Dave wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 12:05:31 -0400, Jeff said:


so it sits over the winter with clean oil. The result of
all this for me is one change in the spring after launch, an usually
one in the fall when I return from my last trip.


Let me get this straight. You put in that nice clean oil in the fall, and
then drain that nice clean oil and replace it in the spring? What am I
missing here?

I guess you're missing out on proper maintenance of a diesel engine.

So what's your point? That I'm wasting $4 on two extra quarts of oil
a year? Are you claiming my engines are "too clean"? I'll admit that
this is a "belt and braces" approach, but I'd rather err on the being
more conservative when it comes to oil changes. Diesels push a lot of
carbon into the oil, and this is reduces the efficiency of the oil,
not breakdown. So it seems to me it hard to have an engine that's too
clean.

And if you let your engine sit all winter with dirty oil, you're
really doing it a real disservice. The sulfur in the fuel turns into
sulphuric acid, which should not be left to eat away the bearings.

Actually, my habit of both spring and fall changes is because I've
been used to doing changes in the spring on gas engines. When I
realized the special need of diesels, it was easy to add to the
routine than change it.