 When should I do the first oil change? I like to do mine before 1000 miles. Engines today do not use "break-in" oils anymore and the engine tolerances are close enough that metal shavings aren’t really a problem. The silicates (sand) left over from the casting process is a bigger problem these days. I have done this with all my engines and have consistently reached over 200,000 miles on all of them.
Can I use synthetic oil? When should I change? If you WANT to change your oil frequently say every 3000 miles, then full synthetic may not be required. Some say full synthetic improves MPG but I believe this to be subjective. IMO synthetic oils are great but not necessary. I change my oil every 3000 miles so the oil stays clean. I put one quart of full synthetic with every 4 quarts of oil to help with cold start up lubrication but other than that I'm not a believer in full synthetic UNLESS you plan on running in extreme cold or hot environments. If you want to use synthetic oil it's best if you wait at least 3K and preferably 6K to allow the engine a normal break in period. Again you'll get a lot of different opinions but all the multi-grade oils are perfectly sufficient so long as you use the proper grades and types and regularly change the oil and filter.
Another Mustang magazine did this same test using a different brand of synthetic oil -- same results.
If you check out this month's Consumer Reports (BTW, if you look up "report" in Word97, one of the synonyms is "rumor"...Hmmmm), there is a short article about CR adding Prolong to one engine, and just regular motor oil to an identical engine. They then drained the oil from both engines and drove the vehicles. After 13 minutes and five miles, both engines failed simultaneously. CR's claim is that:
My personal experience using Prolong is more positive. When used in my 1995 Jeep Wrangler, the engine immediately ran smoother and quieter, and my MPG went from 17 to 20. I definitely think this stuff is slicker than standard motor oil, but probably about the same as most synthetics.
What's the engine break-in period? The new engines are so tight on tolerances that you don't need to worry so much about break-in like we used to. I just took it easy for the first 500, then goosed it a bit every once in a while of the next 500. The word is that these things aren't completely broken in until the first 1K. If you don't put it through extreme stuff for the first couple of thousand, it should be no problem. The key is oil changes. Do one at 1K and then every 3K after that and do the filter every time using a double acting filter. They're much better than the single stage filters. Most of the filter companies have them and the Mopar filters are 2 stagers.
Besides the first 300 miles mentioned in the owner's manual, be aware that your engine (and other components) will be breaking in for about the first 7 to 10,000 miles. I prefer to not do extreme things for this period....others will say it doesn't matter.
This is simply my preference and opinion. For example I wouldn't take a long (days of driving) trip before 7000 miles. Others have with no adverse effects (for now, we'll see what happens in 150,000 miles....:-) You can start using Mobil 1 in new vehicles at any time. In fact, Mobil 1 is the factory fill in Corvette LS1, LT-1 and LT-5 engines. Mobil and Porsche just announced a new partnership that will also have all Porsche cars manufactured at the Zuffenhausen plant lubricated with Mobil 1. One of the myths that persists about Mobil 1 is that new engines require a break-in period with conventional oil. Current engine manufacturing technology does not require this break-in period. As the decisions by the engineers who design the Corvette and Porsche engines indicate, Mobil 1 can be used in an engine from the day you drive the car off the show room floor.
If you have any additional questions, you may contact us at our E-mail address: lubes%40ffx.mobil.com or by phone at 1-800-ASKMOBIL.
My main advice would be to skip the Splitfires. Electricity will only follow one path when made to jump a gap like that. It may alternate which point it uses, but it won't really spark from both of them at once. The main advantage to platinum plugs is that they last longer because the platinum is mostly non-reactive and thus doesn't corrode.
30 ft/lbs from the factory service manual. (Sounds high!).
How many grease fittings are there & where are they? The count is up to 8 now.
The upper is hidden just under the engine cross brace, but they were so kind as to put a 90 degree fitting on it.
How do you adjust the Torsion Bars? I just didn't care for the built-in rake, so I took a ratchet to the torsion bars. Now it rides level and looks fantastic. The procedure was not new to me. Back in my younger years, I cranked up the front of my '65 Coronet as high as she would go, thinking that this would help transfer weight to the rear wheels for better traction. I did the same to my '69 Roadrunner, but not as drastically. The beauty of these torsion bars is that you can crank both of them up in 5 minutes. Take a little spin around the block (more effective than jouncing) to allow the thing to settle into its new height. Then adjust up or down one full turn of the bolts to get your desired height.
I started by marking the bolt's original position, then cranked it up 5 complete turns on each side. This is not difficult stuff...I used my 1/2" ratchet with 12" of additional breaker bar. I took a spin downtown and watched the D in the storefront windows. She looked level, but I noticed on acceleration from a stop that it seemed to be only the slightest bit higher in the front. I came back home, adjusted two rounds down and then one complete round back up (I think it was John M who mentioned that you always want to adjust UP for your final position). Now I have 4 complete rounds up and the D looks perfectly level ALL the time. I think it is a great improvement, but that's my personal taste. The ride? I actually think it is better than before. Not at all stiff as I had expected.
By the way, I eye-balled the distance between the stops and the control arms before I started this, and my stops were both about 1/8" off the arm. Now, they rest about 5/8" or so above the arms. Hope this info helps anyone who wants to level out their Ds. The service manual doesn't mention checking the front end alignment after making the torsion bar adjustment. Some had theirs checked afterward and it was not off.
