3,000 Mile Oil Change?
07-04-2009, 11:36 AM
#1
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Location: AR
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3,000 Mile Oil Change?
I am of the opinion that changing oil every 3,000 miles on a "good running" car is a WASTE of time, money, and resources.
There WAS a time when this made sense, but IMO, modern oil, crankcase ventilation, and lean running engines have increased oil life enough that I think that I would certainly be "a sucker" to change my oil at 3,000 miles.
IMO, a good running street engine that is not running rich, is running PCV, with "modern oil", should be able to go AT LEAST twice 3,000 miles, and the addition of fuel injection should allow the oil to go AT LEAST three times 3,000 miles....
No one here disagrees with me right?
There WAS a time when this made sense, but IMO, modern oil, crankcase ventilation, and lean running engines have increased oil life enough that I think that I would certainly be "a sucker" to change my oil at 3,000 miles.
IMO, a good running street engine that is not running rich, is running PCV, with "modern oil", should be able to go AT LEAST twice 3,000 miles, and the addition of fuel injection should allow the oil to go AT LEAST three times 3,000 miles....
No one here disagrees with me right?
07-04-2009, 12:09 PM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Seattle, WA
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I think the older the car, the more often you should change your oil. My machinist also agrees. But I think it really depends how gunky and dirty your oil is, and sometimes you can't tell without disassembling the engine or changing the oil anyways.
07-04-2009, 12:16 PM
#4
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I was talking about conventional oil...
But synthetic............ hmmm...
FROM AMSOIL. Amsoil recomends 25,000 mile oil changes..
""LUBRICATION INDUSTRY SECRETS REVEALED! - Why isn't the automotive lubrication industry offering the same convenience that other automotive industries are? Because they're afraid of lost revenue. The technology's been around for years. AMSOIL has proven that with over 25 years of extended drain experience. It's simply more profitable for large oil companies to sell a four dollar standard drain synthetic than a slightly more expensive extended drain synthetic. They've got you coming back every 3 to 5,000 miles. They've got your money. ""
But synthetic............ hmmm...
FROM AMSOIL. Amsoil recomends 25,000 mile oil changes..
""LUBRICATION INDUSTRY SECRETS REVEALED! - Why isn't the automotive lubrication industry offering the same convenience that other automotive industries are? Because they're afraid of lost revenue. The technology's been around for years. AMSOIL has proven that with over 25 years of extended drain experience. It's simply more profitable for large oil companies to sell a four dollar standard drain synthetic than a slightly more expensive extended drain synthetic. They've got you coming back every 3 to 5,000 miles. They've got your money. ""
07-04-2009, 12:28 PM
#5
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Location: Vancouver Wa
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All my vehicles that I drive are 91, 94, and 96 and after 6 months the oil is pretty black. I dont know how the newer cars are. I wonder if you could just change the filter and top off to extend the intervals of your changes.
07-04-2009, 12:46 PM
#6
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I think you could...
When I was younger, I bought a 1990 Chevy truck, 350...
I changed (actually the Chevy dealership changed it.. ) the factory oil and filter at 87,000 miles...
The engine ran WELL for more than 200,000 miles when it was removed in favor of a crate motor.
This engine then went into my brother in laws firechicken where it ran WELL for another 18 months before being replaced with a T & L engine....
Isolated incident? Maybe....
When I was younger, I bought a 1990 Chevy truck, 350...
I changed (actually the Chevy dealership changed it..
) the factory oil and filter at 87,000 miles... The engine ran WELL for more than 200,000 miles when it was removed in favor of a crate motor.
This engine then went into my brother in laws firechicken where it ran WELL for another 18 months before being replaced with a T & L engine....
Isolated incident? Maybe....
07-04-2009, 01:36 PM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Marquette Mi
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lol... In the LS1 I run Mobil 1 and it gets changed in the spring when the car comes out of storage. The beaters get the cheapest oil I can find and they get changed when I remember to change it, or if they run for more than two winters then they might get it.
