Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with oil

Drip drop drop goes the engine

gnutron — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:23:08 -0800

My car appears to be leaking oil..or some other fluid. Is it safe to drive until I can get to a mechanic? So the other day I was walking across a rainy parking lot when I noticed a attractive trail of iridescent spots trailing across the ground. i thought "heh, some sucker is leaking oil".... then I followed the trail to my car. Who knows how long this has been happening for....I think I just noticed b/c of the wet ground.

Here's the relevant info: 1995 Jeep Wrangler, manual trans, @130K miles, gets regularly scheduled oil changes @ every 3-4 months. Since I got laid off in April, I've probably averaged driving less than 20 miles a week, with some longer trips here and there.

Here's what else I know: car appears to only be leaking when the engine is running. I checked the oil level on the dipstick, which looks perfect. There is an oil gauge on the dashboard that indicates 50 out of a possible 80. This also seems normal (Is this gauging pressure?)

I can't get to a mechanic until Friday at the earliest. Is it safe to run errands until then? Could I be leaking some other fluid?

Avocado oil for dry skin?

thewalrus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:50:12 -0800

Dry skin and Avocado oil: My wife has excellent results with with an Avocado oil based product designed to prevent dry and flaking skin on her face during winter. We bought a tiny bottle of it at the cosmetic department of a department store that cost 55 euros. After reading the ingredient list it seems a bit of a ripoff... So we went online and got a half litre size bottle of pure "cosmetic grade" Avocado oil on eBay from a cosmetics/oil seller with hundreds of 100% positive feedback, for less than twenty bucks. The tiny and expensive product is this:

Sans Soucis Deep Moist Depot

Reading the ingredients on the back of the bottle and the marketing copy, it says this:

"Deep Moist Depot’s unique formula allows mineral-rich algae extract and hyaluronic acid to penetrate rapidly into the skin without any added binding agents. Then, Vitamin E protects the skin against free radicals and enhances its ability to store moisture, while an organic silicon compound firms facial contours. Thermal spring water from Baden-Baden and pure avocado oil leave your skin naturally revitalized, soft, and supple"

The Sans Soucis bottle when it is unshaken appears to separate exactly like any oil and water, it's 50% avocado oil and 50% water. The vitamin E is already contained within the avocado oil, so I don't think that was an added ingredient.

If we take 250ml of the big eBay avocado oil, put it in a half empty 500 ml squeeze bottle and add 250 ml of bottled water, then keep it stored in the fridge, will we not have produced effectively the same product? Particularly I am wondering about the "hyaluronic acid". Various sources say that avocado oil is good for up to one year of storage, but any first hand experience on how long it actually lasts (at room temp or in a fridge) would be helpful too.

Where can I find decent body oil for a decent price?

silkygreenbelly — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:44 -0800

Me and my skin recently discovered that we both like body oil a lot more than lotion. The stuff I've seen so far when out shopping comes in very tiny jars and is a bit expensive for me. Any suggestions for body oil in bulk? I've tried Burt's Bee's Lemon oil, which I liked but $8.00 for 4oz feels kind of expensive. I like lightly scented stuff but usually not "flower" scented.

Directions on where to get or advise on how to best use, would be deeply appreciated.

Water Heater/Oil Burner Question

jimmyjimjim — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:09:25 -0800

How can I determine how much hot water my upstairs neighbors are using? I rent a house with a totally separate apartment up on the top floor. When I moved in, my landlord told me the upstairs has its own hot water, so I'd need to take care of the entire oil burner bill myself. Then my oil burner failed...and, very interestingly, they didn't have hot water upstairs! So my landlord offered to contribute $20/month toward my oil bill to compensate for the upstairs hot water use (note...they have electric heat and no washer or dryer or dishwasher upstairs).

Problem is....there's a certain sound when the neighbors use hot water. And sometimes I notice that sound continuing for hours and hours. I have no idea what's up with that, but I'm wondering if they're using a lot more than $20 worth/month.

Is there any way to measure/track their hot water use versus my own, without installing expensive/fancy equipment? I don't need it exact, I just want to know if the $20 is going anywhere near to taking care of their share of the bill. I do have access to the oil burner/water heater.

