Retired - Maintenance ??

Kaboom

 

Try to imagine a small business. A truck pulls in to deliver 1 pallet of product. They start the forklift, unload the 1 pallet, turn it off. The engine ran for less than 3 minutes. Repeat the same over and over. When it’s time to change the oil, this comes out.

 

It is supposed to be a joke when we say "Chai Pumpkin Spiced Oil"

 

One of the motorcycle dealerships near me has this problem on ALL their bikes. They don't have enough space, so every morning the staff rides each bike 50ft out the front door to display them in the parking lot, and every evening they ride the bikes back into the building. The bikes that don't get test ridden frequently (or sold quickly) get the ol' milkshake oil in no time. The engines run just enough to generate moisture as a byproduct of combustion, but never get hot enough to dry off.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRnrS3TKGE4

 

D3 or mobil filter?

 

I'm only putting 10-12K per year on my truck now. (currently at 122k, purchased in 2021 with 104k.) I think you're good on everything for mileage interval except the oil. I have been changing mine every 6 months and since I'm not towing anything, I'm using Castrol conventional 5w30 in the summer and synthetic Mobil1 5w30 going into the winter. I have changed the transmission fluid and coolant in the last 12 months. Next will be the diffs and the xfer case, and then the plugs since I don't have the service service history except for the oil, which showed regular oil changes at right around 5k interval since new. Judging by the condition of the trans fluid, coolant and the view through the oil fill, I believe the truck was serviced according to the Toyota specs. The diffs and transfer case plugs all show hints that they have been off at least once as well. YMMV

 

Taking mileage and extreme circumstances out of the question, I have never heard of changing oil every 6 months, especially with synthetics. Am I missing something, because that sounds like a complete waste of time and money.

 

Depends how it's driven, if you regularly just drive a couple miles at a time where it never gets up to temp you should be changing the oil on a time basis rather than mileage. If you drive it longer distances where it fully warms up your probably safe doing it on a mileage basis.

 

I figured you would change it sooner based on those conditions, just not as soon as 6 months!

 

To each his own I guess, IMO it's better to change it too much than not enough. The average vehicle I see through the shop the engine looks terrible on the inside from lack of oil changes, oil costs alot less than a new engine.

 

D3 is stock, not oversize. I currently have a Wix XP 51515, before that, a Purolator PL30001. The Mobil1 equivalent is M1-301A.

 

This, very much so. Combustion byproduct water vapor is one source, another is just ambient humidity (climate depending) which gets pulled into the crankcase by the mild vacuum that occurs naturally in any semi-sealed space whose temperature drops fairly quickly.

Engine oil needs to get up to some decently-hot threshold for a long enough period to drive out accumulated water vapor/liquid. In winter months when it's damp/cold outside, at the end of a 30 mile drive w/ a 1200 ft vertical climb & getting the engine nice and hot, upon parking & opening the oil filler cap there is a stream of vapor coming up & out. Engine is not overheating, it's at normal operating temp of ~180ºF coolant.

I know it's water vapor (not smoke or oil vapor) because it will fog a cool piece of glass, but the fog evaporates from the glass without a trace when removed from the vapor stream. No residues or odors.

 

I have been doing the 5000 mile or 1 year oil changes the last 3 years since I retired. Which ever comes first with my 3 vehicles. I use synthetics in all 3.
I also work on my own cars and recently sold my 65 Galaxie 500 that I had for 30 years. With conventional oil I was only doing oil changes every 3 years because the car was only being driven 1500 miles a year.
I always watched the oil closely and visually I never saw anything that concerned me. The oil still looked like new oil when it was drained.
I sometimes think when 2500 mile oil changes are being suggested its just a business tool to get into your wallet. Mechanics I have talked to say it doesn't hurt to change it early but it depends on how you drive your car and maintain it as well. I have been driving since 1974. 0 engine failures.

 

I'm retired and don't drive a lot (2007 with 34,250 miles.) I do the auto trans, front/rear diffs, and transfer case every 15,000 miles which comes out to around every 7 years. Engine oil gets changed out every 1,000... about every 6-8 months. With short trips, some offroading, and towing a boat the oil (Mobile 1) is dark. All other fluids get changed about every 10 years.

 

WOW ! 16 years and like new - doesn't say where U R - if not in the rust belt with salt covered roads your truck should last longer then both of us. Thanks.

 

I agree with this. Mine rarely gets driven mon-fri, and on the weekends it's mostly short trips. I purposely stay in a lower gear for higher rpms to help get it warmed up which seems to help keep the white crud off the oil fill cap.

 

So as long as I get to normal operating temperature I don't have to worry about milk - correct ?

 

Everyone’s giving opinions here actually.
Oil analysis does give you data, recommending doing that instead of changing oil more frequently is an opinion.
Changing oil more frequently assures you of your oil being good and not much more costly than analysis, if any. Recommending that is also an opinion.
I considered oil analysis but have decided to just go with the manuals recommended time interval of 1 year for my 3rd gen (normal driving, infrequent short trips since I worked from home and now retired). I formed my own opinion and it wins, as each of us are entitled to do lol.

 

You may still get a bit of cream under the oil cap in very cold ambient temps but moisture buildup in the oil will be minimized whe you get the engine up to temp and maintain it for a period of time regularly.