All the gunk and stuff that makes your oil black is carbon from running gasoline. It chokes the valves with buildup, coats the tops of the pistons creating hot spots that are prone to detonation, gets in the ring lands and sticks to the rings, causes accelerated wear on the cylinders, pistons, and rings. All that soot and crud ends up in your oil where it gets run past the bearings, camshaft, lifters, and wears them all. So you can thank your fuel for the oil changes and wear.
The other thing that breaks down oil is heat. If you are towing, or putting heavy loads on your engine it will make more heat. If you dont have enough cooling capacity the heat will break down the oil faster. Drive timidly allowing the engine to reach operating temperature, dont do any towing or stop and go city driving where it gets hot and your oil and engine will last a long time, even running carbon building gasoline.
Guess what fuel makes more power, creates less heat, and has no carbon in it to wear the engine or dirty the oil. There is a fuel available that will allow you to run quite long periods between oil changes and when you tear the engine down it will look like new instead of covered in crud. Think about your investment, do you want all that carbon building up in that engine costing you power, longevity, and doing little more than heating water? Its something to ponder. [/soapbox]
I dont drive much so I go long periods between oil changes. I might go into town three or four times per month. The better half drives 40-60 miles 5 days a week, so what she drives gets more attention, when it is here long enough for me to look at it. Still we go about 6000-9000 miles between changes, and her Jimmy gets regular oil, not a high dollar synthetic. Then I use the oil to heat the shop in the winter.
All the gunk and stuff that makes your oil black is carbon from running gasoline. It chokes the valves with buildup, coats the tops of the pistons creating hot spots that are prone to detonation, gets in the ring lands and sticks to the rings, causes accelerated wear on the cylinders, pistons, and rings. All that soot and crud ends up in your oil where it gets run past the bearings, camshaft, lifters, and wears them all. So you can thank your fuel for the oil changes and wear.
The other thing that breaks down oil is heat. If you are towing, or putting heavy loads on your engine it will make more heat. If you dont have enough cooling capacity the heat will break down the oil faster. Drive timidly allowing the engine to reach operating temperature, dont do any towing or stop and go city driving where it gets hot and your oil and engine will last a long time, even running carbon building gasoline.
Guess what fuel makes more power, creates less heat, and has no carbon in it to wear the engine or dirty the oil. There is a fuel available that will allow you to run quite long periods between oil changes and when you tear the engine down it will look like new instead of covered in crud. Think about your investment, do you want all that carbon building up in that engine costing you power, longevity, and doing little more than heating water? Its something to ponder. [/soapbox]
I dont drive much so I go long periods between oil changes. I might go into town three or four times per month. The better half drives 40-60 miles 5 days a week, so what she drives gets more attention, when it is here long enough for me to look at it. Still we go about 6000-9000 miles between changes, and her Jimmy gets regular oil, not a high dollar synthetic. Then I use the oil to heat the shop in the winter.
07-04-2009, 06:54 PM
#9
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Seattle, WA
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I am currently taking apart my I6 200 that hasn't had an oil change in a long time. The sludge and gunk build-up is very bad. It looked and felt like the inside of the valve cover had been thickly undercoated. My machinist is quite worried about the block, since we only gave him the head, that the sludge will cause problems when we start it up again. He's going to come over and pump oil through the engine to clean it before we fire it up.
Bottom line is that I'm not letting it go that long again.
Bottom line is that I'm not letting it go that long again.
07-04-2009, 07:18 PM
#10
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Santa Monica, Calif.
Posts: 958
I used to change motor oil (reg) when the seasons changed, which was about 3000 mp change. Now it's twice a year and 4500 mp change. I don't have extreme temp changes and don't run at high speeds daily, but my oil still gets dirty by 3000 mi. I'm sure changing oil twice a year is fine.
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