Change oil low mileage

[johnmyster]

No, that's wrong. Used oil should be recycled, period.

That's exactly what I proposed. Recycling.

5000 mile used oil from a regularly driven car. A little dirty but little fuel dilution and water content. I mean, it was good enough to be in that car up to mile 5000. It's not like it's all the sudden insufficient for lube duty. Why not send it another 200 miles in the jeep?

Put the oil into the jeep. Let it work and play there for 6 months, 200 miles. Lots of fuel dilution and water content per mile. After six months, dump and refill with more used oil from the fleet.

The crux is that frequency of changing (six month or one year intervals) is more important for contamination removal in this application...wherein the oil is never going to be "sheared down" or otherwise "used up." OP said he was being cheap. I just gave him a cheap path that is far better for the Jeep than mileage based intervals.

I don't get when folks act like used oil has cooties. If it didn't have serviceable life when you changed it, you should've changed it sooner.

 

[Ride_Red]

Take it for a longer drive every few months to get everything up to temperature. I'd probably change the oil every couple of years.

I've been changing the oil and filter in my daughter's 06 Cobalt every couple of years. She only puts about 3000 miles on it between oil changes. Mostly short trips and a few longer 20 minute drives a month. The oil still looks fine when it drains out.

 

[Lubener]

The short run time with a cold engine is dumping water and acids are forming in the sump by only moving it a bit - the worse thing you can do to an engine and oil. Cylinder wash down with raw gasoline.

I agree with facilty1. Maybe assess the need, There are lots of Cherokee lovers out there just salivating ...

And @Lubener - don't even.

You have the option to block me if you don't like what I say. Do it.

 

[nicholas]

I'll just change it, thank you everyone for your input

I also have a very short commute.
I do 4-6 months......

 

[TomYoung]

That's exactly what I propose. Recycling.

5000 mile used oil from a regularly driven car. A little dirty but little fuel dilution and water content. I mean, it was good enough to be in that car up to mile 5000. It's not like it's all the sudden insufficient for lube duty. Why not send it another 200 miles in the jeep?

Put the oil into the jeep. Let it work and play there for 6 months, 200 miles. Lots of fuel dilution and water content per mile. After six months, dump and refill with more used oil from the fleet.

The crux is that frequency of changing (six month or one year intervals) is more important for contamination removal in this application...wherein the oil is never going to be "sheared down" or otherwise "used up." OP said he was being cheap. I just gave him a cheap path that is far better for the Jeep than mileage based intervals.

I don't get when folks act like used oil has cooties. If it didn't have serviceable life when you changed it, you should've changed it so

That's exactly what I proposed. Recycling.

5000 mile used oil from a regularly driven car. A little dirty but little fuel dilution and water content. I mean, it was good enough to be in that car up to mile 5000. It's not like it's all the sudden insufficient for lube duty. Why not send it another 200 miles in the jeep?

Put the oil into the jeep. Let it work and play there for 6 months, 200 miles. Lots of fuel dilution and water content per mile. After six months, dump and refill with more used oil from the fleet.

The crux is that frequency of changing (six month or one year intervals) is more important for contamination removal in this application...wherein the oil is never going to be "sheared down" or otherwise "used up." OP said he was being cheap. I just gave him a cheap path that is far better for the Jeep than mileage based intervals.

I don't get when folks act like used oil has cooties. If it didn't have serviceable life when you changed it, you should've changed it sooner.

I think you know that I was not referring to reuse when I said "recycle." Used oil does have the cooties. It is a big unknown, but you can certainly know that contaminants, water, carbon, maybe some gas, dirt, sludge are part of what you are putting back into another car, replacing essentially unused oil that has only one downside: that it has spent a while in the crankcase. How could that possibly be better. You might note that there is essentially no reuse market for used oil. If you look at my posts, you'll see a few where I celebrate getting a complete oil change with full syn, filter and your(free) labor for between $20 and $23. Some frugal folks have achieved even lower numbers. Please consider going in that direction.

 

[Lubener]

I'll just change it, thank you everyone for your input

Next time it might be worth an oil analysis and then you will know for sure if it's time for the oil change. You might be surprised at the results.