One word of advice. Don't use the fender as the reference point. The manual says to measure from the ground to the center of the head of the bolt that holds the lower control arm. It's easy to get to. The other point of measurement is the center of the wheel (make sure inflation is the same on both tires). I forget what the difference should be but if the measurement difference of those two points is close to the same, the ride height is even. Jounce the truck (like that's easy!!) to settle the suspension. Better would be taking a short ride then recheck. Also, when adjusting, adjust the torsion bar UP to the measurement desired, not DOWN. If you want to know what the factory setting should be, let me know and I'll look it up for you.
My Steering wheel's not straight! You can pull the wheel and center it, but that will not correct the problem. The problem lies in incorrect toe-in adjustment. The way to correct this is to readjust the toe-in, with the engine running, one person holding the steering wheel straight, another readjusting the toe-in. Running the engine, takes all the play out of the steering gear with the power steering. Many tech's don't take the time to do this, and get it "close enough" Been there and done that!
Tire Rotation - To use the spare or not? Haven't done mine yet and I'm at 6300 miles so it will be soon. I plan on leaving the spare where it is and rotate only the four. I used my spare in all my other cars in emergency cases only which was about 2 or 3 times in 6 years. Since the tire is exposed to the elements yet not always cleaned and waxed like the other four, I think it will show aging faster. So why not keep my four in the best shape and leave the one spare go. Also, with the 5th tire in the rotation pattern I can't imagine getting an even use out of all the tires. If you just do the four, at least the fronts should look the same and the backs should look the same. Biggest problem I can think of is having left and right be lop-sided. Front and back being a little off can make your full-time-4 work a little harder at worse, if you use it.
When including your spare in the rotation pattern, just be sure the same wheel position always goes to the spare position along with making sure the tire coming from the spare position always goes to the same "in service" position. For example: during rotation, always move the right front tire to the spare position and, since the rear tires are always going to the front positions, move the spare tire to the right rear position.
If you don't include the spare in tire rotation you'll end up with a possible non-matching, dry rotting tire after 4-5 years which may not hold air, or even be inflated, when you need it. By including the spare you get 20-25% more life out of your set of tires, you'll know the spare was inflated properly and balanced when you last rotated tires and put it away. When you do have to buy a new set of tires THEN you only buy 4 and keep your best tire for the spare and, if you still have the vehicle at the next tire rotation, leave the spare alone.
What can I do about the brake dust on my wheels? You can wash and wax them a lot, try better/harder pads, or use Kleen Wheels brake covers. Kleen Wheels are available from Automotive Accessories Connection
How do you get the PCM error codes? From alt.autos.dodge.trucks:
I have had dings in other cars and was given this great and cheap fix, from a factory guy who said this is their soultion. Buy Dry Ice and place directly onto the ding and allow the cooling effect to "pop" the ding out.
Note: When the ice makes contact the metal will groan and crackle, this is normal. You may even hear a small pop, indicating the ding is gone. I did this over 2 yrs ago to 3 areas on my vehicle and haven't seen any change in the paint or metal.
Paint care, cleaning & waxing. What wax should I use? The absolute best write-up I have seen on this topic is at the Corvette Owners Club
Immediately! Today’s factory finishes are baked on and water based. The out gassing that older paints used to do for 3 or so months is no longer a problem. (Be careful on new body work though, many local shops still use oil-based paints and do not have "ovens").
How do I get rid of scratches and swirls? I again refer you to the best write-up I have seen on this topic at the Corvette Owners Club
While restoring the finish on my wife's Intrepid (and keeping the D looking great) I have had great luck with Meguiar's Professional series products. In particular, for scratches in the clear coat (not through to the paint) the No 9 Swirl Remover applied with a DA (random orbital) buffer works extremely well for removing swirl marks and minor scratches. Multiple applications remove more and more. Leaves a mirror finish. Great wax prep product.
For heavier stuff, the No 7 Show Car Glaze (applied by hand) masks the scratch pretty well, but does not remove it.
For larger scratches you must use a buffer (IMHO), preferably a DA or Random orbital (less chance of screwing up than a rotary buffer). I have a Porter Cable (same one sold by Meguiar's bought for $60 less!). This unit develops some pretty good RPM's (OPM's) on high and , thus, enough heat to properly break down the compounds. Despite Meguiar's advice NOT to use their No 2 Fine Cut cleaner with this buffer (they say you need to use a rotary....more heat) I had excellent results doing so on the Intrepid. It took out 3 years of scratches and swirls in the paint. Follow up with the No 9 and then wax. Wow! Ken Thompson likes 3m Finesse-it II. Similar to the No 2 I think. I haven't tried it yet.
You may get similar results by hand with Meguiar's 3 step Deep Crystal System available at consumer auto parts stores. The cleaner is a particle abrasive, the polish a chemical non-abrasive compound and the wax is pure wax....carnauba. All Meguiar's abrasives break down with use (diatomaceous clay) so you can't really burn through the paint (except with a rotary buffer of course).
Feel free to e-mail any specific questions. I like the Meguiar's stuff alot.
What should I use to clean leather? I've been using Lexol in my cars for years. A little goes a long way.
How do you clean White Letters on tires? I've always used Brillo or SOS pads. Works well!
I usually give 'em a goings over with a shoe brush to help it work, then just rinse 'em off. Be careful using it on the wheels, unless someone else here has tried it an can say it's safe, because they're alloy, although they are plastic/clear coated. It may be fine, just wanted to give a heads-up.
Can those UGLY visor stickers be removed? So far, nobody knows a way - or has had the guts to try. Some have covered them.
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