Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How Often Do You Change Oil?

I change oil in everything I own....passenger cars, tractors, and small engines once a year, mostly in the spring or fall when the weather is nice. I think the only scientific way to know what interval will work for your particular vehicle, driving habits, and type of oil is to get the used oil analyzed, otherwise you are just guessing. Since an oil analysis cost more than an oil change for my stuff, I GUESS that based on my use, once a year is plenty. I've never had any oil related problems with anything in my life and can't say that I know anyone who has. Any halfway reasonable oil change interval and the body of your vehicle along with the electronic gizmos on it will probably fall apart around your still running engine at some point, long after most folks have traded out of boredom.

I notice that all of the high end synthetics such as the new annual protection Mobil one as well as Amsoil say to change every 25k or ANNUALLY. This leads me to believe that either 1) they want you to sell you some oil at least once a year whether you need it or not, or 2) oil degrades with time as well as usage. I also notice that companies will take an engine and run it around the clock, change the oil at some long interval, and then tear down the engine to show how it still looks and specs like new to prove the superiority of their high end oils. To me this does not prove much because that is the easiest possible scenario for any oil. I'd bet some serious dough that any oil would look good under that scenario but would be hell on their marketing campaigns. That is not to say that I think that synthetic is not better because it is and I use it. How much better is the question sort of like how much deader does a 30-06 kill a deer than a .223.

My theory is that if you drive your vehicle a lot for decent distances all the time where it always gets good and hot, you can stack up the miles on your oil and be fine. If you do like me and drive a lot of short trips where the engine does not get warmed up before you shut it off, that is the worst thing and you need to either get the oil analyzed to establish an interval or just change it more often.....or if you have an oil life monitor, go by that.