When should i change my oil?

[mariok2006]

Hi everybody,

Car: Toyota Corolla VE 5spd

Currently I am running on Mobil 1 Synthetic and a Fram Extended performance filter that is rated for 7000 miles. This was the first time that i put synthetic in my engine, my car had about 80K on it when i put in the synthetic. I am at ~85000 right now.

My question to you knowledgeable people is should i go ahead an change early and go back to conventional oil, or should i continue with synthetic oil since there are no leaks. My next filter will probably be a PureOne, or a Napa Gold. Are those decent?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ford3liter]

If you like the way the syn is performing then stick with it and just change it every 7k-8k. As far as the filter goes the pure1 or napa gold will be better than anything by fram

 

[Brogy]

Just as ford said, if your car likes synthetic roll with it. My corolla didn't like mobil 1 and showed me by burning blue smoke on startup. You'll probally get a mpg difference on fillup's too.

Pure ones are excellent filters, get the AAP clone while they're on sale. AA4967 is the correct filter (I think), but if you're worried about extended drains get the AA4386, which is the same thing but a little bigger.

 

[mariok2006]

I have not noticed a difference, for better nor worse, in performance so i guess i will go back to regular oil. Are the purolator pureone and napa gold made to go for 7-8k miles and how much are they usually at the local auto store?

 

[RacerE7773]

Pure One filters I've seen for $5.88 at Advance, and Napa Golds go for about the same price I think.

 

[jorton]

How is the level on the dipstick now? Have you added any makeup oil? Have you made any long or cross country trips on this oil change?

If you answered:
almost full
no
yes, then I think you should stay with the current oil if it's working that well for you.(OK to change early.)

 

[wavinwayne]

I would not extend your oil changes until you get a used oil analysis, to make sure there's no coolant contamination, or any other funny business. Assuming all that checks out OK, 10k mile OCI's should be a walk in the park with M1, or any other synthetic for that matter.

 

[AndyH]

Quote:

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Are the purolator pureone and napa gold made to go for 7-8k miles ...

---

Those filters should easily have a service life of 7,000 - 8,000 miles. In fact most decent-quality filters should be able to handle that interval without an issue.

 

[B00SS]

I would echo the sentiment about ditching the Fram for the Purolator.

 

[mariok2006]

So i have been checking my oil level for a few months. The conclusion is that over a period of 3 or so months and ~3000 miles the engine burnt about a quart of oil.

I drive her pretty hard but I dont think this is normal. Variable valve timing should not use this much oil.

The only logical reason i can think of is because this was my first time using synthetic oil. I added a quart of regular conventional oil today to top it off. According to the manual my oil capacity is about 3.8 quarts. I added a full quart and the oil level is right below maximum.

I am going to try to drive a bit more granny-like this way i can see if my driving is what is causing the abnormal oil consumption.

Any suggestions welcomed. BTW the car is NOT leaking oil.

 

[jorton]

I see increased consumption in 1 car after the OC has over 1000 miles or when I race the engine a little. And in the other car after a long highway trip.

If 1 qt/3000 racy miles is not acceptable to you, try using fuel system cleaner in 2 tankfuls of gas to clean valves and rings.

 

[hominid7]

If it were my car, after switching to synthetic at 80,000 miles i would change that first batch of synthetic earlier due to the cleaning affect it may have in the engine. After your first change, you may want to extend somewhat your drain intervals.

Having said that, regular old conventional oil is *really* good these days, making the higher prices of synthetic hard for me to justify, but thats just one mans opinion.

 

[KBFXDLI]

I'd go back to dino with 5000 OCI and you can get the wix gold (napa gold) filters from the site sponsor here fleetfliter dot com for about $3.50 each. Thet way an oil change will cost you $14.

 

[badmikey]

I have a 93 Grand Marqis thats been on the road since Sept. 92 and has 160,000mi on it. I had been using Max-Life 5w30 but made the switch to Pennzoil Platinum a few thousand miles ago. I also use a basic Purolator filter. I've had no increase in consumption, leaks etc. In the cold WI winters my engine is quieter at start up and does not idle up the RPM's as much. Stick with the synthetic, in fact I may experiment with the Supertech Synthetic at Walmart. I also send samples periodically to Blackstone Labs and have been getting excellent reports back. I mostly like the synthectics because they do flow better in cold temps, a no brainer if you pour a qt of dino vs synthetic at 20 below which I've done many times. Dino comes out like molasis, synthetic flows freely.

 

[KBFXDLI]

Try some Valvoline 5w30 from Walmart for $10/5qt jug

 

[oldmaninsc]

Quote:

---

So i have been checking my oil level for a few months. The conclusion is that over a period of 3 or so months and ~3000 miles the engine burnt about a quart of oil.

I drive her pretty hard but I dont think this is normal. Variable valve timing should not use this much oil.

BTW the car is NOT leaking oil.

---

I don't think a quart in 3,000 miles is unreasonable. Most manuf. usually say 1 quart in 1,000 is okay (not saying I agree with that). By design an engine is going to use some oil. I'm not sure I see what variable valve timing has to do with oil consumption.

 

[jmac]

I am sure I have read on some of the forums that VVT definately increases the oil consumption a little bit, especially if driven hard or at higher rpm levels where VVT is excersized.
For your first run of syn I would change it out now, if going to a conventional mineral oil I would not extend the OCI much past 5K without UOA, or if you want to do more extended OCI or continue with spirited driving replace again with at least a good GIII syn and do not go much past 7500mi without an OA.
Keep the PCV valve in good order.