Should I go by mileage or time?

[cheesepuffs]

So I bring forth this question to you guys because my truck sees a lot of short trips and stop and go driving. I'm talking at least two daily trips of two miles and sometimes even more. Other driving is mostly backroads with minimal highway driving. I waited until 3,200 miles with my last OCI on Valvoline conventional with a Valvoline filter but the more I read, the more I wonder if I waited too long. Why? Because with my short trips it took me 10 months to get there.

I didn't get a used oil analysis or cut open the filter, but I'm wondering how low my TBN could have been. Could acid have built up at an above average rate due to many trips where the oil wasn't even hot and moisture could have built up? Fuel dilution is also on my mind. Not to mention does a nitrile ADBV harden up after 10 months, surviving everything from freezing winter days to 100 degree ambient heat waves and hotter oil temps?

I know there's a lot packed into this one post but would you guys recommend changing my oil by month instead of mileage? Maybe every six months as opposed to almost a year of harsh conditions, even if it is "only" 3,000 miles? I would consider my driving conditions to be quite severe.

 

[gregk24]

I, as you, do a lot of short trip driving...about 5 or more 1 mile trips per day, the oil rarely sees operating temp. So I go by 3000 miles / 3 months as a general rule. I get criticized a lot for that "short" an OCI, but I am more concerned about my cars engine than I am about pushing my OCI as far as possible. Again...oil is cheap, engines are not. If you dont have the time to take it out and get it fully warmed up to get the moisture and fuel out of the oil, then change it at 3000 miles / 3 months. Wet and fuel diluted oil is not doing your engine any favors...Goodnight.

 

[daves87rs]

Well, I'm coming up on 6 months in my Cobalt. Have a tad over 3500 on the oil (working closer to home at the moment), and I've got quite a bit of short trips mixed in with some long drives. My different is that I have Quaker State Ultimate Durability in mine...

Not sure on that...as far as the oil, are you giving it any chance to burn off? If no, then I might consider changing it. Used to worry about it in the wife's car with her short trips, but at least once every few weeks it went for a long drive to burn it off. Even with my Cobalt's short trips, it's still hitting the highway every now and again. Though my OLM is crashing down (dropped 10% in the last week or so), it's going to get changed soon anyways....

 

[cheesepuffs]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
I, as you, do a lot of short trip driving...about 5 or more 1 mile trips per day, the oil rarely sees operating temp. So I go by 3000 miles / 3 months as a general rule. I get criticized a lot for that "short" an OCI, but I am more concerned about my cars engine than I am about pushing my OCI as far as possible. Again...oil is cheap, engines are not. If you dont have the time to take it out and get it fully warmed up to get the moisture and fuel out of the oil, then change it at 3000 miles / 3 months. Wet and fuel diluted oil is not doing your engine any favors...Goodnight.


Thanks for your input Greg. 3 months does seem awfully short but I agree about oil being easier and cheaper to replace than bearings and the like. At that point I'd feel like I was wasting the add pack, but on the other hand if the oil is contaminated with fuel and moisture then it's no good anymore, so it could be necessary regardless of how much zinc, calcium, etc is left.

I might go from 3,000 miles/indefinite months to just 3 or 4 month OCIs regardless of mileage, and use an even more affordable oil like Super Tech or Mobil Super. A jug of ST with a Purolator Classic every few months would be affordable and effective.

I'd love to hear more opinions though and learn what the rest of the short-tripping members here do.

 

[cheesepuffs]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Well, I'm coming up on 6 months in my Cobalt. Have a tad over 3500 on the oil (working closer to home at the moment), and I've got quite a bit of short trips mixed in with some long drives. My different is that I have Quaker State Ultimate Durability in mine...

Not sure on that...as far as the oil, are you giving it any chance to burn off? If no, then I might consider changing it. Used to worry about it in the wife's car with her short trips, but at least once every few weeks it went for a long drive to burn it off. Even with my Cobalt's short trips, it's still hitting the highway every now and again. Though my OLM is crashing down (dropped 10% in the last week or so), it's going to get changed soon anyways....



Hey Dave. It varies week to week for me. Some weeks the truck literally never leaves a 5 mile radius. A "long" trip for this truck would be 10 miles consisting of a mix of 50 mph backroads for half of it and stop and go city driving with idling for the other half. This vehicle almost never sees the highway, only once in a great while. So I wonder about how much fuel and moisture is building up in the crankcase.

