Best OCI For me

[FCD]

This September i changed the oil in my Ford Capri with mineral 20w50 ( Shell HX3 ), Instead of the 10w40 semi synthetic stuff i had been running before that ( Mobil 2000 ) , it really is noticeable that now the engine is running on the oil grade that is specified from the factory.... everything is better but how often should i change it? i've been advised to change it every 3k miles / 5k km or 1 year, whichever comes first , i only drive about 2000 Km / year so is it unnecessary to change it every year? i do about 50% city and 50% motorway driving with mostly long drives where the engine gets up to temp but some short ones where the engine does not , am i also safe changing the filter every 6k miles or 10k km? i live in an island so it's always very humid ( +70% ), winters are mild but summers are very hot and temps can get up to 100 F ( 40c ).

 

[alcyon]

i suggest you change yearly then. Filter too. Oil is relatively cheap compared to other running costs of the car..fuel maintanence ..etc. It would also be good to inspect the underneath of the your car since its 40 years old, so a good time to do this is when you change the oil. I say One year.

 

[Jetronic]

Is it easy to check for varnish deposits? through the filler hoe or (worseif there's any) on the dipstick?

if you get no varnish, you're changing on time.

I'm sure it's easy to see if you get mayonaise from the short tripping. if you don't get it, I wouldn't worry too much.

at 2000 km/year, does it matter the engine only has another 100.000km in it?

 

[bigt61]

Change it every two years, it will be fine. Go ahead and double stint the filter. I used to run 20w50 conventional 6000 miles and two years all the time on my old 94 Pontiac. I still have that beast and it runs fine. But now it's on Pennzoil Conventional 10w30 after I ran out of my old stock of 20W-50. Don't sweat the intervals so much, keeping it topped off is more important.

 

[FCD]

so far after about 600km i have on the oil i've had to add just a bit and the oil has gotten darker but no signs of varnish at all

 

[BobsArmory]

Good advise from alcyon, I would go with an annual oil change as well for 3 reasons.
1. getting under the car just to check things out. Important with a car of that age.
2. With a 2 year oil change interval, I would forget what year I changed the oil last and would never sleep well at night.
3. Oil isn't that expensive.

Originally Posted By: alcyon
i suggest you change yearly then. Filter too. Oil is relatively cheap compared to other running costs of the car..fuel maintanence ..etc. It would also be good to inspect the underneath of the your car since its 40 years old, so a good time to do this is when you change the oil. I say One year.

 

[FCD]

Thanks for the replies , the underside of the car is pretty solid as it has a double coat of underseal, i also live in the Balearic Islands here in Spain where we have a semi - tropical climate so cars don't rust a lot unless you live next to the sea, it also doesn't rain a lot here and i keep the car clean and waxed

 

[FCD]

Can i get away with changing the filter every other oil change? i've done that until now and when i pulled the valve covers not long before the last oil change it was all a bit dark but no sludge or varnish

 

[bigt61]

Yeah, change it every other OCI if you're only doing 6000 miles total in 4 years.

"2. With a 2 year oil change interval, I would forget what year I changed the oil last and would never sleep well at night."

A short pencil beats a long memory.

 

[06VtecV6]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
This September i changed the oil in my Ford Capri with mineral 20w50 ( Shell HX3 ), Instead of the 10w40 semi synthetic stuff i had been running before that ( Mobil 2000 ) , it really is noticeable that now the engine is running on the oil grade that is specified from the factory.... everything is better


This is what I've been crowing about going from 5w30 to 10-30 when I topped off with Pennzoil conventional for my most recent previous OCI (see sig)!! The oil cap and manual say 5w30 but that is an average year-around (or round as the fat/lazy people call it) for U.S 9 out of 12 months which is that pleasant 50s, 60s and 70s just about everywhere. It's when you get EXTREME climates 9 out of 12 months where good oil kicks in!

 

[alcyon]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Thanks for the replies , the underside of the car is pretty solid as it has a double coat of underseal, i also live in the Balearic Islands here in Spain where we have a semi - tropical climate so cars don't rust a lot unless you live next to the sea, it also doesn't rain a lot here and i keep the car clean and waxed

you got me wrong..it isnt about rust..but checking for oil leaks and gearbox leaks. If your gearbox runs out of oil while you are driving..it will be toast.
also you can inspect your propeller shaft and universal joints. I have seen those break on same era ford escorts back in the 80s.

 

[SR5]

Hi FCD,

I would do the oil every year, and the oil & filter every second year.

It's pretty quick and cheap to just do the oil and leave the filter on.

Happy New Year

 

[FCD]

Alright i'll change the oil every year and the filter every other , i also thought that changing it before summer would be a good idea so the engine gets fresh oil before the hot summer months, my transmission or diff have no leaks at all nor does the engine