How to get 91 octane gas in an 87/89/93 area?

ish__ — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:56 -0800

How can I get 91 octane gas in an area that seems to sell only 87/89/93? What sort of damage might I have caused to a new vehicle by filling it with 87 for a little while? I recently purchased a 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 (and am loving it). A few fill ups ago I realized that the manual & gas cover both say to be using 91 octane gas. The problem is there are no gas stations in the area that sell 91! Every station I've been to only sells 87, 89 and 93. I've been using 93 since, but I feel like I'm paying for more than I need to. Can I just half & half 89 and 93 and get a tank full of 91 - or is there a more complicated mixing method, or does it just not work this way and I'm stuck paying for 93 to get the 91? Does anyone know of a station or chain of stations in Northern Virginia (preferably somewhere along the Fairfax County Parkway) that sells 91?

Relatedly - how much damage could I have conceivably have caused by driving the first 3000 miles only filling with 87? It seems to me like the answer would be "not much, if any." I don't hear the engine knocking, I didn't feel any measurable loss of power while driving with 87, etc. But realistically what might I be looking at? Does it make sense to bring the car in for a once over just in case?

Also (love these multi-part questions); VW's Carefree Maintenance has free oil changes at 10k, 20k and 30k. Their documentation says that due to the synthetic oil being used, and the "advanced European engineering" that I don't need an oil change every 5k miles - that every 10k is fine. I'm planning to pay for a 5k anyway (until Carefree Maintenance came along, they were recommending 5k changes, so I think this 10k thing is a bit of bull) - but any thoughts on the validity to that claim?

ScentFilter: I love Caress Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent.

pghjezebel — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:26:11 -0800

ScentFilter: I love the smell of Caress's Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent in perfume form! I love Caress's Moroccan body wash. I want to find something similar in a perfume form. Bonus points if I could recreate this smell (or have it recreated for me) with natural oils. I tend to like to keep my beauty/cosmetics items on the natural and healthy side.

As far as the scent goes, it's very exotic. It has a spicy, musky and yet sweet smell to it. The closest I've come is Jasmine Vanilla line from B&B Works - and that's still not remotely close in smell. But it has those exotic vibes to it.

Any suggestions?

What can you see in satellite photos?

k. — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:33:01 -0800

Satellite photos: what interesting features can be seen or measured in them (or other aerial photos), and where can I get a supply of images? Examples I have already seen, from some crude Google-searching:
Roads
Buildings
Degree of development (urban/suburban/rural)
Oil spills (apparently these are usually hard to see)
Blooms of algae (cyanobacteria) in the Baltic Sea
Damage to buildings from earthquakes

More would be appreciated--the more specific, the better. These will be used in a computer vision system, so I'd especially like to know where I can find a supply of images containing whatever feature I'm looking for (including the above)--easy for buildings or roads, but hard for rare events like oil spills. Natural disasters seem interesting, if there are pictures available.

I would also consider some other kind of non-photographic data as well, if it could be combined with maps or photos. Don't worry whether you think it's suitable; any idea you have will help!

Any good job ideas for quadriplegics?

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:38:30 -0800

I am a 52 year old quadriplegic (C-4,C-5 incomplete) former oil and gas senior executive. Until recently, I've been able to both support my family and afford the post-Cobra health insurance premiums available through our Texas High Risk Pool. I'll will soon be overtaken by the myriad of expenses now beginning to snowball. Does anyone know of any legitimate stay-at-home jobs for people like me? While I can leave home occasionally for meetings, etc., realistically I need to find something (computer-based, in all likelihood) to do from my home. I would like to supplement my income by a minimum of $25,000/year.

