I am nearing the end of a year-long clean-out period in my Kia. Back when I was an apartment dweller, I relied on the manual and the dealer for my oil changes. The manual calls for 7500mi OCIs, so that's what I did. Now I have a house and a garage, and I enjoy doing my own car maintenance again.
At about the 93k mi. mark, I got a Check Engine light, although the car ran fine. I researched the code and found it was related to an oil pressure sensor that drives the VVT. I talked to a mechanic friend that said that there is a screen in front of the sensor that will sometimes get clogged. He suggested an engine flush with the current oil, and a couple of short 3k OCIs on a quality dino oil.
I did the flush, two courses of VWB at 3k, one course of VGB at 3k. During this time, I found the BITOG site, and learned a lot about engine oil. I decided that my last OCI should be PP for 7k and let the oil do its job.
The Check Engine light has not appeared since the engine flush, and the dipstick is free from varnish, once again.
Now that I am relatively sure that my engine is clean, I am wondering what I should do about OCIs for the long-term. I am confident that I can do 5-7k mi OCIs again, as long as I am using a quality oil. But the engine now has over 107,000 miles on it. Should I start using a High-Mileage oil? I've always thought of them as Snake Oil before, but looking at the UOAs and VOAa, I'm thinking they have some benefit. The engine runs like a dream. No oil useage, no leaks, and very quiet. The oil looks better after 3k mi than my old Sable did after 1k miles.
Do I wait until there are signs of wear (oil leaks and consumption) or do I start using now to get ahead of the game?
Thanks.
At about the 93k mi. mark, I got a Check Engine light, although the car ran fine. I researched the code and found it was related to an oil pressure sensor that drives the VVT. I talked to a mechanic friend that said that there is a screen in front of the sensor that will sometimes get clogged. He suggested an engine flush with the current oil, and a couple of short 3k OCIs on a quality dino oil.
I did the flush, two courses of VWB at 3k, one course of VGB at 3k. During this time, I found the BITOG site, and learned a lot about engine oil. I decided that my last OCI should be PP for 7k and let the oil do its job.
The Check Engine light has not appeared since the engine flush, and the dipstick is free from varnish, once again.
Now that I am relatively sure that my engine is clean, I am wondering what I should do about OCIs for the long-term. I am confident that I can do 5-7k mi OCIs again, as long as I am using a quality oil. But the engine now has over 107,000 miles on it. Should I start using a High-Mileage oil? I've always thought of them as Snake Oil before, but looking at the UOAs and VOAa, I'm thinking they have some benefit. The engine runs like a dream. No oil useage, no leaks, and very quiet. The oil looks better after 3k mi than my old Sable did after 1k miles.
Do I wait until there are signs of wear (oil leaks and consumption) or do I start using now to get ahead of the game?
Thanks.
