; between tech and quality. For today’s crowd asking questions like these is like asking the color blind to choose between blue and green. When I was in school we were taught to design a thing to last and be ergonomically friendly. Today’s bunch have been taught to design to last ‘just long enough’ and be visually pleasing. We were taught to refine a device over its product cycle as ever cleaver users uncovered its flaws. Today there is no need as the thinking is tech advances so fast that product cycles are no longer long enough to warrant such refinement. If the current consumers understood this they would understand the difference between value and worth, tech and quality. They would use the advancement in tech to refine instead of replace, to advance instead of obsolete. To conserve instead of gluttonously consume. To build rather than destroy. Worrying about air quality of your car’s emissions while processing billions of tons of raw materials in toilet paper fashion to ever shorter product cycles is laughable; or any consumer product for that matter. Sounds like another popular thought dad would have beat me for. “We can spend ourselves out of debit”! Sounds like a tail looking for a dog to wag. That's one Paradigm. And the other would be........

Pulled and cleaned the MAF sensor and checked the earlier offenders. IAT, BAR and oil pressure sensors plus injectors and coils. Everything checked out okay. Cleaning the MAF cured a 4/5% rich condition. It wasn't oiled down. It was covered in a very fine layer of dust. (filter failure to clean the air) 366 miles later...yea...one tank does not a trend make but it did reflect a noticeable gain and a feeling of greater sharpness. We were looking for over fueling and likely found it. At least part of it. Plugs and wires on order. Book says something like 97K but next oil change looks like an opportunity. Add an XP WIX filter and recheck UOA's. That's a ways out. This change, adjust and then the end of the next change.

24 hours and 300 miles latter I conclude the vapor traffic was the result of the higher oil volume moved about the motor when the spool valve failed to open during the ECU hiccup. Dry as a bone again now that order has been restored. I've been adding tape to the grill to keep the radiator thermostat from cycling so much. It's allot of tape. About 75% of the grill is blanked off like a NASCAR car. Much like last year.

P0113 Intake air temperature P2228 Barometric Pressure Sensor And my oil pressure jumped to 35-40 psi all at the same time. Actually I was scrolling one of the readouts when I noticed the oil pressure on the ScanGauge II then panic set in and I went to the code reader. The Check Engine light was not in, No codes found but two pending codes in memory. Of course I had no idea when it happened what those 'pending' codes meant. Scary. I'm on the toll road with no way off for more miles than I would like to be in a state of uncertain. But the pressure was moving a bit and steady and the oil and water temps stable. Best of all the motor was whisper quite. Still.....I try to make to Jason's shop, 50 miles away, without shutting down not knowing what might happen if I turn her off. The first stage dump solenoid is closed and staying that way for whatever reason. Well I didn't make it that far. Nature called and I don't leave it running unattended so hope it starts. I go for a walk. Take Rex for a walk, pop the hood had have me a look see. No foam in the filler cap. Oil level is good. Pop the PCV valve and for the first time ever I some vapor traffic...hum. When I start her up oi pressure is back to normal except the "pending register" is still holding two codes. I finish the trip, make it to Jason's and he looks up the codes (above). Well once I see what they are I mention I changed the air filter yesterday and had unplugged the MAF sensor which also is the BAR and IAT coupling. "Did you cycle the key" he asks. "Nope, but it was a dry day an I got a nice little static pop when I went to plug it back in". "Ah! ECM flipped a bit". Made an appointment for Friday for a closer look. "Clear the register" he says. I got to it and it's empty. Second key cycle? Well all in all....vapor traffic in the PCV system? Yep. Different intake filter. I'm just guess at the moment but I note that the 6.2, 5.3 and 4.3 all use the exact same air box and filter so it's sized for the 6.2. Check. The K & N is about half the restriction of an AC-Delco filter. Check. Ecotec3 hasn't a PCV valve and rides on the inlet box pressure between the filter and TB. Check. To get movement from the crankcase to the inlet system then the inlet box pressure needs to be below crankcase pressure. My guess is that the K & N is so free flowing that at the 1350 rpm I'm normally turning and 30 or less TB position the delta P just isn't enough to evacuate the crankcase. We are going to test that. I cleaned the PCV hose and fittings with ether and now that the oi pressure is normal I give it a look in a few days. If I'm right the line will be wet again. Then I'll reinstall the K & N, rinse and repeat. If I'm right the fuel and water issue should be solved.

