Did the taste on a dare, really tastes like nothing. Thought there might be a beef after taste.
3,000 mile paranoia. Who has it here?
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Originally Posted By: Charlie1935
I sure (don't) miss the days of 1000 mile oil changes!
I kinda do. Every other weekend an oil change, check-over, and wash was a good excuse to hang around outside and have a few beers. Add a tire rotation plus vacuum, polish & wax every third oil change and that's even better. The pan-drop ATF change and ignition tune up every spring was a great excuse to buy better beer.
I sure (don't) miss the days of 1000 mile oil changes!
I kinda do. Every other weekend an oil change, check-over, and wash was a good excuse to hang around outside and have a few beers. Add a tire rotation plus vacuum, polish & wax every third oil change and that's even better. The pan-drop ATF change and ignition tune up every spring was a great excuse to buy better beer.
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: tig1
Wow! You use 3 1/3 times more oil than I do per 100K.
Don't forget, tig, you're using a quality synthetic and have been doing so since before most people even heard of it.
I understand that.
Originally Posted By: tig1
Wow! You use 3 1/3 times more oil than I do per 100K.
Don't forget, tig, you're using a quality synthetic and have been doing so since before most people even heard of it.
I understand that.
In retrospect, tig, I wonder what we could have gotten away with for OCIs on the taxis back in the late 1970s to early 1990s with Mobil 1, since we did 6,000 miles on Quaker State conventional. Back then, though, the QS was usually had for under $1 per quart, and synthetic hasn't jumped up as much as conventional, at least up here. The RCWC price on Mobil 1 has stayed almost exactly the same for at least 15 years. Conventional is another story, of course, swinging way up and finally improving now.
Patman
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Originally Posted By: Garak
In retrospect, tig, I wonder what we could have gotten away with for OCIs on the taxis back in the late 1970s to early 1990s with Mobil 1, since we did 6,000 miles on Quaker State conventional. Back then, though, the QS was usually had for under $1 per quart, and synthetic hasn't jumped up as much as conventional, at least up here. The RCWC price on Mobil 1 has stayed almost exactly the same for at least 15 years. Conventional is another story, of course, swinging way up and finally improving now.
When I bought my first bottle of synthetic oil in 1988, it was $8 per liter. That was for Mobil 1 5w30, and at the time we could only buy it at Esso gas stations up here. On Friday I picked up a 4.4L jug of Mobil 1 0w20 at Canadian Tire for $31.79, which works out to $7.22 per liter. So even though the regular price of synthetic has gone up since the 80s, if you look for sales you can find it for even less. Pretty amazing when you think about it, how many other products have held their line on pricing for this length of time? (and synthetic oils have improved vastly in this time period too!)
In retrospect, tig, I wonder what we could have gotten away with for OCIs on the taxis back in the late 1970s to early 1990s with Mobil 1, since we did 6,000 miles on Quaker State conventional. Back then, though, the QS was usually had for under $1 per quart, and synthetic hasn't jumped up as much as conventional, at least up here. The RCWC price on Mobil 1 has stayed almost exactly the same for at least 15 years. Conventional is another story, of course, swinging way up and finally improving now.
When I bought my first bottle of synthetic oil in 1988, it was $8 per liter. That was for Mobil 1 5w30, and at the time we could only buy it at Esso gas stations up here. On Friday I picked up a 4.4L jug of Mobil 1 0w20 at Canadian Tire for $31.79, which works out to $7.22 per liter. So even though the regular price of synthetic has gone up since the 80s, if you look for sales you can find it for even less. Pretty amazing when you think about it, how many other products have held their line on pricing for this length of time? (and synthetic oils have improved vastly in this time period too!)
I never really got into the 3k thing. Until my Chevy truck except for a couple of beaters I was used mostly to Jag's, BMW's, and Mercedes. Europeans like long oil changes and have large sumps. So an oil change was always a once a year 7k-8k mile thing even while growing up.
Oh and I yanked the valve cover off one of the Mercedes at 270k and it was clean as new, and still didn't burn a drop of oil between changes. Last I heard that motor had 350k on it and was still in the same condition.
