4K OCI

[otis24]

I see the subject bandied about regarding the 3K and 5K OCI. I know that it depends on driving habits and oil used. Some would never go past 3K on a dino oil. Some, would never "waste" oil by changing at 3K.
On posts here, some have stated that I am o.k. with a 5K OCI using Havoline and Motorcraft oil. I live in South Dakota where temps often stay low or sub-zero for long periods. I drive shorth distances (2 miles or less to work) and never get the vehicle warmed up long enough to burn off fuel or water. Perhaps I am o.k. with a 5K oil change, perhaps not. I'm guessing there are a few in this category that aren't sure.
So why not take the middle ground and do a 4000 mile OCI? I haven't seen this solution considered here. It would seem like a happy medium between two competeing camps. What say you BITOG'ers?

 

[ewetho]

You may actually be a prime candidate for and occasional UOA. That would tell you far more than anyone else's guesses. Go 3K and sample it. See what you have left. Did you go to far in that condition or not.

 

[Gene K]

Otis if I remember correctly you have a 2005 DC Minivan. I would change the oil around Dec 1 every year with a quality 0W-20 Synthetic. This will give you the best cold weather performance as this degrades over the life of the oil. If you wish to run a 5w30 the rest of the year you can. However I see no reason the 0W-20 would not work the year round in this vehicle. For best performance I would try to use an oil in the same family. I would not run it over 8000 mi without a UOA.

If you want a cheaper alternative you can go with Motorcraft 5W-20 and 4000 mi changes. However you will be giving up a bit of cold start protection at extreme temperatures.

 

[otis24]

I'm looking to stay cheap. I'd rather change a little more often. Is 0w30 am actual weight/viscosity? If so, no one around here carries it. Perhaps some auto parts stores do; I haven't checked. I am used to buying my oil at Wally World.
Gene, you are correct. I do have a 2005 Dodge GC. I just changed my oil this evening to Motorcraft 5w20. I had been running Havoline, but as you may recall, I use about 1/2 to 1 quart of Havoline in a 1000-1200 mile stretch. Two changes ago, I used Motorcraft and did not use any oil in 3k miles. This last oil change, I used up my last 5 qts. of Havoline and am switching to Motorcraft.
Forgot to mention, summertime, I tow a pop-up camper for a lot of miles. Another reason for considering the 4k OCI. According to the vehicle's manual, I definitely fall into the "severe service catagory.

 

[Gene K]

Yes, 0w30 is an actual grade. However its only going to be available in Synthetics.

If you want to run a oil with a dino price (actually a synthetic blend in this case) it would be hard to beat the MotorCraft. Just remember to get fresh oil in there before the really cold weather each year.

I would shorten the winter run to 4000 mi OCI just because I am anal and winter conditions deplete the TBN faster than any other conditions.

The rest of the year I would run that oil 5000 mi OCI. It stands up just fine towing at a 11,500 GCW in 100*F in a 5.4 V-8 that sees 70% City Driving. However if you feel better changing at 4000 OCI I would not sweat it.

 

[Patman]

The beauty of the 5k interval is that you never forget when your next oil change is due.

 

[gedcruise]

Everyone on this site anxiously anticipates their next oil change. No need for any mileage-based reminder.

 

[Matt89]

gedcruise, LOL that is true. You could also write the next mileage in dry-erase marker on your windshield and check it like 10 times per trip.

To otis24; my CR-V calls for 5000 / 6 months as a severe service interval. I'd be confident doing that with Motorcraft 5W-20.

What does your manual say for a "severe service" interval? Seems like you'd fit right into that category, at least in the winter for sure.

This is why cars with an oil life monitor are nice, they take the guesswork out of it.

 

[Hermann]

Quote:

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The beauty of the 5k interval is that you never forget when your next oil change is due.

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Amen, that is why I use it for Dino changes with a reasonable filter.

 

[Vaca]

You may not want to go strictly by miles in your case.

How many miles per year? Are they roughly uniform season to season, or does the mileage accumulation vary by season?

Assuming either uniform seasonal mileage or a little lower in the colder months...I would just change the oil in the spring and then again in the fall of each year using regular dino oil. If your annual miles are low enough, then maybe just change the oil filter once a year in the spring.

 

[kkreit01]

I used 4K OCI on my Freestar van. I used mostly MC 5w20, and Castrol Syntec Blend. Most of my driving is City.

 

[Norm Olt]

Hold on: I still KNOW my 4's...

1X4=4, 2X4=8, 3X4=12... 132,000 divided by 4 = 33

So... @ 134,000 miles I'm halfway between 4K OCI's, right?

Duh!

 

[otis24]

It usually does not take more than two months to reach 4k on my van. I do a lot more in the summer, but still average 2000 miles in two to three months.

 

[Gene K]

Otis in the end its what you can live with.
We have people on here (See AEHaas UOA's) that think nothing of running 0W-20 in 600 bhp 7500-9000 rpm Exotic Italian V-12's and 700 bhp Maybach Twin-Turbo V-12's that came with 5W-40 in the sump. These same people panic at the thought of extended oCI's. Seems to works very well.

On the other hand we have people who would never dream of going outside of the recommended viscosity but think nothing of running a 11,000 mi OCI on conventional Pennzoil. agian appears to be very sucessful.

If it was me with your mileage I would run 5000 mi OCI in winter and 7500 mi OCI (assuming Chrysler still allows this OCI) the rest of the year on decent name brand synthetic if you wanted to spend less time under the van. 4000 mi Winter OCI and 5000 mi normal OCI with the MC blend would work just fine as well.

Bottom line do what you feel comfortable with. It isnt worth a ulcer.

 

[gedcruise]

Why not use a maybe syn, like Syntec, M1, or PP, and go for 4K. I've been doing this for about four years now. You will probably not have any problems related to your oil or the change intervals. A UOA might not be a bad idea, based upon the use to which you are putting the vehicle.

 

[fredsavage]

My previous employer services their fleet of pickups at 4K OCI's. They sell them at 175,000 miles. I can't remember any engine failures. Go for it.