oil change

During the time it takes for motor oil to get up to normal operating temperature there is accelerated wear. This will be discussed in the motor oil chapters I am resubmitting - Motor Oil 101 - 201.

Two things:
During the start up period the engine is running rich contributing to fuel dilution of the oil. This is bad. And at idle there is no load so heating is slow.

You want to get the oil warmed up as fast as possible to the normal operating temperature, 180 F and above. If you start the engine and go the oil will heat up much faster. You just have to keep the RPM down.

aehaas

 

I just had mine changed today at FoW and they used Mobil 10w-40 Synthetic

 

+1

With all due respect, Ali, in all close tolerance racing engines, temperatures must "normalize" before proper clearances are obtained, especially where disparate aloys and metals are in contact with each other.

While crankcase oil dilution may be a factor with the older carbureted cars, this is not the case with the modern cars with more sophisticated engine management systems.

The "start and drive off immediately" is an OEM recommendation mandated to reduce "dirty" running periods by the EPA.

If the factory recommends 15K oil change intervals (as they do on the E46 M3 and E60 M5), that doesn't mean it's a good idea!

-Peter

 

How long do you wait after starting the engine before you can start driving?

 

Hi,
The start and drive off easily was and is recommended also in Countries without EPA and it is a fact that at idle, there is no load on any engine, hence very little fuel is being burnt, thus prolonging the time it takes to warm everything up.
Another thing to consider is the fact that V12 Ferraris have proportionally larger engines then other cars and the amount of oil in circulation is greater too, making up for more mass to warm up.
Therefore I also second the practice of start and go, easy on the gas.
In my last two BMWs the onboard computer would stretch the oil changes (of syntetic oil) up to 18,000 miles.
The oil would hardly darken by the time it was being replaced.
I traded my 540i in at 80,000 for a 545i and I always used syntetic oil.
Now I use Mobil 1 - 0W-40 fully syntetic on my 456GT with pretty much the same results.
Finally, being new to Ferrari, I notice that when cranking the engine up, the motor makes a few turns more than your typical car, before it actually fires up.
The appearance of this is that it is intentional and if that is the case, it is a good thing, as it provides a pre-lubrication effect before there is actually pressure on top of the pistons.
Just my 2 cents,
Saluti,

 

A layman's question....I can appreciate a quicker warm up=quicker lubrication, but....

Woudln't an idle warm up cause less wear since there is no load on the engine?

Here's my thinking...(please remember, I'm speaking in general terms)

An idle warm up would be stationary...which I would be in and promote an uniform temperature environment...no airflow, etc.

Also at idle, there would be no load on the engine...which I compute to less work=less wear...and why is slow heating bad???

Lastly, RPMs would be lower and consistant during an idle warm up and there wouldn't be any chance for a "slip" of the ankle and a higher than expected RPM than planned during the warm-up period.

Also, why is it bad for a rich fuel mix at start up and wouldn't that occur regardless of idle vs. driving warm up?

 

What about the cold start system. On a 308 you have increased RPM during this warm up period. Driving the car while in this mode is not a good idea in my opinion.

 

This discussion may be of help:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=769756&an=0&page=8#Post769756

 

If you want to use Agip, use the Syntheic PC 5W-40.
The 4-Synt is semi-synthetic and the Super is non-synthetic.

aehaas

 

Ali,

thanks for the link to bobtheoilguy....I think this put it best:

"Cold start= least amount of oil+ metal parts that have not thermally expanded+ fuel dilution= cold unlubricated metal parts trying to tear each other apart....then the wife waits 3 seconds and hits the gas!! Any questions? "

cheers & happy holidays!