Why so long for OCI ???

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espo

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I am still green at this so relax. I have viewed many posts on this board about ppl doin 5k,7k,10k and even 15k OCI.Ya, I know you can obviously get more out of synthetic(but 15k? cmon), but it seems alot of people are doing this on conventional oil with a premium filter.So basically what I am trying to ask is: How do you determine your OCI ?? (3month/3000mile doesnt seem to apply) and How long will average conventional/synthetic additives even last?? Like with me , I will only put on 3500 KMS in 3 months but does this mean the oil is still good for another 2-3 months? Even tho a company will say 10k oci, What is the timeline to do it in??


Sorry For Long Post and hopefully im not
deadhorse.gif
 
Yes you are, but it's ok...
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Conventional wisdom has it that in most vehicles, Dino will carry you to 5,000 miles, but there are folks that run it to 7500 without harm. There are also folks that change it at 3,000 miles. Same for syn. Some folks change at 3000, but many others use it to 5000, 7500, and beyond 10000 miles.

Prudence would dictate oil analysis beyond 7000 miles on synthetic, or beyond 5K on Dino, but when comparing cost of THAT, they say heck with UOA and just change the oil. I'm guilty of that as I have a warranty with OCI requirements.

For me, I'd be comfy with REAL syn going 7500-10,000 no prob out of warranty. 6000-7500 on GroupIII psuedo-syn is no sweat, IMHO. And ANY dino SM/GF4 oil is good to 5000 miles EASY in a healthy engine without a lot of blowby or coolant leaks, or long time periods to reach those intervals.
 
Actually, you're one of the few that actually wants to explore longer OCIs. Yes, 15k (miles not kms) is surely possible for a few contemporary drivers. The only way to truly know how the oil works under your service is with a UOA (used oil analysis). You're probably in what's considered a severe climate, so you may not be able to extend drains too far. It's hard to say. Unless you hibernate for 3 or 4 months of the year, you really don't put much time behind the wheel. That kinda suggests short trip usage.

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Extended oci's = less time under the car and more time with the family etc. That's the main reason i'm going to start extended oci's shortly on all my vehicles. No kids yet but the wife wants one or three and if they come long won't be much time to spare... might as well get used to it now.
 
Let me phrase a question back to you-why would you throw out something while it's still good?

A 3000 miles OCI was probably a good idea years ago. However, both engine and lubricant technology have advanced to the point where oils last much longer.

To be safe, 5-6000 miles is a good number for conventional oils without some testing to back you up.

A UOA can tell you how the engine is doing on the oil you've selected for it. Add to that a TBN and you can find out how much longer the oil can go.

For example, the TBN for my Jeep UOA shows that I can continue longer than I currently am on Castrol HM. So why shouldn't I get the full value of the oil that I purchased by running it longer?

Even the oil life monitors rarely go off around 3000 miles. Most seem to go off around the 6-8000 mile range, and I think most are calibrated for conventional oil.

Vehicles with turbos or driven in extreme conditions are the exception.
 
In another post I ask why I needed to change my oil every year but no one could give me a answer that made sense.
I have a Ranger with the 4.0 V-6 and the only time it is driven is once a month to buy grocery's. It is 100 miles round trip so engine runs at 195 for two hours then sits until the next time. Some on this board said I needed to change once a year to get rid of condensation but I don't see how it could have any condensation in it after the two hour drive.
I use 5w30 M-1 and change every two years or about 2400 miles. One guy suggested that after buying plates and insurance It would not cost nearly a much to change the oil. Once again he totally misses my point. People keep telling me I need to change my oil once every year but no one has came up with a good reason to other than the old school thinking that you change oil every year regardless of mileage.
Why is it OK to drive 10,000 miles in a year but if I drive 1200 miles in a year my oil needs changed. With so little running time their would be little contamination from combustion 1/10 what would be in the 10,000 mile oil.
Everyone says I need to change but don't have a logical reason why.
 