I'm a big fan of synthetics too, they make a huge difference when it gets cold.
With my truck I just change it with whatever synthetic is on sale for about $30 whenever the OLM kicks off.
I beleive if you use the proper spec oil with a good filter, and change it once in awhile, just about any engine will run forever.
Oh and I yanked the valve cover off one of the Mercedes at 270k and it was clean as new, and still didn't burn a drop of oil between changes. Last I heard that motor had 350k on it and was still in the same condition.
I'm a big fan of synthetics too, they make a huge difference when it gets cold.
With my truck I just change it with whatever synthetic is on sale for about $30 whenever the OLM kicks off.
I beleive if you use the proper spec oil with a good filter, and change it once in awhile, just about any engine will run forever.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Garak
In retrospect, tig, I wonder what we could have gotten away with for OCIs on the taxis back in the late 1970s to early 1990s with Mobil 1, since we did 6,000 miles on Quaker State conventional. Back then, though, the QS was usually had for under $1 per quart, and synthetic hasn't jumped up as much as conventional, at least up here. The RCWC price on Mobil 1 has stayed almost exactly the same for at least 15 years. Conventional is another story, of course, swinging way up and finally improving now.
In 1978 when I started with M1 5-20(only wt available) I paid $5 a qt. Today I am paying around $5.50 a qt at WM by the jug. So my OC coast have stayed level for the last 34 years.
In retrospect, tig, I wonder what we could have gotten away with for OCIs on the taxis back in the late 1970s to early 1990s with Mobil 1, since we did 6,000 miles on Quaker State conventional. Back then, though, the QS was usually had for under $1 per quart, and synthetic hasn't jumped up as much as conventional, at least up here. The RCWC price on Mobil 1 has stayed almost exactly the same for at least 15 years. Conventional is another story, of course, swinging way up and finally improving now.
In 1978 when I started with M1 5-20(only wt available) I paid $5 a qt. Today I am paying around $5.50 a qt at WM by the jug. So my OC coast have stayed level for the last 34 years.
I wish I could even go 3,000 mile OCI's. I'm a short tripper so I go not by what the oil companies say but what my Owner's Manual says and it says the same as the oil companies do. Change it every 3 months or 3,000 miles whatever comes first for severe driving so that's what I do.
Maybe I'm wasting money and oil but the last thing I want to happen is for internal engine damage to occur because I was to lazy or cheap to change my own oil.
I can't afford a new car or a new engine but I sure as heck can afford motor oil and filters. It's still the cheapest thing I do to the car minus changing bulbs and wiper blades.
Maybe I'm wasting money and oil but the last thing I want to happen is for internal engine damage to occur because I was to lazy or cheap to change my own oil.
I can't afford a new car or a new engine but I sure as heck can afford motor oil and filters. It's still the cheapest thing I do to the car minus changing bulbs and wiper blades.
I'm totally not against a long OCI, but mine end up being in the 3-5k range (or whatever is severe service recommendation from the mfg)
My reason is simple...other areas of maintenance sometimes get neglected when starting to get out there in the 10k-15k range. (tire rotations tend to get skipped, etc) Plus...I really enjoy the Sunday afternoon ballgames on the radio. I'll take a whole afternoon and do a wash/wax, oil change, rotate my tires, etc. and will absolutely love every minute of it.
My reason is simple...other areas of maintenance sometimes get neglected when starting to get out there in the 10k-15k range. (tire rotations tend to get skipped, etc) Plus...I really enjoy the Sunday afternoon ballgames on the radio. I'll take a whole afternoon and do a wash/wax, oil change, rotate my tires, etc. and will absolutely love every minute of it.
Originally Posted By: Jocephus
I'm totally not against a long OCI, but mine end up being in the 3-5k range (or whatever is severe service recommendation from the mfg)
My reason is simple...other areas of maintenance sometimes get neglected when starting to get out there in the 10k-15k range. (tire rotations tend to get skipped, etc) Plus...I really enjoy the Sunday afternoon ballgames on the radio. I'll take a whole afternoon and do a wash/wax, oil change, rotate my tires, etc. and will absolutely love every minute of it.
