Browsing: Oil and fluids

Written by Freddi Stafford A thin film of lubrication is all that ensures a long life for all those complex mechanical components on your 4×4. Oil specs have changed to match the many advances in technology, but often your local service agent finds it easier to stock just one or two standard oils. Bad idea… Advancements in technology have changed our lives forever, but how much thought have you given to this when it comes to your 4×4 and the quality of lubricants it uses, every time you send your vehicle in to be serviced? It’s far more important than

Written by Freddi Stafford Does the oil you’ve just bought meet OEM specifications for its specific purpose, or could you have done better by your engine and the environment? Everybody has a world, and that world is completely hidden until we begin to inquire. As soon as we do, that entire world opens to us and yields itself. And you see how full and complex it is.” – David Guterson. In a world of changing technology, automotive lubricants have changed along with motor vehicle technology, and these lubricants have become extremely complex – and more difficult to understand. However, our

Written by Freddi Stafford There is more to coolant than meets the eye. In the past five articles, we have discussed how automotive technology has changed forever. In recent years, the number of different motor oils available to consumers has multiplied exponentially, in order to keep up with the lubrication requirements of all the different vehicle manufacturers. Oil specifications can also vary; not only from one car manufacturer to another, but also by the year, make, model and engine of the vehicle. And, no matter whether we are referring to engine oils, manual and automatic transmission oils, differential and transfer

When your brakes fail, it is too late… In this, our seventh and concluding article on how automotive lubricant technology has changed forever, we will discuss brake fluid − which is not something you can use until you notice deterioration. With old fluid, one minute you have perfect brakes; and the next you have none. Many people are complacent about their brake fluid, assuming that it will always do the job. It is a “safety critical item”, but how many motorists ever ask to have their brake fluid checked, or when it was last changed? Approximately 70% of vehicles on

Written by Freddi Stafford Base oil quality is the key to understanding the terms mineral, semi-synthetic, synthetic blend, synthetic technology and fully synthetic. Have you ever tried to make sense of which motor oil is best for your vehicle’s engine? If you want to make a good choice, you could begin by learning about base oils − the starting point of finished lubricants. The base oils used in engine oils can provide varying levels of performance. However, one first needs to understand the terms fully-synthetic, synthetic technology and semi-synthetic, and how these are factors in our choice of motor oil.

There is no such thing as an ATF that meets “universal” specifications Written by Freddi Stafford Nobody ever does it, but this is one instance where you really should read the manual. And those marks on the oil container – not just pretty symbols… To kick off where this series of articles started, it’s a simple truth that using OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) approved lubricants for your vehicle will substantially reduce maintenance costs over the long term, protect exhaust emission equipment (DPF/TWC/DeNox/ SCR), and, with energy conserving lubricants, reduce fuel consumption and thereby minimise emission of the four main pollutants

Written by Freddi Stafford You may ask yourself why the selection of a grease is so important to your application and the operating conditions in which the grease will function. It comes down to the fact that different greases will provide different characteristics and getting the most from a grease lubricated component requires a solid understanding of its composition, properties and applications. A Little History Grease was probably the first lubricant ever used. Animal fats were thought to have been used by the ancient Egyptians to lubricate the hubs of the wooden wheels of their chariots. That was some 3500