How often do you all change your oil? The service book that came with the truck said 5000 miles so thats what i've been doing.

Oh yeah it's a 5.4 gasser.

 

Once the 3,000 mile mark starts rolling around, I make some time to get the oil changed. I think the longest I ever went was 3,500 miles, but I normally don't let it get past 3K.

If you read the manual again, you'll notice that they have different mileage requirements for the type of service your truck sees. I don't know about your driving habits & conditions, but most of the guys I know who sit behind the wheel of a F-250 fall under the "severe duty" requirements. Besides, have you ever taken a look at your oil after a few thousand miles? It would hurt me to think of that black crud is running through my engine! It hurts the engine even more!

 

Every 3000 miles with dino and 5000 miles with synthetic.

 

5000 w/ synthetic? I thought synthetic did not break down like regular oil and could be used way beyond that? Anyone have specs on how long synthetic lasts?

 

Oh boy, let's not open that can of worms!!! We'll have the "brainwashed" here taking over!

If it's under warranty change it per manufacturer's recommendation. They did, afterall, make the engine!

 

It's not the break down of the oil that is of concern, rather the buildup of impurities in the oil. All sorts of liquids find their way into the oil pan (water from humid environments, etc) as well as metal particles from wear down of internal components. Oil is deemed in need of change not only due to viscosity breakdown, but also due to contamination.

So is 5,000 miles the point where synthetic oil is contaminated enough to need a change? I don't know. That's why I run dyno (regular) oil and try not to let it see the 3,000 miles. Heck, on my Camaro (my first car when I turned 17) I used to change the oil every 2,000 miles. Was this overkill? Probably. Then again, I used to spend an entire 8-10 hour day detailing & waxing that car at least once a month, so frequent oil changes didn't seem that overboard after all.

The BMW X-5 my mother bought came with free maintenance for the first 60,000 miles -- this consists of oil changes every 12,000 by BMW with synthetic fluid. Even my mom didn't have the heart to wait that long and paid BMW for an $80-$90 (I forget exactly how much) oil change at the 6,000 mile mark (you have to pay if you want it done at intervals other than the factory provisions). But at least they gave her a free car wash (around here, a "premium" car wash, with vacuuming, windows, and tire dressing goes for $20). But I digress...

 

Usually the specific oil you use posts on the label the recommended interval between oil changes, most straight oil will say 3000, some of the heavy duty types say more.. Synthetics have recomendations on the label, i used to run AMSOIL XL7500 wich recomends changein at 7,500 interval, i changed it at 5,000, now they came out with their new stuff 2000 series, and it says capable of 50,000 mile interval... AMSOIL is the leader in synthetics, bar none so this is goooooood oil, i will change it at 7500 miles cause i just feel uncomforable after that.
jetjock16.

 

This is where the old fashioned method of checking the oil with every gas fill comes in handy. I realize that most of the time my engine hasn't had enough time to burn enough oil to really HAVE to check it, but I do so I can look at the oil itself. If I drive nice, it will stay honey gold for almost 2,000 miles. After that, or when I am really hammering it, the color starts to blacken. Now at what point of this darkening you determine is too much should dictate your oil change. Mine varies from 2,500 to 3,500 usually.

You will be suprised how quickly it can change from the honey gold to black.

Nothing new, but just my .02

 

i do it like the book says... every 5k.... but use mobil 1 (synthetic).

 

Go with 3000 miles. It only takes a few minutes and a few bucks.

 

AMSOIL's new 2000 series, is $9.95 a quart, takes 6.5 quarts in the V10, a bit more than a few bucks, worth every penny(Ball bearing tests show it beats all the competition by alot!!, its amazing) says is capable of 50,000 mile interval,im would never wait that long, but im not going to change it a 3000.... i ll change it at 7000........ My point is good stuff is more than a few dollars.
Jetjock16

 

I use Mobil 1, 10w-30, every 5000 miles. Just picked that mileage myself from reading several articles and to justify spending the extra bucks.

 

Unless running an oil bypass filter in additon to the factory filter I wouldn't change past 5000 regardless of whether you use synthetic oil or not. The oil breaking down is not the issue, rather the depletion of the oil additives and the impurities that the oil picks up. Synthetic oil still picks up these impurities. Even though I'm considering a bypass filter to add some longevity to my engine, I plan on changing at 5000 miles. Up to this point, 5000 miles under normal conditions, 3000 under hard conditions. I consider winter driving hard on my engine, so I change at 3000.