The Importance of Regular Oil Changes in Late Model GM V8s

When it comes to maintaining your late model GM V8, regular oil changes are crucial to prevent excessive oil consumption. According to General Motors, burning a quarter of an oil every thousand miles is considered normal, but this can quickly become problematic with low-tension piston rings. If not changed regularly, these rings can become dirty and stick, leading to increased oil burnage. This was tested by Automotive Test Solutions, who found that after 5,000 miles of driving a car with a faulty oil seal, the oil consumption decreased significantly.

The authors of this article plan to conduct their own experiment using an oil burner treatment on a GM V8 engine. The goal is to see if the treatment can reduce oil burnage over time. "I'm going to get an oil burner and do this treatment," says the author, "this particular one isn't an oil burner yet so I can't use this as the test." They also plan to reach out to people from Clarksville who may have access to an oil burner, offering a free oil change in exchange for participation.

Hyundai Elantra 2013: A Potential Buy or Not?

When it comes to buying a used car, research and caution are essential. The author of this article is considering purchasing a Hyundai Elantra 2013 with 120,000 miles for $4,000. However, they question its reliability, citing concerns about the car's build quality and durability. "They don't hold up like Toyotas and Hondas," says the author, referring to Korean-made cars like the Hyundai Elantra. "You're paying $4,000 for a car with 120,000 miles on it? It's not worth it."

The author notes that they have seen people buy Hondas and Toyotas with similar mileage for much higher prices, indicating a potential quality issue. They also mention that some customers who have purchased Hyundai Elantras with high mileage report problems such as transmission failures and engine issues. In contrast, Toyota and Honda owners often keep their vehicles for hundreds of thousands of miles without major issues.

Air Conditioning Systems in Hybrids: A Different Ball Game

Modern hybrid cars, particularly those with electronic air conditioning compressors, require a different approach to maintenance than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. These systems typically run at higher voltages (120-240V) and use specialized oil that is designed for high-voltage applications. "They don't have a clutch on them," explains the author, "and they don't run off a fan belt; they're electrically driven." This means that any attempts to work on these systems should be made with caution, as improper maintenance can lead to electrical shock or system failure.

The author notes that hybrid AC compressors are more complex than traditional air conditioning units and often require specialized tools and expertise. When the compressor fails, it can be costly to repair, making regular maintenance crucial to extending its lifespan. Additionally, modern cars equipped with electronic AC compressors may not respond as well to diagnostic tests or repairs, requiring a deeper understanding of their systems.

Unplugging a Downstream Oxygen Sensor: A Potential Fix for Jerky Acceleration

In some cases, drivers may attempt to diagnose and fix issues like jerky acceleration by unplugging the downstream oxygen sensor on bank 2. According to the author, this can be done as a temporary measure to alleviate symptoms, but it's essential to note that proper diagnosis and repair are still necessary to resolve the underlying issue.

When the oxygen sensor is unplugged, the computer receives no data from the sensor, which may lead to improved acceleration in the short term. However, without diagnostic data, the system may not be able to identify and address the root cause of the problem. The author acknowledges that this method is not a substitute for proper repair but may provide some temporary relief until further investigation can be conducted.

The Importance of Proper Maintenance

As with any vehicle, regular maintenance is crucial to ensure optimal performance, fuel efficiency, and longevity. By staying informed about common issues and taking proactive steps to address them, drivers can help prevent costly repairs down the road. Whether it's a routine oil change or a more complex repair job, proper maintenance is essential for extending the life of your vehicle.