80,000 and love the 4.3.

Agreed!! Thanks for the feedback. Nice to get it first hand from a user.

First of a few tweaks based on oil analysis. I removed the K&N drop in and installed a FRAM CA8755A Extra Guard which will be changed on 10K intervals. Silicon was high. While I found no dust in the plenum and the filter showed daylight I could see areas of the cotton media where I could drop the head of a pin through. Weird. I've used K&N for 40 years without issues and would have never seen this one without being under the microscope. Live and learn. Test showed elevated levels of water and fuel which I believe was due to the sample timing. (cold motor start) That said we will be testing coils and injectors and changing plugs to be safe. Going over the vent system what can be addressed that is. It also was conveyed that the copper level (rod big end) looked high. The guess was some water reactive additive. Contact with Red Line and sharing the report got a resounding NO. There lab sees no issue with the copper levels but made notes low total add package levels. About 2/3 of normal for the mileage listed. Currently under lab investigation and until then 5K is a prudent change interval.

Matt 6:19 “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. 31 pages on this topic reduced. You can slow it. You can't stop it. Nature is always trying to reduce things to their lowest state of energy. The only real question is how much time and energy do you wish to deploy? Anyone try Cosmoline? https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-rp-342-heavy-spray-military-grade-rust-preventive/

Dyson report came today. First oil analysis I've ever had done. Maybe I mentioned that...or not. All we really have at this point is one data point and a few things to watch that all seemed to be linked together. Basic feel is good but can be improved. Biggest thing I learned was the effect the state of motor tune can have on the level of stress on the oil. While that sounds self evident what isn't, is the fact that the motor can be running fine, scope looks good and she's giving no tells and yet....something is amiss a professional can ferret out. As anal as my program is...it's needs to get tougher. So be it. What great service Dyson gives.

10/16/2018 "Pepper" - 2015 Silverado 1500 4.3 Ecotec3 6 quarts Red Line High Performance 0W20 WIX filter WL10255 80,000 miles 5,000 Interval (33% OLM) Sample sent off to Dyson for UOA. Never done this before. (Thanks Nick!)

I started using Red Line about 1998 when I bought the first Civic. Mobil 1 before that for maybe eight to ten years? I still use Quaker State UD in my 'salt cars' and garage queens that see 3K service a year and 2X changes. Except long term storage. Then still Red Line. Remember NOACK is a 482 F test for an HOUR. Bearing temperatures are about 75 F over you sump oil temperature. Pistons today often have oil spray cooing. Cams are rollers. blocks and heads alloy. Cooling systems large. Not much to get that hot in a normally asperated motor anymore. Coolers for all those before the modern period. 212F has been my hard sump ceiling for 40 years. Mid to upper 190's preferred. I am mystified by GM's use of 207 F thermostats in Ecotec3 motors whose lubrication cooling is carried out in large part by the radiator and hindered by less than useless thermostat deployment. Especially since in their own upper tier vehicles those same motors sill have 182 F Thermostats in them. So it isn't for emissions is it? Now all that said. A low NOACK doesn't hurt a thing.

