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Are you killing your car?

606 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Mike-vec 
#1 ·
Time to confess your sins then chaps and chapesses, which of these naughty things are you doing to your car?

10 ways to kill your car:

I do 3,6 and 7 quite a lot!

I don't think 6 matters that much as cars are meant to be driven, you shouldn't keep them long enough to end up paying the bills from all damage you do.
 
#4 ·
4 one of the worst things you can do to an engine is let it idle to warm up - it takes a long time while the engine runs rich which can dilute the oil in the sump and wash the oil film off the bore - best thing is to drive it gently to warm it up, as I think they suggest. There can also be a problem with clearances and uneven expansion of components - way back the Honda CB 750 was known for seizing when ridden hard from cold - the aluminium pistons expanded faster than the iron bore sleeve and they'd seize in the bore.

7 is rubbish - nothing wrong with having one's hand on the lever, except* - it isn't compromising selector wear unless it's being pushed out of the gear position.

*I suspect this would apply to the US idjits with column change, where resting a hand on the lever will cause selector wear.

9 isn't too bad, either, as long as there is adaquate oil pressure and a hydrodynamic wedge is formed to support the journal(s) - although with pushrod engines using low rpm can cause valve train wear - especially of the cam' and follower - as they are primarily splash lubricated. Greatest loading on the rods, crank and lower block area is around peak torque - which will be a fair bit higher than the 'labouring' point.
 
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