The 3,000 Mile Oil Change Myth

[Navy Blue]

Originally Posted by chadrcr

Right, when you can see the dirt in the oil...... dont wait for long. If I can see the oil getting darker, I change it or get it changed asap.

i didnt mean like literally see dirt in the oil, it just gets darker faster because it does more for me in my part if the city, this construction's gotta stop soon =/ but i see what you mean i usually check it weekly on mondays (my day off) i can just maintain it,make sure my car's doing ok.

[Beyond Limits]

I have a number of high mileage vehicles in our fleet at work. There is a 97 Chevy 2500 Silverado with a Vortec motor with 750,000 miles on the motor and we have never had a problem with it. I also have a 96 Chevy 2500 Silverado with well over 1.5 million miles (no one is really sure because the od was disconnected for a while (we don't worry about it because we don’t sell vehicles, we run them into the ground, fix them, then do it again). We always change the oil between 5,000 and 7,000 miles and we only use Dino oil (20w-50 in our high mileage trucks). They are still running strong, so for anyone who thinks their car will implode if they go more than 3,000 miles think again.

[theholycow]

Beyond Limits, don't you know that your story sounds so ridiculously unrealistic that nobody will believe you unless you provide more information and some sort of evidence?

Also, GM would probably like to feature your trucks in their commercials.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by gladiatoro

Is your dealer a oil expert probably not , anyways do your own research , yes oil filters are the main problem this is why AMSOIL has special filters with NANOTECHNOLOGY that are capable of extended drain usage. I have noticed my car has more power and starts much nicer now using these high tech oils. If been using AMSOIL for years now the price is probably the same or less considering you get 5 times longer miles out of one oil change vs cheap oil , and think of all the time saved too from not having to do all those oil changes , plus it's much better for your cars engine anyways ...

oooh, they almost had me until you said nanotech. I am extremely suspicious about them now. There are many products out there that claim to have nanotechnology, but its really just chemistry and/or a marketing gimick. I'm not saying the oil isn't good, or that the filter is junk. They probably both work very well. But I get very suspicious when I hear buzwords thrown in. Remember everything with 'turbo power' 15-20 years ago? Or anything with spaceage technology for the last 50 years? Nanotech is the modern equivelent. Just keep an eye out.

[Beyond Limits]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Beyond Limits, don't you know that your story sounds so ridiculously unrealistic that nobody will believe you unless you provide more information and some sort of evidence?

Also, GM would probably like to feature your trucks in their commercials.

I can take a picture of the od's if you would like (I am not sure what that would really prove but it can be done).

And I am not going for the oh wow look how many miles bit... more I am commenting on how I have seen in real world applications engines last without changing the oil every 3000.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Beyond Limits

And I am not going for the oh wow look how many miles bit... more I am commenting on how I have seen in real world applications engines last without changing the oil every 3000.

I totally agree with you there. I probably posted something like this earlier in the thread, but really...do you know anyone who has had a modern engine failure that could have been prevented by better/more frequent oil? I sure haven't heard of any such incident! Modern engines and modern oils (even cheap modern oils) are quite decent, and unless you really are putting in abnormal rough service, the manufacturer's recommendation for "normal" conditions ought to be fine.

My example is more realistic but far less impressive; my 2002 GMC 5.3 has 170,000 miles without an engine problem (except a gasket that leaked oil once), and I've been pretty lax about it. I generally change oil when the light comes on, occasionally I ran significantly past it. I have had it changed mainly by independent garages without specifying any product preference. I have done a moderate amount of heavy work with it. When that gasket was leaking I got a low engine oil level warning, which I checked once and saw it was fine so I ignored it for a long time; I brought it in for the oil level sensor to be repaired and was surprised to find out I had been running it completely dry. That was a long time ago and it is smooth and powerful to this day.

I wouldn't recommend anyone be as careless as I was, but at least with a GM, following the manufacturer's recommendation ought to prevent oil-related failure pretty much forever.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by Bumble Bee '77

Hmm funny you should bring this thread up , I just changed my oil a few weeks ago and filled it with 4 1/2 quarts of 5w30 Royal Purple and now recently when i start the car the change oil light comes on. And I know I haven't driven 5k since the change. The light goes out after about 10 minutes. Could the sensor be messed up?

i hope you have a v-6 if you are only putting 4.5 qt in it. the LS1 requires 6.5qt. have you checked the fluid level lately? go warm the car up, then check the oil level. it wouldnt hurt to add a little in anyway. the sump on your car (all cars for that matter) are not accurate enough to make a difference, all cars have a +/- of nearly a full quart anyway.

Originally Posted by ToneyTone

5k is the longest i'll go between changes.

