Inspired by all the auto threads...
I drive a 91 Volvo wagon which has given me few problems except for the exhaust parts needing to be replaced. Last week I had to replace the gas tank since weight in the back barely cracked the rusted up sending unit on the top of the tank, which may have been a source of some older problems.
I change my oil regularly, and after I got this car a year and a half ago, I noticed the oil on the dipstick would go from clear to pitch black in like a week or two after the change. I pay 40 bucks for the valvoline guys to flush a gallon of "kleen-right" through the block and the oil looked cleaner and has for a year now.
For some reason, my car always hated to be run when the engine was cold or the weather was very humid, like on hazy summer or rainy days. It would sputter, and in stop-and-go traffic, stall after a full and complete stop. It only happened when the weather was bad or the engine cold so I didn't think much of taking time to fix it.
2 Weeks ago, I was in the garage with my mechanic and we were diagnosing the problem (gas smell) that resulted in needing a new gas tank and pump. I explain the history of this car having a dirty engine since I got it, so he runs a 3-bottle cleaner through it, one in the tank, one in the engine, and one in the air intake. He says this stuff is powerful and we have to leave the garage as it works it's noxious magic.
so I run the car for a bit, and notice the sputtering problem, but it is even worse. The weather isn't so bad, and I'm even losing power. I'm hoping my engine (volvos have a bulletproof cast-iron block) isn't dying. Black smoke and gas fumes were coming out of my tailpipe and my mileage drops to like 60% of what it was before. I was busy with work and commuting so I didn't check the oil until a few days ago. It was super pitch black, with bits of sediment wiping off on the paper I was using. We changed the oil yesterday and it runs like a top. No more sputtering problems in any conditions. I'm guessing the difference was made by the cleaner breaking crud out of the intake. We should have changed the oil after running the cleaner through the engine, it was so filthy in there.
I'm also guessing that my engine got so dirty on the inside by the previous owner not changing the oil frequently enough. VT hippies like to drive volvos, but lots of them don't know how to run cars.
Cliffs:
o Change your oil regularly, your car will love you for it.
o I can't believe I fixed sputtering and stalling with an oil change.
I drive a 91 Volvo wagon which has given me few problems except for the exhaust parts needing to be replaced. Last week I had to replace the gas tank since weight in the back barely cracked the rusted up sending unit on the top of the tank, which may have been a source of some older problems.
I change my oil regularly, and after I got this car a year and a half ago, I noticed the oil on the dipstick would go from clear to pitch black in like a week or two after the change. I pay 40 bucks for the valvoline guys to flush a gallon of "kleen-right" through the block and the oil looked cleaner and has for a year now.
For some reason, my car always hated to be run when the engine was cold or the weather was very humid, like on hazy summer or rainy days. It would sputter, and in stop-and-go traffic, stall after a full and complete stop. It only happened when the weather was bad or the engine cold so I didn't think much of taking time to fix it.
2 Weeks ago, I was in the garage with my mechanic and we were diagnosing the problem (gas smell) that resulted in needing a new gas tank and pump. I explain the history of this car having a dirty engine since I got it, so he runs a 3-bottle cleaner through it, one in the tank, one in the engine, and one in the air intake. He says this stuff is powerful and we have to leave the garage as it works it's noxious magic.
so I run the car for a bit, and notice the sputtering problem, but it is even worse. The weather isn't so bad, and I'm even losing power. I'm hoping my engine (volvos have a bulletproof cast-iron block) isn't dying. Black smoke and gas fumes were coming out of my tailpipe and my mileage drops to like 60% of what it was before. I was busy with work and commuting so I didn't check the oil until a few days ago. It was super pitch black, with bits of sediment wiping off on the paper I was using. We changed the oil yesterday and it runs like a top. No more sputtering problems in any conditions. I'm guessing the difference was made by the cleaner breaking crud out of the intake. We should have changed the oil after running the cleaner through the engine, it was so filthy in there.
I'm also guessing that my engine got so dirty on the inside by the previous owner not changing the oil frequently enough. VT hippies like to drive volvos, but lots of them don't know how to run cars.
Cliffs:
o Change your oil regularly, your car will love you for it.
o I can't believe I fixed sputtering and stalling with an oil change.
I miss feeling powerful
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