In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Oil Changes: Every 3,000 or 5,000 miles?
Rack Ops
Member Posts: 18,596 ✭✭✭
I've heard arguments for both
Changing every 5,000 miles would be much cheaper....but I still get a little nervous going 2,000 miles past the "recommended milage" on the little sticker in my window.
Which timeline do you use?
Changing every 5,000 miles would be much cheaper....but I still get a little nervous going 2,000 miles past the "recommended milage" on the little sticker in my window.
Which timeline do you use?
Comments
Now I just drive to Walmart whenever the computer says so. In the Silverado it's about 5,000 miles. Now every vehicle (with the old Chev truck the exception) has less than 80,000 miles.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
25,000. AmsOil is the way to go.
Yep! Once a year oil changes.
quote:Originally posted by Zulu7
25,000. AmsOil is the way to go.
Yep! Once a year oil changes.
Twice if you drive a lot.
When the car computer tells me, usually every 12000 miles.
In our car when the computer says.. 7500. I use Amsoil in the diesel. Every 15K .
quote:Originally posted by dheffley
quote:Originally posted by Zulu7
25,000. AmsOil is the way to go.
Yep! Once a year oil changes.
Twice if you drive a lot.
Or if you drive in sandy/dusty environments or if the vehicle has forced induction i.e. supercharger or turbocharger.
Changing every 5,000 miles would be much cheaper....but I still get a little nervous going 2,000 miles past the "recommended milage" on the little sticker in my window.
And who put that little sticker in your window? Yep, the guy who is selling you the oil and changing it for you -- at a cost. He would like to see you there every 1,000 miles if he could convince you that it needed to be changed that often.
In the late fifties, early sixties, we would change the oil every 5,000 miles and change the oil filter every other oil change (every 10,000 miles). Saved a lot of oil and money back then. Never seemed to hurt anything. Of course I had a '39 chevy back then that I gave $35 for.
I have had vehicles that I didn't even keep track of the mileage. I kept an eye on the oil level and when it started getting low, (about 1/2 quart), I knew it was time to change it.
Thanks---Peabo
Our 89 Camry had 408,063 miles on it when we donated it to Make-A-Wish foundation; and the engine was 100% original and still got 30+ mpg and ran perfectly.
I've always used Pennzoil oil (non-synthetic) of the factory recommended viscosity for the driving conditions. However, we've always operated our vehicles in what would be considered "non-severe" applications.
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
I have 246,000 miles on my truck and it runs like a top.
I used to run Royal Purple, but now run Schaffer and with synthetics I run at least 12,000 miles and change the filter around 5/6,000.
I will tell you for sure that synthetics make the 97 start so much easier at temps of -10 and colder.
The computers in my truck and car are both set up from the factory for 3,000 miles. I wish there was a way to reset the cycle, but everybody tells me it can't be done.
It's is easier for the wife to count in 5's than in 3's [:D]
at least it seems she reminds me more often since I changed from 3k to 5k.
IMO you should change oil every 6 months regardless of miles driven be it under 5k at least you will know the oil isn't just sludge at the bottom of the dipper
Interstate miles is completely different than dirt road miles, so how can a set mileage factor apply to both. Just check it every once in a while, and change it when it starts looking kinda dirty.
if you change it "every 5000 miles" sometimes it got too dirty too fast and you were driving it on dirty oil, which is what matters because that's what makes the wear on the engine. or sometimes you could have drove it longer.
I always go by how dirty the oil looks more than mileage.
Interstate miles is completely different than dirt road miles, so how can a set mileage factor apply to both. Just check it every once in a while, and change it when it starts looking kinda dirty.
Best answer yet.[:)]
if you change it "every 5000 miles" sometimes it got too dirty too fast and you were driving it on dirty oil, which is what matters because that's what makes the wear on the engine. or sometimes you could have drove it longer.
+1, in my old Chevy Lumina I didn't dare let it get to far past 3,000 miles. The oil was just black by then. With my Saturn I currently have, I changed it at 5,000 and the oil was still not too bad looking.
Jon
In my old 93 tempo... well at least once a year. Historically though about every 7500 miles. Engine is at 168k and is about the only thing on the car still running in perfect shape...
By Bill Siuru, Greencar.com
provided by:
According to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required. This same scenario no doubt repeats itself across the country. Besides wasting money, this translates into unnecessary consumption of $100-a-barrel oil, much of it imported.
Using 2005 data, the Board estimates that Californians alone generate about 153.5 million gallons of waste oil annually, of which only about 60 percent is recycled. Used motor oil poses the greatest environmental risk of all automotive fluids because it is insoluble, persistent, and contains heavy metal and toxic chemicals. One gallon of used oil can foul the taste of one million gallons of water.
MORE AT Greencar.com
* ? 5 Easy Ways to Cut Your Gas Bill
* ? Will A Hybrid Car Really Pay Off?
* ? Article provided by GreenCar.com
It's been a misconception for years that engine oil should be changed every 3000 miles, even though most auto manufacturers now recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile intervals under normal driving conditions.
Greatly improved oils, including synthetic oils, coupled with better engines mean longer spans between oil changes without harming an engine. The 3000 mile interval is a carryover from days when engines used single-grade, non-detergent oils.
For several years, automakers like General Motors, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have installed computerized systems that alert drivers via an instrument panel light when it's time to change oil. As an example, the General Motor Oil Life System (GMOLS) analyzes the engine temperature, rpms, vehicle speeds, and other driving conditions to calculate the rate of engine oil degradation. Then, software calculates when the oil needs to be changed. Other systems work similarly.
Because of the many external conditions and parameters that have to be taken into account, calculating the precise maximum service interval using mathematical models alone is difficult. Now, Daimler AG has developed a more direct and precise way to monitor oil quality directly on board a vehicle.
Daimler uses a special sensor integrated into the oil circuit to monitor engine oil directly. Oil doesn't wear out, but rather dirt and impurities cause oil to lose its ability to lubricate properly, dictating the need for a change. Daimler uses the oil's "permittivity," that is, the ability to polarize in response to the electric field. If the engine oil is contaminated by water or soot particles, it polarizes to a greater extent and its permittivity increases.
To evaluate the quality of the oil, permittivity is measured by applying an AC potential between the interior and exterior pipes of an oil-filled sensor to determine how well the oil transmits the applied electric field.
Because not all impurities can be measured with sufficient precision via the electric field method, Daimler also measures the oil's viscosity to detect any fuel that may have seeped into the oil. Daimler researchers measure viscosity while the vehicle is in motion by observing the oil's side-to-side motion in the oil sump. The slower the oil moves, the higher its viscosity. This movement is registered by a sensor and the viscosity is calculated on this basis.
A single sensor, along with the information already monitored by on-board computers, is sufficient to determine the various parameters of the engine oil. Daimler will likely use the technology first on its commercial vehicles. Here, large oil reservoirs mean larger quantities of oil can be saved. Plus, a predicted 25 percent increase between service intervals and reduced downtime will be of interest to fleets, and thus justify the added cost of installation.