3500 is as far as ill go with my v-8. my ol 292 straight-6 id change the oil twice a year, once in the fall to a "thinner" oil then once in the spring to a "heavier" oil (ill hit more on the "thinner/heavier" later down)

Originally Posted by gladiatoro

Have you guys ever heard of AMSOIL they basically invented synthetic oils years ago before anyone else had it. 100 % full synthetic motor oil , I use it in my Mercedes and it is good for 25.000 miles per oil change, GUARANTEED amazing product they can even test your oil say at 20.000 miles by a independent lap to prove it is still good, but you do need a special oil filter with nano fiber technology that can handle the extended drain cycle which AMSOIL also makes. If everyone used these SUPER OILS our oil prices would go way way down . Not only that they are much better for your engine since synthetic oils almost totally eliminate engine wear due to there extreme anti friction properties , I was in Germany on holidays a few years a go and I rented a brand new BMW for the autobahn anyways the digital computer said next oil change in 30000 km , the oil is full syntetic right from the factory when it is built thats why ...

amsoil is a great oil, no doubts about that. but the 25000 miles is a stretch. their independent lab test might have proven that the oil will last 25000 miles, but the thing to keep in mind is that you can spin a motor on a dyno in a clean test room all day long, but when you are driving down the road in rain, dirt, mud, sludge and all that crap slowly creeps into the motor, your oil wont last that long. also the moisture that aclimates inside your motor does damage. if you are doing the testing they did with those motors, (and by that i mean spinning the motor and letting it run till it hits 25k miles) is not ROAD testing, its LAB testing. you can test the oil all day long, but throw some dirt into it and run it another 25k miles and see what happens. also, what kind of motor are we dealing with as well as what filter are they running?

Originally Posted by Muscle Master

I been meaning to look for a good proformence filter

Amsoil, Mobil1, and KN are great filters but way over priced.
AC Delco/WIX/NAPA/Purolator and Baldwins filter and flow so closely to the KN/Mobil1 that you cannot hardly differntate the results. But cost about 50% less. SuperTech is a good one too.

fram sucks however.

Originally Posted by theholycow

I totally agree with you there. I probably posted something like this earlier in the thread, but really...do you know anyone who has had a modern engine failure that could have been prevented by better/more frequent oil? I sure haven't heard of any such incident! Modern engines and modern oils (even cheap modern oils) are quite decent, and unless you really are putting in abnormal rough service, the manufacturer's recommendation for "normal" conditions ought to be fine.

actually, yes. i have a friend who is a mechanic at a local dealership and has commented on a guy who has brought in 5 different vehicles, ranging from a 1988 dodge caravan, a 2001 vette, a 1999 impala, and a couple others, that have all had motor failure. when the motor was removed, it turned out the guy had NEVER changed the oil in the vehicles. the one with the least amount of miles was the vette with 37,xxx. when they pulled the pan off, it was nothing but sludge. but on the guys defense, he said he would check the oil gauge and it always showed light brown in the correct range. as it turns out, the sludge was staying at the right level and would wipe the dipstick clean when he removed it.
I wouldn't recommend anyone be as careless as I was, but at least with a GM, following the manufacturer's recommendation ought to prevent oil-related failure pretty much forever.

as for the last part of your statement, i agree 100%. change the oil at regular intervals using the required amount and type and you wont ever have to worry about that... untill your motor blows a head gasket and overheats to the point where the oil cant do its job properly.


now for some excellent reading material about oil...

http://jcpm-inc.com/images/oiltest.pdf

http://www.swri.edu/4org/d08/global/...HS/default.htm

http://www.worldsbestoil.ca/dyno-test.php

http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...01.html?page=1

http://www.outdoorlife.com/article/Gear/All-About-Oil

as far as "thicker" oils vs "thinner" oils (which isnt really true, because thicker doesnt always mean higher viscosity, just as thinner doesnt always mean lower viscosity. thinner/thicker has to be taken in account with viscosity, flow rate, and shear strength):

take 5w-30 vs 10w-30
some people think
5+30=35
10+30=40

DONT EVER DO THIS. this is stupid math.

the first number is the flow characteristic in like 32f the 10w means that it flows better at 32f/0c. so if you live in a colder climate, a 5w oil would be better for start up conditions. as for the other number, that is for the operating temp flow characteristic.
however, the differences are minimal and are so close in ambient flow rates that its a toss-up.


here's a quote from
Chevron on the matter:

What does multigrade mean? Multigrade motor oils offer a combined viscosity to work under varied temperatures. Multigrade oils such as a 10W-30, are designed to have the viscosity of an SAE 10W oil at cold temperatures combined with the viscosity of an SAE 30 oil at engine operating temperatures. The "W" or "Winter designation indicates that the oil meets viscosity requirements for low temperatures (below 30°F).

tho everyone has their own opinions and theories and old urban myths die hard, and "my mechanic told me this or that", im not bs'ing you on the info im posting.



as for me personally, i use RP 10w-30 and a Wix filter, and i change at around 2500-3000 miles. longest ive gone with the 94Z is 4300, but that was just cus i got side tracked with other things. during race season, its roughly 500-1000 miles per OCI.



now if money is no object...
http://www.renewablelube.com/


if you have any more questions... feel free to ask.

[Iroczlover]

lol I just got my oil today changed at Jiffy Lube lol they had a special on oil changes, this month so I went & got my truck done with a chassie lube as well.

Only that my front & rear diff on my truck need to be serviced, & I need a new fuel filter lol, I have owned the truck for nearly 4years now. It tells me when to change the oil.