You Can't Change Your Oil Too Much!

[Jay Freddy]

You Can't Change Your Oil Too Much!

Or at least this was the conventional wisdom when I was a kid back in the 70s. I have followed this for all of my adult life and I can say that it has always worked for me.

If a vehicle's recommended OCI was 4k miles, i would almost always change it before 3k. If oil was on sale and I was doing one vehicle, I would sometimes change multiple vehicles just to take advantage of the sale.

These days it's not unusual to see recommended OCIs of 8k or 10k miles... I have a hard time believing that oil and engines have improved that much.

Apparently there's an idea floating around out there now that frequent OCIs can contribute to engine wear due to the additive package not being allowed to dissolve or break down sufficiently.

With racing machines, it's fairly common to change the oil after every race. However racing vehicles aren't intended for longevity, the goal is speed.

So is it still true? Is it possible to change your oil too often? Or is this marketing malarkey from engine manufacturers?

Or both?!

 

[blufeb95]

The only downside to changing your oil too often is the economic impact.

 

[CKN]

Changing your oil prior to 5,000 miles is a "money flush". And one could argue even that interval is a "money flush".

 

[Jay Freddy]

The only downside to changing your oil too often is the economic impact.

That's kind of my thinking too, but I'm not a trained mechanic nor a petroleum engineer.

I know we have a few of those who hang out at BITOG on occasion!

 

[captainbeandip]

Well, in theory an oil filter actually filters better the dirtier it is, so a brand new one might not be protecting your engine quite as good as a slightly older one might be.

Also, more wear and tear on the drain plug and drain pan threads and fasteners that hold on your belly pan or what-not, and more chances for error.

I'm really just splitting hairs here and trying to present a counter point. If it makes you feel better to change the oil (and/or filter) slightly more often than necessary, I ain't mad at you.

 

[blufeb95]

Well, in theory an oil filter actually filters better the dirtier it is, so a brand new one might not be protecting your engine quite as good as a slightly older one might be.

Engine air filters tend to get more efficient because the dust cake attracts more particles from the air, until it becomes too dirty. Oil filters should always get less efficient as they load as the more load the higher the pressure is forced against the remaining open pores which can force marginal sized particles through that would've been trapped at a lower pressure drop

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

I maintain 5 vehicles within my family. No one gets an oil change before 12K, I'm not doing 20 oil changes/year, I have a life. I'm running Amsoil SS, which many refer to as a "boutique" oil, I prefer to call it good. I do UOA and have a history of somewhere between 46-50 oil reports, so if anyone wishes to accuse me of "abusing or neglecting" my vehicles, take it up with Horizon testing.
You are free to change oil as often as you like; I'm not the one crawling under your car(s).

 

[Furious]

My S10 with a 4.3 has around 130,000 miles on it, and I change the oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months no matter what the mileage is when 6 months comes it is getting changed, sometimes I am lucky to get even 1500 miles on an oil change on this truck. But the engine is very clean inside and very smooth no indication these shorter intervals are causing additional wear.

 

[Mainia]

Changing your oil prior to 5,000 miles is a "money flush". And one could argue even that interval is a "money flush".

Not in a Hyundai turbo.

 

[Sonny88]

change your oil, and change it often. I will never do a 7500 or 10,000 mile change

 

[bluecollarlife]

Not in a Hyundai turbo.

or Honda

 

[billt460]

I put justification of "changing your oil too much" into the same category as delaying other chores that aren't fun to do.... But deep down you still believe they need doing. Painting your house..... "It doesn't look that bad". Cleaning out your garage...... "I can find everything I need, so why mess with it?"

Washing your car...... "It might rain tomorrow". And on and on. The mere fact you have entertained the thought of changing it shows you subconsciously think it needs it. (Regardless if it does or doesn't).

It all falls into the same category of trying to B.S. yourself.... Which no one can really do with any amount of success. And the excuses that people come up with are really entertaining to hear. Such as, "it will cause additional wear because.....", (Insert whatever B.S. you think is appropriate and convincing).

This is where you try to visualize a guy with 400,000 miles on his tired, old car, with some guy standing over it saying, "Imagine how much longer it would have lasted if he hadn't changed his oil so much!"

