how often is too often (servicing) - some questions

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Interesting. Would you mind explaining the bit about air filters as I hadn't heard that argument before. Isn't a new clean filter more efficient than a used filter?

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Mick I'll dig up some posts by Ben/isuzurover later (he's a filtration engineer) but yes, any air filter increases efficiency as it loads, ie. it traps a greater % of particles, the trade off is lower air flow.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Interesting. Would you mind explaining the bit about air filters as I hadn't heard that argument before. Isn't a new clean filter more efficient than a used filter?

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I am just guessing, but IMO there is a large surplus of pressurised air available for combustion even when the filter is needing replacement. So efficiency from a combustion point of view would only be effected if the filter was becoming blocked.

Concerning the filter's efficiency itself i.e. how much dirt it lets through, I presume that contaminants in the filter would not decrease the filtering - hence when the filter is new, it would not filter better than when it had gathered contaminants.

I guess the fitment of the filter, and the longevity of such fitment, are keys to how well the filter works - which is also an efficiency issue I guess.

There must be a compromise between working life of the filter and the size of the contaminants that the filter lets through. i.e. the finer the filter, the less contaminants it lets through, but the shorter its working life must be. IMO of course ... I don't know anything about those issues ...

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Originally Posted by shanegtr

[snip] I pay around $28 per oil sample. I also check the diffs, transfer and auto trans

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Is this something you simply ask for when servicing? Or, where do you get it done?

W

Could always give Westrac a call SOS Fluid Analysis - Oil Testing | WesTrac

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Originally Posted by veebs

Is this something you simply ask for when servicing? Or, where do you get it done?

W

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I find that the finger, thumb, eyes and nose method works pretty well. [bigwhistle]
Anyway even if you only suspect that your engine oil is on its way out it isn't a huge expense nor is it a hugely technical issue to drop and replace the oil and filter yourself, Personally I would much prefer to throw away some reasonably good oil instead of running the risk of damage caused by bad oil.

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Originally Posted by veebs

Is this something you simply ask for when servicing? Or, where do you get it done?

W

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I do all my own servicing so its pretty simple for me to do. I use ALS for my oil samples and you can either by the samples individual or in boxes of 10.

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Originally Posted by trout1105

I find that the finger, thumb, eyes and nose method works pretty well. [bigwhistle]
[snip]

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Good enough to judge the difference between 1% and 3% soot loading ? [bigwhistle]

All stirring aside, a white piece of cardboard with a drop of oil on it, ie. a business card is pretty effective at evaluating a few things like fuel dilution. ;)

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Originally Posted by rick130

Good enough to judge the difference between 1% and 3% soot loading ? [bigwhistle]

All stirring aside, a white piece of cardboard with a drop of oil on it, ie. a business card is pretty effective at evaluating a few things like fuel dilution. ;)

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Ok,drop of oil on white piece of cardboard,then what[wink11]

Please explain she said....[bighmmm]

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Originally Posted by rick130

Good enough to judge the difference between 1% and 3% soot loading ? [bigwhistle]

All stirring aside, a white piece of cardboard with a drop of oil on it, ie. a business card is pretty effective at evaluating a few things like fuel dilution. ;)

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When I pull the dipstick out and run it between my fingers to check the texture, smell the oil and look at the colour I can pretty much tell if the oil needs changing.
Next time you check your oil use one hand to check the oil in the engine and put some new oil on the other hand to see, smell and feel the difference [thumbsupbig]

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Originally Posted by trout1105

When I pull the dipstick out and run it between my fingers to check the texture, smell the oil and look at the colour I can pretty much tell if the oil needs changing.
Next time you check your oil use one hand to check the oil in the engine and put some new oil on the other hand to see, smell and feel the difference [thumbsupbig]

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Thats the official way Toyota know when the power steering oil or the manual gearbox oil in our vans needs changing.

I showed the service manager the power steering oil in one of them that had the consistency and colour of treacle,and the smell of burnt auto trans oil,and he had no answer for me.