Engine cooktop inspires men to make road-trip movie.

A Culinary Adventure
"Earlier this year when Dan Dresser had his 1989 Toyota Camry in for an oil change, the mechanics noticed some unusual oil spills. They found cooking oil — rather than engine oil — spattered on the car’s motor.

Dresser wasn’t surprised. He’d chosen the car because, in addition to its good gas mileage, it was good for cooking.“I confess: I always look at the manifold to see if it’s good for cooking or not,” he said, noting that he’d driven a Toyota Celica to California about 10 years ago and made an apple pie, among other things, during the drive. “Toyotas that were made between 1987 and 1992, there’s something about the design of the exhaust manifold — it’s perfect for cooking.”

Dresser was searching for such a Toyota because he and Jason Wussow, who owns Beaner’s Central coffee shop, were driving to Taos, N.M., and wanted to turn their cross-country trip into a culinary adventure. Once they rebuilt the car — and christened it “Ellen” — Wussow and Dresser vowed that any hot meals would be cooked on the manifold of the Camry."

Choosing the Right Engine Oil

Choosing the Right Engine Oil: "If you want to own and properly maintain a vehicle, at some point you'll have to figure out what kind of oil your car takes. Whether you're at a service center being asked what kind of oil you want or at a parts store shopping for oil to top off the engine, you'll want to know what's recommended.

The owner's manual gives all the information necessary to put the right viscosity oil — 10W-30, 5W-30, etc. — into your car. Most will have a temperature chart showing which conditions are best for different viscosities. It's also common to see the recommended oil printed on the oil cap under the hood.

In the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse owner's manual, for example, Chevrolet recommends using 5W-30 in virtually all climates, except extreme cold. When temperatures drop below negative -20 degrees Fahrenheit, however, Chevrolet recommends either switching to synthetic 5W-30 oil or going to a 0W-30 viscosity to better handle the extreme temperature."

Why Oil Matters

What if I Don't Change My Oil?

If you're reading this article, you're probably not one to skip a few oil changes, but you might be wondering what might happen to your car's engine if you did. In short, it's not pretty.

One of the problems, according to Bachelder, is that there will begin to be build-up in the cooler parts of the engine, like the crankcase and around the camshafts and valves.

'You would get the carbon deposits, the sludge as you would call it, coming out' of the old oil, he said. 'To clean the engine would be relatively expensive because it would require taking parts off.'

'It can get to the point where it's so thick that it can't be pumped,' McDonald said. 'You can start to wear out your piston rings. Once those begin to wear it's not easy and not inexpensive to fix that problem.'

It can get worse. Bachelder says the pistons could eventually seize or the camshafts could be damaged. Getting a bill for either one of these repairs would make even a few high-quality oil changes look like pocket change. Regular oil changes, according to Szemenyei, are like 'really cheap insurance' for your engine

Oil Technology

Oil-Life Monitors:

You used to have to keep track of when to change your oil, but some newer cars with oil-life monitors will do it for you, letting you know when it's time to seek service.

'The manufacturer believes enough in those that they're putting the warranty behind them,' Bachelder said. 'It's a better gauge of what the oil has been exposed to than the three-month or 3,000-mile intervals.'

McDonald says oil-life monitors observe things like temperature and engine speed in order to calculate when the oil should be changed. He also adds that its calculations are based on the oil recommended for the engine. That means high-performance synthetic oil won't necessarily result in a longer service interval from the oil-life monitor even though the oil may be able to handle one.

Perhaps the monitor's most important benefit, however, is a simpler one.

'It helps remind people that their oil needs to be changed,' Szemenyei said."

Oil Maintenance 101

Oil Maintenance 101 - Cars.com: "The decision of whether or not to turn your own wrench basically comes down to how comfortable you feel underneath a car. You can typically save a few bucks by doing it yourself, but there are almost always deals and coupons that make the price difference negligible. Purchasing just oil and a filter can cost $20 at a parts store. A shop down the street with a $19.95 oil change saves you the additional hassle of putting your car up on jacks or ramps and getting dirty."

Intellistick FAQ- What is the best oil?

Intellistick FAQ: "What is the best oil?
This question is often asked. There are many factors to consider in determining the best oil such as cost, additives, regional conditions, driving habits, etc. The IntelliStick can help you determine which oil works best in your particular engine by allowing you to see when the additives deplete for any oil brand and how long the oil lasts prior to oxidation."

Diesel engine maintenance manuals free - .Pdf & Word Free Ebooks Download

Great resource! Obviously I can't verify all the contents but I did find some good random old manuals here.

TruGreen Announces Pilot Program to Test microGreen Oil Filter - News - Work Truck

TruGreen Announces Pilot Program to Test microGreen Oil Filter - News - Work Truck: "'Testing and implementing technologies that can help us reduce our impact on the environment is very important to us. If those technologies also provide an economic benefit to our company, everyone wins,' said Michael St. Clair, vice president of fleet operations for ServiceMaster.

With over 15,000 vehicles, ServiceMaster, TruGreen's parent company, operates the tenth largest commercial fleet in the U.S. ServiceMaster currently serves residential and commercial customers through a network of more than 5,500 company-owned locations and franchised licenses. The company's brands include TruGreen, TruGreen LandCare, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic, and AmeriSpec. The core services of the company include lawn care and landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, home warranties, cleaning and disaster restoration, house cleaning, furniture repair and home inspection.