That's probably the big reason I'm always in a hurry to do them. And , until recently, I had been doing 3-4k mile OCIs. It was nice to get under the vehicle on a nice day and take a look underneath. See how the rust is doing, take a look at the brake pads, tire wear ... all the other fun stuff.
I have always tried to stay around 5k on my Focus - when I got it up until the beginning of this year it qualified as "severe service" so I followed the severe service schedule.
I decided to run 5500/6000 on my Cherokee on HDEO. Reading other people's results from HDEO on the Jeep 4.0 ... I made the right choice there.
I'm totally not against a long OCI, but mine end up being in the 3-5k range (or whatever is severe service recommendation from the mfg)
My reason is simple...other areas of maintenance sometimes get neglected when starting to get out there in the 10k-15k range. (tire rotations tend to get skipped, etc) Plus...I really enjoy the Sunday afternoon ballgames on the radio. I'll take a whole afternoon and do a wash/wax, oil change, rotate my tires, etc. and will absolutely love every minute of it.
That's probably the big reason I'm always in a hurry to do them. And , until recently, I had been doing 3-4k mile OCIs. It was nice to get under the vehicle on a nice day and take a look underneath. See how the rust is doing, take a look at the brake pads, tire wear ... all the other fun stuff.
I have always tried to stay around 5k on my Focus - when I got it up until the beginning of this year it qualified as "severe service" so I followed the severe service schedule.
I decided to run 5500/6000 on my Cherokee on HDEO. Reading other people's results from HDEO on the Jeep 4.0 ... I made the right choice there.
I used to be pretty religious about my oil change intervals, but after buying a house, starting a family, and adding two crazy dogs into the mix...I am lucky to just keep oil on the dipstick!
All jokes aside, I extend oil changes well beyond what I used to be comfortable with. The only vehicle that gets "short changed" is my F350. It rarely gets driven far enough to get the oil up to operating temperature.
All jokes aside, I extend oil changes well beyond what I used to be comfortable with. The only vehicle that gets "short changed" is my F350. It rarely gets driven far enough to get the oil up to operating temperature.
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: k24a4
I put my trust in the engineers at Honda who say 5/10k miles depending on driving conditions. I went ~6200 miles on PYB, had an oil analysis done, and it was great. 100k on engine. Purrs like a kitten. Valve train is spotless. ALS has my next sample: Honda sm 0w-20 @ 7000 miles.
The paranoia is long gone. You need only go over to the UOA section and read some of the posts of high mileage engines sustained on long OCI to help dispel any lingering apprehension.
We went 354K on a 91 Ranger doing 10-14K OCIs and when the truck was sold the engine still ran great. Now the body was another thing.
Well done, sir!
Originally Posted By: k24a4
I put my trust in the engineers at Honda who say 5/10k miles depending on driving conditions. I went ~6200 miles on PYB, had an oil analysis done, and it was great. 100k on engine. Purrs like a kitten. Valve train is spotless. ALS has my next sample: Honda sm 0w-20 @ 7000 miles.
The paranoia is long gone. You need only go over to the UOA section and read some of the posts of high mileage engines sustained on long OCI to help dispel any lingering apprehension.
We went 354K on a 91 Ranger doing 10-14K OCIs and when the truck was sold the engine still ran great. Now the body was another thing.
Well done, sir!
I've always just followed the owner's manual for my vehicles.
That was 3000 miles/6 months for one mid 80's vehicle. Never had a lubrication related failure.
On my Subaru it gives me the option of 3750 or 7500 depending on severe or normal service...my usage is a mixture of those criteria so I change conventional about 5000 miles and synthetic 7500-9000 miles, depending on what I have been doing to rack up those miles.
Oil is whatever is on a good sale, although I prefer SOPUS products when I can get them.
That was 3000 miles/6 months for one mid 80's vehicle. Never had a lubrication related failure.
On my Subaru it gives me the option of 3750 or 7500 depending on severe or normal service...my usage is a mixture of those criteria so I change conventional about 5000 miles and synthetic 7500-9000 miles, depending on what I have been doing to rack up those miles.
