Saturday, February 14, 2009

Charlie Shiflet's 2000 Mitsubishi

Hello,

This last week,
I had the occasion to service a long time customer
and friend's vehicle - a 2000 Model Mitsubishi
Montero with the 3.0L automatic - 4x4 drive.

Some 4 years earlier -
I had serviced it for him
doing the timing belt, alternator and p/s belt
doing the water pump and thermostat.

And had completely changed the engine and drive
line lubricants or Amsoil synthetic lubricants.
*******.

Charlie had bouught a trailer to pull a mobile
photography studio and was getting prepared
to pull to several out of state spring shows.

*************.

The last time that I saw his vehicle was
some 22 months ago.

His mileage count was 28,000 mile on the
one oil change service that we did - when he
first bought it 4 years earlier.
**********.

We had changed the engine oil filter
( a SDF filter) (one that was supposed to be
changed in a 6 month period of time)
And he was supposed to be back to us in
September of 2007 for a full engine oil
and filter change.
*******.

That never happened.
*********************.

However,
We did remove his filter.
We did catch his engine oil in a clean 5 gallon bucket.
We will gather together as many souls as we can ...
And have each of them witness the cutting apart
of this filter which has some 22 months service on it.

Just so that it can be witnessed - how much metal
particles were caught and are visible in the filter
media.
************.

The engine oil itself - has some 4 years on it.

It has the overall appearance of being able to
be strained in a paint strainer - just to remove
whatever lower body dirt may have fallen off of
the belly pan - into the oil ...

and put back into service into another engine.
***********************************************.

Yes - we would do that - Seriously.
************************************.

But - before going there with that effort -
We will pay The Walker Equipment charge of $10.

Which includes the testing for what wear metals
are in suspension, what the viscosity of the
engine oil is - presently, what percentage of
the liquid is fuel and what percentage of the
liquid is antifreeze.

And based up on those test results ...
We will post them here.
We will either use this engine oil for
any top off or make up oil for our
customers - or we will put it into
our waste oil barrel for heat -

If if proves to be contaminated.
********************************.

Based upon smell of no fuel scent.
Based upon no paste of water or other
visible liquid contamination.
Based upon the feel of the lubricant
to flow and feel like motor oil.

We expect no different result that
use as you would normally -

Even after 4 years time.
Even without bypass parasite filters added.


Just for your information ...


Rowan Cook
http://syntheticlubricants.org

Monday, February 9, 2009

07 Suzuki Grand Vitari

Hello,

I had an unusual experience this day.

I have setup a new dealer - up the street.
This morning he changed the engine oil in an
2007 Suzuki Grand Vitari 2.7 L Gas engine.

The vehicle did not drive 30 miles and
the owner was back in to Paul's shop ...

With Paul being a bit more than concerned.
*******************************************.

Certainly - he was unsure of what was going
on ... as everyone in the shop there was
listening to a set of sounds coming out of
the engine. ... all saying ... they were not
there "before we put your AMSOIL in ... "
********************************************.

Rather than leave Paul hanging -
at the mercy of what other people would say.

I go to my tool box and pull out a
NAPA 3289 Oil Pressure kit.

This kit allows the user to remove the engine
oil filter and directly - replace it with
a fitting and bell assembly - that empowers
the user to attach an oil pressure gauge.

The test results were that the pressure
fluxuated back and forth between 18 and 20#s
pressure - hot.
*******************.
Listening to the engine - we heard a sound that
only existed at idle.

That went away - with engine rpm
and increased pressure.
************************.
And yes, we did drain the engine oil pan
and the engine oil filter.

Yes, We did catch the oil in a clean pan
and searched for debris.
*****************************.

And what was found was some type
of material that resembled a filling
that one may have come out of a tooth ...
especially if a crown point may break off ...
in a molar.

There was NO bearing material or any other
kind of debris that resembled anything
related to lubrication failure to the
crankshaft or bearings.
*************************.

The one single point I am making here
for you is this.

Our Amsoil - does not cause problems.
It is a problem solving lubricant.
*************************************.

Initially - there was no sounds to be heard.
As the engine ran - a sound developed.

With the debris that was washed out into
the catch pan - there is simply just one
or two points where such a material could
originate -

1: a piston skirt/wrist pin area
or
2: an oil pump that had a piece of
it's housing damaged - in some other
incident ...

Now with the owner - having the engine oil
changed for the first time - since her
dad helped her buy the vehicle some 2,000 miles ago.
********************.