Bart: For one thing the additives would still deplete with
the oil sitting in the crankcase. I have a 1992 Ford Club
Wagon that only gets about 2400 miles a year put on it and
is stored in the winter. I change my oil twice a year Once
right before storage and once about the 1'st of August using
Havoline conventional Oil and Purolator Pure One Filter.
Is that overkill ?? Absolutely but oil is cheap and engines
are not. If oil is good enough to last 10,000 miles than
why do the engineers that write your owners manual recommend
this ???
 
Quote:

...I have a Ranger with the 4.0 V-6 and the only time it is driven is once a month to buy grocery's. It is 100 miles round trip so engine runs at 195 for two hours then sits until the next time. Some on this board said I needed to change once a year to get rid of condensation but I don't see how it could have any condensation in it after the two hour drive.
I use 5w30 M-1 and change every two years or about 2400 miles...

Click to expand...


You amigo, are the exception. Most people who drive those few miles per year are doing many more short trips. The one year max OCI is kinda' of a catch all proscription. Instead of listing every possible scenario after 12 months, every one else left is thrown into that category for simplicity sake. Even in vehicles equipped with an OLS, some will still goof that up, so at least the oil is changed once a year. And if your vehicle is parked outside, depending on your climate, you still can get condensation on the inside of the engine, just like the sweat on a cold drink in the summer time.
 
The only problem with Bart's operational profile is that he leaves a valve or two open for a month. He'll have some rust/corrosion occur in those open to the air cylinders. He's got a solid month without refreshing the films and leaving some of them exposed. There's no practical way around this that I can think of.

That is, your UOA may show that the oil is great for 2 years ..but I'd wager that you would see some odd metal spikes just due to your long hiatus without running the engine. JMO
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Gary Allan
That is, your UOA may show that the oil is great for 2 years ..but I'd wager that you would see some odd metal spikes just due to your long hiatus without running the engine. JMO

You make a good point but I don't know how I would get around that. Since most wear is at start up starting the engine once a week would not be any better.
The truck is stored in a garage that is heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer so no wild temp swings.
I have several other vehicles that I drive the truck is only used for going to town for supplies.
Since it is a 100 mile round trip I take the truck and buy enough for a month. A small car would cost more in fuel becuse I would need to make several trips to haul it all
 
Bart, how 'bout trying an ounce of Lube Control every month and then change the oil every two years. We've tried Lube Control in emergency generators that don't get used very often and then used like ________ for a little while. We dis this based on a TBN test with a little kit. The Lube Control made the difference. The TBN kept up there and we moved the interval from one year to 18 months.
 
Quote:

seeing a UOA longer than 10k miles happens once every few months on this board.

Click to expand...


Sounds like you're saying there are very few people going longer than 10K OCI's. What about the people using M1 EP?
 
Two or three years under Black Bart's scenerio is not unreasonable, IMHO. Garaged. Heated up to operating temp each time it is driven.

His oil really ought to last for 30 X 100 mile trips, no sweat (pun intended!).

Cheers!
 
Bart,

There is no reason to change your oil every year. Your hundred mile trip will remove the condensation and fuel. More frequent oil changed will not help with corrosion. Change it every two years and be happy.
 
Quote:

Gary Allan
That is, your UOA may show that the oil is great for 2 years ..but I'd wager that you would see some odd metal spikes just due to your long hiatus without running the engine. JMO

You make a good point but I don't know how I would get around that. Since most wear is at start up starting the engine once a week would not be any better.
The truck is stored in a garage that is heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer so no wild temp swings.
I have several other vehicles that I drive the truck is only used for going to town for supplies.
Since it is a 100 mile round trip I take the truck and buy enough for a month. A small car would cost more in fuel becuse I would need to make several trips to haul it all

Click to expand...


I don't see anywhere around it either. You've got some good conditions for storage.

It really doesn't matter much. Even if your once a month trip was 10:1 in average wear ...it will take over a decade of driving to mean much.

It would be nice if you did a UOA just to see what happens under this type of service.
 
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