Oil: More than Strategic and Corporate Interests

atmosphere — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:02:49 -0800

Please help me understand the role of oil in the motivations for the 2003 Iraq invasion. It's generally well known now that oil played some role in the US invasion of Iraq. I have been reading a lot on this subject, and when I get passed the superficial "the war was all about oil" type statements, I find the subject to be very complex, incorporating history, economics, regional politics, etc. I was reading an article titled Blood for Oil? linked in a comment on the blue, and I was trying to understand what the thesis of the article was when it said this:

American empire cannot forgo oil – its control is a geopolitical priority – but strategic and corporate oil interests cannot, in themselves, credibly account for an imperial mission of the sort we have witnessed over the last two years. Rather, what the Iraq adventure represents is less a war for oil than a radical, punitive restructuring of the conditions necessary for expanded profitability – it paves the way, in short, for new rounds of American-led dispossession and capital accumulation...It was intended as the prototype of a new form of military neo-liberalism

What, in laymans terms, is this saying? How did invading Iraq "restructure" the conditions necessary for "expanded profitability"? Who's making the profit? How does such a theory take into account the blowback from the invasion, such as the world getting pissed of at the percieved imperialistic aggression of America? Given that this was written 2005, has anything changed/been validated/disproved since then (oil contracts etc.)?

I know that is a lot of questions, but I guess overall I am just looking for help in understanding the complex role oil played. Additional or competing in depth analysis on the role of oil in the invasion (going past "strategic and corporate oil interests") would be much appreciated. Thank you hivemind.

Dollars and Rials and Bourses, oh my!

Juffo-Wup — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:18:25 -0800

What difference does it make to the United States economy whether oil is traded or denominated in the US dollar or in other currencies? I often hear it said that oil is globally traded and denominated in US dollars and that the US economy would suffer greatly if countries were to trade oil in other currencies. Is this true? If so, why and how would it harm our economy?

Would like to learn something about this painting

FortyT-wo — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:19:23 -0800

Can you help me identify at least the painter of this impressionist painting? (sorry for blurry iPhone photos -- our camera chose this moment to give up the ghost.)

I recently was given this painting ... Am wondering if there is any info to be had about the painter or about when it might have been made? Here's a larger/blurrier shot of the painter's signature. On the back of the painting is a stamp, sort of oval shaped but pointy at the two ends, possibly with writing in it, though nothing is legible whatsoever. Also on the back of the canvas, someone has written "BOOK STALLS along the Banks of the Seine with Notre Dame" in pencil.

My name is Daniel Plainview. I am driven and goal-oriented, and I endeavor to forge new possibilities in alternative energy.

Busoni — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:28:15 -0800

In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Plainview delivers the line: "I have a competition in me." Could this be described as grammatically correct, strictly speaking? Or is it idiomatic, but not strictly correct? Is Plainview saying, essentially, "I have a [sense of] competition in me," a sentence that, were it to be spelled out as such, would lose its rhetorical punch? Could it be argued as a case of poetic metonymy or something of the kind? Or is this question indicative of a hypercorrect mindset, akin to pointing out the fallacy in "Woe is me" (which is, incidentally, both idiomatically and grammatically correct, as it uses the dative form "me," implying "woe is [unto] me")?

What's with people oiling their hair and sticking the bangs to their forehead?

ichthuz — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:09:07 -0800

There seems to be a trend among older women, at least in Baltimore (mainly African-American ladies, but I have seen Hispanic and Caucasian women do this as well), of matting down hair with some sort of oil. The goal seems to be to get as much hair as possible as close to the scalp as possible. The bangs are then stuck to the forehead, and it looks like this is purely oil based. As I haven't yet had the kahones to ask one of these lovely ladies what's up with the hair, I was hoping someone knew: A. What sort of product is being applied to get this "just out of the oil bath" look? B. Is this an every morning thing, or do you apply just once a week? Once a month?

Assuming that I believe that the U.S. economy will not recover in the near future, what's a relatively simple way to make a bet that would profit from my belief?

realpseudonym — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:08:24 -0800

Assuming that I believe that the U.S. economy will not recover in the near future, what's a relatively simple way to make a bet that would profit from my belief? I don't have a lot of money to bet, but I'm willing to lose all of the amount that I put down.

I've never set up any kind of trading accounts before and don't intend to be an active trader in the future, so I would prefer something with relatively low setup (both in terms of time and money).

One thought I had was to bet on the price of crude oil. Any other suggestions?

Stop Burning Dinosaurs.