So,
As to my understanding of where the noise or
sounds were coming from ...
While engines can and do run with minimal oil
pressure - They require that the oil pressure
needed to keep the oil pressure switch off -
be maintained.

(There was never any problem with the light coming on.)

and that the hydraulic pressure -
Yes, the engine oil pressure is - when
applied to hydraulic lifters - then a hydraulic
oil/fluid that is used to pump up and hold solid
the lifter as the motion point for the pushrod
or rocker arm - to open the engine valves.

The required pressure is required ...
Or there is what is referred to as vavle lifter ticking.
***********************************

At idle - there was NO valve lifter ticking.
At idle - there was 18-20 #s pressure at the oil
filter base fitting.
At idle - there was a sound that existed.
And then went away - with increased RPM.
*****************************************.

And it was the same - with the Pennzoil 10w30
that was installed just after that effort of
removing the Amsoil installed.
*********************************.

So,
The real set of questions that we have for
the previous owners - are:

1: What did your service shop - dealer
do for your vehicle - while it was serviced
since it was new?

2: Was your vehicle ever wrecked at some time
in the past - that could have created a crack
or stress point in the oil pump - you know -
Was the oil pan replaced ? and the oil pump not?

3: The Thrust washers on the crankshaft journals
or bearings could have become tagged ... and allow
the crank to walk - in it's bore ... causing a set
of sounds.

4: As the engine oil was that that came from
a new/used car dealer - could the engine oil that
they had installed - had some motor honey or something
like it installed to cover up such a noise that existed
when it was in their service dept - hoping not to have
to install a replacement engine - themselves ... but to
wait - until a new owner had an oil change and then
brought it back for repair or replacement under warranty ?
**************.

What I am finishing this post about is simply this.

Amsoil synthetic lubricants - can not -
They are incapable of not providing excellant lubricating
qualities - under all conditions - cold and hot.

The synthetic lubricant that was installed - had nothing
to do with the engine's low oil pressure of 18#s.
The viscous weight of the oil was right.
And

Because each and every bottle of Amsoil has it's contents
tested - by spectra-analysis - before it is shipped -
IT is physically impossible for this bottle of Amsoil 5.30
to even be considered to be suspect in this noisy engine.

None the less,
I - myself caught the 30 mile driven engine lubricant.
I used a paint strainer and funnel and filled back
up the gallon bottle that the lubricant had been shipped
sold and delivered to the shop.

And if anything really comes out of it all.
*********************************************.
I have the bar code off of the bottle that is directly tied
into a computer data base where the spectra-analysis report
of the oil was done - (prior to it being sold) can be located
and
compared to the now present condition of this lubricant.
************.
**************.

Myself -
I have No problem installing it in the next gas engine
that comes to my door - for Amsoil Synthetic Lubricant
Oil change.

New filter for the engine.
The same oil.
And keep on going a full year - 12 months or 25,000 miles
on both engine lubricant/oil and filter.

Guaranteed and Insured by Amsoil Inc.
Superior Wisconsin.

To never be the cause behind
engine/transmission/gear/bearing failures.

The engines /transmissions and final drive gear boxes
all must be in known sound condition -
***************************************.

This one -
Is the first ever one of it's type that I have
witnessed first hand - in over 15 years of selling
and installing Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants & filters.

My own shop truck -
In 15 years -
I have changed the AME Marine Diesel 15.40 engine lubricant
and the dual full flow filters

3 times.
**********

3 times without any consequences.
*********************************.

And then - more so that for any other reason -
Because the engine oil filters are mounted
outside on the front angle iron bumper -
an a metal frame of sorts - to show what
the Full Flow Filtration Systems are all about.

Yes.
The engine still runs as well as it ever did ...
IF not better - than when we overhauled it
some 15 years ago.

2008 Top Stories

Synthetic Lubricants 2009


Rowan Cook
Amsoil Lifetime Dealer
304 683-5298

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

January 20th, 2009 -
While Congress was swearing in our new president
Barrack Obama ...

AMSOIL representatives were on hand again for the 8th annual
MPMC Media Trade Conference.

The Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC)
is a subdivision of the Special Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA)
which was established to raise public awareness for motorsports,
one of the nation’s leading industries.

The MPMC event strives to achieve this goal
by bringing editors and manufacturers together for the purpose of educating influencers
and increasing understanding through dialogue.

AMSOIL considers it a privilege to be involved with this elite group for the three-day event held at Embassy Suites LAX South in Los Angeles.