Three Civics running. Two bought new and the third my sister-in-laws car she bought new we took over payments on. @ 650,000 miles between the lot of them and not a drop between 1997 and today. 80K on the Silverado and none used there either. 87 5.0 Mustang used none. Beat that one like a pup. 76 Corvette L48 none. Bought used with 60K on the clock. 09 Buick 3800 zip. Wife's Terrain nada. Her Buick 2.4, nope. 76 Caprice wagon...no way. 76 Ford 351 W not a drop. 72 ACM 232 no joy. I'm loosing track Two mid 60's Mustangs with 200 sixes. One leaked oil to bad to tell but to old when bought to fix. Main seal. The other used nil but was changed every 2K so hard to tell. None within 2,000 though. 64 Malibu 283 I bought with about 130K on the clock. Now that one used oil. A quart per tank. Leaked trans fluid and took a band adjustment once a week. It was a pretty car. 65 Ford 352 would throw off the first quart of it's six and then not a drop afterward. Second 352 used none between 2 K changes and you had to tap the oil pressure gauge to make sure it was working. Bad cam bearings. Used car. Toyota Peso bought new used about a quart in 1,000 starting around 100K but ran to 300K. Never did smoke. Pennzoil motor. It was the only motor we had that used oil that we bought new and the only motor that ever ran Pennzoil. (Pre Shell). Only car in five plus decades of driving and maintaining bought new that ever did use any oil at all. Most of my used cars were not offenders but the ones that were....beat....overheated and miss used silly cars before I bought them. I knew it when I did. Rebuilt them or sold for part for more than the buy price. There's a few more but none that used. 72 Toyota. 2 actually now that I think of it. One had a 22R...nice motor Bikes to many to count. Two used a bit of oil. Both pre 60 Brit twins beat to death when I got them. One Honda CB 600 that leaked something awful. No history. Bought and sold in a month. 50's 500 Royal Enfield used oil silly until I fixed the PCV system then a few ounces between changes. Never enough to 'top off'. 90% of my bikes were oil tight and used none. Almost all were bought new or very low mile uints where I knew and rode with the owners. Oh, the 76 Superglide used oil like I owned an oil well. Literally the AMF Strike year bike. Bought new. Bike delivered with faulty oil rings, warped valves and missing third gear shift fork. Use none after the rebuild.

We shouldn't confuse at what level of consumption they are willing to warranty with what is truly reasonable. A quart in 500 or a quart in 1,200 miles is anything but reasonable. These are not two stroke motors. IMHO of course.

80,000 Mile Services Tires: Pressure checks, balance and rotate. Now at 6/32" and even. 6 qt. Red Line HP 0W20 and NAPA (WIX) Gold WL-10255. Sample sent to Dyson. 5K on this change. Thanks Nick! (you will be copied on results) In the post today. 8qt Red Line D6. Now standing at 89% PAO/Ester, 11% Group III. (Third dump and fill) 20 oz. Chevron Techron to 25 gallons of fuel. Top fluids and service cabin filter.

Well said!! Jon, myself and a few others put 'eyes' inside these things. We collect data. We graph that data. We SHARE what we collect. 99% of the time it corelates to some published ASTM or SAE technical paper. We share that too. Heat in mechanical devises is one of the most studied aspects of engineering. As Pearl shares, it is with good reason. To imply it is useless? That is laughable. To imply it's harmful is just hateful. I would say this to ANYONE whose sights are set so low as to accept 100K as a fair service life for a gas motor to 'get out more often'. 200K can be done falling off your barstool. Fact is, until I reach 300K I don't feel you've anything special at all. Now....keeping the rest of the vehicle in tact long enough to enjoy the fruit of your labors may be a bit more of a challenge. You have the entire world of automotive manufacturing working against you. That and every dingbat with a shopping cart. Drunk. Deer. That is another topic. My last three all over 200K. Use no oil, within 5 lbs. on compression test and in spec for new. None with leak down rates over 10%. Now ask me if I care if anyone believes that? How could it diminish by benefit? AGAIN, Jon, your work on this topic is first rate and I hope this unbelievable outburst of disrespect for this type of work will not hinder your further sharing. For our sakes. I know you wouldn't stop for yourself.