Do you really need to change the oil?, I'm just playing Devil's advocate here. Options

[VavAlephVav]

Really, aside from the cleanliness and longevity of the motor. How much of a difference does it make on the performance or power output of the motor if you have old burnt up oil that is broken down still in the motor?
Percentage wise how much power do you think you loose from having worn out motor oil that needs to be changed?

10%? 20%? more?

[VavAlephVav]

Well eventually that worn oil breaks down, cokes and causes them to stick in the ring grooves which lowers compression and diminishes performance. Also as the gets worn it looses viscosity and begins to burn more readily which fouls spark plugs and diminishes performance. And lets not forget that excessive oil consumption forms heavy carbon deposits on the valves which can cause hot spots which can lead to pre-ignition that burns holes through pistons and can also burn the valves themselves which leads to very low compression. Oh and of course there's nothing high performance about a sludged oil pickup which causes spun bearings and connecting rods to come out of the block, which could be considered weight reduction but at that point it's not an engine but an anchor and heavy anchors perform the best so...

Just change your damn oil on time. 3K, 5K, 7K, 10K, whatever interval works for you given the type of driving, engine condition, and quality of oil and filter used.

...Thank you.


Some of you may remember that I've told you I am working on my degree in Mechanical Engineering, and I am a bit older than your typical student. I've also got a number of years of hands on experience in other technical fields like electrical and refrigeration, but have no formal training in automotive though I've learned as much as I can from books just so that I can survive (because unless you live in a big city you Must have a car, or you don't have a job).
And I am involved in this thing they call the SAE Baja racing team. They give us a 10hp B&S and we have to design and build the rest of the single seat dune buggy from scratch, then we compete against all the other engineering schools in the country, even international.(the Canadian teams are no punk.)
See here http://bajasaemaryland.umbc.edu/

This is my first semester on the team and so I'm just trying to learn about how the events run and gather all the info I can, the Seniors are the ones running the show. I've tried to offer some advise without stepping on anybodies toes or acting like "Hey you ****ing stupid kids don't know what you're doing."
These guys say the motor they had last year Sucked, don't even know what's wrong with it, Briggs & Stratton just sent us a "bad one". So they replaced it this year and they still swear up and down that it's only making 8hp instead of 10.
Well, I opened the oil fill and dipped my finger in, what I pulled out was dark, soot-like, muddy on one part and clear watery on the top, and when I rubbed my fingers together I could feel metal in it.
So, I suggested that we should change the oil. I figured that could be one of those little things I could take care of for them so they could be busy with the other important stuff they need to do.
Instead, They all yelled at me as if that was the STUPIDEST thing they have ever heard. And that really hurt
I really have a bunch of kids, who've never had a real job, and don't even work on their own cars, getting in my face and telling me to shut the **** up.
the next time that happens somebody is going to be wearing a big red hand print across their face for the next week.

Lucky I only have to put up with these kids for another couple of weeks then they graduate and go away. The guy who's going to be in charge next season is in his 30's and spent most of his youth hanging out at the drag strip day and night, so I feel real good about next season.

I just wanted to share because I figured you guys would think this's real funny. One of these little ****-heads just got a job as a design engineer for Peterbilt too. (lol)