I've got a 1997 Honda Accord (4 cyl) with 110K miles. Driven mostly in stop-and-go commuter traffic. Embarrasingly, I haven't had the oil changed since 93,000 miles. (gasp). And at irregular intervals before that. (Another gasp) Not proud of it, and I knew better.
While driving this afternoon, the oil light came on. I immediatly pulled over and turned off the engine. Remembering I had a quart of oil in the trunk, I lifted the hood and took the oil cap off only to see, to my horror (and not complete surprise) that it was full of sludge. Gunk.
I am mechanically iliterate, so this could be a completely unrelated problem, but recently, the temperature needle rises about 1/2 way to the red line while stopped at a red light. That is probably just the thermostat, but didn't know if that was at all related or not.
I've been on the 'net all day looking, reading. Found this site, read about Auto-RX. I am uncertain what direction to take.
Take me through this step-by-step. While I realize I have significaly shortened the life of my engine, what steps can I take that will maximize the life left in it?
Is there any hope?
Thanks all for sharing your knowledge.
Michael
While driving this afternoon, the oil light came on. I immediatly pulled over and turned off the engine. Remembering I had a quart of oil in the trunk, I lifted the hood and took the oil cap off only to see, to my horror (and not complete surprise) that it was full of sludge. Gunk.
I am mechanically iliterate, so this could be a completely unrelated problem, but recently, the temperature needle rises about 1/2 way to the red line while stopped at a red light. That is probably just the thermostat, but didn't know if that was at all related or not.
I've been on the 'net all day looking, reading. Found this site, read about Auto-RX. I am uncertain what direction to take.
Take me through this step-by-step. While I realize I have significaly shortened the life of my engine, what steps can I take that will maximize the life left in it?
Is there any hope?
Thanks all for sharing your knowledge.
Michael