Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is your oil change interval?

I also change my Mobil 1 synthetic oil every 5k miles on the 2 vehicles that I use Mobil 1 in. Both owned since new: 2002 Chevy Tahoe LT (4x4 w/5.3 liter v8 Vortec w/90K), and a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer EXT (4x4 w/4.2 liter S6 w/110k). I know most say 5k is too frequent, but I disagree, I definitely notice a difference in performance, idle, with the new oil (honey colored), vs. the “thinner”, “black/brown piss (lower viscosity) that comes out after 5k. I only use K&N or Bosch oil filters, but in the name of full disclosure, my local parts guy recommended WIX filters, so I have some in reserve in the garage for both vehicles. Then again, I also change my air filters every 2nd Spring, and clean the Mass Air Sensor (with the appropriate spray), change the brake pads & rotors when the pads get down to about 20-25% (before they start screeching. New battery every 4-5 years. Rotate tires every 7-10k, keep aired correctly. I also did new Platinum plugs (didn’t think I needed iridium), and ALL ignition coils on both trucks @ 90k. Both trucks run like new. I do have a local mechanic do tranny service (not that tranny), and rear end service. I only have jack stands at my disposal (no lift).

My other vehicles: 2018 Dodge RAM1500 (5.7hemi), and my wife’s 22 Subaru Crosstrek go to a trusted, licensed mechanic for service as the former is on the best extended warranty I’ve ever had, with no mileage OR date expiration/$200 deductible, as long as I own the vehicle. The latter is still under warranty.

My last. Vehicle is a stock 1979 Camaro I’ve owned since 1983 (high school) and has always been garage kept, gets 10-w40 dinosaur oil every year, even if it gets less than 500miles/year. The thing is minty, no rust, original paint.

I watch alott of Yourube videos you'all need to Liston to what I say about 0 il changes.

Simple. When it gets low, I add some.

.......Alpine.....I will concede that IF one drives in a much dustier dirtier environment that more frequent oil changes are advisable.

However, if the opposite is more common, like what I drive in, then I'll stand by my opinion about longer oil change intervals as not being detrimental to an engine when good quality full synthetic oils are used.

As far as better oil cooling with conventional oil vs full synthetic oils? I think that is very debatable. I'll wager that the full synthetics are better in that dept.

Also imo which I didn't mention before, is that full synthetic oils run cleaner in an engine leaving less deposits and less of a tarnish buildup on the internal engine parts because they don't use petroleum base products as much as conventional oils do.

As mentioned before, I recently converted from Amsoil Signature Series to the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. Better availability was the primary reason and cheaper.

The Pennzoil Ultra Platinum uses all "natural gas" to formulate that particular oil, meaning that it will run cleaner than all conventional oils and all other full synthetics because there is no petroleum base products in that oil. Did alot of research on the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. From what I understand it was the factory oil for all of the Hemi Challengers and Hemi Chargers including the Hellcats before Dodge discontinued building them.

The Pennzoil Ultra Platinum was rated just a hair below the 1st place Amsoil Signature Series but not in all categories. In some categories the Ultra was better. But the Ultra ran cleaner based on analysis tests.

So I won't lose any advantages swapping over to the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum.

I could be wrong on this, but I think Pennzoil guarantees 500,000 miles on engines using the Ultra Platinum when factory intervals are maintained starting with vehicles that convert over to the Ultra with low miles on them???

I'll check on that further.

7k or annually. I had access to Caterpillar’s oil lab so I sent in samples to figure out what I should be doing and this works for me. I drive a fair bit offroad and it was the silica numbers that dictated when. BTW - the additives package has more to do with oil longevity than the base stock used.

If you know Calvin then you realized his post was made tongue-in-cheek. 😉

If you do not, you obviously have no idea where Calvin lives, or the minuscule amount of miles the complete road system contains.

A good, valid "smart-assed" Camp 🔥 answer is only valid if:

1. You know the subject and are friends or friendly acquaintances,
or ...
2. See #1 again... but this time realize the "yoke's" on you 😀

I have been told that kind of system works when switching from conventional to synthetic.

Bigsqueeze,

Conventional oil does absorb and carry away heat better than synthetic.

Top Tier gas will do more to keep the crankcase clean than anything else (along with the valves and pistons), it’s about both the additives and the refining process, just like motor oil.

Ultra Platinum is good stuff. I use the Valvoline Maxlife because it does seem to minimize seeping oil on my high milage vehicles.

The EPA is driving fluid change recommendations, not the auto manufacturers.

