How often SHOULD you change your oil?
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RE: How often SHOULD you change your oil?
When it comes to trannys I don't know a whole lot. All the different types of oil that you should or should not use. I've got a ways to go before Ichange my oil again, so I'll justwait and get more infor before I do anything
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RE: How often SHOULD you change your oil?
ORIGINAL: theboags
A lot has been said about this but I'll put my 2 cents in. I'm a mechanical engineer with a moderate amount of training and experience regarding oils. I work with hydro turbines and we have had some of the same oil in use for 70 years (no typo). If the oil is taken care of it will last a long time. But you can't really compare turbines to engines because engines run hotter and are dirtier, I'm just making a point that it can last a while. Most of what I've read show that oil in a gas engine will easily last 10k miles with just normal driving. That is why manufactures of newer vehicles suggest 5-7k miles to a change...they are being conservative. The 3000 mile change is a pure marketing ploy. But if it makes people feel better, then they should go for it.
A lot has been said about this but I'll put my 2 cents in. I'm a mechanical engineer with a moderate amount of training and experience regarding oils. I work with hydro turbines and we have had some of the same oil in use for 70 years (no typo). If the oil is taken care of it will last a long time. But you can't really compare turbines to engines because engines run hotter and are dirtier, I'm just making a point that it can last a while. Most of what I've read show that oil in a gas engine will easily last 10k miles with just normal driving. That is why manufactures of newer vehicles suggest 5-7k miles to a change...they are being conservative. The 3000 mile change is a pure marketing ploy. But if it makes people feel better, then they should go for it.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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RE: How often SHOULD you change your oil?
synthetics are supposed to be all man made materials, but here is a good read on the web, also shows where to get a good magnet to use on the oil filter.
an excerpt from the webpage below
...Pure synthetics
Pure synthetic oils (polyalkyleneglycol) are the types used almost exclusively within the industrial sector in polyglycol gearbox oils for heavily loaded gearboxes. These are typically concocted by intelligent blokes in white lab coats. These chaps break apart the molecules that make up a variety of substances, like vegetable and animal oils, and then recombine the individual atoms that make up those molecules to build new, synthetic molecules. This process allows the chemists to actually "fine tune" the molecules as they build them. Clever stuff. But Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils...
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
an excerpt from the webpage below
...Pure synthetics
Pure synthetic oils (polyalkyleneglycol) are the types used almost exclusively within the industrial sector in polyglycol gearbox oils for heavily loaded gearboxes. These are typically concocted by intelligent blokes in white lab coats. These chaps break apart the molecules that make up a variety of substances, like vegetable and animal oils, and then recombine the individual atoms that make up those molecules to build new, synthetic molecules. This process allows the chemists to actually "fine tune" the molecules as they build them. Clever stuff. But Polyglycols don't mix with normal mineral oils...
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
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Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Waxahachie, TX (DFW)
Time to revive a dead thread
I'm coming close to the 3K mile mark. I'm used to doing oil changes at this interval because my dad's old car came with vouchers for free changes at the dealer.
Anyway, my truck is ~160K. I drive quite a bit, 2-3K miles a month with a good combination of city/highway. Temps around here average 100+ degrees in summer, 30 in winter.
If I use regular 10W-30 oil, how often should I change my oil?
Or, if I go full synthetic, am I correct that I can get more miles out of a change?
Also, will the synthetic make any difference in the life and wear of my thoroughly well broken in engine?
Or is it best for me to stick with plain oil and just change it every 3K miles?
EDIT: I just checked my oil. It's much darker than the last time i checked, and it's below the add line. I put in a half a quart I had in my tool box for now. I'll check it later today or tomorrow again and keep the level up until I can afford an oil change at the first of the month.
Last time I was under my truck I noticed some oil, but not how old it is. I'll crawl under it in a bit and examine it to see if I can determine the source of the leak.
Also, I've only had my truck for a month, and have yet to do an oil change. I'm not sure when the last one was done and am also unfamiliar with the particular engine's oil appetite.
I need to do an oil change in the next week, so what are your opinions as far as regular or full synthetic?
I'm coming close to the 3K mile mark. I'm used to doing oil changes at this interval because my dad's old car came with vouchers for free changes at the dealer.
Anyway, my truck is ~160K. I drive quite a bit, 2-3K miles a month with a good combination of city/highway. Temps around here average 100+ degrees in summer, 30 in winter.
If I use regular 10W-30 oil, how often should I change my oil?
Or, if I go full synthetic, am I correct that I can get more miles out of a change?
Also, will the synthetic make any difference in the life and wear of my thoroughly well broken in engine?
Or is it best for me to stick with plain oil and just change it every 3K miles?
EDIT: I just checked my oil. It's much darker than the last time i checked, and it's below the add line. I put in a half a quart I had in my tool box for now. I'll check it later today or tomorrow again and keep the level up until I can afford an oil change at the first of the month.
Last time I was under my truck I noticed some oil, but not how old it is. I'll crawl under it in a bit and examine it to see if I can determine the source of the leak.
Also, I've only had my truck for a month, and have yet to do an oil change. I'm not sure when the last one was done and am also unfamiliar with the particular engine's oil appetite.
I need to do an oil change in the next week, so what are your opinions as far as regular or full synthetic?
Last edited by Oren09; Jun 27, 2009 at 08:10 AM.
