has anyone considered hooking a hobbs meter up to their xj i did a search and surprisingly found no references of it. It only makes sense... If you do it how many hrs do you change your oil at? my wj has an hour meter in the fancy overhead console ... Im thinking from an aviation background that doing a hobbs meter is the only reliable way to determine mx times for oil changes etc...
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Oil Changes using Hobbs meter
- Thread starter wilcharl
- Start date
KarlVP
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hardcoreville, WA
At 3000 mile intervals:
I usually pull the drain plug and have a beer.
Then I put the drain plug in. Then I take the old filter off and replace it with a new one.
Then I put the new oil in.
Then I have a beer.
End of oil change.
Time elapsed: 30min.
Trust me. People have been doing it this way for the last 100 years.
No fancy meter involved.
I usually pull the drain plug and have a beer.
Then I put the drain plug in. Then I take the old filter off and replace it with a new one.
Then I put the new oil in.
Then I have a beer.
End of oil change.
Time elapsed: 30min.
Trust me. People have been doing it this way for the last 100 years.
No fancy meter involved.
langer1
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Mineral City,Ohio
Makes sense on a aircraft because there odometers are not accurate.:confused1
Rick Anderson
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lusby, MD
Theres also flight time. The pilot needs to keep track of it for the log book and logs it every flight.
Then you stuck in the argument, well do maintenance off Engine Hours (Hobs meter), or well do maintenance off the flight time. Well the engine hours are how long the engine are turning, that more accurate since flight time can be a lot less with hold and taxiing on the ground. BUT holding and taxing on the ground the engine is at idle and there is almost no stress on the aircraft, the manufacturer builds in the hold and taxi time for working off flight hours anyway.
Theres no easy answer.
The best meter is some of the newer vehicle have a "CHANGE OIL" light, it works off an alogrithum programmed in the ECU. It keeps track of all the engine starts, how long you drive with the engine cold and warm, rpm and load on the engine, etc. If you drive lots of hiway miles the light won't go off for 15-20k miles, if you only drive down the block to pick up a six pack and never warm the car up, it will go off in a 1000 miles.
Then you stuck in the argument, well do maintenance off Engine Hours (Hobs meter), or well do maintenance off the flight time. Well the engine hours are how long the engine are turning, that more accurate since flight time can be a lot less with hold and taxiing on the ground. BUT holding and taxing on the ground the engine is at idle and there is almost no stress on the aircraft, the manufacturer builds in the hold and taxi time for working off flight hours anyway.
Theres no easy answer.
The best meter is some of the newer vehicle have a "CHANGE OIL" light, it works off an alogrithum programmed in the ECU. It keeps track of all the engine starts, how long you drive with the engine cold and warm, rpm and load on the engine, etc. If you drive lots of hiway miles the light won't go off for 15-20k miles, if you only drive down the block to pick up a six pack and never warm the car up, it will go off in a 1000 miles.
langer1
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Mineral City,Ohio
Fire trucks use HOBBS meters because the are Pumping and not driving
Maybe I am over complicating it, but I was reading that when you look at hrs ran on an average car vs. miles driven it comes out to 17MPH for the life of the vehcile... that got me thinking that 90% of my driving involves sitting in gridlock not moving. and 10 miles routinley takes 45 minuets.. I figured an oil change every 100 hrs gives a true measure of what the engine is doing
Rick Anderson
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lusby, MD
The manufacturer usually has a recommended maintenance schedule in the Owner's Manual. There are usually 2 schedules, normal and severe duty. Most people should use the severe duty schedule, unless they are little old ladies that live in the country.
The severe duty schedule is for extended idle and heavy traffic, as well as high/low temps, short trips or dusty/dirty conditions. The oil change interval is usually 3k miles for the severe duty schedule, with the normal being 7.5k or more.
So the 3k mile recommendation pretty much covers you in heavy traffic.
