Hala401 Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 One of the members suggested I use something in my oil to cure the clacking in my 2001 Corolla with 145,000 miles on it. I forgot what he said, and can no longer find the thread. Would you please tell me again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 I go with techron a fuel additive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applepansy Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 I use the oil for high mileage cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hala, do you take your car to a place like Oil Can Henry's? If so, tell them that your poor senior citizen of a car is clacking, what do they recommend? I went twice to Oil Can Henry's - I really liked the guys that worked there, and I was pleased with the work. Because I had out of state plates the one guy asked me if I had moved here. At the time I hadn't, I told him that I was getting ready to drive back home. He had all of the other fluids checked and checked the air in my tires and checked my brake pads too!! Driving home from Oregon to Arizona in September, I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have problems. I now go to a "Back Yard" auto mechanic who moved his place of business into town. He quit the major car dealership in the next town because he felt they were ripping off the customers. This man is a genius with auto's and he is honest. When I lived here before I went exclusively to another "Back Yard" Mechanic. As it turned out he was a member of the Church, and he kept my poor old senior citizen of a car running years longer than it really should have been. He retired two years ago. He no longer can get under cars without help. His wife is house bound and can't help. When I found out that Shep had set up shop in town I was so happy. I really hate going to the next town to get my car worked on, plus I know and trust his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hala401 Posted July 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hala, do you take your car to a place like Oil Can Henry's? If so, tell them that your poor senior citizen of a car is clacking, what do they recommend? I went twice to Oil Can Henry's - I really liked the guys that worked there, and I was pleased with the work. Because I had out of state plates the one guy asked me if I had moved here. At the time I hadn't, I told him that I was getting ready to drive back home. He had all of the other fluids checked and checked the air in my tires and checked my brake pads too!! Driving home from Oregon to Arizona in September, I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't have problems. I now go to a "Back Yard" auto mechanic who moved his place of business into town. He quit the major car dealership in the next town because he felt they were ripping off the customers. This man is a genius with auto's and he is honest.When I lived here before I went exclusively to another "Back Yard" Mechanic. As it turned out he was a member of the Church, and he kept my poor old senior citizen of a car running years longer than it really should have been. He retired two years ago. He no longer can get under cars without help. His wife is house bound and can't help. When I found out that Shep had set up shop in town I was so happy. I really hate going to the next town to get my car worked on, plus I know and trust his work.I've used synthetic oil in my car since I bought it. One of the men who commented in my "church while traveling" thread, and suggested that I add this "stuff" at each change, but I can not remember what it was and can not find the thread. "Oil Can Henry's is two blocks away, so I will ask them, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 CD-2 is good for that, also you could try Lucas Oil Additive. I've had good results with both products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unixknight Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Ok, this is my area of expertise.(Well, was. Before I was a computer nerd, I was an ASE Certified Master Auto Technician so if anybody argues with me on this I will take it personally. You have been warned. )What's going in your car now? Most small cars like that Corolla recommend SAE 5W-30 for their engines. That's for new engines. In an engine with 145,000 miles on it I'd suggest getting something thicker, like SAE 10W-30 or maybe 10W-40. I'm currently driving a 1993 Saturn with about 230,000 miles on it and I put in SAE 10W-30 but in the Summer months I sometimes go to 10W-40 depending.Don't waste your money on additives or on synthetic oil. They like to plug synthetic oil as being really awesome for your engine but the truth is that a good quality "traditional" type oil is just fine. (Don't argue with me on this. I'm telling you as an industry insider. I don't care what uncle Phil said or what the Shadetree Mechanic said on TV, or what your trusted Dealership service writer told you. Don't believe me? Then ask yourself why, despite promises of longer oil utility, the recommended service interval for your car doesn't change just because you're using synthetic oil.)I don't know exactly what you mean by "clacking" but in an engine that old, I'd expect to hear the valves tapping. This can usually be remedied by using the heavier oil I mentioned above. Valve tapping isn't necessarily an indicator of a serious problem and it is pretty common on engines with a lot of miles on them. Older cars had adjustable valves