Oil Change Intervals

[SHERIFF]

There ought to be a law against the beautiful weather we had today. At 11:25. p.m. it's still 64 degrees. Got up to about 75 during the day. Our usual high this time of January is about 40 degrees. Suppose to be 70 to 75 degrees again tomorrow. By Thursday the daytime high is suppose to be 35 degrees. :mad2:

One of the things I finally got caught up on during the weather today was changing the oil and filter in my Ford 4X4. It had only been 800 miles in 2003, but the oil was 12 months old at least. I think last change was in November 2002.

What is everybody's opinion on oil change by age, as opposed to mileage? Is 12 to 13 months too long to go between changes, even if the vehicle had very low mileage on it during that time?

[merc406]

I have decided I have NO opinion on anything Oil related, anymore. lol
Do what you think is right and makes you not worry.

[jparrie]

I would take into consideration the lenght of the drives that make up the 800 miles.

If it is a bunch of 15 - 20 mile trips, you probably have condensation to think about.

If there were a couple of 200-250 mile journeys thrown in, I would not be as concerned.

[jgc61sr2002]

SHERIFF - IMO once a year is acceptable for low mileage vehicles. I change the oil on my collector cars only once a year. Had 36 miles on the oil in my 1961 Pontiac last time I changed it.

[Amsoil_Dealer]

Originally posted by jgc61sr2002
SHERIFF - IMO once a year is acceptable for low mileage vehicles. I change the oil on my collector cars only once a year. Had 36 miles on the oil in my 1961 Pontiac last time I changed it.

I tend to agree but I have gone longer ( 2 years) with negligible effects confirmed by used oil analysis.


Don

[SHERIFF]

Originally posted by Amsoil_Dealer
I tend to agree but I have gone longer ( 2 years) with negligible effects confirmed by used oil analysis.


Don


Ahh, OK. Glad to hear. Because when I drained the oil out of the truck it looked exceptionally good, and didn't appear as if needed changing. The truck only has 6,000 miles on it in 4 years, and has been changed 5 or 6 times already. :bows:

Would the same be true of transmission fluid? It still looks new, clear and bright red in color. :burnout:

[Amsoil_Dealer]

Originally posted by SHERIFF
Ahh, OK. Glad to hear. Because when I drained the oil out of the truck it looked exceptionally good, and didn't appear as if needed changing. The truck only has 6,000 miles on it in 4 years, and has been changed 5 or 6 times already. :bows:

Would the same be true of transmission fluid? It still looks new, clear and bright red in color. :burnout:


Probably so. Actually transmission fluid can last much longer than engine oil because there are no by products of combustion (or incomplete combustion as the case may be) affecting the oil.

Condition based monitoring through oil analysis is the CORRECT way to determine ANY lubricant change interval. This in not my opinion, this is the collective opinion of years of research by lubricant and maintenance professionals (www.noria.com).
Good clean oil and frequent oil changes are a good recipe for long component life but in my opinion, and the opinion of the professionals that I use as references, 2000-3000 mile and once per month drain intervals are unnecessary and downright wasteful.

Color and clarity of an oil does indicate that the oil is most likely OK but it is not the correct way to detrmine if an oil needs to be changed. In new cars this is less of an issue and using oil color combined with factory recommended drain intervals for petroleum oils are fine rules of thumb. But in older cars that have had years of sludge build up, oil can get black in 1000 miles and still have thousands of miles useful life remaining.

Don

[Cooper]

Mobil-1 synthetic and I change it every 5,000 miles.

[gonzo50]

I would go with the 6 months rule but if you don't drive it at all in six months, that would be a waste. Take in consideration the amount of wear the engine receives when only started once in awhile, (friction) metal shavings.
Should be a judgement call. Sorry if it's not any help.

[Bigdogjim]

If your doing short hops then the engine is never getting hot enough to burn off condensation.
This could be a big problem.
3 months 300 miles.
Any way you look at it its cheaper than an engine:)

Go with your feeling on this one:)