Stupid, ... or Smart?

I had a neighbor who built a pole barn with rough cut siding. He painted the whole thing with used oil. Did not look too bad and lasted for years.
 
Painting wood with old oil is nothing new, my grandparents did that ages ago. ;)
And yes, it does indeed last for a long time.
 
Years ago, when we used "reclaimed" oil, the reclaimed oil was left to sit for a few weeks or more. That way the contaminents in the oil would settle out and the oil would be clean. Once they started putting detergents in the oil the contaminents refused to settle out and that process went out the window.

this is true. you see a ton of settled gunk in the old oil pans when they are removed. the old types of oils that would let the tiny bits settle. the oil now suspends the particles and the filter is suppose to catch the particles.

if the oil is clean i don't know if i would change it. 500 miles doesnt seem like very far.
the oil wont break down at 500miles.
and
the oil getting dirty is not a bad thing, it shows the oil is doing its job at keeping the engine clean.

i think a full flow oil filter is a good idea, maybe an expense to consider the next time you have the intake manifold off. it will definitely pay for itself if you are changing the oil every 500 miles.
 
I think a full flow oil filter is a good idea, maybe an expense to consider the next time you have the intake manifold off.

The valve cover type full flow oil filter can be installed w/out removing the manifolds.
 
I use cheap and cheerful 20/50 supermarket oil as long as it has an API spec
. i change the oil when it gets dark on the dipstick no longer translucent . Normally around 2000 miles I guess .

John back in Suffolk County England .
 
It sounds like the oil you are using in your A has the zinc anti-wear additive which is the correct type to use. Either you bought it that way or added it yourself. Everyday modern oils both regular petroleum and synthetic do not contain zinc compound additives as they affect the catalyst in the catalytic converters. I am not familiar with the pollution controls in your Geo but if it has a standard catalytic converter I would not use your 500mile oil in it.
 
The model A has wide piston rings next to modern engine.. they don’t seal as well causing oil to discolor from combustion by products being suspended in th oil and help keep cylinder bore wear to a minimum. In my opinion the wide rings are a good trade off.
 
It sounds like the oil you are using in your A has the zinc anti-wear additive which is the correct type to use. Either you bought it that way or added it yourself. Everyday modern oils both regular petroleum and synthetic do not contain zinc compound additives as they affect the catalyst in the catalytic converters. I am not familiar with the pollution controls in your Geo but if it has a standard catalytic converter I would not use your 500mile oil in it.


The last 2 oil changes have been with conventional oil, ... STP high milage 5-30 and 10-30 in that order.

Regards
Bill
 
My guess is the STP you are using does not have the zinc additive. If this is your preferred oil and it doesn't have zinc, I highly recommend you buy the zinc additive and add it to your oil. I use 40W Pennzoil racing oil which has the zinc additive. There are a number of oils with the zinc additive to choose from. This is usually indicated on the label.
 
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