Posted By: Plum440
Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 03:47 PM
If you only put about 25 - 50 miles per month (if that) on your car, how often do you change the oil? Once a year? Every 6 months? 
Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles?
Posted By: Jim_Lusk
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 03:49 PM
I would think some of that would depend on humidity of the area and where the car is stored. I put 500 miles on my Durango in the last three months. I'm not about to change the oil as it gets driven every week day. I'll let it go at least six months.
Posted By: Andrewh
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 04:05 PM
pretty much once a year.
none of my cars hit the mileage for changing anymore.
some of them I change specifically because they don't get driven far enough during the drives I do have.
my mopar gets driven maybe 2k miles a year.
my DD gets maybe 1k a year.
wife's car gets maybe 8k.
all running full synthetic.
all get changed yearly. or close enough.
none of my cars hit the mileage for changing anymore.
some of them I change specifically because they don't get driven far enough during the drives I do have.
my mopar gets driven maybe 2k miles a year.
my DD gets maybe 1k a year.
wife's car gets maybe 8k.
all running full synthetic.
all get changed yearly. or close enough.
Posted By: dogdays
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 04:28 PM
Just for grins, do an oil analysis the next time you change you oil. I'm sure you'll be told it's okay, meets all specifications.
We waste a lot of perfectly good oil by ideas or habits driven by fear.
R.
We waste a lot of perfectly good oil by ideas or habits driven by fear.
R.
Posted By: BDW
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 04:51 PM
As TTI puts in their exhaust instructions, I agree, it's worse to do short drives that never get engine hot enough to burn off condensation.
Posted By: Aero426
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 04:54 PM
Change it annually if you don't meet the mileage interval. Right before storage is a great time.
Posted By: Plum440
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/25/13 06:39 PM
Thanks guys! Once a year makes sense to me. Good idea on the oil analysis... 
Posted By: superwrench
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 02:23 AM
About every 20-25 hits at the track....oil goes a little dark then. Nothing like clean oil to make peace with the mind.
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 02:40 AM
4X yearly on a DD (non synthetic). I'm sure good oil (especially synthetics) these days have far superior qualities but it's the buildup of contaminates that I want out of there & to me that's what wears the eng no matter how good the lube & other qualities of the oil are. It's pricey & maybe a waste (I ain't convinced tho) but I take no chances with all my thousands of time/money invested & I SLEEP better 
Posted By: Challenger 1
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 03:27 AM
Quote:
Just for grins, do an oil analysis the next time you change you oil. I'm sure you'll be told it's okay, meets all specifications.
We waste a lot of perfectly good oil by ideas or habits driven by fear.
R.
Posted By: mopar346
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 03:39 AM
Cheap peace of mind.
Posted By: ademon
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 07:19 AM
my two mopars average less than 1K a year each so i change before winter storage once a year
Posted By: Andrewh
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 01:19 PM
Quote:
Just for grins, do an oil analysis the next time you change you oil. I'm sure you'll be told it's okay, meets all specifications.
We waste a lot of perfectly good oil by ideas or habits driven by fear.
R.
lol, but if you look at the price for that check vs an oil change, it can be cheaper for the oil change.
it is one thing to have a diesel that holds like 20 qt, but 4 to 6 at 35 bucks, or worse if you use conventional at 10 bucks with an analysis running 25- 35, you might as well change it.
Posted By: racealittle
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 02:04 PM
On an older muscle car I also do a sniff test. If the oil smells like gas it gets changed.
Posted By: 70Cuda383
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 04:18 PM
Quote:Quote:
Just for grins, do an oil analysis the next time you change you oil. I'm sure you'll be told it's okay, meets all specifications.
We waste a lot of perfectly good oil by ideas or habits driven by fear.
R.
lol, but if you look at the price for that check vs an oil change, it can be cheaper for the oil change.
it is one thing to have a diesel that holds like 20 qt, but 4 to 6 at 35 bucks, or worse if you use conventional at 10 bucks with an analysis running 25- 35, you might as well change it.
You do one analysis. If it comes back and says 'oil is good, clean, still meets spec, pH normal, etc, then you bump out your change interval. Do it again.
Repeat until analysis finally says 'oil is out of spec' then you know what interval to change, and you don't buy any more analysis.
You don't do an analysis every time to determine if its time to change or not
Posted By: dOoC
Re: Engine Oil Changing - Time vs. Miles? - 09/26/13 06:07 PM
Quote:
If you only put about 25 - 50 miles per month (if that) on your car, how often do you change the oil? Once a year? Every 6 months?
SHORT HOPS ... typically referred-to as grocery-store miles ... never actually getting the oil completely warm/HOT ... it needs to be changed BIG TIME often...