 

[Falcon_LS]

An oil change is cheap insurance; if I'm using a conventional oil (generally an HDEO), it gets changed every 2,500 km (1,563 mi). If I'm using a synthetic, it gets changed every 5,000 km (3,000 mi) with synthetic media filters every alternate oil change. If it is a GM vehicle with an OLM, it gets a drain and refill for every 25% decrease in oil life with conventional oil and a drain and refill for every 50% decrease in oil life with synthetic. Once oil life is reduced to ~1%, it gets a new oil and air filter. Air filters are replaced every 5,000 km (3,000 km) regardless of oil change interval. Excessive ambient temperatures (125+ °F), extremely dusty operating conditions, heavy stop and go traffic and poor fuel quality are my justifications. YMMV.

 

[CharBaby]

I have a hard time believing that oil and engines have improved that much.

I have a different belief. I believe that oil(lubricants/fuels), engines, emissions, fuel economy, power, quality and on & on, have indeed changed a great deal in the last 50-60 years. It's called progress!

 

[wemay]

After break-in (which is more often)...

Every:
3 months / 5k miles

 

[fantastic]

I have a different belief. I believe that oil, engines, emissions, fuel economy, power, quality and on & on, have indeed changed a great deal in the last 50-60 years. It's called progress!

You took the words out of my brain. I call it evolution. Things evolve but some of us don't evolve with time. Changing oil at 3k in the 70's was probably appropriate based on the engine tech, oil, & driving habits. With the advancement of cleaner combustion & oil that has gotten better there is no reason to stick with the old 3k mindset. There are exceptions for the fuel diluting engines or short tripped vehicles.

I think you can change your oil "Too Much" if, in the sense that, it isn't going to hurt running it longer or cause an issue if used to it's fullest potential.

 

[billt460]

I call it evolution......... With the advancement of cleaner combustion & oil that has gotten better there is no reason to stick with the old 3k mindset. There are exceptions for the fuel diluting engines or short tripped vehicles.

I call it B.S. Before the "advancement" of CAFE regulations on car companies like Toyota and Honda, they used to build nice tight engines that went for hundreds of thousands of miles without burning a drop of oil.

Today those same "advanced" engines are now fitted with low tension piston rings to "improve" rotational resistance. All to boost CAFE numbers and credits.

The end result is now many burn oil, (as much as a quart every 1,000 miles). And are told by dealerships this is "normal" oil consumption. It wasn't 20 years ago before all of these "advancements" were put in place.

These same low tension rings allow for fuel dilution of the oil in the crankcase on many Honda engines. Again, all as a direct result of these wonderful, "advancements".

Both require more frequent oil changes in order to combat the negative effects. It's not a, "mindset". But rather a necessity brought about by all of these wonderful, modern, "improvements".

 

[Zee09]

I suspect the infatuation with excessive oil changes is due to youth and the feeling of doing something positive for your investment.
That said oil changes are a skill set many have but are mechanically limited after that.
Not a negative either as vehicles are more complex than ever..
Oil changing is an addiction here because it is BITOG
after all.
Of all the overachieving oil swappers here I never heard of any of them saying they check their tire pressure every 3000 miles or their coolant, wiper fluid, trans fluid and so on... Yes you will now no doubt.

Often they sweat the oil and filter quality in their ritualistic behavior but seek out the cheapest, lowest octane gas they can buy. Driving miles to save 5 cents a gallon. So I guess they are preoccupied with storage and not consumption.

It is what it is.... Keep on keeping on...

 

[AuthorEditor]

The minimum I will go is the recommended change mileage in the manual, or every six months. Back when I used to drive a lot I would do 3,000 miles in a month so oil changes got neglected, and I didn't have much money or time so they happened at quicky lubes or garages advertising a low price. Despite lots of abuse I learned that engines don't fail due to using cheap oil and filters at extended intervals. Now that I use quality oil and filters and watch my mileage I know there is lots of headroom to go way beyond what the manual recommends.

 

[wxtech]

back in the 80's into the 90's my father changed the oil in his ford ranger every 2k miles. like clockwork. he always used pennzoil. it had 222k miles on it when he sold it. it never burned a drop of oil. ive grown up to believe that frequent changes are a good thing and i currently change oil & filters in my vehicles every 6 months regardless of miles driven. sometimes its as few as 1800 miles and sometimes its 3k+ but rarely higher. i get its overkill but it gives me peace of mind. i do 90% or more of stop & go city driving, short trips. i only use full synthetic brands mobil1, quaker state, or castrol edge oils. depends on price at the time. i got some castrol edge GB for my next change. i always use top tier/name brand 89 or higher octane gas.