Change oil and filter together or skip one or the other?

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martyi

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I have read in my Honda manual that when the oil life monitor tells you to change oil (Service period A they call it), you do not necessarily change the filter at the same time. There is another message (Service period B) that calls for a change of oil AND filter. Service period "B" also has a list of other things besides the oil filter such as tire rotation, parking brake adjustments and a bunch of other stuff.

If one were to depend on this on board computer to guide us as to our service needs does it make sense to follow those filter instructions? I mean, I have never before heard of changing oil and leaving on the old filter.

Then, I read some posts here and at a Honda forum where some people change filter twice for every oil change while other people do just the opposite, as Honda intimates, and they change filter every other OCI.

I am just wondering what you all do and why?
 
I change my filter each time I change my oil. A filter is cheap, about the cost of one quart of oil. I consider it cheap piece of mind.
 
More than one car maker is recommending a filter change every other oil change for normal service. In my case it is change the oil every 7,500 miles and the filter every 15,000 miles. I have little doubt that a filter will last 15,000 miles but I change it every oil change (old habits die hard).
 
I don't have a Honda, but I change my oil filter every time I change the oil. AC Delco filters for my GM truck are $4 each, so it isn't expensive. Also, the filter is vertically mounted at the bottom of the engine which makes it easy and fairly clean to remove. Those filters that are mounted horizontally half-way up the engine are more difficult.

It won't hurt anything to change it every time.
 
The engineers that design the engines certainly know more about the egines they design than I do. while I don't own a Honda, not any more at least, I'd still change the filter at every oil change. My reasoning is that, at least to me, why not replace a $5.00 filter that retains about 15% of the old oil at every oil change when your vehicle cost $20k-$30k.
 
quote:
Originally posted by martyi:
I have read in my Honda manual that when the oil life monitor tells you to change oil (Service period A they call it), you do not necessarily change the filter at the same time. There is another message (Service period B) that calls for a change of oil AND filter. Service period "B" also has a list of other things besides the oil filter such as tire rotation, parking brake adjustments and a bunch of other stuff.

If one were to depend on this on board computer to guide us as to our service needs does it make sense to follow those filter instructions? I mean, I have never before heard of changing oil and leaving on the old filter.

Then, I read some posts here and at a Honda forum where some people change filter twice for every oil change while other people do just the opposite, as Honda intimates, and they change filter every other OCI.

I am just wondering what you all do and why?
Click to expand...
All it takes is one filter with a bad element to keep you from doing this ever again.

Now if you had one of those BMW or the like that you can pop the top and inspect the element its all cool, but you don't know if the filter is bad until after you cut it apart.

I change both at 5K myself as a result.
 
In the 1970's and 1980's Toyota had you change the oil filter every other oil change. I too usualy change the filter at the same time I change oil. I make exceptions though like after doing head work etc. I have no doubt that the oil filter should be able to last for 15,000 miles in all but the most sludged up engines. I like to change it though just to play it safe! The cost of the filter is nothing compared to 4-12 quarts of synthetic oil!
 
Ive noted that reccomendation in my GF's acura. It seems odd... Its not a lot more $$$, at least here in the US to buy a filter.

I guess its not that big of a deal to replace the filter, so long as the same oil is used each OCI, and insolubles stay reasonably low.

JMH
 
The owners manual for my 1971 Chrysler (RB-series engines, 383-2v, 383-4V HP, 440-4V & 440-4V HP) stated that oil should be changed every 4000-miles/4-months, and that the oil filter should be changed at every other interval.

My take is, today, that an extended-sevice, heavy-duty, synthetic media filter (like the BALDWIN B2-HPG I've been using in four vehicles) is certainly good for 8-10m miles. This is done in conjunction with the use of LC20 & FP60, REDLINE OIL and annual ARX clean-ups.

On a low-wearing engine, even w/o the LC and ARX products, I feel the same way: The high quality of the filter precludes changes at less than 8000 mile intervals.

Get the best products, schedule the OCI's in accordance with factory and individual determinants, and rest easy.
 
with filter changes recommended every other change by most manufactuerers. is it possible that we are changing the filters and oil too frequently?
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with filter changes recommended every other change by most manufactuerers. is it possible that we are changing the filters and oil too frequently?

Bitog Blasphemy !!!
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2004 F150 4x4 I do not know that we can say "Most"! I mean how many OEM's today recomend an everyother oil change filter change?
 
To me changing oil without changing the filter is like taking a shower and putting back on the same dirty underware.

I think it is stupid concept, driven by the desire to atempt to show lower maintenance costs.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Big Jim:
To me changing oil without changing the filter is like taking a shower and putting back on the same dirty underware.

I think it is stupid concept, driven by the desire to atempt to show lower maintenance costs.
Click to expand...
Ding ding ding! I think we have a winner! I wonder if the Honda dealers charge any less for a "Service Period A" oil change than a "Service Period B" one? And you KNOW the ones who throw in x amount of oil changes for free are all for saving the cost of that filter and quart or so of oil......
 
I hereby and forewith vehemently utter in a mumbling sorta' way that I can not comprehend the benefits to be gained by not changing a filter when changing oil or, conversely, not changing oil when a new filter is righty tightied upon an engine.

As already mentioned, vehicles are expensive. The components cost even more per pound than the complete unit. Why take even the slightest risk of harming a multi-thousand dollar component by trying to save a mere four or five bucks?

Look cool on your stool, neat upon thine seat... change that oil AND filter at the proper intervals. Proper is an individual decision of which I am assuming the average reader of this message board will properly and adequately ascertain for theirself.

Okay..... that's my 5-cents worth. Used to be 2-cents but the inflation the news media, politicians, and government bureaucrats handily ignore is ongoing and had nudged the cost of my opinion into an inflationary spiral that especially harms the bottom 40% of American workers.

That's right.

Uh huh.
 
There is no positive proof that following Honda's recommendation is in any way detrimental to engine life. Let's say there are 10 million Hondas on the road with filters changed twice a year, that is, every OCI.

Following Hondas recommendation would save 5 million filter changes. Let's say the labor involved in producing the filter, distributing the filter, taking off the old filter and relpacing is 5 minutes per filter average.

By following Honda's recommendation we've just saved 200 man years (40 hrs/wk) of labor or something like 5 lives.

Who wants to be the one to tell five guys they worked their entire lives for nothing? Just something to think about...
 
What obbop said, I think. Change it everytime and you dont need to remember if it was the last oil change or the one before, or the one before that. I pay $4 to $8 for a Napa Gold filter and get one to 1.5 more quarts of clean oil in. Leave the old one on and keep ONE quart of old, NASTY, CRUDDY SLUDGE in. Scary is'ent it? Its your money. DaveJ
 
I have never understood the filter change every second oil change. Why would I want to go to the trouble and expense of changing the oil ( in my car ranges from about $20US to $40US depending on oil and unless I am running Dino for an AutoRX rinse cycle I am at the $40 end of that scale) and then have that fresh oil circulating around through a filthy filter? And what would I save on that non-filter? $4.50

I think its fair to say that for many modern engines the 3000 mile OCI is probably excessive, yet many religiously follow that cycle. Most of the people i see running synth oil for extended drains over 10K are changing the filter at least once.
 
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