that could be made to eliminate that kind of tapping, but that's rare these days, as most valves are hydraulic. (Read: "self adjusting") If heavier oil doesn't remedy it then the problem may be something like severely worn valves, piston slap or worn bearings. If that's the case, and adding some kind of oil additive makes it go away, then you're only hastening the eventual demise of your engine because additives like that tend to leave behind residues and thick sludge that can clog oil pumps, oil filters and even oil galleries and passages. That is not good news for your engine. When I was fixing cars for a Nissan dealership I absolutely never recommended these kinds of additives. If customers insisted on buying them I'd put them in the car, but that's usually because I'd hear "My brother-in-law who usually takes care of my car told me I really needed this $20 oil additive with every oil change because he uses it in all his cars..." and woe unto the mechanic who disputes the word of the brother-in-law......or Uncle Phil......or the Shadetree Mechanic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenRaines Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 I agree with Marvin the Martian. Ben Raines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hala401 Posted July 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Unixknight: I think the clacking is a valve lifter, and I did notice that when I drove from Portland to Provo, it quit doing that. I bought the car at 103,000 miles and have never done anything but change oil and the Air Filter to the engine. Are there still spark plugs in them? If so, when should I have them changed? It bothers me because lots of places want to add all sorts of things on that make the bill astonishingly high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 I go with whatever john doe says. He's my mechanic and he has never steered me wrong. He has worked on almost every car I have owned since around 1988. And that's what he does for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 And that's what he does for a living.He makes a living working on your car?That must be some car. Or maybe he sleeps in a corner of your garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 He makes a living working on your car?That must be some car. Or maybe he sleeps in a corner of your garage. Humor..arrr...arrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unixknight Posted July 12, 2012 Report Share Posted July 12, 2012 Unixknight:I think the clacking is a valve lifter, and I did notice that when I drove from Portland to Provo, it quit doing that. I bought the car at 103,000 miles and have never done anything but change oil and the Air Filter to the engine. Are there still spark plugs in them? If so, when should I have them changed?It bothers me because lots of places want to add all sorts of things on that make the bill astonishingly high.Yep, the car still has plugs, and normally they get replaced every 30,000 miles. If the car has platinum plugs they last longer, usually 45,000 to 60,000 miles but spark plugs are cheap, so it certainly doesn't hurt to replace them at 30,000 miles. If you're worried about what stuff the car really needs and what doesn't when it comes to the stuff they try and push on you, the most reliable guide is your owner's manual maintenance schedule. If you don't have the original owner's manual you should be able to order one through your local Toyota dealer. If you follow that you'll be fine, since the manufacturer has a vested interest in giving you good information to avoid warranty claims! Especially be aware when you go to a shop that offers very low price oil changes. They take a loss on the oil change, but the point is to get your car into the shop so they can try and sell you other work. This can be mutually beneficial; they can make you aware of problems you might not have known about, and they get the opportunity to do business with you. It really can be win/win. What you want to be cautious of is being sold stuff you don't really need. Additives are very profitable for them because they can sell you an expensive chemical product and call it "maintenance service" so they can charge you $30 for a mechanic to pour a can of product into your engine/fuel tank/cooling system/whatever.Oh, and this is my personal pet peeve because when I was a tech, one of my specializations was air conditioning systems: A properly functioning Air Conditioning system DOES NOT NEED TO BE RECHARGED AS A MAINTENANCE ITEM. Period. Federal law requires that automotive air conditioning systems be 100% sealed against leakage, and refrigerant is not consumed in the air conditioning process. A couple of years ago (after I became a software developer) a co-worker of mine and I had the following conversation:Co-worker: I need to leave early today to get my A/C recharged.Me: Oh? It's got a leak?Co-worker: No... I just have to take it in to get recharged each year.Me: Er... if you have to have it recharged, it's leaking somewhere.Co-worker: No.. .my mechanic explained to me it just need regular recharging.Me: Um... A/C systems NEVER need recharging unless they're malfunctioning.Co-worker: Well my mechanic wouldn't lie to me.Me: Well he's the one making money recharging it each year.Co-worker (angrily): Well he knows what he's doing and if he says it needs recharging it needs recharging.Me: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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