'We are extremely pleased to be able to work with ServiceMaster to help them achieve their maintenance costs and environmental objectives,' said Steven Kirchner, COO of SOMS Technologies. 'Our Fleet Adoption Program allows fleets to experience the benefits of the microGreen filter and ensure the performance of the filter with independent oil analysis. We are excited to provide an innovative solution which offe"

Green Tips for Your Vehicle - Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women

Green Tips for Your Vehicle - Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women: "The following tips from ASE can put you on the road to environmentally conscious car care:

* --Keep the engine running at peak performance—a misfiring spark plug can reduce fuel efficiency as much as 30 percent. Replace filters and fluids as recommended in the manual.
* --Today’s vehicles have much cleaner tailpipe emissions that they did thirty years ago. But a poorly running engine or faulty exhaust system will cause your vehicle to pollute much more than it would otherwise. Don’t ignore that ‘Service Engine’ light.
* Tire_Check_by_Alvimann_at_morguefile --Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to reduce the engine’s effort and, thus, gasoline consumption. What’s more, your tires will last longer too, saving you money and easing the burden at recycling centers.
* --Have your vehicle’s air conditioner serviced only by a technician certified to handle and recycle refrigerants. Older air conditioners contain ozone-depleting chemicals, which could be released into the atmosphere through improper service.
* --Avoid speeding and sudden accelerations; both habits guzzle gas. When waiting for friends or family, shut off the engine. Consolidate daily errands to eliminate unnecessary driving.
* --Walk more. (Talk about helping yourself and the environment simultaneously!)
* --Remove excess items from the vehicle, since less weight means better mileage. Remove that roof-top luggage carrier after vacations to reduce air drag."

Twists and Turns Behind NetworkFleet | Xconomy

"While wireless fleet management systems are what my Xconomy colleagues politely refer to as “mature” technologies (as opposed to our usual focus on the sweet spot of emerging tech), NetworkFleet maintains that not all fleet management systems are alike. Many systems simply use global positioning satellite technology to monitor the locations of company-owned vehicles. NetworkFleet’s technology also helps customers reduce their fleet operating costs and vehicle emissions by using the computerized sensors in every vehicle to monitor the vehicle’s performance and engine efficiency."

Oil filter recycling charge drains $

"Dear Tom & Ray:

I notice that car businesses that lube and change oil for cars are now charging for recycling oil filters.

Is this a scam, since I never see “recycled” oil filters for sale?

Personally, I think oil filters would be too expensive to recycle.

- Chuck

RAY: You’re right, Chuck, that actually recycling old oil filters and turning them back into new oil filters would be very expensive. But the materials still get recycled."

Things dads should never say to their kids

Things dads should never say to their kids: "Sometimes, fathers don't know best.

Most people have a story about some bad advice they've gotten from their father, and how that information has led to embarrassment or financial strife. So why call attention to it? Because sometimes bad fatherly advice can help future dads understand what not to say to their children when specific questions are asked.

To help matters, here is a list of fatherly advice that has been handed down throughout the years that has caused nothing but pain and anguish. As always, the identities of these advice-givers is being kept confidential for no other purpose than to spare the family from any undue public shame.

'Oil change? That's just a mechanic's way of squeezing more money out of you. You do the oil change when the car tells you to.'"

Battery Monitoring Solutions: Precision and Flexibility

The standard lead acid battery is at the limit of its capability within the modern automobile, especially with the introduction of idle-stop technology, where the car engine is stopped when the car ceases movement. As a result, a sophisticated monitoring system is required to ensure that the battery always has a sufficient charge to re-start. In this article, e2v will describe the requirements of such a system and also outline an implementation which efficiently addresses several application domains within this technology sector.

The increasing amount of electronic equipment and current consumption in the automotive environment means that there is a growing demand for energy management and control in order to guarantee reliable battery performance. The energy management system performs continual battery health diagnosis, which results in an increase of battery life and guarantees that engines start.

Car Lust:

"Some 2010 models are already here, a few will be late to the show, but this is the time for new life in the auto industry. So, as a suggested topic this week, now might also be a good time to reflect and put our noggins to some good use... if we vehicle consumers could change or add any features to this year's crop, what would they be?

We've thrown this idea around a bit, and some would like to see new vehicles a bit easier to service, especially day-to-day annoyances like burned out dash bulbs. Why should we have to use a flashlight to see how fast or how far we're going after dark? Why does it take 10 hours to change out a headlight? Or have to pull the engine to change the spark plugs! Also, why not pre-wire cars for aftermarket kick-@$$ sound systems?"

Sears Service special

Sears is offering a deal on a Lube/Oil/Filter service when purchased through their Sears.com site. The Oil Change service includes the installation of: 5 quarts of oil, lube of the chassis, proper inflation of tires, topping off of the following fluids: windshield washer, transmission and power steering fluid. In addition, we perform a complementary check of: lights, brake fluid level, air filter, belts, wiper blades, antifreeze, tires and shocks/struts.

Mobile Computing

"Professional truck drivers spend approximately ten hours a day behind the wheel of their rig. Then they commit additional time for completing paper work and scheduling their next load. The RAPC FLEET MASTER provides dynamic fleet and driver management through e-mail, text messaging ,video conferencing, phone and the internet, as well as

Serving as a comprehensive mobile personal computer and entertainment system."

How to Change Oil in your Car: The ABC’s of Engine Oil

"Would you like to know how to change the oil in your car? Are your trips to the corner garage or Lube shop for oil changes costing you an arm and a leg? Many vehicle owners will be surprised to find that they can easily change the oil in their car or truck, do it correctly, and save money in servicing their own vehicles. Clean engines run better, get better gas mileage, and last much longer, requiring fewer repairs."