Matt Mc_Carthy wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason:

 MMC> 13 Sep 2003, 20:01, Roy J. Tellason (1:270/615), wrote to Tom
 MMC> Walker: 

 MMC> Hi Roy.

 TW>> I just bought a 1998 Chev S10 Pickup and note that GM strongly 
 TW>> recommends against using any oil heaver then 30 Weight. 
 TW>> Interesting, Cannot immagine why.

 RJT> Tighter tolerances?  Beats me...  I know that with most of the 
 RJT> stuff I have that has lots more miles on it I go with the 
 RJT> 20W-50,  too.  The one car hasn't gone that far up there yet,  
 RJT> so we still put 10W-40 in that one,  for now.

 MMC> EPA is the keyword!  If you read the charts (not the text) in the
 MMC> owner's manual you'll find something like 'SAE 5W10 is recommended
 MMC> for the Arctic', 5W20 for Canada and northern USA, 10W30 for
 MMC> mid-USA, 10W40 for southern USA, and 20W50 for Mexico and the
 MMC> Carribean states'.

 MMC> This info directly contradicts the "EPA stickers" found all over
 MMC> under the hood. 

 MMC> Factory tests for EPA requirements are conducted with 5W20 at the
 MMC> factory (under very controlled conditions), and they barely squeak
 MMC> by.  Using an oil heaver than SAE 10W30, puts a _slight_ drag on
 MMC> the engine when cold, and the computers cause the engine to run
 MMC> rich, thus flunking the EPA requirements.  To hell with what's
 MMC> best for the engine in it's own real world climate!

Heh.

Speaking of which,  I'd heard of people who've modified their boot rom code
in computers to replace that stupid "energy star" logo that pops
up when you first power up...

Not only do I have that thing popping up,  I've gotta *wait* while it sits
there a minute and then fades out.  Why should I have to sit there and look
at the acronym of a _government agency_ when I first turn on my computer?

It's a small irritant,  but it is an irritant nonetheless,  and one that
I'll probably get around to doing something about one of these days...

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