How long before you change your oil?

Do you follow the mfg rule of changing oil every 5k? Do you change it sooner or do you go past the 5k?

I use Mobil 1 Synthetic and still change the oil every 3k miles. I never follow the 3 month rule but I would think I am around 1k a month anyway.

 

I try to change mine every 3k but I don't use synthetic. I heard that unless you have been using synthetic throughout the life of your truck it can eat away at stuff in you engine that keeps it sealed and you can have a lot more leaks. I've been changing mine every 4k or so and it is still perfect at 94k miles.

 

I you use synth and still change it out every 3K then you're just throwing money down the toilet. You can change it out every 5K, that's what I do using synth. Some people even use dino and change it out every 5K

 

I would tend to agree with you but being brought up on the 3k or 3 mo rule it is hard for me to change.

One thing I always think is that it is the mfg way of killing your engine slowly that way you eventually have to buy another truck/car.

I know that sounds paranoid but I don't trust anybody.

 

I run Mobile 1 and am gonna follow the 5K mile recommended service interval.

I've only done one oil change on the truck so far and just looked at it after about 3500 miles and it looks dark as to be expected, but not enough to make me change it now. Besides that.....it's cold outside. Hopefully when the 5K mark comes -it'll be sometime next month and a little warmer. I've always followed recommended oil changes and always keep an eye on the oil inbetween, not only for coloration, but for oil level, and other mysterious things that could occur. Makes me feel better knowing I check it often.

Ya know - (sorry, off topic), I don't open my hood up very often but when I do, I absolutely LOVE the hood struts. They are soooo damn nice!! If you don't already have some...you gotta get 'em. (I have the C2C variety).

 

Motor oil that is manufactured now compared to your father's or grandfather's oil is totally different. Better oil additives, manufacturing processes etc. these days make today's oil much better than compared to back in the day. I've said it before and I'll say it again, changing your synth oil out at 3K is a waste of resources and a waste of money, but that's your money so you do whatever you want.

You can also do an oil analysis to find out what condition your oil is: http://blackstone-labs.com/

I suggest getting one done to see how much further you can go on your oil before wasting more resources and money next time.

 

I'm having the dealer changing it with dino oil every 4000 miles. I'll continue this way until my 3 yr warrenty is up and then I'll do my own maintanence with synthetic. I have another 17 months to pick a brand.

 

On the radio the other day they were discussing this oil topic. A lot of people called up and of course dissagreed. The one topic that I found interesting was not the fact the the oil was bad after 3, 5, or 10k miles it was the fact that the oil was dirty.

The oil should still be good after the 3k but the contaminants is what makes you have to change your oil sooner or later.

I would like to see automobile makers improve the oil filtration on trucks/cars.

 

It's not the automakers that need to improve the oil filtration it's the oil filter makers.

 

I use Mobil 1 synthetic oil and the Purolator Pure One filter. Its a little more expensive than a normal filter. I try to change my oil every 5,000 miles but if I don't change it at exactly that mileage, I don't really worry because I use higher quality stuff... Just my 2 cents.

 

I got free oil changes for a year or two "can't remember" but I take it in every 4k. It trips me out going longer than that.

 

It'll never happen....

You're talking fine particles. Fine particles requires finer filter material and that ultimately affects oil pressure. A fine filtering system would have to utilize a bypass design to keep the oil pressure where it needs to be. So - in a sense, the auto manufacturers need to redesign their vehicles while the oil filter manufacturers need to design a finer filter.

The amount of money it would cost the auto manufacturers and the filter manufacturers to develope all this - is FAR beyond the cost to just change your oil every 3k miles. Besides that - the Auto manufacturers make money off you when you take their vehicles in for service. Why would they put money into designing something that'll prevent you from giving them more money?

 

Exactly. It is a built in excuse to come in every few moths and spend $20. It also allows them to place the truck on the lift and tell you that you need new tires, shocks or anything else they specialize in replacing. Why fix that?