Manufacturers from all over the globe gather for a series of face-to-face meetings with publishers, editors, and media reps from the leading consumer and trade publications

Director of Aftermarket Products Karl Dedolph and
Advertising Director Ed Newman presented the AMSOIL story
and strengthened ties within the industry.

Ed Newman doing his thing ... Picture

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Saturday, January 24, 2009

1998 VW Beetle

Hello,

Some of you know that I own and operate the only
European Service Repair Shop
In Southern WV.

I have ben an independent Import Car Service
since the 3rd week in August 1988.
*******************************.

2 days ago,
A customer had brought back his son's 1998 VW Beetle 2.0 Gas
For Service.

Previously,
He had called to ask - back before Christmas if I could
help him with a lack of power issue.

That proved out to need what is called
A MAF - A Mass Air Flow sensor
and
A reprogramming of the computer base settings -
The BIOS had lost it's values and had went back
to Default settings - back when they had installed the battery
a few days earlier.
*******************.

Yesterday,
The check engine light was on again.
The scan showed 8 fault codes.

I removed # 3 & # 4 spark plugs and tightened the upward
screw on tip ends - this eliminated a random missfire that
was being recorded.

I renewed the Coolant temp sender.

I made sure that the throddle plate was clean from plaque
deposits.
*************.

The starter motor was dropping out of service -
Yesterday, it had taken some 26 turns of the key
before the bendix would engage and like the flywheel.

Our Roanoke, VA - VW dealer had shipped their replacement
Starter. And it proved to be a different design starter
that that which was original equipment.

John there asked for the number off the old starter and
checked the application database. Apparently the starter
I was taking off this 1998 - was never supposed to have
ever been on this car ... ?

But the replacement made the engine roar to life the first time.
****************.

Because the battery had to be removed to access the upper
starter bolt ... and it's extreme stubborness to remove ...

Again the Vag Com tool had to be installed and the system
base settings - BIOS values - reset.
*********************.

This little car pulled Independence Hill at 70 MPH and
I was feeling rather good about it all. - No Check Engine light on.

*********************************.

I let the engine set and run for about 20 minutes at an idle.
And the Check Engine light is back on again.

This time with fault codes telling me that the engine was now
running rich ... and that the Idle air Temp was not in spec.

Well,
Based upon past experiences ...
I lean toward proving that the MAF that I had installed
is doing it's job correct - or not.

I have a good supplier in Boston.
Come Monday, i will order a couple to have ...
And get this vehicle back in later toward the end of the week.

I will post a followup as to - if the 2nd replacement MAF corrected
the issue that I am describing or ...

Whether I had to go on toward the oxygen sensors ...
and the reflash of the ECU that VW had to do to keep
the Check Engine light out - over sensitive Oxygen sensor
sweep voltage.

Inother words, one of the fixes that they may have for
some false codes - is to rewrite the base code itself in the
Onboard chips - for actually acting like the nerve - causing the
check engine light to pop on.

In some instances ... they simply change the nerve parameters.



Rowan Cook
http://europeanimportcar.com/

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Joe McDougal's Ford

Hello,

I am writing to tell you of a particular happening ...

To a fellow who had a replacement engine installed at a local repair
shop - a few years ago.

(Not ours).
************
Joe Mcdougal - a science teacher at one of the local high schools
had Eric Evans at Evans Motors in Beckley replace his engine in a Ford car.

It seems that about 2,000 miles later -
The vehicle was brought back to the shop on a hook.

With Joe's wife in hysterics. ...
****************************.

She said
"I was simply driving along ... and the engine oil pressure light came on ...
and the vehicle stopped.

It would not restart.
And
Because you guys were the last ones to service my vehicle I had it towed back to you."
******************************************************************************

What proved out >
Was that the engine installer there - had grabbed an oil filter
and
Had installed it - without looking up the correct application -
"So Joe says."

He also said
(because I did call him to find out first hand - if this story was
any where near true)

"The Oil filter that they had installed had un threaded itself off of the
pipe nipple ... and was laying on the cross member under the engine."

"The oil pump had pumped the oil pan dry."
"And the engine locked up."
***************************************


Well,
The guys at Evans Motors -
Saw what had happened.
Removed the engine - expecting to find it scored every where
and te-toal ruined.

Putting a breaker bar on the center crankshaft bolt -
Would NOT turn the engine.
*****************************.

By removing the oil pan - no shrapnel was found there.

By removing the rod and main caps - to inspect closely -
No wear or gualing was there.
***************************.

With the Rod and Main bearing bolts slightly backed off,
Turning the center bolt on the crankshaft would push and pull
the pistons in their cylinder bores.