In conclusion, maintaining your late model GM V8 requires regular attention to its engine oil consumption, as well as a deeper understanding of its systems and components. By staying informed about potential issues and taking proactive steps to address them, drivers can help prevent costly repairs and ensure their vehicle runs smoothly for years to come.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines all right today i have a very interesting experiment this ats chemical oil cleaner supposed to clean all the carbon from inside the engine and quiet them down now as you can see this is a very noisy volkswagen gti we'll start it up you can easily hear the noise it's making the gdi engines have a tendency of carboning up and you get a lot of engine noise as the carbon builds up things aren't lubricated right you hear rattling a lot of times they start burning oil and here's why in order for engines to get better gas mileage all cars use lower tension piston rings these days we'd rebuild engines you had to get a piston you had to clamp it down put it on top of the block and then hammer it in with wood and a hammer because it's so tight the pistons were tight they had very high tension rings so they were tight and they sealed good but of course more friction worse gas mileage so they all have low tension springs you can push those in with your bare hand if you ever rebuilt one of those you can grab the rings with your fingers you can push the whole thing in you don't need tools you don't need a hammer and wood that's less pressure they don't seal as well and as they age if oil gets clogged in there they'll stick inside the pistons the rings won't come out because they don't have much tension you'll burn a lot of oil now this may sound crazy it's been over a million bucks and eight years figuring out how to get rid of carbon inside the engine they say the carbon inside the engine with the oil is different than the carbon that's made by burning gasoline this pours right into your engine oil that baby's on there tight either i'm getting old pour the engine oil we're gonna see if it really works all can and now we're gonna run it at a fast style for about 15 minutes we'll idle at about 2 000 rpms for about 15 minutes now i've read about phenomenal results but i might as well as be from missouri because i say show me this is going to test this system out good and as usual nobody's paying me for this this is just a task if it doesn't work i'll show you the engine will be just as noisy as it was before maybe it'll be even noisier i don't know we're going to run it for 15 minutes then like they say on a can change the oil and filter because all the carbon is going to be in the oil and in the filter put in new oil we'll see what it sounds like and interestingly enough even though i put in the engine oil i can smell it coming out of the tail pipe that shows the engine and the exhaust they're not perfectly sealed the engine oil should not be coming out fumes of the exhaust that shows piston drinks and stuff are worn we're going to see if this clears some of it up i do have to say over the years i've seen a lot of snake oil products but after testing out their fuel additives i was rather impressed by that the same guys in albuquerque new mexico now i've known bernie thompson quite some time in automotive test solutions as far as i'm concerned the guy's almost as crazy as me but his partner is a computer whis between the testing and him coming up with ideas i can't wait to see what this oil cleaner does especially on a volkswagen obviously rings are worn because you can smell the stuff burning out the back you still gotta wait 15 minutes so i had a fast idle but i do have to say i asked bernie i said bernie how come only 15 minutes he says doesn't take forever but in that short period of time the engine starts hardling faster i got it set with the throttle holder i had it at 2 000 it went up to 4 000. that shows me that it's cleaning something because it's free of moving now for the same throttle it went up i had to set it back to 2000. i can hear it going up a little higher now too i don't know i think the cleaner is doing something but ask for sound is it going to make the engine quieter because of that let's find out now shut the engine off we're going to change the oil but this is really hot so get a fan pull it off 15 20 minutes so you don't burn yourself when you're changing the oil so it's cooling off we jack the car up we go and this is a really low car so we need a jack stand so get our oil pan to crawl under so we get a 19-millimeter socket and out comes the old oil germans really put long screws in these things there we go there's the old dirty oil and it is dirty as you can see in my hand that's dirty oh all the carbon and stuff is getting in this oil that we're changing out drained out you are going to get a couple of drips we got a new gasket on here we'll put that back on and of course we have to change the oil field it's one of these stupid crap box plastic ones with the paper filter inside you need a big socket for this okay now we can do it by hand i really hate these ones that have paper inside they're such a pain in the butt but that's the germans for you plastic junk there we go here's the new filter and gasket so you put the new filter and gasket in tighten it up first you tighten it by hand and you get the wrench because you want it snug so it doesn't come loose there we go a little tight that's it look at that filthy black oil seems to got a lot of carbon out now we'll fill it up with oil in this case it holds 4.9 quarts of 5w30 so in it goes nice clean oil then we'll put the top back on move the jacks down and let it down back out of the way now comes the moment of truth we're going to start it up there you are get set go so let's compare that to the original sound now yes this is a volkswagen gti with well over a hundred thousand miles on it it's to make noise it's been abused in the past guys drive them hard and their volkswagens they get loud as they aim i'd never buy one personally that's my choice i fix cars i don't like a noisy car i like nice quiet toyotas if you compare that last noise after the cleaning to the first real noisy one you can definitely hear there's less mechanical noise there's less wear going on good use these guys told me about and i gotta test it out when i find one is in those late model gm v8s that burn a lot of oil gm says it's normal to burn a quarter oil every thousand miles or so not normal to me but with those low tension piston rings if you don't change the oil enough they get dirty they stick you're going to burn oil because they're not expanding and sealing right when i get one of those it burns oil i'm going to do the same thing then i'm going to let them drive the car 5 000 miles and we'll see if it went down because the guys at automotive test solutions said they did it with one of their wife's car and it went from burning a quarter oil every eight or nine hundred miles to not even half a quart between oil changes every five thousand if i find a result like that then i know they're telling me the truth i can tell by the sound here my next test is going to be get an oil burner do this treatment this particular one isn't an oil burner yet so i can't use this as the test anybody out of clarksville got an oil burner especially a gmba contact me come here you'll get a free oil change i'll put the stuff in and we'll see what happens after 5 000 miles and here's some bonus questions and answers cinema says i'm planning to buy a hyundai elantra 2013 with 120 000 miles for 4 grand will it be a good buy no they don't hold up like toyotas and hondas you know i mean you got 120 000 miles you're paying 4 grand they're not that well made you know they just aren't they don't last two three four hundred thousand miles like hondas and toyotas do now it would be okay if you could get one a lot less mileage that'd be okay but with that mileage on it i wouldn't pay four grand for it i mean no i've seen people buy hondas and toyotas for that kind of money and they keep them for years and they're real happy but young dies i never had a customer buy a young guy with that kind of mileage for that kind of money would be satisfied in the end still started breaking transmissions go out engines go out it's really not worth it you want a higher quality car like you said was a toyota honda yeah i'd buy it in a heartbeat i wouldn't care but the korean cars they still don't have the quality they can bs all they want they still have problems with engines transmissions i would not buy one too many miles for one of those joey b says i want to know a little about air conditioning system and hybrids what's different than that the early ones not withstanding all the modern ones generally have electronic air conditioning compressors that run at a higher voltage like 120 200 volts they have to use a completely different oil because if you worked on one and you put the normal oil in and not the hybrid oil that goes for high voltage you can short the whole system out two is they don't have a clutch on them and they don't run off a fan belt they're electrically driven so it's all done internally it's not something you should ever try to mess with yourself because you're dealing with higher voltage you could kill yourself you need to have special gloves you need to really understand how the systems work now normally they last quite some time because they don't get the vibration of a fan belt driving them and have the clutch and the shaft and everything they're more like the air conditioners you use in your house which are pretty well made when they do break man it can cost you a fortune because most guys that work on houses aren't going to work on a car ac and most guys are working on a car ac don't want to mess with 120 or 240 volts so when ac brakes on a hybrid car it's a lot more complex than on a regular car corbin says i'm going to unplug my downstream oxygen sensor on bank 2 my leaky manifold to see if it stops the car from jerky acceleration well of course you could fix your man i fold it up but yeah it might help some because when you unplug it the computer gets no data now that will make the check engine light come on but then the computer has to gas and it has graphs to look at to take a guess to make the car run as well as it possibly can without any information from the sensor and sometimes in the short run they actually can run a little bit better that way because they're not reacting to the problem that the league created so give it a try see what happens so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell you\n"