Oil is whatever is on a good sale, although I prefer SOPUS products when I can get them.
3k changes might seem foolish to some, but I don't think it is for the car I have. I have a 2005 Dodge 2.7 V6. A lot of people have had trouble (I understand so anyway) with theirs by doing 6k changes. Mine has always had 3k to 4k changes, and I have 117k miles on mine. Doesn't smoke, doesn't burn oil, and it runs very quiet. In my case, I think the 3k change has allowed me to get a lot more mileage out of my engine than some people have gotten. Now, on my 05 Silverado with the 4.3 v6, I once went 8,500 on it, but I had Mobil 1 in it. I do not run a synthetic in my dodge now, but I am thinking of going to Castrol Syntec, or Mobil 1, and running it say 4,500 to 5,000. Haven't decided definitely yet. But to say that everyone is wasting oil, or being foolish because they do the 3k change is not so, nor is it justified in my view.
I always changed my oil at 3,000 miles with conventional oil and I never have blown a motor ever. However I usually sell the cars I have had with around 200,000 miles on them.
I switched over to using synthetic motor oil two years ago. I have been using Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic motor oil in both of my cars for the past two years.
A car that is known to have problems are Saab 9-5's from 1999-2003 with the four cylinder turbo charged engine when using conventional motor oil. They had a pcv crankcase ventilation design issue on the four cylinder engine which was later redesigned due to a high number of engine failures caused by engine oil sludge forming on the oil pan's pickup screen. Once the pickup screen plugged up enough the engine would blow. Saab redesigned the pcv system on these cars and recommended using a specific Euro blend full synthetic motor oil in these engines which solved the problem(cleaning the oil pan pickup screen is recommended also). The engines in these car are known to go over 300,000 miles when properly maintained, the pcv problem is fixed on the car, the pickup screen is cleaned and the right full synthetic motor oil is used. I had 2000 Saab that I fixed and sold, so I know about these cars. The engine was good on the one I had, but the car had many other problems when I bought it.
I have read about Lexus cars of certain years having engine oil sludge problems when using conventional motor oil due to the manufacturer recommending 7K motor oil change intervals in the owners manual. This is a known issue on the Lexus forums which I read about when I was considering buying a Lexus.
I went to buy a cheap Infinity car a year ago and the engine had heavy oil sludge buildup inside of the engine around the oil filler cap. The top end of the engine also made noise until is was warmed up for a few minutes. I did not buy this car.
Yes, I know you can use conventional motor oil for too long in your engine and it can cause a sludge problem.
I switched over to using synthetic motor oil two years ago. I have been using Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic motor oil in both of my cars for the past two years.
A car that is known to have problems are Saab 9-5's from 1999-2003 with the four cylinder turbo charged engine when using conventional motor oil. They had a pcv crankcase ventilation design issue on the four cylinder engine which was later redesigned due to a high number of engine failures caused by engine oil sludge forming on the oil pan's pickup screen. Once the pickup screen plugged up enough the engine would blow. Saab redesigned the pcv system on these cars and recommended using a specific Euro blend full synthetic motor oil in these engines which solved the problem(cleaning the oil pan pickup screen is recommended also). The engines in these car are known to go over 300,000 miles when properly maintained, the pcv problem is fixed on the car, the pickup screen is cleaned and the right full synthetic motor oil is used. I had 2000 Saab that I fixed and sold, so I know about these cars. The engine was good on the one I had, but the car had many other problems when I bought it.
I have read about Lexus cars of certain years having engine oil sludge problems when using conventional motor oil due to the manufacturer recommending 7K motor oil change intervals in the owners manual. This is a known issue on the Lexus forums which I read about when I was considering buying a Lexus.
I went to buy a cheap Infinity car a year ago and the engine had heavy oil sludge buildup inside of the engine around the oil filler cap. The top end of the engine also made noise until is was warmed up for a few minutes. I did not buy this car.
Yes, I know you can use conventional motor oil for too long in your engine and it can cause a sludge problem.