**************.

And so it was that:
A thin coating of Amsoil Strawberry grease was placed on the rod
and main bearings.
The bearing cap bolts and nuts were oiled and retorqued.

The crankshaft could be now turned with a breaker bar -
with normal effort.

The engine was reinstalled back into the vehicle.
*********************************************.

A new Proper Application Amsoil filter was fitted to the engine.
A fresh fill of Amsoil 5.30 1 year/25,000 mile engine oil was installed.

The engine ran -
Without making noise.
Without a lack or loss of power.
As if all of that which did happen - never really mattered.
***************************************************.

Joe and his wife were told by Eric - that:
He would honor a 1 year warranty - and that if anything happened
in that year that caused the engine to fail - that the shop would
correct or replace the engine at no cost to them.
*******************************************.

After Eric told me this story ...
I tracked Joe down and wanted to hear it myself.
Un-believable it was.

But Joe tells me that -
His wife had no more problems with their Ford.
That
They changed the Amsoil 1 time a year - for the next 3 years.

And after having the car for 7 years -
traded it off - for a newer model.

Still running.
Even with having had the engine lockup -
because of NO lubricating oil - between the crankshaft bearings and
their shaft journals.


Hmmm

Rowan Cook
http://europeanimportcar.com/mcdougal.html

A Broken Crankshaft ...

Hello,

I would like to tell you about a man that came to my shop a few years ago.

He had told me that he worked as a maintenance person for a local
garbage maangement company - where he was responsible for a fleet of
trucks.

He was introduced to Amsoil synthetic lubricants and used them faithfully
over 10 years.
**************.
When he retired ...
A new man assumed his responsibilities.

and one of his first things that this new fellow did for the fleet
was to change the engine oils - all of them - in the first 90 days
of his new job employment.

New man,
New Job.
New beginning - a clean slate -
To know from where he began.

...
And then he called his predicessor ... now saying ...
what is wrong with all these trucks ...?
They are noisy.
They are loud and running hot.
They all started to use more fuel than they did before.

What do you think is wrong with them?

The other - now retired mechanic from the garbage service
simply asked what he had done ... ?
What changed?

"I changed the oil in all of them - using Rotella petroleum oil."

"Enough said"
That is your problem.
The new mechanic never did grasp what was said to him.
And that was the end of that story ...
Because the new mechanic never would use Amsoil products.
*******************************************************.

The rest of this story is that the mechanic telling this story
continues to buy up old Suzuki SideKick kind of vehicles for
$100 here and $200 there.

For over 20 years, he had used Amsoil products.
And the story that he came to me with last year was
that he had a Sidekick that had over 280,000 miles on it.

And that he had never changed the Amsoil synthetic oil in
the motor - filters only - and makeup oil.

And that in late spring last year, the cast iron crankshaft
had simply broken while the engine was running.

Cast iron is hard and brittle - and this is not an unusual thing to happen.
(Sometimes, one can leave a crankshaft standing up on it's end ...
And if someone knocks the shaft over, the crankshaft itself can
actually break or shatter into two pieces.)

I have seen this happen on a camshaft -
at one time or another in the past in my own shop.
********.
The motion of crankshaft breaking - becoming 2 pieces -
damaged the motor block on the existing engine.
*********************.

The whole point I am working to make here is this.
The mechanic I am speaking about - bought another junk motor.

He cleaned up the 2nd motor block.
He removed the piston assemblies - complete with rings with
over 280,000 miles on them - with rod and bearings.

And Main bearings for the original engine.

And reinstalled them over into the second block that he bought.
*********************************************************.

Let me make it clear -
he did not hone the cylinders to install new piston rings.

He did Not replace the rod and main bearings.
They were in near new condition - with minimal wear
and minimal scaring.
***********************.
The cylinder head was clean - there were no deposits to pull the head apart
to send to the machine shop - to worry with valves or seats having problems
and needing to be cleaned - or reseated.

The head and valve cover gasket areas were simply cleaned up - in order to seal
new gaskets to the block and valve cover.


He caught and strained the original engine oil with 280,000 miles
and
Re-installed it into the built engine that he had put together ...
And today has been driving it for the last 9 plus months.

All with no problem.
All with the same rings, rod and main bearings.

All with the same engine oil that has over 280,000 miles on it -
without being changed.

And without the need to be changed.
*********************************.

Guys,
If your engine oil is so poor -
That you are told that it has to be changed every 3,000 to 5,000 miles
"lest it destroy" your vehicle's engine.

By all means - Please change it.

