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C hanging the engine oil at facto- ry-recommended intervals is the lowest cost and most effec- tive way to ensure maximum engine life, performance and fuel economy. Many vehicle manufacturers now specify two oil change intervals—reg- ular and severe service. Unfortunate- ly, the terms Regular and Severe Ser- vice are rather loosely defined. As a rule, engine operation in prolonged dusty, high-temperature conditions constitutes severe service. However, heavy stop-and-go traffic, driving in mountainous terrain and towing a trailer also fall into that category. Vehicle manufacturers specify oil by its viscosity grade—a measure of how the oil flows under specific tem- peratures. In the past, viscosity was shown as a single number, such as a “30 weight oil”—the higher the num- ber, the thicker the oil and the greater the resistance to flow. Multi- weight oils were developed as inter- vals between oil changes became longer and engine operating temper- atures increased. Today’s multiviscosi- ty oils work well in all seasons. Multi- weight oils have two codes: The first designates the lubricant’s winter (“W”) grade, and the second refers to viscosity at higher temperatures. For example, “5W-30” grade oil indicates the lubricant is a 5-weight winter- grade oil, and a 30-weight oil under high-temperature conditions. There are two additional symbols to look for on the container label. These symbols, created by the American Pe- troleum Institute (API), are the “star- burst” and “donut.” The starburst symbol normally appears on the front of the container and indicates that the oil meets the requirements of domes- tic and Japanese vehicle manufactur- ers. These standards have been devel- oped and approved by the Interna- tional Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC). The most recently issued standard by this group is ILSAC GF-2, which will ap- pear in the center of the starburst for all oils certified for use in gasoline en- gines. The API donut, usually found on the back of the container, certifies that the lubricant meets the latest service cate- gory. The two-letter code describes the intended application and the perfor- mance rating. The first letter is either “S” for gasoline engines or “C” for diesel engines. The second letter des- ignates the latest evolution level of per- formance. Oil for gasoline engines will bare the new “SJ” mark, signifying that it contains lower phosphorous levels for environmental protection. The oil grade recommended for any given vehicle is listed in the own- er’s manual and most service manu- als; make sure you use it. Reminding your customers to schedule regular oil changes not only helps you generate business, it also shows the customer you practice pre- ventive maintenance. A lthough some carmakers rec- ommend replacing the oil filter every other oil change, it’s im- portant to remember that a used, sat- urated filter can hold nearly a quart of oil. So if you don’t replace the filter each time you change your customers’ 63 February 1999 OIL CHANGE OIL , FILTERS & CHASSIS L UBRICATION Photo: Bob Cerullo OIL FILTER CHANGE

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Page 1: OIL, FILTERS HASSIS LUBRICATION - motor.com

Changing the engine oil at facto-ry-recommended intervals isthe lowest cost and most effec-

tive way to ensure maximum enginelife, performance and fuel economy.Many vehicle manufacturers nowspecify two oil change intervals—reg-ular and severe service. Unfortunate-ly, the terms Regular and Severe Ser-vice are rather loosely defined. As arule, engine operation in prolongeddusty, high-temperature conditionsconstitutes severe service. However,heavy stop-and-go traffic, driving inmountainous terrain and towing atrailer also fall into that category.

Vehicle manufacturers specify oilby its viscosity grade—a measure ofhow the oil flows under specific tem-peratures. In the past, viscosity wasshown as a single number, such as a

“30 weight oil”—the higher the num-ber, the thicker the oil and thegreater the resistance to flow. Multi-weight oils were developed as inter-vals between oil changes becamelonger and engine operating temper-atures increased. Today’s multiviscosi-ty oils work well in all seasons. Multi-weight oils have two codes: The firstdesignates the lubricant’s winter(“W”) grade, and the second refers toviscosity at higher temperatures. Forexample, “5W-30” grade oil indicatesthe lubricant is a 5-weight winter-grade oil, and a 30-weight oil underhigh-temperature conditions.

There are two additional symbols tolook for on the container label. Thesesymbols, created by the American Pe-troleum Institute (API), are the “star-burst” and “donut.” The starburstsymbol normally appears on the frontof the container and indicates that theoil meets the requirements of domes-tic and Japanese vehicle manufactur-

ers. These standards have been devel-oped and approved by the Interna-tional Lubricant Standardization andApproval Committee (ILSAC). Themost recently issued standard by thisgroup is ILSAC GF-2, which will ap-pear in the center of the starburst forall oils certified for use in gasoline en-gines.

The API donut, usually found on theback of the container, certifies that thelubricant meets the latest service cate-gory. The two-letter code describes theintended application and the perfor-mance rating. The first letter is either“S” for gasoline engines or “C” fordiesel engines. The second letter des-ignates the latest evolution level of per-formance. Oil for gasoline engines willbare the new “SJ” mark, signifying thatit contains lower phosphorous levelsfor environmental protection.

The oil grade recommended forany given vehicle is listed in the own-er’s manual and most service manu-als; make sure you use it.