I read an article that switching to synthetic oil causing certain things to wear out is a myth. It also said that you really don't need to make the switch unless you off-road or tow a lot.

 

So if I am planning on towing, should I put synthetic in even after running regular oil for the life of the truck?

 

FWIW, I used an OCI (oil change interval ) of 5k miles in my 1988 4Runner. It went 380k miles before a leaky HG did her in. That was using Chevron 5/30 (winter) and 10/30 (summer) w/ a Purolator/Pepboys filter.

In my 08 Tacoma 4.0L I'll be doing 10k mile OCI's w/ Royal Purple and OE filters (cuz you can get 'em at $4ish)

Just an FYI on the 4runner....I changed Timing belt/water pump at 60k intervals, hoses and belts at 100k intervals (unless they appeared to show premature wear)
Tires: 32x11.50x15 BFG AT KO's....got 100k miles out of my 1st set and on the 2nd coming up to 80k w/ approximatley 35% tread left.

YMMV....as always.

 

Going to synthetic is no big deal. All the myths of seals wearing out is junk. The oil doesn't break down at 3000 miles unless it was overheated. MY grandfather worked for shell oil after WWII until he retired in 1988. Their fleet vehicles were given a pH test every week and when they reached a certain pH the oil was changed. On some vehicles that was 1000 miles, on some it was 10,000 I believe that the pH would change with the amount of fine particulate. He didn't clarify since I was too young to ask. They'd swap filters more often than oil in some cars. IMO if the oil company is doing this then it makes sense. I do my changes at 5000 miles because the book says to (and it doesn't cost much). I assume that going beyond that and the oil will have more fine particulates and cause more unneeded friction.

I use Valvoline 0W-20 like my book says and fram filters because they are good enough. I would run synthetic in my transmission and diff. If I towed because those parts would be put under more heat than normal. Assuming you cooling system is working correctly the motor is less critical for protection.
I did notice improved MPG in my old '69 bug when I ran synthetic in the gear box and motor (but that motor got a lot hotter than a tacoma) I went from 32 mpg to 38 mpg when I started using royal purple everywhere. Didn't see those improvements in any other cars.

(Best MPG in my bug was 43 mpg going from Vegas to Barstow in fall.)

I've posted before about my dislike of Pennsylvania oils compared to coastal oils

 

i use mobil 1 synthetic and change mine every 5K. i've been using 10W30, but im thinkin about switching it up to 15W50.. extended performance..

 

Manufacturers’ warranties are based upon the use of oils meeting specific API Service Classifications. you can use ANY oil that meets that. You are not just stuck with Toyo Dino until your warranty is up. Oil changes are accomplished for more than just dirty oil. As mentioned earlier pH is a consideration as well as H2O. If you are really concerned then by all means have it tested. There are a number of places that do that and it costs about what an oil change costs ($25). People who have vehicles that take a lot of oil test their oil before a change to not only see if they really need to spend the $$ to replace 10+ Qts. but it is a great way to see what is going on in your engine and if trouble may be ahead. For most people with gasoline passenger vehicles it just makes for financial sense to change their oil at the recommended intervals. I am running AMSOIL in all of my vehicles and have been happy. I change my Taco and oil annually or 25K (which ever is 1st),Harley oil annually and my Saturn Outlook according to the oil life monitoring system (around 10k). My Taco has 90k on it and still running great! at least now that I changed the O2 sensor.

 

I just wait until the maintenance required light comes on.

 

I've been changin every 5k regardless of months. I just moved a lot closer to work and I don't drive more than a mile daily during the week anymore. I think that's fouling my oil faster, i.e. more cold starts per mile. I get out for longer drives on weekends. I use fram filters which have 4 different levels each more expensive than the last (extraguard, toughguard, etc). I was using the number 3 one when I worked construction 'cause I was hauling gear, and now with the shorter commute i've gone back to the same. I imagine the pricier ones can pull more dirt out of the oil.