Origin: 3,000-mile OCI?

[CompSyn]

Where did the 3,000-mile/3-month oil change interval first appear and what was the year?

 

[2003f7]

Ford still calls for this on my mothers 03 Escape!

 

[labman]

Oh it jumps around. I forget what some of my earlier cars called for. My 81 Phoenix called for 6K. It sludged on SF Quaker State. By 92 Pontiac was at least much more explicit about 3K for short trips. My 02 Cavalier is about the same. With better oils, I think they are moving to longer intervals again.

 

[fraso]

Dodge was recommending 2500-3000 mile summer-time OCIs back in the 1930s:

Chrysler Oil Recommendations

My 1977 Pontiac Owners Manual recommends 3000 mile OCIs for severe service:

1977 Pontiac Oil Recommendations

 

[CompSyn]

Originally Posted By: fraso
Dodge was recommending 2500-3000 mile summer-time OCIs back in the 1930s:

Chrysler Oil Recommendations

My 1977 Pontiac Owners Manual recommends 3000 mile OCIs for severe service:

1977 Pontiac Oil Recommendations


So, as early as 1938. Wonder if the recommendation goes earlier than that?

Also, motor oil purchased in 1938 appears to have been the API (SB) service category which ran to 1951.

The earlier API (SA) service category which apparently ran from 19?? to 1930 says, “CAUTION: contains no additives.”

Did motor oil additive blending begin around 1931 with the API (SB) service category?

Interesting history,

Thanks Fraso

 

[Nayov]

Check this out from that linlk:

"For instance, during short trip driving in cold weather or driving on dusty roads, oil changes should be made as frequently as every 500 miles."

A 500 mile OCI!

 

[CompSyn]

Originally Posted By: Nayov
Check this out from that linlk:

"For instance, during short trip driving in cold weather or driving on dusty roads, oil changes should be made as frequently as every 500 miles."

A 500 mile OCI!


What link?

 

[BGK]

That's after a race, like the Indy 500....

 

[oilslick44]

I checked my 51 Plymouth manual and they recommend 2500 to 3000 mile oil changes unless driven in dusty conditions. Oil filter at 8000 miles if so equipped. Chassis lube 1000 miles.

 

[Steve S]

For many people it is the only time the tires get aired and the fluids checked when the car gets the oil changed at the 3,000 3 month interval.

 

[JustinH]

The misses 03 pontiac with an ecotec calls for 3k mile changes.

My 03 saturn with the same motor calls for using the OLM, which is one of the early models, so it goes off right at 6k miles without any other calculation.

I change both cars with conventional between 4500 and 5000 miles.

 

[CompSyn]

Originally Posted By: oilslick44
I checked my 51 Plymouth manual and they recommend 2500 to 3000 mile oil changes unless driven in dusty conditions. Oil filter at 8000 miles if so equipped. Chassis lube 1000 miles.


Thanks. Curious? What do you mean by "Oil filter at 8000 miles if so equipped"? Was the oil filter an option?

Also, If anyone with 1920s to 1950s vehicles have the original owners manual, it would great to see a scanned copy of the of the oil recommendation posted here.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[oilslick44]

Plymouth had three models in '51, the top two came with an oil filter as standard equipment. The lowest price Plymouth only came with an oil filter as an option.

 

[jimvegas]

My '61 Vw has a 1000 mile OCI.

 

[Nayov]

Originally Posted By: CompSyn
Originally Posted By: Nayov
Check this out from that linlk:

"For instance, during short trip driving in cold weather or driving on dusty roads, oil changes should be made as frequently as every 500 miles."

A 500 mile OCI!


What link?

Fraso posted it. There are a bunch of old owner's manuals there.

 

[Gary Allan]

1000 miles took a long time to rack up, even in the 60's. People didn't drive like they do now. You had to have an exceptional job to commute. There was work everywhere.

 

[jmac]

And towns were much smaller, in cities everywhere, most business was downtown and most could take the train or bus if in the suburbs.
Dallas in the early '70s had mostly farmland past Loop 12, Austin was rural past Enfield Rd., St. Louis and Chicago had superb bus service anywhere in the city, radially and crosstown.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
during the 1950s BMC had OCIs of around 1500 miles. Hard to say what the oil was like at that stage but as I recall most OCIs were done at about 1000 miles. As alluded to earlier around 4000 miles was at the high end of annual use then - at least in New Zealand

A 1960 MB Service Manual I have from the Gaggenau Factory for the OM326 engine gives the Intial OC at 300 miles or 10 hours. The second OC at 1250 miles or 30 hours. The on-going OCI is at 2500 miles or 60 hours.

The oil filter had to be cleaned at every OC. The oil bath air cleaner had to be cleanded every 5000 miles and its oil level checked at every OC

The sump capacity is given as 3.2 US gallons. The lubricant was an Approved "HD" 20W-20 with SAE30 above 86F and SAE10W below -13F.

These 660cu.in. pre-combustion engines produced up to 192 HP DIN at 2200rpm or 210 HP SAE at 2200rpm

 

[CompSyn]

I imagine in 1938 the road infrastructure wasn’t that great along with automobiles not being that reliable for longer extrusions. It probably would taken a long time to accumulate 3,000-miles at that time?

With respect to the 1938 Dodge D-8, there is not a time interval in addition to the mileage interval with this older application. Did mileage/time recommendations come out at a later date or have the accompanied time intervals not been reported here? E.g., 3,000-miles or 3-months whichever comes first.

 

[gmchevroletruck]

it goes off at 6k without any other calculation? Doesn't depend on your driving habits, engine temperature, trip length, rpm, throttle position, anything? There was another post I read from someone who was bragging about the comlexity of the gm OLM system on the trucks, which I assume would be the same as what's on your Saturn (?)...