Oil question

[TonyHzNV]

Thank you for your service.

You're quite welcome. Thanks for the thanks! I have to admit though, I was fortunate to have not been involved in any major "conflicts" during my time (Nov '71 - Aug '92) in the Army and the small things we did get involved in during that time excluded me mainly by my geographical location and unit assignment at the time of the occurrence. I managed to have a lot of "fun" flying good machines (Hueys and Blackhawks) and being sent on many interesting missions all over the globe over the years. I also had the pleasure of flying many "important" people like diplomats, heads of state, etc. in many different places after or during natural disasters, civil wars and the like in Europe, Central/South America and the Pacific to name a few. If I had it to do over, I'd do it in a minute. I've had the advantage of seeing how a LOT of the rest of the world lives and it gave me a much better appreciation for our own country. Many Americans have never even been outside of their state, let alone the country, and have no idea what a GREAT country we live in regardless of our problems. So, I'm thankful for that experience and like I said, I'd do it again in a minute.

[corncobs]

If I had it to do over, I'd do it in a minute. I've had the advantage of seeing how a LOT of the rest of the world lives and it gave me a much better appreciation for our own country. Many Americans have never even been outside of their state, let alone the country, and have no idea what a GREAT country we live in regardless of our problems. So, I'm thankful for that experience and like I said, I'd do it again in a minute.

Awesome statement because it's so true!

[lolder]

Oil stays on surfaces for minutes. The "starter" ( MG1 ) for the ICE is a large ~60+ HP AC motor, It spins the ICE up to about 1000 rpm and then fuel is gradually introduced by the injectors. This process takes about 0.4 sec. The oil pump has been turning for a few tenths of a second before combustion puts normal pressure on the bearings. In a non-hybrid, the starter is only a few HP and spins the ICE to a few hundred RPM and combustion starts much earlier and accelerates the ICE to idle RPM. The Prii have been around 18 years and 14 years in the US and the frequent starting has not seemed to cause ICE problems. It is an ICE and they all eventually wear out.

[Easy Rider]

It takes more than just some oil on the parts it also takes oil pressure to keep the parts from rubbing against each other and causing extra wear.

 

A significant amount of engine wear occurs during the starting process.

 

There is a critical flaw in your understanding of the situation; a couple maybe.

 

IF there is a sufficient amount of oil present on the moving parts, a "significant amount of wear" does NOT occur just because the engine is started.

The significant amount of wear only occurs if and when the engine has been sitting idle for a long period of time and all or most of the oil has drained away from the bearings and cylinder walls. That does not happen in a matter of a few minutes.

 

The oil pressure is there to insure that the oil stays on the parts that it needs to be on. It is the oil FLOW that is important.

 

The pressure is more important in really high performance situations, like a turbine engine or turbo-charger.

[Easy Rider]

The only downside to letting someone else change oil is the risk that they'll screw it up.

I think the fewer times my stuff is "touched" by so-called mechanics the better.

The last time I took my Prius in to have a tire changed (it had a big bubble in the sidewall), I went back to pick it up only to find that they had changed the WRONG tire.

:drool: