How often do you change your fluids?

[jackb]

Finally found my record log. Again this is something DMCH sent out about 10 years ago so some of the info may be defunct. I need to fill mine out and keep it with the car, especially now since I do most all of my own work. It would be best to print out on card stock and you can see by the text where it folded in the center.

Attachment 65200Attachment 65201

Solid list. The vast majority of those items I already check at a bare minimum annually, most more often. I was in aircraft maintenance for 21 years, so my baseline definition of regular inspections and maintenance is probably different than most peoples. There were a couple items on there though that I never considered doing proactively (replacing the o2 sensor, for example).

I keep an excel spreadsheet of everything ever done to my car, plus a schedule of future maintenance, and an open list of unscheduled stuff to do.

[Michael]

Solid list. The vast majority of those items I already check at a bare minimum annually, most more often. I was in aircraft maintenance for 21 years, so my baseline definition of regular inspections and maintenance is probably different than most peoples. There were a couple items on there though that I never considered doing proactively (replacing the o2 sensor, for example).

I keep an excel spreadsheet of everything ever done to my car, plus a schedule of future maintenance, and an open list of unscheduled stuff to do.

With your background you are probably not only religious about service but detail oriented, which is a very good thing with these cars. I think the O2 sensor replacement based on time is not a bad idea. I replace mine every so often simply because it is extremely easy and cheap. Also lots of infrequent driving and starting up to move without allowing the engine to come to temp may cause some contamination on the probe. I would recommend a Bosch sensor. I tried a cheaper one once and it had a hard time keeping up. I put on a Bosch a few days later and took video side by side(about a week apart) of the voltage swings. The Bosch unit went i to closed loop much faster and the correction difference was obvious.

[David T]

When to do an O2 sensor is a judgement call. Supposed to do it at 30,000 miles. That would translate into every 4 years at 7,500 miles a year. You can see what happens if you do 1,000 miles a year. They don't wear out so much as get contaminated. Age is not what gets them. Also consider you are supposed to do a valve adjustment and reset the Lambda counter when you replace the O2 sensor. Being proactive is a good thing, too much of a good thing is not good. You can wind up replacing parts that still have plenty of life left in them. This is where judgement comes in. A bad O2 sensor won't prevent you from driving the car till you can replace it. You also must consider other parts of the car. For instance, how long do you go till you replace the brake hoses? IMHO they are a lot more important than an O2 sensor. Everyone has to make up their own list taking all of this into account, their budget, whether they do the work or pay someone else to do it, how much they expect to use the car, how far they intend to drive it, etc.

[Michael]

So what you are saying is it takes a little common sense to figure out what works best for each owner. That's the difference between us. I think everyone here is quite capable of that where as you speak to every detail like we have never seen a horse less carriage before and fuel stops are confusing.

Filling the tank.
While there are no protocols in the tech manual for the amount of fuel for your DeLorean, each owner must decide how much gas to put in based on their individual needs. If you plan on a road trip, you should fill up to give you the best range and least amount of stops. Remember not all DeLoreans get the same MPG due to driveline choice, driving styles, and engine efficiency. If however, you plan on taking the car a few miles and park for a few weeks, you may consider only adding a smaller amount of fuel to coincide with the distance you plan to travel bearing in mind this may require additional fuel stops sometime in the future. Always be sure to remove the cap before adding fuel and replace the cap insuring it is tight and locked After each stop.

[David T]

When I post I try to make it simple. Not everyone reading these posts knows as much about Deloreans as you and I. Many are new to their Delorean and don't know anything about them even if they know about cars. At some point I have to assume they know how to put gas into them, that is if they can find the gas filler! At one tech session I met a new owner and I explained to her how to check the air in her tires. She proudly showed me the correct tire pressure, it was right there on the tire! Of course, as most of us know, that is the MAXIMUM pressure. When we checked it wasn't even the correct, lower pressure, it needed a lot of air. Kind of reminded me of that scene in BTTF where she was calling Marty Calvin.

[Michael]

When I post I try to make it simple. Not everyone reading these posts knows as much about Deloreans as you and I. Many are new to their Delorean and don't know anything about them even if they know about cars. At some point I have to assume they know how to put gas into them, that is if they can find the gas filler! At one tech session I met a new owner and I explained to her how to check the air in her tires. She proudly showed me the correct tire pressure, it was right there on the tire! Of course, as most of us know, that is the MAXIMUM pressure. When we checked it wasn't even the correct, lower pressure, it needed a lot of air. Kind of reminded me of that scene in BTTF where she was calling Marty Calvin.

Fair enough