Originally Posted By: Rob Taggs
Proof is in the pudding. I have done 3,000 mile oil changes will no ill effects. far as proof, had an old 1987 Firebird that had an engine compression test done on it and the two mechanics came and got me to show me that the engine had near perfect compression on all cylinders. Around 180,000 miles orignal miles.
The mechanics asked me what I did to the engine, I told them regular maintenance and 3,000 mile oil changes. In turn I asked the mechanics if they have seen similar engines with this many miles that had this good of compression, they replied, NO. This car was taken care of and driven fairly had at times.
I really get a kick when I see my neighbors, friends, etc... that buy expensive vehicles and then go cheap by extending their oil changes and other vehicle maintenance way out. Funny how big money folks will spend alot of money on a vehicle and are tight as h#&l about spending a single dollar on maintaining it.
I'm not going to bite on your assumption that those that extend their OCI's are being cheap. I think many are interested in maximizing a resource while still protecting their investment. I count myself among those. And believe me, I itch pour fresh oil in the engine; I enjoy it as an activity and would engage in it more often if I could do so in good conscience. We should not confuse those that are being prudent in extending their OCI with those that are being negligent in their vehicles care. Again, I go with what the manufacturer recommends, more confidently when it is backed up by the empirical and anecdotal evidence here on BITOG.
As far as the Firebird, was it the 3k oci or the regular maintenance that had it tip top at 180k? With a reasonable oci I've never heard of an oil related engine failure. And by reasonable I mean anywhere from 5k to 15k, dependent on engine type, driving conditions and style, and oil used.
Now with the advent of DI and turbo engines I'd be rethinking my oci if I owned a car with one or both of those.
Proof is in the pudding. I have done 3,000 mile oil changes will no ill effects. far as proof, had an old 1987 Firebird that had an engine compression test done on it and the two mechanics came and got me to show me that the engine had near perfect compression on all cylinders. Around 180,000 miles orignal miles.
The mechanics asked me what I did to the engine, I told them regular maintenance and 3,000 mile oil changes. In turn I asked the mechanics if they have seen similar engines with this many miles that had this good of compression, they replied, NO. This car was taken care of and driven fairly had at times.
I really get a kick when I see my neighbors, friends, etc... that buy expensive vehicles and then go cheap by extending their oil changes and other vehicle maintenance way out. Funny how big money folks will spend alot of money on a vehicle and are tight as h#&l about spending a single dollar on maintaining it.
I'm not going to bite on your assumption that those that extend their OCI's are being cheap. I think many are interested in maximizing a resource while still protecting their investment. I count myself among those. And believe me, I itch pour fresh oil in the engine; I enjoy it as an activity and would engage in it more often if I could do so in good conscience. We should not confuse those that are being prudent in extending their OCI with those that are being negligent in their vehicles care. Again, I go with what the manufacturer recommends, more confidently when it is backed up by the empirical and anecdotal evidence here on BITOG.
As far as the Firebird, was it the 3k oci or the regular maintenance that had it tip top at 180k? With a reasonable oci I've never heard of an oil related engine failure. And by reasonable I mean anywhere from 5k to 15k, dependent on engine type, driving conditions and style, and oil used.
Now with the advent of DI and turbo engines I'd be rethinking my oci if I owned a car with one or both of those.
What a co-inky-dink as I drove an '01 9-5 for 4 yrs. My sludge threads are epic. I bought it used so it wasn't my fault. Cleaning it was an adventure. But the engine was in top shape when I traded it for the Odyssey.
Originally Posted By: Moab
I always changed my oil at 3,000 miles with conventional oil and I never have blown a motor ever. However I usually sell the cars I have had with around 200,000 miles on them.
I switched over to using synthetic motor oil two years ago. I have been using Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic motor oil in both of my cars for the past two years.