The severe duty schedule is for extended idle and heavy traffic, as well as high/low temps, short trips or dusty/dirty conditions. The oil change interval is usually 3k miles for the severe duty schedule, with the normal being 7.5k or more.
So the 3k mile recommendation pretty much covers you in heavy traffic.
Actually the maintenance is based on tach time not hobbs time. We use both in aviation. Tach time is based off of engine rpm, the more rpms the fast the tach time runs. The hobbs meter keeps time just like a clock, but it only runs when the oil pressure is above 20 psi. A lot of planes also have a device that only lets the hobbs run when the plane is going faster than 30kts, for a more acurate flight time. In short you want time that is based off of the tach and then change your oil every 50 hours.
Rick Anderson
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lusby, MD
Is that Piston/Prop? I've never seen that on Turbines, but I was military aviation, which can vary from civil/commercial quite a bit, especially in the self-monitoring of the aircraft.
Nice thing about Military Aviation, you have the resources for quick oil analysis, we took samples on everything, engines, gear boxes, rotor heads, and there was a lab on base that gave you the results the next day. If the sample showed something bad, we change the fluid, if it was still good, we left it in till "HIGH TIME" which there was a limit how long you'd use a fluid, even if it tested good, it eventually got changed with fresh.
Nice thing about Military Aviation, you have the resources for quick oil analysis, we took samples on everything, engines, gear boxes, rotor heads, and there was a lab on base that gave you the results the next day. If the sample showed something bad, we change the fluid, if it was still good, we left it in till "HIGH TIME" which there was a limit how long you'd use a fluid, even if it tested good, it eventually got changed with fresh.
MG_43
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Deer Park, Wa
I guess I don't fit into this set of circumstances, I live in the country and the only time my engine runs is when I'm going down the road (no stop and go traffic). I had all of that type of driving that I could stand, living in So. Calif for 47 years.
WB9YZU
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Madison, WI
richasco said:
Fixed it for ya
Do you know the hr incriment on the crown vics? every fbo i rented from had the hobbs meter wired straight to the master switch.. if the master was on, the hobbs was ticking away... They would charge you for the entire hobbs time.. only one place used tach * 1.25 i think to determine what they charged you.. Apparently people were getting slick and listening to the atis and getting their clearnece on the ground before cranking thinking they would save some on the hobbs... I have heard of more reputable fbos running the hobbs off a squat switch on the gear
kennzz05
basic dumbass
- Location
- palm coast fl.
Had to laugh I saw where you said takes 45 min to go 10 miles and I said to myself must live in DC. Than i looked at your location and saw that in fact you do live here . Amen bro I share your pain...
SPVFD47
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- South Plainfield, NJ
Just my 2 cents... My dad is a DPW mechanic and they go by the hour meter on the new PI Crown Vic's according to Fords maintaince schedule. Coming from an Aviation background also I'd go by hour meter. Idling for a while definately affects the oil, especially at high temps.
DenLip
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Southwest PA
Rick Anderson said:
Ah, the olde standby...
As a Neon owner, I'd think you'd understand? My '97 Stratus (Neon motor and 5-speed) would have oil that was barely honey-colored at 3k miles... because a lot of my miles are on the highway. I gradually stretched it thru 4, 5, and 6k miles before settling there as a routine change interval.
The oil in my new Accord was still clear at 4k... almost clearer than the new stuff I put in!
My Jeep's oil is BLACK at 3k. No argument about when I should change it!
Den
Rust Heap
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Chicago, IL
I think using a Hobbs meter would be very suitable if the truck sees a lot of trail use. 3 miles on the trail is not the same as 3 miles on any public road, I don't care how much traffic there is. If its a daily driver, then an hour meter is not necessary.
FWIW the engines on our jets at work never have the oil changed. We just have impending bypass sensors on the oil filters and chip detectors in the sumps. They use oil fast enough to not necessitate changing it.
FWIW the engines on our jets at work never have the oil changed. We just have impending bypass sensors on the oil filters and chip detectors in the sumps. They use oil fast enough to not necessitate changing it.
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