When to change my oil?

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Jul 12, 2016
Messages
11
Location
Mississippi
I have a 2021 F250 with a 7.3 gas engine. It has the oil life thingahmygig. Should I wait till it reads 0% before I change the oil? I'm using Kirkland Signature 5W-30 Full Synthetic oil. Thanks for your replies.

 
I think that the 7.3 is port injected if I remember correctly. Any oil that meets specs should be fine through the duration of the OLM. You could always do a UAO to confirm. Personally I change the oil at 5k miles in all of our vehicles. Do what makes you feel good and sleep well at night.
 
I would never let the OLM go to 0%. If you are worried about warranty at least try for 10% so if something happens and you cant get to it right away you dont risk going over and no one can accuse you of missing a maint item. If it was me with a new truck and a first year motor I would be hedging my bets and going 5k changes at least until their is some higher mileage history with the motors to indicate that theres no early wear problems that cause Ford to change their recommendations.
And as an aside How do you like the truck so far, do you do any heavy towing with it.
 
Oil is cheap. That's an expensive truck. Probably direct injection? I have decided to change my oil at 5k on all my cars from now since I do short trips on my car.
Yep-and if he follows the OLM down to 10 or 20 per-cent he will be fine.
 
I bet there have been guys that have run their olm down to zero, then sent a sample to Blackstone, only to have them say go another so many miles. So unless your using dollar store oil that you bought on sale in your expensive truck, use the olm as your guide. That's why the mfgr put one in your vehicle.,,
 
I think that the 7.3 is port injected if I remember correctly.

Correct! Port injected + pushrods = longer intervals possible.

Safe to do olm, and if you wanted you could probably go longer depending on climate and how you use it. Grab a UOA if you want to know for sure.

On my '13 F150 with the 5.0 and the loooong timing chains, 10k UOAs showed could have gone a lot further.
 
My first oil change was at 40%. I'm at 45% now. I do my own oil changes. I mostly drive it around town and pull my 24' boat about once a month with a longer trip (1000miles) twice a year. I pull my skiff weekly. The engine has plenty of power, for what I do. I got out of a diesel. It doesn't have diesel power, I knew that going in. My diesel 6.7 would pull my bigger boat 70 mph on my trips without having to downshift. The 7.3 pulls it fine but the transmission downshifts for any hill. Mileage- diesel 11-12 gas 9-10. Thanks for your replies
 
Probably the most hot button topic of any car forum...oil change intervals. How long, how far. I really think it depends on a few things...engine, fuel system, naturally aspirated or not and how long you plan to keep the vehicle.

Safe bet would be 5,000-6,000 miles. If you’re planning on keeping it to 100,000 miles and then trading it in? You can go much further. Most of us say we‘re keeping to vehicle “till the wheels fall off”, but very few of us actually do.
 
Probably the most hot button topic of any car forum...oil change intervals. How long, how far. I really think it depends on a few things...engine, fuel system, naturally aspirated or not and how long you plan to keep the vehicle.

Safe bet would be 5,000-6,000 miles. If you’re planning on keeping it to 100,000 miles and then trading it in? You can go much further. Most of us say we‘re keeping to vehicle “till the wheels fall off”, but very few of us actually do.
Even if I had a leased car I would still change the oil as if I was keeping the car. One never knows what happens in 3 years and even if I did turn it in, I feel like its irresponsible not do a simple thing like oil changes frequently to ensure that car has a long service life. Every car I owned went past 200k. I see it as wasteful. Most cars will go past 200k easily these days. We live in a throw away society unfortunately.

1991 Prelude 4WS (4 wheel steering)- The ahole who owned it before me didn't maintain it well. Car consumed 1 qt. of oil every (what seemed like) 200 miles. It was bad. I bought it at 70k got 200k on it, gave it away, the guy who took it put another 70k on it.

2001 Civic- between 230 and 250k on traditional oil. Changes were around 5k I think. Dumped it due to transmission issues.

2010 Civic- At 240k now and counting. 7500 mile intervals with Mobil1. I'm cutting it back to 5k this year. Car is in fantastic shape. Doesn't seem to burn any oil. Transmission is amazing (20-30k fluid changes since new). Wife's car. She puts 400 miles a week, but some is in town, stops at clients to drop paperwork off, etc. Not strictly highway miles. This car will get to 300k before I drop it (if we drop it). I take pride in high mile cars.

2013 Accord- 111k on it now. Started following the minder at 10k OCI. Before I knew any better. Now doing 5k. Car was burning oil (from day 1), started using RL oil. Burning stops for first 3k miles of RL then starts again. I'm good with that since I plan on changing the oil at 5k from now on. I have a 8 mile commute. Which is why I feel like an idiot going 10k OCI. Live and learn.
 