With so many people running 5000 or more miles on dino these days though it's hard for me to say, "Okay, 3 months and 1000 miles, time for a change!". But it's a pretty harsh 3 months so I'm rethinking my OCI and considering it.

 

[Kuato]

IMO go 3 months/3k and sample, leaving it in. A couple of used oil analysis will be less expensive in the long run than changing your oil a lot.

We're in the same boat with the Jeeps, used to drive 25 miles to work, now it's less than 2. Starting with a 6 month interval, with M1 in one and Amsoil in the other. From reading other threads, we should be able to go at least 6 months, and perhaps even a year.

 

[crinkles]

I do 5000 miles or 12 months. always get to 5000 miles though. Usually do 7000 - 10000 miles depending on workload and kind of jobs.

 

[HTSS_TR]

With conventional oil I would go with time, 6 months, for mostly short trips. If your truck sump is 5 quarts then you can buy 5-qt jug at Walmart for $13-14 plus $3-4 for oil filter. Changing oil + filter twice a year costs you about $35-40, less than $1 a week.

 

[Merkava_4]

My last OCI was 6 months and only 2200 miles. I changed it out.

Unless I'm driving 20-30 miles a day like some people do, I go by time; and 6 months seems to be good.

Incidentally, the OLM is usually somewhere around 49-51% at 6 months.

 

[blackman777]

Originally Posted By: cheesepuffs
Because with my short trips it took me 10 months to [reach 3200 miles].

10 months is less than the "1 year" recommended for synthetic oils. I'd go 3000/1 year whichever happens first. (On the other hand I change my oil at yearly inspection whether my cars have 1000 or 4000 miles. It's just more convenient.)

There was a time when carmakers recommended 1000 mile changes... of course that was the 1950s, but still it demonstrates short OCIs can be acceptable if the engine needs it.

ALSO: Try to drive at least 30 minutes in winter to get the oil hot.

 

[Rolla07]

I think moisture will be your biggest concern. Dont think your oil is getting hot enough. Condensation in the oil etc...personally id change it every 6 months and try and give it a hwy run every wkend to get oil up to temp.

 

[bigt61]

At 3200 and 10 months I think you are fine. I usually go 4 years on my 92 Suburban with M1 - it goes 3-4000 miles in that time. Just keep the oil topped off and keep on truckin. I'd make sure you keep a good air filter in there with the off road stuff.

 

[bigjl]

Doing those kind of journeys is always a game changer for me.

I personally feel 6 monthly intervals is nice and simple to fit it. Gves the chance to run different oils in the hot snd cold parts of the year.

Or you could do it every 4 months making it three a year.

I would be inclined to leave the filter on and change that once a year.

I only use decent name brand or OE filters though.

 

[ChrisD46]

+1
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
With conventional oil I would go with time, 6 months, for mostly short trips. If your truck sump is 5 quarts then you can buy 5-qt jug at Walmart for $13-14 plus $3-4 for oil filter. Changing oil + filter twice a year costs you about $35-40, less than $1 a week.

 

[Eddie]

If you can give the vehicle a 30 minute highway drive every couple of weeks, then go once a year on oil/filter. If unable to do the highway drive then every 6 months.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
If you can give the vehicle a 30 minute highway drive every couple of weeks, then go once a year on oil/filter. If unable to do the highway drive then every 6 months.


Agreed...

In the warmer months once a month would be fine...

 

[jake88]

3 Months is probably conservative for your application - but conservative is not necessarily bad. No matter how good the oil is when you put it in, wet oil is not good oil.

Alternatively, you could take some long Sunday drives every week and heat-treat those contaminants right out of the crankcase.

 

[cheesepuffs]

Thanks for all the responses guys. To add insult to injury, I forgot to mention that my truck has a factory oil-cooler (built into the radiator) so I bet that's not helping me here either.

What I'm leaning toward at the moment is a 6 month OCI with a filter change once a year. Somebody said that on the last page and I was thinking about it last night too. A PureOne should be able to handle one year and ~6,xxx miles of filtration with ease. Silicone ADBV and proven construction would have me feeling confident through the year. One P1 is about the same price as two Classics (if I were to change filter with oil each time) but the P1's silicone ADBV and higher efficiency rating make it the clear-cut winner to me.

Six month intervals also allow me to try more oils more often than my current schedule which will also help me scratch the itch. Is it weird that I WANT to change my oil?? You guys know the feeling, haha.

Cliff notes: Right now a yearly P1 with ST/ Quaker State Conventional/Mobil Super 5000 every six months sounds about right.