4000 miles

I bought my 07 Tacoma new and changed the oil every 10,000 miles for the 1st 200,000 miles. I did replace the filter every 5000. I was driving it about 20,000 miles/year up until that point so I was changing about twice a year. Since hitting 200,000 miles it's become a 3rd vehicle for us and isn't driven on long trips anymore. Just for local driving.

I still change every 6 months which works out to about every 5000-6000 miles. It's at 256,000 at the moment and I've never added a drop of oil between those changes. It will be about 1/2 qt low after 6000 miles.

My "nice" tuck is a 2014 F150 with the 5.0. It will often sit for 2 weeks at a time and not be driven but when it's used it's for longer trips and pulling our small travel trailer. I change the oil in it every 6000-8000 miles. I pulled our trailer on a 7000 mile road trip last July. I changed the oil before we left and when we got back. I haven't changed it since July, (about 6000 miles ago) but we have another 5000 mile trip planned for June. I'll change it later this month.

My wife's 2020 Explorer has the small turbo engine in it. It's my understanding that those engines put a lot more stress on oil. I change it every 5000. I use full synthetic in all of them.

I change sooner than I should.

I'm doing 5k changes on the Tundra with Amsoil. It breaks down to 100 extra dollars a year. I'm okay with "wasting" that.

That said - when I worked for a large diesel fleet, we had engineers, we worked with OEM engineers, (truck and oil manufacturers) the number of miles they felt comfortable with on an OCI would make many of you VERY VERY nervous. Especially with EGR engines. Then again, a single fleet wide oil change was almost 4.5 million dollars so skipping one saved quite a bit of money. That said - we rarely, as in, never had failures related to oil condition. Mostly due to oil volume/lack etc. Filter, top off and grease every 25k tho and the OEM would warranty our engines on a 100k OCI with the understanding they were ok with 125k changes...

I drive old used cars until cancer kills them.
Oil changes are not a consideration on how long they will last me.

The indicator light tells me it needs done....I get around to it.

The Impala light came on late last summer, I need to do that.

Figure that car has about 3 years left if I'm lucky,
If it didn't have the fancy tech I'd bet the engine would outlast the body if I didn't do anything but top offs.

Had a Subaru that would get a #2 misfire.
I discovered it was a fouled plug, and it happened when the oil was trashed.
So I bought 4 plugs, and changer the oil when it needed a plug.
That car died like the rest, from rot. The engine was fine.

The Yota Hybrids recommend 10k... I do 7k... 7.5k max. 0W-16 is weird oil.

The four Cummins get T4 at 5k to 6k

The Ram Cummins 6.7l get T5 at 5k to 6k

The three Troopers burn oil so I just add more (plus zinc and Lucas) as needed... they see 500 miles a year or less (farm use 100%). They are throw-aways so I don't care.

full sythetic amsoil and there best filter i go 16,000 miles between oil changes. they say you can go up to 25,000. just changed mine 2 weeks ago.

I forgot to mention that I also have one of these, what it does is trap the tiny particals that make it through the filtre and keep circulating in the oil. I have always had them I use to use speaker magnets before they started to make them.



https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...ep0kBjsRuVIvKd2qxEnxWi2QxKsaArk2EALw_wcB

Interesting... That makes a whole lotta sense... and I have a boatload of small magnets laying around.

The oil quality has not tripled in protection over the last decade when manufacturers began recommending longer drain intervals. We went from 3,000 to 10,000+ miles in a little over a decade. This was not because something magical was added to oil or that engines parts had magical alloys added. This was entirely due to EPA CAFE points.

The EPA does not care about engine wear, damage, and/or longevity. So follow the manufacturer's recommendation on drain intervals at your own peril. As Tarkio stated, most of the issues with new engine comes for long drain intervals. There is a lesson in there somewhere...

If you want to learn about oil, there is none better than Lake Speed Jr. - Motor Oil Geek

What I don't get nowdays is no break in period. Toyota along with others is first and all subsequent changes at 10K . If an engine hasn't been properly broken in at the factory , it needs a break in procedure for the first oil change or two. Motor Oil Geek , Lake Speed Jr. has proven break in is still needed. My new Tundra got an oil and filter at 2500, it'll get another about 5-6 k . I sent the first sample to Blackstone , the info they sent back was that the original , factory Toyota oil was only good to 9,400 miles. I only average 8-10 K a year on my "Sunday Pickup" , I don't mind wasting an extra $50 a year on it.

OK Doyle.

kwg