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I change my oil every 5000 miles in every car I own. Its super easy to track (40k, 45K, 50K, etc)

On the oil life monitor, its usually at 40% life left in most of my cars.

Synthetic oil is $20 at Walmart. I change the oil filter every other with a Fram Ultra.

So its about $25 to change the oil every 5K miles. I do it in the driveway. Its done right. And quick, about 15 minutes per change.

Ive always done it this way, since I was 8 years old and my dad learned me how to do it and then had me maintain the family cars ever since.
 
My Titan PU uses a mileage only maintenance reminder . It's factory set for 5k miles . The manual recommends 5k as well .
 
Even if I had a leased car I would still change the oil as if I was keeping the car. One never knows what happens in 3 years and even if I did turn it in, I feel like its irresponsible not do a simple thing like oil changes frequently to ensure that car has a long service life. Every car I owned went past 200k. I see it as wasteful. Most cars will go past 200k easily these days. We live in a throw away society unfortunately.

1991 Prelude 4WS (4 wheel steering)- The ahole who owned it before me didn't maintain it well. Car consumed 1 qt. of oil every (what seemed like) 200 miles. It was bad. I bought it at 70k got 200k on it, gave it away, the guy who took it put another 70k on it.

2001 Civic- between 230 and 250k on traditional oil. Changes were around 5k I think. Dumped it due to transmission issues.

2010 Civic- At 240k now and counting. 7500 mile intervals with Mobil1. I'm cutting it back to 5k this year. Car is in fantastic shape. Doesn't seem to burn any oil. Transmission is amazing (20-30k fluid changes since new). Wife's car. She puts 400 miles a week, but some it is in town, stops at clients to drop paperwork off, etc. Not strictly highway miles. This car will get to 300k before I drop it (if we drop it). I take pride in high mile cars.

2013 Accord- 111k on it now. Started following the minder at 10k OCI. Before I knew any better. Now doing 5k. Car was burning oil (from day 1), started using RL oil. Burning stops for first 3k miles of RL then starts again. I'm good with that since I plan on changing the oil at 5k from now on. I have a 8 mile commute. Which is why I feel like an idiot going 10k OCI. Live and learn.
Yeah I probably over maintain my vehicles, and then don’t end up keeping them as long as I’d like. I don’t mind because what the difference cost wise between a 5,000 mile oil change and a 7,500 mile interval, long term? a few hundred bucks?

The most I’ve kept a car was 289,000 miles. 1999 Honda Accord. Oil changes every 3,000 miles. Very proactive with my maintenance...tranny fluid changes every year, coolant every two years, filters every 30,000 miles. By the end it developed a stalling issue and wasn’t safe for my kid to drive. Brake and fuel lines were rusting pretty bad and needed replacement (again). But it wasn’t easy getting it THAT FAR. Took much more than simple oil changes to get it that distance...engine mounts (several times), mufflers, charcoal canister (twice), brake and fuel lines, gas tank, every single front suspension component twice (some three times), EGR valve, transmission shift switches, VTEC switch, front O2 sensor, multiple windshields, dents and dings (fixed), steering rack, front cradle (that was fun), many sets of brake calipers, axles, radio, and a half dozen sets of tires. Few rims too.
 
Yeah I probably over maintain my vehicles, and then don’t end up keeping them as long as I’d like. I don’t mind because what the difference cost wise between a 5,000 mile oil change and a 7,500 mile interval, long term? a few hundred bucks?

The most I’ve kept a car was 289,000 miles. 1999 Honda Accord. Oil changes every 3,000 miles. Very proactive with my maintenance...tranny fluid changes every year, coolant every two years, filters every 30,000 miles. By the end it developed a stalling issue and wasn’t safe for my kid to drive. Brake and fuel lines were rusting pretty bad and needed replacement (again). But it wasn’t easy getting it THAT FAR. Took much more than simple oil changes to get it that distance...engine mounts (several times), mufflers, charcoal canister (twice), brake and fuel lines, gas tank, every single front suspension component twice (some three times), EGR valve, transmission shift switches, VTEC switch, front O2 sensor, multiple windshields, dents and dings (fixed), steering rack, front cradle (that was fun), many sets of brake calipers, axles, radio, and a half dozen sets of tires. Few rims too.

That is alot of things to replace. On the Civic, only thing that I had to do was AC, lower control arms, and wheel hub (1). Not bad in 240k, 12 years. On the Accord, rear calipers and pads/rotors. And wheel hub (1).
 
What does you owners manual recommend? I own a 2015 F150 with the 2.7 and a 2018 F350 with the 6.2 gas engine and both owners manuals have information about the oil change interval. A bit sooner is better that a bit later.
 
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