For your own sake - change it - learn what it takes to replace
the false security that you have in using petroleum lubricants that do little more
that steal away from your vehicle a very real possible service life of 2 million miles
or more -

You will never have an engine fail -
because Amsoil synthetic lubricants - laid down on the job.
It is a reverse engineered - impossibility.

The mechanic in question is not myself.
And is available by phone - to himself tell the story.
**********************************************.

Or continue to do it your way.

In my opinion -

It only serves the oil companies who have partnered with
the vehicle manufacturers - to - in all likelyhood - until proven
- really proven otherwise, to sell more vehicles and more oil
and more gas - to the masses.

Not to decrease the number of vehicles owned by the
motoring public in their lifetime.

Not to increase our air quality - like Amsoil does do - by keeping exhaust
discharge emissions to a lower production level across the lifetime of the vehicle.

Not to actually decrease the operating and maintenance costs.
But to sell MORE of everything that "they" make -

A sysenergy self sustaining relationship - that falsely teaches
"How to properly care for one's internal combustion engine"

And does create more sales from damaged motors -
"Protected by short life lubricant products"
That seldom get a vehicle past the 750,000 mile mark.
That really seldom cross the 150,000 mile mark - before you the vehicle owner
starts to squirm and worry about what is going to fail - now -

And what it is going to cost you ...
********************************.
Amsoil products put an end to this false vehicle service life.
and
Your ongoing worries about high dollar engine replacement services.

You can NOT ruin an engine by following Amsoil's directions for
using their 1 year/25,000 mile service life lubricants -
for the life of your vehicle - 20 years and beyond.

You can ruin it - by using petroleum engine oils.
Just ask Durango owners from days gone by.
Driving down the road happy one moment ...
A rod hanging out the side of the motor block the next.

All with the dealer - claiming that you did not change the engine oil when you were supposed to do ... with you having the receipts in your hand - showing that you did.
... And they did the oil changes for you.!


Rowan Cook
Lifetime Dealer.
http://syntheticlubricants.org/

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Francis Walker 2003 Acura RSX

Hello,

I wanted to tell you about this family's vehicle.

She and her husband brought it to us today - 21 jan 2009.

A 2.0 Liter engine now with 84,299 miles
************************************
We changed the engine lubricant and filter today with our
# 13 filter and our 0w20 Amsoil engine oil.

Her costs were $ 83.39.
**********************

August 1st 2007 - this same vehicle was brought to us
with 54,055 miles showing on the odometer.

Which means that she traveled over 30,000 miles in 17 months.
************************.

If we were showing what it does cost to do petroleum oil changes ...

If we calculate that petroleum oil cost $ 3 per quart.
That the better oil filters cost $ 6 per change.
And
That there is $10 labor charged per oil change ...

Then 10 X 10 = $100 labor.
Then 10 x 6 = $ 60 Filters
Then 3 x 4.75 (each change) x 10 = $142.50 for engine oil.

This totals $302.50 without taxes.

The amount of money saved between using Amsoil 0.20
and some petroleum oil change x 10 for 10 oil changes

is $ 219.11 Saved in pocket.
*****************************.

She did not have to schedule the time for the oil changes
out of her busy driving schedule.

She did increase her fuel mileage.

And in the event that the thermostat did stick while
she was out on the road - making her sales calls ...

She could have driven the vehicle to the closest
repair - service center for a new thermostat or waterpump

without doing any - any internal engine damage.

Crankshaft, camshaft, pistons, rings, journals or bearings.
***************************************************.

5 years of doing this nets over $1,000

not spent out of pocket

for petroleum oil changes that are not capable of doing the
same work - even when they are new - poured straight out
of the bottle into your vehicle's engine.

Not including the repair work that does not ever
really need performed - as a result of using our
synthetic lubricants.
*******************.

The results are real.

I will use this saved and strained engine oil
with over 30,000 mile on it - as make up oil for
my wife's or any othe customer vehicle that makes
it into the shop - needing topped off.

There is no intake manifold to have gaskets leak
antifreeze into this Acura ... and it makes
for a zero risk to continue to use this oil.
*************************************.
The 25,000 mile insurance did expire.
And
That was the only real reason to change this oil.
******************************************.

Had it had the dual remote filtration.
Or
The Tamden Parasite filtration systems,
We would have taken a hot oil sample,
Had it analyzed,
And then changed the filters only -
if the oil came back as suited for continued use.

Amsoil produces near indestructible lubricant products.

Rowan Cook
http://syntheticlubricants.org/