OnTheReel

You’re in corn country like me! Should be cheaper!

I’ve been waiting for this. First “1” I’ve seen in front of any fuel price in a LONG time.

The SuperTech filters for the vehicles I have are just Fram Extra Guards without the only good parts those have. No silicone ADBV or grippy coating. Cardboard end caps…cheap cheap cheap.

TRX RL 5w50 E85 Run.pdf

It’s from Facebook so probably a big “if”…but “if” this guy is telling the truth about the oil change interval, that leaves the quality of the oil used, and the viscosity of said oil as two big question marks here. Even the non-wiped lobes on the cam look terrible. Not saying every truck is eating a cam at 67k miles but I’ve seen enough low mileage failure cases to be highly skeptical of generic 0w20 being run in any full size trucks.

The pendulum is starting to swing back from these low viscosity oils, I think. Maybe CAFE softening up a bit or the amount of warranty claims is becoming unsustainable. Early 5.0 Fords called for 5w20. They quietly bumped it to 5w30 for 2021. And if you add the factory supported Whipple supercharger? The spec becomes 5w50. Waiting to see if GM will follow suit. Even their non-defective “healthy” 6.2s have no business running 0w20. Not at the oil temperatures I saw on my stock 2019 and not at these OCIs either. In fact, studies have shown increased piston ring and bearing wear when the HTHS viscosity is at or below a typical hot SAE20. And the handful of 0w20s that actually are stout enough in HTHS are niche, expensive and carry no approvals. So for practical purposes they don’t exist.

I will say this…we really don’t necessarily need higher performing polymers, we just need more MOFT, and there’s other/better ways to get there.

The buying public is basically conditioned to ignore ticking sounds. Probably even sounds as loud as this one must have been. Between the noisy GDI injectors, widespread exhaust manifold leaks, and the usual lifter tick many OEMs have been known for, I’m not surprised if this owner was caught unaware. They’ve done such a great job eliminating cabin NVH on these trucks that something has to literally blow up to get a non-enthusiast’s attention.

The XPs are too focused on extended drain intervals. The regular Wix is actually much more efficient (and cheaper).

Champion Labs makes the Endurance. It’s a Walmart exclusive but seems to be losing some shelf space to the Purolator 20k (another exclusive). In the applications I’ve run them in, the Endurance is basically a relabeled Royal Purple / Amsoil. Which is to say it’s very nice. The Ultra is great too. Very efficient. Slightly thinner / light construction than the Endurance though.

Google Lens has come in handy a lot for me. The rest of AI I have never used. I read a study that said 1 in 3 answers it gives are wrong. I can’t afford to goof up that much! My computer is from 2017 and my iPhone is 4 years old. No rush to replace them. These tech companies are increasingly anti-consumer and the days of exponential improvements in their products every year are gone. All that said, I probably wouldn’t use a Win 7 laptop at this point though, too many security risks.

Just the sad state of the internet. We are the products now and nobody cares. I’ve noticed lately even YouTube is littered with shitty AI generated and narrated videos that are full of bad information on any topic you want to search for. And it’s even hitting my business. Had a guy yesterday return a bunch of stuff that AI told him he needed for his system but didn’t. With friends like AI, who needs enemies?

Like I’ve said before, carmakers have relocated the dipstick. It’s no longer under the hood, it’s behind the wheel. You might have to expand your search. Bet there’s still a few cream puff examples left in Florida. I import what I want from the south because I can’t stand rust.

I know, rhetorical question. You, (and him to a lesser extent) have that motor figured out top to bottom. Unfortunately since most of the remaining examples are kicking around the backs of “buy here pay here” car lots, it’s pretty much a lost cause. People will follow the OLM (if that) and these things will continue to fail. Interestingly the 2.5 LCV that replaced it seems to be fairing a LOT better. Local dealer has a 2017 Acadia 2.5 with 217k on it and it doesn’t appear to be ready for the scrap bin yet.

Why would the higher ethanol lead to increased carbon or dilution?

Adaptive cruise on it’s own is great. I use it every day. But anything closer to full self driving, I’ll pass. Every system available currently has some flaws and I’m just not lazy enough to put up with them.

I have run E10 in everything since it was mandated here 10,000 years ago. Including small engines and even carbureted boats with Quadrajets. No issues. Run dry and use StarTron in the fuel when storage time is coming close. It’s a maintenance issue, not a fuel issue. Interestingly most UOA samples I’ve reviewed show much lower fuel dilution when run on E85. So while the potential for dilution is higher based on the higher fuel consumption rate, ethanol seems to be removed more efficiently and completely when operating temperature is reached?

Thought it was already known to everyone that high ethanol fuels can cause corrosion in older equipment that wasn’t designed with it in mind. Especially seasonally used motors like a lawn mower or boat. Beyond that the worst he can say is that ethanol fuel dilution reduces film thickness. Just like…oh I dunno…non-ethanol fuel dilution.

Good to know. There’s a few PIDs I’m going to ask them to add.

88-E15 $2.89. 87-E10 is exactly 2 cents more which is the smallest spread I’ve seen between them. Feel like these prices are just made up at this point.

Rust and boredom are my limiting factors on length of ownership. I avoid the rust by either buying new or “importing” used from southern states. Boredom I can’t avoid. Once there’s nothing left to repair or modify the clock is ticking. But hey, at least the cars I trade or sell are in better condition than when I got them and sometimes better than new. If they go to someone who wants or needs it to last forever, I feel good about their chances. Lots of satisfaction in that.

Not terrible consumption for anything given the mileage. My Accord at 300k was using a lot more but I never went beyond 10w30 to try to reduce it either. It was time to take it behind the woodshed for other reasons anyway.

Stupidity is simply people doing things that they want to work, instead of doing things that will work. Apply that to anything. Politics, maintenance, business, relationships.

Got a killer deal on E85 today. If I see under two dollars I’ll be tempted to bring a couple 55 gallon drums to fill up.