Jon-o — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:40:06 -0800

Waste Oil Diesel. Any satisfied users? I found a couple AskMe posts from '05 and '06 and I wanted some more current information.
I've been doing some research into running a diesel Benz on waste cooking oil and I was hoping to probe the hive mind in regards to a couple unresolved questions that I have. I'm trying to figure out if I need a special kit or not. All of the grease conversion kit websites say that a kit is critical. However, I've met people in the real-world who own and operate a number of waste oil diesels without a conversion kit (just an extra superfine filter) who claim to experience no ill-effects. Their cars start and run fine, despite the insistence by conversion kit retailers that the waste oil needs to be at least 160F to ensure correct viscosity. There are also some concerns about the waste oil causing corrosion and damage to the stock fuel system.
The science behind the kit is very convincing. However, pouring grease into a car, starting it, and seeing it run fine is pretty convincing, too.

So, do you run veggie oil in your diesel?
Did you buy a conversion kit?
Did you annihilate your car after running veg oil without a kit?
Have you had years of trouble free driving, just pouring veg oil in your tank?
Do you have an awesome recipe for SVO fuel that ensures stability and correct viscosity?

Thanks folks!

buying home - pay for unused existing fuel?

SirStan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:37:42 -0800

First time homebuyer - "its customary to purchase the unused fuel from the seller" urf? I am 2 months into purchasing a home; jumped numerous hurdles; and finally tomorrow am hopefully signing 30 years away.

The Realtor sprung this jem on me today -- they said "it is customary for the buyer to purchase the fuel oil that is present from the seller".

I am buying from the same Realtor that is selling the place -- but my purchase and sale does not mention the fuel oil.

So my friends -- what gives?

Are cheap fish oil capsules OK?

bobbyno — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:01:19 -0800

Are Trader Joe's Salmon Oil capsules still good for you even though they are so much cheaper then health food store brands? I would like to take fish oil capsules for health benefits but I found that the prices of fish oil capsules that are "molecularly distilled" and therefore, clear of toxic heavy metals, are very expensive. But, I found that Trader Joe's carries molecularly disitilled salmon oil capsules and sells them for $7 for a large bottle. A comparable bottle of the health food store brands would be $30 to $50 or more. How can this Trader Joe's Salmon Oil be so inexpensive? Are they really a high quality supplement that is benficial to take?

Cleaning -- and un-holying -- my mirrors

EmpressCallipygos — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:53:27 -0800

A couple of my mirrors at home have stubborn, sticky stains from drips of a resin-y oil. How can I shift them? The oil in question particularly resin-y, as I think it was some kind of holy oil -- I inherited these mirrors from a prior tenant of this apartment, and I was told she was fairly religious and so she anointed them by tracing a small cross at the top of each mirror with this mystery oil. (Tangent: I do not cast dispersion on the wisdom of this; that's her lookout, and so be it. I mention this only so you know what kind of oil we're talking about.)

I've asked elsewhere about this, and was advised to use dishwashing detergent to help cut the grease, and that helped -- but I think the oil just had a particularly sticky and stubborn resin in it, which is proving resistant to that.

Any other advice? I'm just not sure how harsh I can get without damaging the finish on the mirror, so if anyone has a guideline (i.e., "do NOT use turpentine, but diluted turpentine would work") I'm all ears. Thanks.

How to find dead parent's Texas mineral rights?

Anonymous — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:29:51 -0800

Finding deceased parent's Texas "mineral rights?" How can I do this cheaply? My pop was married twice. He and his first wife had property in Texas. They sold the land but kept the mineral rights. At least I believe it was called this. My pop told me about it decades ago when I was a kid, so I may have the name wrong. If someone were to find something underground, he would have the rights to it.

Pop and his first wife divorced. He remarried and had me. He passed away decades ago.

I would like to track down any mineral rights he has or had prior to his divorce in the 1950s. The property would be in Texas, possibly Bexar County. How can I do this for cheap / free? Internet methods especially appreciated.

First wife is unavailable & unreliable, so looking for official sources for this information.

Woodworking 204

porpoise — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:20:03 -0800

Staining/treating pressed/sanded pine chairs. On the cheap. I bought a couple of cheap dining table chairs from the Salvation Army (thrift store [to replace some folding chairs I 'stole' from my parents]) - a couple of dining table chairs that I suspect are Stefan IKEA chairs. Unfinished, but smooth pine. They're pretty crappy chairs, but are reasonably sturdy and reasonably comfortable. Trying to see if I can improve them a bit.