 

[berniedd]

You've already bought the new oil and made up your mind. Change the oil, catch it in a clean container, use it to top up your other vehicles.

 

[TomYoung]

You've already bought the new oil and made up your mind. Change the oil, catch it in a clean container, use it to top up your other vehicles.

Bad advice

 

[Lubener]

You've already bought the new oil and made up your mind. Change the oil, catch it in a clean container, use it to top up your other vehicles.

If one feels it's bad enough to change it out , why in the world would you dump it in another vehicle?

 

[berniedd]

If one feels it's bad enough to change it out , why in the world would you dump it in another vehicle?

On the contrary, I'm in the don't-change-it-yet camp, just like many of the posters in this forum. In 250 miles of severe service over a year, sure, there would be acids, carbon, water, etc added to that oil.But I don't think the oil has really been overwhelmed. But the OP has said he's not going to do a UOA, and has already made up his mind, bought the oil and filter and is going to change 'em out. Water contaminants may have been building up, but the water will be evaporated out if he uses the oil as top up in his more frequently used vehicles, which will eventually get the oil changed sooner than later anyway.

 

[Lubener]

On the contrary, I'm in the don't-change-it-yet camp, just like many of the posters in this forum. In 250 miles of severe service over a year, sure, there would be acids, carbon, water, etc added to that oil.But I don't think the oil has really been overwhelmed. But the OP has said he's not going to do a UOA, and has already made up his mind, bought the oil and filter and is going to change 'em out. Water contaminants may have been building up, but the water will be evaporated out if he uses the oil as top up in his more frequently used vehicles, which will eventually get the oil changed sooner than later anyway.

It will also burn off with a good drive in the country.

 

[ATex7239]

It will also burn off with a good drive in the country.

He is going to spend roughly the same amount of money regardless.

Assuming 25 mpg and 20 mile trips once a month for a calendar year, 20 miles x 12 months = 240 miles a year. 240 miles / 25 mpg = 9.6 gallons of extra fuel annually. $3.53 (national average for 87 octane) x 9.6 gallons = $33.88 Which is about the same as a 6qt annual oil change or a UOA.

So pick your poison.

 

[Lubener]

He is going to spend roughly the same amount of money regardless.

Assuming 25 mpg and 20 mile trips once a month for a calendar year, 20 miles x 12 months = 240 miles a year. 240 miles / 25 mpg = 9.6 gallons of extra fuel annually. $3.53 (national average for 87 octane) x 9.6 gallons = $33.88 Which is about the same as a 6qt annual oil change or a UOA.

So pick your poison.

You wouldn't think he might include that drive with something meaningful, like errands, visiting etc. Who drives just for the heck of it these days , I don't. You are making a mountain out of a ant hill.

 

[350Rocket]

um just being practical to the situation.

Did someone ask for that kind of "help"? If they didn't have a use for it I'm sure they would follow your suggestion. Completely useless post imo and aggravating to read.

 

[TomYoung]

Circling back to the original post, the question pertains to what is best to do on oil maintenance on an under-utilized vehicle that gets, maybe, 250 miles a year on it. Here's what I consider the right way to think about it:

1. There is absolutely no point in doing anything. The oil is underused, and can only absorb so much water, assuming the engine's seals are intact. Maybe change it after three years. I would add to this that the engine and car in question are not so valuable that an absolute worst-case scenario would be life-changing.
2. The poster posits running an oil analysis to support a decision. This makes no sense at all as we are not really chasing down a definable problem related to contaminants. He confusingly restates his cheapness as a reason to not change oil, but to do a used oil analysis. Used oil analyses are more expensive than the oil and filter for an oil change, so that argument falls apart.... ie. just change the oil. Put it this way: you can fix the problem for $40 (ish), or spend $40 to isolate the problem, and then the same $40 to fix it.
3. From here, the suggestion later in the thread, from left field, is to replace the oil with used oil. This begs the question of how far one might travel into Crazytown.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

I just don't worry about it. I'm retired and a nice day in April and another on in October suit me just fine. Yes and I know its over maintaining. But I don't do OCI's in the snow or the rain at 80.