Reminding your customers toschedule regular oil changes not onlyhelps you generate business, it alsoshows the customer you practice pre-ventive maintenance.

Although some carmakers rec-ommend replacing the oil filterevery other oil change, it’s im-

portant to remember that a used, sat-urated filter can hold nearly a quart ofoil. So if you don’t replace the filtereach time you change your customers’

63February 1999

OIL CHANGE

OIL, FILTERS & CHASSIS LUBRICATION

Ph

oto:

Bob

Cer

ullo

OIL FILTER CHANGE

Page 2: OIL, FILTERS HASSIS LUBRICATION - motor.com

oil, you essentially add a quart of dirtyoil to the new lubricant. Therefore,you may want to recommend that thefilter be replaced with every oilchange. But make sure you informthe customer that this is an additionalitem over and above the factory-rec-ommended scheduled maintenance.

The oil filter is designed to protectthe engine’s internal mechanical partsfrom damaging abrasive contami-nants such as dirt and metal shavings.Most vehicles use a full-flow type oilfilter. Filters that meet or exceedOEM requirements must effectivelycapture various sizes of contaminantparticles. They must also remove andhold a significant amount of dirt

while still allowing oil flow. Finally, oilfilters must create adequate resis-tance to flow to protect internal en-gine components from oil starvation.

Once you replace the oil filter,what should you do with it? Althoughmost states do not consider used oil“hazardous waste,” tossing spent fil-ters in the trash is potentially harmfulto the environment. Used filters, ifproperly drained, can be recycled asscrap metal.

Many automotive equipment sup-pliers offer oil filter crushers that al-low you to turn properly drained oilfilters into scrap metal for recycling.As a rule, drain used oil filters into acollection pan for at least 24 hoursbefore crushing them.

When it comes to disposing of yourused oil filters, think “green.” Consid-

er participating in a recycling pro-gram—the Filter Manufacturers’Council maintains a regulatory hot-line and database to encourage prop-er and responsible management ofused filters. Call 1-800-FILTERS todetermine the appropriate manage-ment requirements for your state.

When changing the oil andfilter, always check to see ifchassis lubrication is rec-

ommended. It’s an important mainte-nance item that’s commonly over-

looked. Hard surfaces thatrub against each other causefriction, which in turn causeswear, and ultimately partsfailure. Chassis lubricationalso ensures smooth and qui-et suspension and steeringsystem operation, whichhelps dampen vibration androad roughness.

Many of the suspensionand steering systems on to-day’s vehicles use sealedbearings, bushings and otherlubrication components. It’s a

good idea to inspect chassis compo-nents on all vehicles every 30,000miles under normal service and every15,000 miles under severe service.And don’t overlook the fifth wheel onpickup trucks so equipped.

Grease used for chassis lubrication isclassified by the National LubricatingGrease Institute (NLGI). The NLGInumber on the grease container indi-cates the consistency or thickness ofthe grease. Most chassis lubricants uselithium as a thickener; other additives,such as molybdenum disulfide, areused to increase the antiwear and load-bearing properties of the compound.Chassis lubricant generally carries an“LB” classification, while wheel greaseis designated as “GC.” Many lubes aremarked GC-LB, indicating that theycan be used for both chassis and wheel

lube applications. When choosing achassis grease, always follow the manu-facturer’s recommendations.

Selecting the correct lubricant isonly half the battle, however. Whenapplying the grease, how do youknow you’ve applied the correctamount? Richard Morrow, Applica-tions Engineer with Mobil Corp.,highly recommends that all serviceand repair facilities use a greaseequipment tester to verify lubricantflow rate and pressure. You can pur-chase such a tester from many auto-motive equipment suppliers; somesuppliers will even loan you a tester.

Heavy-duty and extended-servicelubricants tend to be difficult to pumpbecause of their chemical makeup.They’re formulated to stick to criticaljoints despite harsh operating condi-tions such as heavy loads, vibration orexposure to water. It’s these very prop-erties that make the grease difficult topump through long pipes and hoses.

To ensure proper grease equip-ment operation, refer to the followinggeneral guidelines:

•Regulate pressure to the greasegun to 130 to 150 psig.

•Keep grease lines to the gun asshort as possible, particularly whenusing extended-life mineral greases.

•Using comparable synthetic greas-es, especially in cold temperatures,could ease pumping requirementsand improve lubricant application.

•Verify that grease gun static pres-sure is around 4500 psig/minute.

•Measured grease flow through a1⁄16 orifice should be at least 7 ouncesper 30 seconds.

For best results, your service bayshould include a wheel-mounted bar-rel pump (80:1 ratio) equipped with a50-foot, high-pressure hose (at least 3⁄8inch in diameter).

Like changing the engine oil andfilter every 3000 miles, proper chassislubrication is sound preventive main-tenance. The cost to the customer foryou to perform such service is quitelow when compared to the cost of re-placing failed parts.

65February 1999

CHASSIS LUBRICATIONP

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