Automakers lengthen intervals between oil changes
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...22?hub=SciTech

It's about time.

 

I'll still change mine every 2500-3000 miles. Clean Oil is nothing but good for your engine.

 

But who says it is dirty in 3K?

C'mon dude...save the planet! Wean us off foreign oil! Change your oil ever 5K at least!

And I thought this would be welcome news...

Check this out.

If 1,000,000 drivers changed from 3K to 5K change intervals (and assuming a 15K miles per year driving range & a 5 qt fill capacity) we would save over 2.5 MILLION gallons of oil.

Let's see if I got this right...

15K per year @ 3K intervals = 5, 5 quart oil changes
15K per year @ 5K intervals = 3, 5 quart oil changes

Difference of 2, 5 qt changes OR 10 quarts.

10 qts. (X) 1,000,000 people = 10,000,000 quarts of oil

10,000,000 / 4 quarts in a gallon = 2,500,000.

Dang...that's a lot of oil.

 

Somewhere between 4 and 5,000 will work just fine for me. The oils have improved over time so longer between changes is not a bad thing. In my opion anyway.

 

While I agree with dkf generally

I have decided my every 90 day oil change habit is over kill so I am extending it to every 120 days just to do my thing saving the planet

I have been recycling oil for 3 decades Monsta... don't I get a few green points fer dat?

 

At my shop we recycle it to. The farmer down the road takes the waste oil to heat his greenhouses with it. He has a waste oil frunace in there.

I change my oil every 5k miles. Been that way since day one with my truck. You never forget when its time to change the oil. Evey zero and every 5 on the odometer.

 

30 years? ... uh...okay.

 

5000 for me also, for me 3000 is a waste of money, oil & time.
Gene

 

Yes but if your changing at 5k instead of 3k in 6 months your still not saving the planet !!!!!!!!
Because your burning too much gas anyway!!!!!!!!!!!

Rich

 

well,how many months is appropriate?i have had my 05 since nov04 and it has 14000 miles on it.if i went 5000 miles i would change mine every 10 months.

isn't there contamination in the oil from the amount of TIME it has been in as well as miles?

 

Several times I searched for a university study on engine oil vs. engine wear characteristics . Did not see any reputable independent study . I remember few years ago , University Of New York Mechanical Engineering dept. designed an unusual test to determine the frequency of engine oil change vs. engine wear . As far as I remember from the article , UNY made agreements with certain cab companies within NYC to use their vehicles in the test ,providing them some incentives . The university lab would take certain measurements on each cab engine( piston , cylinder ,ring , valves,etc.) and monitor these data throughout the test .During the test period , some cabs would have more frequent oil changes while others would have much longer intervals of oil change and some none. According the article ,the test went on OK for awhile and some data compiled . Unfortunately, some of the cabs had to be dropped out of test for a variety of reasons ( accidents , crashed -and-junked,transmission problems ,etc.) . The entire test had to be abondoned without any conclusion .

Personally, I am always interested in hearing from forum members who had high mileage vehicles (like 200K+ miles ) . It is always a valuable data to hear from them about their personal practices for oil change intervals and the type of oil they have been using (standard oil or synthetic) ,and if they experienced any engine related issues .

Ken

2003 F-350SD, XL ,SRW, supercab,white ,LWB, V-10, 6spd. manual, 4.3 sl,4x2, towing 5’er 2002 Coachman Somerset ,approx 12,000# loaded , 56K miles , no mods.

 

5K for me too...easy to keep up with and it seems a happy medium

 

I've been a 5k oil change guy for years. So...no change here. Glad to see FORD coming of age...and extending the service.


biz

 

I've been changing mine at 5k intervals after I read a good article in Consumer Reports quite a few years ago. Don't remember all of the details but bottom line...there was virtually no change in viscosity or any other measurable factor by going from 3k to 5k. So, unless your engine is under heavy load most of the time there is absolutely no reason to change every 3k. It's all marketing hype from the oil companies.

I have 230k on my 94 4wd 5.0L and have rebuilt the tranny once and replaced most of the peripherals but the engine is still going strong. It's my daily driver with the occasional haul or pull and I don't do anything special, just Castrol GTX 10W40 and a fresh filter.

 

10K and synthetic will yield far better performance and less wear, IMHO, than 3K changes with conventional.