Dan's Papers - June 6, 2008 - Classic Cars by Bob Gelber

In the award winning German film, Run Lola Run, beautiful Lola literally runs all over the German countryside trying to save her boyfriend from German goons. This article is dedicated to Lola, because I'm going to attempt to try to tell you how to keep your automobile running for a very long time. You may even wish to call your car Lola.

In the forties and fifties, most car engines had a healthy life span of nearly eighty to one hundred thousand miles. Most engines were cast in steel and heavily built. By modern standards of the day, engine oils were excellent, but nothing when compared with the lubricating qualities of today. Today's engines are usually built much lighter with tighter tolerances, with many, if not all, of their components made of aluminum. Contrary to what many car collectors may think, modern automotive engines are much better built than the engines in their collector cars and, properly maintained, can last from 300,000 to 500,000 miles without major surgery.

The biggest problem I used to have with all of my old cars was their overheating in traffic, especially on very hot days. The second biggest problem was starting an older car on terrifically cold days. Both of these extremes of temperature played havoc with the life expectancy of an engine. Overheating caused every piece of metal in the motor to expand to torturous dimensions. It usually caused the cylinder head to warp, which led to all sorts of expensive repairs. In 1932, Henry Ford was well aware of the engine cooling woes of the day. In his radical new Ford Flathead V-8 engine, Ford installed, not one, but two water pumps. The funny thing about the flathead was that it ran cool, but unless the drive belts were properly tensioned, the water pumps themselves were troublesome.

Virtually every car caught in traffic on a steamy day ran the chance of overheating. The most common sight on any busy highway when traffic was standing still was that of many cars on the side of their road with their hoods up, white steam bellowing from their engine compartments. That is indeed a rare sight today. The car that stands out in my memory as most prone to overheating was the British Jaguar. I always worried when driving my 1951 XK-120 or 1955 XK-140MC in heavy Manhattan traffic in the summer. When driving a vintage Jag, one always kept a right eye on the road and az left eye on the temperature gauge. Amazingly, when Jaguar introduced their totally new design in 1961, the dramatic XK-E, the thing still overheated like a tea kettle. Ah, the charm of the British sports car.

The most harmful situation pertaining to an engine's longevity is starting on a cold day. Any car that had a carburetor was usually a bear to get going when the temperature dropped to near zero and below. The big problem was introducing the right amount of fuel into the engine, which usually was the job of a device called the choke. It was called a choke because it was designed to choke the engine of air, and thus allow a higher combination of fuel into the engine to kick the thing over on a freezing morning. Most chokes didn't work as planned, and it was usually up to the driver to coax their motor into starting. I won't go into the details, because that's for another column, but I will sum up by saying that today's complex fuel injection methods do indeed make cold starting a car a simple affair, although it spooks me that they rev so high on start up. Fuel injection is a great asset to the long life of a modern engine.

The best way to keep your car running for a very long time is to change your oil frequently. I use synthetic oil in my cars, although their value has yet to actually be proven. Cost-wise, I do wince whenever I get a bill for an oil change. It has been proven that if one changes any type oil frequently, say every three to five thousand miles, their engine wear is really no different than if they used synthetic oil. The main advantage of synthetic oil is flow viscosity during very cold and extremely hot conditions plus the fact that you can get away with many more miles between oil changes. Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy hanging around dealership boutique-like waiting rooms for an oil change. BMW says you can go 15,000 miles between oil changes in the Mini Cooper. I feel guilty with that duration so change the synthetic oil in mine every 7.500 miles.

For transmission long life, change the fluid and filter every sixty thousand miles. Some transmissions today cost a fortune to repair or replace. There are other little things like fuel injection filters, but let the dealer harass you about those. They won't keep your engine running longer, just smoother. The bottom line about all this "car running forever" stuff is that in reality most people get sick of their cars by the time they reach 100,000 miles, especially in the Hamptons, where the new and flashiest ride has always been the credo of the car owner. However, I like old, and I like to keep my "Lolas" in good shape by following my own advice.

Bob Gelber, an automotive journalist living in the Hamptons, appears regularly on television as an automotive expert. You can email him at bobgelber@aol.com.