Oil change frequency thread

[Bigtruckdrivah]

The efficiency of new fuel injection helps a lot too. Not like old carbed engines that might be running bad due to flooding, or any other reason for over-fueling.

I still can't leave conventional oil in longer than 3500 or 4000 miles. My wife's terrain has 8000 miles and has had 2 oil changes. The dealer told me not needed yet, I said change it!

My co truck is gas engine, and idles ALOT. It gets changed every 3000. Maybe I'm wastin $$, makes me feel better. Of course my Z every 3000, same for any other carbed engine I have.

 

[ProStreet383]

It depends on the quality of oil you use. If you run a non-synthetic or Group III "synthetic", you need to remember that they are made from petroleum out of the ground and they do break down with time and miles. You don't want to run these oils as long as the true Group IV synthetic oils which are made in the laboratory with no petroleum in them.
The top of the line Group IV synthetics today are rated at 1 year or 25k miles. You can safely run this kind of oil much longer and much farther than Group III pseudo-synthetics because their formula doesn't break down like petroleum based oils do.

With any oil, you still have the problem of accumulated moisture which contaminates the oil. If you drive in cold weather, this problem gets much worse and inhibits the oil's ability to properly lubricate the engine.

While this is very true the main thing you have to watch for is additive depletion. When the anti wear additives have depleted (TBN low) even if the oil looks good it is time to change it. Some engines are hard on oil and others are easy on oil and the only way to know what any given engine likes is to do multiple oil analysis to see how the oil is reacting and you can continue to extend the change interval further and further as long as your TBN remains above 2 and you dont have any other harmful contaminates in the oil.


I keep intending to do this but I never seem to get around to it so just to stay on the safe side I change all of our cars and trucks at 7K to 8K (amsoil 10W-30/30WT diesel oil in the daily drivers and work trucks with a wix filter). This is an incredible oil for pretty much everything with a 4 cycle engine. It is a group IV base stock with a ton of detergents and anti wear additives (including zddp). The base stock is so good they did not have to add any viscosity modifiers to get it to flow like a 10W-30. Viscosity modifiers weaken an oils sheer resistance and by not needing any coupled with the great additive package makes this oil incredible.

 

[Camaro75LT]

Every 6 months or so the chain stores have oil jugs on sale for short money. Usually that's about 7000 miles. Wix filter and cheapo oil.

 

[muscl car]

Once a year no matter if it only has under 1k miles

 

[global warmer]

Both my tundra and the wifes muraino every 3k with mobil one synthetic, oil is cheap. My dairy farmer neighbor takes the oil and puts in back into his farm trucks and runs it for another 3K, he tells me I'm crazy... Maybe so

 

[BMR Suspension]

I used to have a Honda Company Car. I did Mobil 1 Synthetic at about 15,000 Miles. The car was running Great when it got Traded In with 350,000 Miles

 

[harbone66]

Most of the new cars we service and sell at the dealership are all going with synthetic oils and change intervals anywhere between 7500-10K miles

 

[Mike N]

Not much help with your question, but for what it's wort....when I reset my oil life clock on my Silverado, the factory set interval in 5,000 miles.

What year Silverado? I was always under the impression that GM used time, temperature and engine load for the oil life monitors.

 

[AJ_72]

I change it when my dashboard tells me to. I have a '12 Civic with ~26k miles (bought it with ~13, miles) and have only changed the oil once and it still had ~15% life according to the oil life monitor.

When I changed it I used a full synthetic (I don't remember which brand). It's not required but I did it anyway. The manual says conventional oil is fine, I prefer to run synthetic. Added insurance IMHO. I think I used Valvoline IIRC. It's hard to remember since it was almost a year ago.

 

[dui's Z]

I stopped reading replies after the second one. Look at your oil. It speaks to you. I have 4 vehicles. My ranger and wifes toyota van's engines degrade oil differently. Her explorer is a 6 month a year vehicle, it sits alot. I just changed the 2 main vehicle's oil. The explorers in February. It needs to be changed do to water Content from lack of operation. The camaro's newest engine is a used upgraded bbc. It's oil changes are based soley on what it looks like. Everything I do is based on 3k miles or three or less months. They have 150k easy. O3 explorer, 2000 siena, 98 ranger and my 77z.