A car that is known to have problems are Saab 9-5's from 1999-2003 with the four cylinder turbo charged engine when using conventional motor oil. They had a pcv crankcase ventilation design issue on the four cylinder engine which was later redesigned due to a high number of engine failures caused by engine oil sludge forming on the oil pan's pickup screen. Once the pickup screen plugged up enough the engine would blow. Saab redesigned the pcv system on these cars and recommended using a specific Euro blend full synthetic motor oil in these engines which solved the problem(cleaning the oil pan pickup screen is recommended also). The engines in these car are known to go over 300,000 miles when properly maintained, the pcv problem is fixed on the car, the pickup screen is cleaned and the right full synthetic motor oil is used. I had 2000 Saab that I fixed and sold, so I know about these cars. The engine was good on the one I had, but the car had many other problems when I bought it.
I have read about Lexus cars of certain years having engine oil sludge problems when using conventional motor oil due to the manufacturer recommending 7K motor oil change intervals in the owners manual. This is a known issue on the Lexus forums which I read about when I was considering buying a Lexus.
I went to buy a cheap Infinity car a year ago and the engine had heavy oil sludge buildup inside of the engine around the oil filler cap. The top end of the engine also made noise until is was warmed up for a few minutes. I did not buy this car.
Yes, I know you can use conventional motor oil for too long in your engine and it can cause a sludge problem.
Originally Posted By: Moab
I always changed my oil at 3,000 miles with conventional oil and I never have blown a motor ever. However I usually sell the cars I have had with around 200,000 miles on them.
I switched over to using synthetic motor oil two years ago. I have been using Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic motor oil in both of my cars for the past two years.
A car that is known to have problems are Saab 9-5's from 1999-2003 with the four cylinder turbo charged engine when using conventional motor oil. They had a pcv crankcase ventilation design issue on the four cylinder engine which was later redesigned due to a high number of engine failures caused by engine oil sludge forming on the oil pan's pickup screen. Once the pickup screen plugged up enough the engine would blow. Saab redesigned the pcv system on these cars and recommended using a specific Euro blend full synthetic motor oil in these engines which solved the problem(cleaning the oil pan pickup screen is recommended also). The engines in these car are known to go over 300,000 miles when properly maintained, the pcv problem is fixed on the car, the pickup screen is cleaned and the right full synthetic motor oil is used. I had 2000 Saab that I fixed and sold, so I know about these cars. The engine was good on the one I had, but the car had many other problems when I bought it.
I have read about Lexus cars of certain years having engine oil sludge problems when using conventional motor oil due to the manufacturer recommending 7K motor oil change intervals in the owners manual. This is a known issue on the Lexus forums which I read about when I was considering buying a Lexus.
I went to buy a cheap Infinity car a year ago and the engine had heavy oil sludge buildup inside of the engine around the oil filler cap. The top end of the engine also made noise until is was warmed up for a few minutes. I did not buy this car.
Yes, I know you can use conventional motor oil for too long in your engine and it can cause a sludge problem.
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
What a co-inky-dink as I drove an '01 9-5 for 4 yrs. My sludge threads are epic. I bought it used so it wasn't my fault. Cleaning it was an adventure. But the engine was in top shape when I traded it for the Odyssey.
BrianWC
Those years of Saab's are nice cars, but they have many things that go wrong with them. I had BBA Reman rebuild the ABS module and the SID display in the dash, had to fix the blend door shaft fix due to no A/C or heat in the car, replace all vacuum lines and had to replace the spark plug ignition control module. Once all of that was done the car was excellent and ran great. Love the stock stereo system, leather interiors and the higher performance engine in these cars. I switched the one I had over to the right Euro full synthetic motor oil and sold it.
What a co-inky-dink as I drove an '01 9-5 for 4 yrs. My sludge threads are epic. I bought it used so it wasn't my fault. Cleaning it was an adventure. But the engine was in top shape when I traded it for the Odyssey.
BrianWC
Those years of Saab's are nice cars, but they have many things that go wrong with them. I had BBA Reman rebuild the ABS module and the SID display in the dash, had to fix the blend door shaft fix due to no A/C or heat in the car, replace all vacuum lines and had to replace the spark plug ignition control module. Once all of that was done the car was excellent and ran great. Love the stock stereo system, leather interiors and the higher performance engine in these cars. I switched the one I had over to the right Euro full synthetic motor oil and sold it.
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