1,000 mile oil change for severe service.

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panzer

Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
9
Location
Adelaide SA Australia
I have a 2018 Holden Commodore 3.6 auto (the LGX engine), the equivalent car in the USA is the 2018-20 Buick Regal GS. I mainly do short trips, approx. 4 miles going to work and the same coming back every day in start/stop traffic, with some longer mileages on the weekend. In 3 months I average around 1,000 miles of travel, at this point I change the oil because I have read about severe oil service intervals, and also GDI carbon buildup issues some people have generally had (but not with the LGX engine). Also I get a lot of satisfaction in changing the oil and filter. I plan on keeping the car for a very long time.

I was wondering if I may be doing the engine long term harm by changing at 1,000 miles, as I recently saw a thread mentioning a 2007 Ford Motor Company oil test which stated that regular oil changes were not good for an engine, I was interested in people's thoughts on this subject.
 
What oil are you using? Do a highway run once in a while to get it up to full operating temperature. If you're really OCD change the oil twice a year, and the filter once a year. Or better yet, get a UOA and see the condition of the oil after a 6 month run. My bet is you could easily run the oil a full year, but I won't place that bet until I know what oil you're using.
 
demarpaint said:
What oil are you using? Do a highway run once in a while to get it up to full operating temperature. If you're really OCD change the oil twice a year, and the filter once a year. Or better yet, get a UOA and see the condition of the oil after a 6 month run. My bet is you could easily run the oil a full year, but I won't place that bet until I know what oil you're using.
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I use Mobil 3000 5w30 Formula D1.
 
What does your owner's manual say for a severe service interval? IMO you're wasting good oil. I run shorter runs than that in one of my vehicles and change my oil every 2 years. sometimes longer. Get a UOA and eliminate any guess work.
 
I would do an oil analysis with a sample drawn around 2k miles and after one of your typical short trips. See what the fuel dilution is. Some engines dilute more than others. My Mazda does in cold weather. I'm doing 2 k changes in cold weather.
 
demarpaint said:
What does your owner's manual say for a severe service interval? IMO you're wasting good oil. I run shorter runs than that in one of my vehicles and change my oil every 2 years. sometimes longer. Get a UOA and eliminate any guess work.
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It does not state a figure for severe service, it just says that oil change intervals vary considerably and to use the Engine Oil Life System. I was mainly concerned with that 2007 Ford Motor Company oil test article.
 
panzer said:
It does not state a figure for severe service, it just says that oil change intervals vary considerably and to use the Engine Oil Life System. I was mainly concerned with that 2007 Ford Motor Company oil test article.
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We can all guess an interval. IMO a year might be fine, every 1,000 miles is too soon. Others might say every 6 months, that will work too. You can always send off a sample for analysis even in OZ. Ask for TBN, post the results. I would get a UOA and use data vs. opinions. I would also try and run it for 30 minutes on the freeway once a month.
 
spasm3 said:
I would do an oil analysis with a sample drawn around 2k miles and after one of your typical short trips. See what the fuel dilution is. Some engines dilute more than others. My Mazda does in cold weather. I'm doing 2 k changes in cold weather.
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That's an idea. I had on my mind that when an engine receives fresh engine oil regularly that the oil ends up attacking/wearing away certain components within the engine.
 
demarpaint said:
We can all guess an interval. IMO a year might be fine, every 1,000 miles is too soon. Others might say every 6 months, that will work too. You can always send off a sample for analysis even in OZ. Ask for TBN, post the results. I would get a UOA and use data vs. opinions. I would also try and run it for 30 minutes on the freeway once a month.
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Thanks for your views.
 
PF52 said:
+2

The manual probably includes frequent short trips in its definition of "severe service" but it likely calls for 3000 mile oil changes, not 1000.
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Yes something along those lines, certainly not 1K OCI's.
 
My mom had a 99 Buick 3.8 that had only 90,000 miles when I sold it for her this fall. It had synthetic oil changes and had quite a bit of sludge buildup under the valve cover. The car had lots of short trips 5 miles or less. The car would go on long trips occasionally too and didn't burn any oil. If I were you I would change it every 4 months especially since you stated oil changes are not a nuisance for you. Keep a close look with a flashlight in the oil fill hole and see how clean it is.
 
If its GDI only, assume intake valve deposits unless proven otherwise. Its easy to use a valve spray cleaner once a year to reduce the accumulation rate.

I would definitely analyze the oil which should help you determine an interval for your driving style/commute. If you have fuel in the oil, you'll probably want more viscosity.

If a cannister filter, prefill it. Every dry filter equates to an extended dry start.

Post a copy of that 2007 Ford motor oil test.
 
Greasymechtech said:
If its GDI only, assume intake valve deposits unless proven otherwise. Its easy to use a valve spray cleaner once a year to reduce the accumulation rate.

I would definitely analyze the oil which should help you determine an interval for your driving style/commute. If you have fuel in the oil, you'll probably want more viscosity.

If a cannister filter, prefill it. Every dry filter equates to an extended dry start.

Post a copy of that 2007 Ford motor oil test.
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I don't know how, I am a bit green. I was just searching for 1,000 mile oil change and eventually found that article.
 
You are wasting good oil. I would change it at 3000 miles (not based on time) for severe use. I think your manual may even go longer.
 
I have a similar commute on my Accord 2.4 and as soon as I started doing annual oil changes the engine began to develop varnish. Now I’m trying to get it cleaned back up. I’d go for 6 month OCI’s if I were you.
 
Greasymechtech said:
If its GDI only, assume intake valve deposits unless proven otherwise. Its easy to use a valve spray cleaner once a year to reduce the accumulation rate.

I would definitely analyze the oil which should help you determine an interval for your driving style/commute. If you have fuel in the oil, you'll probably want more viscosity.

If a cannister filter, prefill it. Every dry filter equates to an extended dry start.

Post a copy of that 2007 Ford motor oil test.
Click to expand...
I have been trying to find the 2007 Ford article but I can't find it, the closest I got was this from a bitog thread from 2015:

Ford did a study 10+ years ago that said the ph change was a shock to the system and less frequent changes averaged lower wear.

Thanks all, I am off to bed now, it's 1.15 am here in Adelaide Australia.
 
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