A hugely long and strange day...
Oct. 11th, 2004 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpAs I drove away from Pagosa this morning, I started to think about something Feht said yesterday during a phone call. He complained that life had lost its passion -- which for him is composing music -- and that the same had happened to many of his friends. I recalled this thought as I toyed with the idea of getting far enough down the road to fulfill my quota for the day, and then perhaps go see a movie or something.
Except there's nothing at all out there that I feel compelled to go see. Does Feht have a point, or is he just catching me at a bad time?
In any event, after stopping by the store and checking the pressure in the tires, I set off down the road.
I stopped to refuel just short of Denver, after having covered 260 miles (I hadn't bothered to fill up prior to leaving town). I checked the oil level during the fillup, but the fact that it was about a half a quart below the top mark on the dipstick didn't really mean anything, since I hadn't measured the oil level after having changed the oil yesterday. I made a note to keep track of the oil level as I went.
I had noticed, as I drove along, that if I allowed the engine to act as a brake as I went downhill, then the Civic would emit a cloud of smoke when I next pressed on the gas. If I disengaged the clutch while going downhill, there would be little or no smoke when I reapplied power. I tried to hypothesize why this might be the case, but could not.
My phone went to "Extended coverage" as I crossed the border into Nebraska, and stayed there. I had planned on stopping after 700 miles, but since Lincoln -- where I am now -- was just a little bit further down the road, and as I (mistakenly) figured that Lincoln would have to be within Verizon's service area, I pressed on, to the point where I almost ran out of gas.
In fact, the car was making little hesitant motions and the oil light was coming on -- typical signs of an empty tank -- as I coasted to a gas pump. However, as I loaded gasoline into the car, I checked the oil and found no trace of oil at all on the dipstick. It took three quarts to get the level up to the full level. I added a good slug of "Stop Smoke" for good measure.
This bothered me, since in effect this means I lost 2-1/2 quarts or so over 500 miles, which is pretty bad, but especially in light of the fact that I covered 250 miles before that and lost... how much? Drew and I poured in just short of 4 quarts, which is what is called for in a Civic (the short quart was 15 oz. of Slick 50), so I'm figuring if 4 quarts goes up exactly to the top mark, then I lost jus shy of 1/2 a quart, which means I ought to have lost a little less than one quart for double the distance; instead, I lost 2-1/2 times that amount. The "only thing" I did differently during the 500 mile leg was go faster (75 mph).
Anyway, it's probably a good thing I went the extra distance tonight; it gives me a little extra insurance in case the weather turns nasty tomorrow or Wednesday. I hope the car makes it.
Cheers...
Except there's nothing at all out there that I feel compelled to go see. Does Feht have a point, or is he just catching me at a bad time?
In any event, after stopping by the store and checking the pressure in the tires, I set off down the road.
I stopped to refuel just short of Denver, after having covered 260 miles (I hadn't bothered to fill up prior to leaving town). I checked the oil level during the fillup, but the fact that it was about a half a quart below the top mark on the dipstick didn't really mean anything, since I hadn't measured the oil level after having changed the oil yesterday. I made a note to keep track of the oil level as I went.
I had noticed, as I drove along, that if I allowed the engine to act as a brake as I went downhill, then the Civic would emit a cloud of smoke when I next pressed on the gas. If I disengaged the clutch while going downhill, there would be little or no smoke when I reapplied power. I tried to hypothesize why this might be the case, but could not.
My phone went to "Extended coverage" as I crossed the border into Nebraska, and stayed there. I had planned on stopping after 700 miles, but since Lincoln -- where I am now -- was just a little bit further down the road, and as I (mistakenly) figured that Lincoln would have to be within Verizon's service area, I pressed on, to the point where I almost ran out of gas.
In fact, the car was making little hesitant motions and the oil light was coming on -- typical signs of an empty tank -- as I coasted to a gas pump. However, as I loaded gasoline into the car, I checked the oil and found no trace of oil at all on the dipstick. It took three quarts to get the level up to the full level. I added a good slug of "Stop Smoke" for good measure.
This bothered me, since in effect this means I lost 2-1/2 quarts or so over 500 miles, which is pretty bad, but especially in light of the fact that I covered 250 miles before that and lost... how much? Drew and I poured in just short of 4 quarts, which is what is called for in a Civic (the short quart was 15 oz. of Slick 50), so I'm figuring if 4 quarts goes up exactly to the top mark, then I lost jus shy of 1/2 a quart, which means I ought to have lost a little less than one quart for double the distance; instead, I lost 2-1/2 times that amount. The "only thing" I did differently during the 500 mile leg was go faster (75 mph).
Anyway, it's probably a good thing I went the extra distance tonight; it gives me a little extra insurance in case the weather turns nasty tomorrow or Wednesday. I hope the car makes it.
Cheers...
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 02:45 am (UTC)If the oil problem is a new thing, check around the oil filter and the drain plug in case one or the other didn't get put on properly when you did the oil change. You might be pumping oil out either one if they aren't seated properly.
When the engine acts as a brake going downhill, it pulls a good vacuum, and can suck in oil from the valve oil seals or from a bad head gasket, causing blue smoke when you accelerate again and burn whatever got sucked into the cylinders. It can also just suck in gas or even coolant, which will also produce some smoke. Hard to tell.
If you're actually burning that much oil, stop at some big store somewhere and pick up a couple of cases of real cheap oil of a higher viscosity than you normally use. If it's going to get burned up quickly, cheap oil is as good as expensive oil.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-12 03:32 pm (UTC)Honestly though, I'm sorry to hear about the car worries. I just hope you make it to and from the conference safely.
love you, -me
no subject
Date: 2004-10-14 11:59 pm (UTC)Whisky Tango Foxtrot?
Cheers...
no subject
Date: 2004-10-15 12:03 am (UTC)