How many miles should be on the oil before testing?

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Aug 21, 2010
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Houston
I purchased an old Land Cruiser with 200k+ miles on it and immediately changed the oil. The oil now has about 500 miles on it and I'd like to test it. Is that too soon to highlight any engine problems?
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
With an extraction device you can take a sample anytime you want.

I installed a Fumoto valve so taking the sample should be pretty simple.
 
All that would matter on a 200,00 mile engine is if there was a head gasket leak or some major problem . After that why waste the money.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
All that would matter on a 200,00 mile engine is if there was a head gasket leak or some major problem . After that why waste the money.


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Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by CT8
All that would matter on a 200,00 mile engine is if there was a head gasket leak or some major problem . After that why waste the money.


This!
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+1
 
OP -
It would depend upon what you're looking to discover with the UOA. You're looking for "engine problems", but what KIND of problems?

If you're looking for coolant or Si intrusion, then 500 miles is OK.
If you're looking to understand wear trends, you need to go about 10x longer (5000 miles). 3k miles would be an absolute min in this regard.
 
Originally Posted by chuckd83
I purchased an old Land Cruiser with 200k+ miles on it and immediately changed the oil. The oil now has about 500 miles on it and I'd like to test it. Is that too soon to highlight any engine problems?

2K minimum, or better-yet, just prior to draining the oil. So many here want to know how long they can go on an OCI.
 
Mileage irrelevant, if you have an engine that's unhealthy you want to plan on getting rid of it one way or another.
 
You're good to go now if you're looking for coolant. That's all I would be testing for at this stage in the OCI. You're gonna want a few thousand on it if you're looking for wear metals.
 
I purchased an old Land Cruiser with 200k+ miles on it and immediately changed the oil. The oil now has about 500 miles on it and I'd like to test it. Is that too soon to highlight any engine problems?
Get the sample at your "planned" oil change mileage interval so you can see at that point if that is an interval to stick with. Do it sooner if you are losing coolant, otherwise do it at your next oil change.
 
UOA in the context of what we see here is a hobby; an entertainment; not a tool. So long as people don’t lose sight of that fact, I see no harm done. I do understand your point, though.
 
I have used UOA as a tool to verify selection and OCI but that is not with a passenger car. Besides I also had direct input from engine, oil and filter manufacturers.

I agree we don't have enough trends from enough engines for a solo user to really definitively set a interval with a given lubricant.

Edit: How did I jump to this thread? Well to late now.
 
I purchased an old Land Cruiser with 200k+ miles on it and immediately changed the oil. The oil now has about 500 miles on it and I'd like to test it. Is that too soon to highlight any engine problems?
How did the oil look that you drained out? If normal, [No sparkles or coolant in oil look] go the oil change interval .
 
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