Is there a easy way to class these chairs up with an oiling or a staining? I remember rubbing oil into stuff in woodworking class in highschool - is there a preferred oil for pine (I was more into plastics and metals)? Any alternate treatments that give good results with raw pine?

I've worked with laquer before but it didn't turn out very well (it was thick and rough-to-the-touch) - I suspect I should have sanded and kept adding more layers of laquer, sand, repeat. Not enamoured with the process. Not looking to replicate heirloom laquered furniture, either, just trying to class up a couple of unfinished (presumed - it looks unfinished but I don't know if the wood has been pressure treated or preservative treated or whatever) pine chairs.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT!

slowtree — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:15:05 -0800

Check Engine light is on and there is a ominous whirling sound coming from my engine? Preface: About two months ago i had to have my alternator replaced due to leaky Valve covers which i had replaced.......

2 months later ( 2 weeks ago) i took a 100 mile trip on the highway. When I got off the exit i heard what sounded like a lifter knocking (tick tick tick). I checked the oil and found that it was low (needed an oil change anyway) After the oil change the ticking only occurred when i started my car and lasted for about 10 seconds and went away if i let it idle for a few. Last night on a quick run to the store i found that my Check Engine light was on and there was a whirling sound coming from my engine. It seemed to be running ok but it did not sound good. Its a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe with about 116,000 miles on it. What is happening?

Oil + Garlic = Free Botox!

Memo — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:54:02 -0800

[(50 Garlics + 3/4 teacup of Olive Oil) * Food Processor] + Long Term Storage = Botulism? If yes, what could be used to replace the oil? My mother makes a 'paste' of garlic with some olive oil. Basically, she takes 50 heads of garlic, mix them with 3/4 of a teacup of olive oil and puts the mixture into a food processor. After that, she stores the resulting puree it into small glass jars and then stores them in the fridge, being the last jar consumed 4 or 5 months later.

The information in the internet about botulism is more about garlic stored in oil (which, I guess, involve a lot more oil than what my mother uses) so I'm not sure if it applies to this paste or not.

Of course, after finding out about the involved "risk", she has decided to make another batch, this time using something else instead of oil. The question is, what would work? Vegetable shortening?

Thanks.

Resources about Oil for High School Students?

lily_bart — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:29:13 -0800

Can anyone recommend some good resources (articles, books, DVDs, websites) about oil that are appropriate for a secondary school curriculum? These can be from any perspective (technical, economic, historical, etc) and resources with some bias are welcome, as I always want to sharpen students' critical thinking skills. With resources become obsolete so quickly, I need some pointers on where to look for contemporary perspectives! Thanks!

Is non stick cookware going to give me cancer in 25 years?

thewalrus — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:08:56 -0800

What are the dangers and benefits of non stick cookware (teflon/generic teflon type)? It's obviously healthier to cook without using lots of oil, but I've heard rumors of health problems such as cancer being linked to long term use of non stick pans. I have some non stick pots and pans which are getting older. They have gradually shed small bits of their surface into food. This isn't enough to notice in any particular dish but I can tell that a pan which has been used for 3, 4 or more years doesn't have as much non stick surface on it as it used to.

The alternative is to use stainless steel pots and pans but this will require using a larger quantity of oil.

Is there any scientific documentation on the risk/reward of using non stick cookware versus the well-documented heart-disease risks of using more oil? Assuming that oil is extra-light canola oil or olive oil, not the cheap stuff...

Hot Oil for My Hair?

bluefly — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:56:23 -0800

Do hot oil treatments for hair work? Are they good for curly/frizzy fairly thick hair? Will they make my hair silky smooth? Or do they do nothing? I have ok hair. It is, I feel, intrinsically a bit dry and frizzy. I counteract this by alternating between an array of hair products (Redken curl creme, Aveda BeCurly, BedHead Curls Rock, and some others) depending on what's available at the stores where I am. I recently met an Indian lady who swears by hot oil treatments. She says women from her region have been using oil in their hair for centuries, and it makes your hair soft and shiny and more manageable.

Is this true? And if so, what are good treatments to buy? If I decide to DIY, how would I go about doing it?