If you only go for short trips....
- Thread starter Shelby
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Personally, I would make sure to run it to operating temp and keep it there for 15 minutes minimum at least every so often.
Directially what you are suggesting is not a bad idea. If you never reach full operating temp the oil may never approach 8cst. But again, I'd want to flash off fuel and water every now and then and that means getting the oil hot for a while.
Directially what you are suggesting is not a bad idea. If you never reach full operating temp the oil may never approach 8cst. But again, I'd want to flash off fuel and water every now and then and that means getting the oil hot for a while.
I think it's an awful mean thing to do to an engine. When it's cold out, I make sure my diesel gets to full operating temp every time I drive it - even if that means driving it 20 miles to accomplish a 5-mile journey.
Kestas
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At today's gas prices, wouldn't it be cheaper to change out the oil more often? If you put on 20 extra miles a week just for the sake of the oil, you could probably justify an oil change every month or two instead of the miles.
There's other reasons besides being nice to your oil to allow a car to warm up fully each time you drive it. For one, if you don't get the exhaust hot, it rots from the inside out.
Depends on your car. Use whatever zero-w-X is spec'd for it.
My wife has the 2005 CR-V and sometimes goes about 1.3 miles to Target and then back again. I will only use the best in that car and change things out more frequently to protect the beating it's taking by not being used "properly."
My wife has the 2005 CR-V and sometimes goes about 1.3 miles to Target and then back again. I will only use the best in that car and change things out more frequently to protect the beating it's taking by not being used "properly."
All those things about short vs. long trips are true, I think. We've lived out in a rural area for over 35 years, and it's a 15-20 minute drive to anywhere we normally go, so the system's pretty well heated up. We've had @15 vehicles over the years, the majority VERY well used, and have had very little expense for exhaust system work, and I have never seen ANY trace of sludge in ANY engine. The only engine work I can recall was that an exhaust valve needed a grind on an engine with 180K on it. I do all my own changes, and have used dino oil most of that time, new O&F every 3K.
JHZR2
Staff member
Exactly, perfect answer. My mother does 5 block comutes with a car full of stuff, 4x/day, and a trip to the supermarket once or twice a week. THe car gets used every few weekends though, and the M1 in the sump helps a lot. UOAs still look fine, even with extended OCI on this 'severe service'.
IMO, the curve and behavior between 'X w-' -spec and temp-spec is the important thing... In many climates, a 0w- oil will actually be heavier and thicker at many "cold start" conditions than s 5w- oil will be.
Perhaps a 5w-20 is an excellent compromise... but that IMO really depends on how hard you are on your vehicle when it is used to full hot, etc.
JMH
Mom's 1-3 mi short tripper with weekly 10 mi drive gets 5w30 dino with the cheapest filters. 6-10k OCI, usually 7-8k miles. I'll pull off the valve cover soon...
Only use oils with the correct ratings for a Diesel Engine. I dont think you are going to find anything lighter than Amsoil HDD 5W-30 for that use.
Also remember that if you think that a long drive once in a while fixes everything, you could be wrong. Much of the damage is going on while your vehicle sits. Just heating the fluids up to burn off moisture every now and then might not be enough. You will never git rid of all of the moisture if it has had enough time to sit before the long drive. A motor vehicle needs work, frequently. There are too many things to list that benefit from heat and exercise. EvanR has a a good point, the exhaust system rots on the inside and frequent heat is a big help. There is nothing good done to seals and gaskets by inactivity. In fleet service we have delivery vehicles that do 500+ miles a day and arrive at 100k miles in good shape in a year. We also have vehicles that arrive at a year with under 5k miles that are fine. The problem is that when these 5k vehicles hit 15k miles and three years old they have many problems, including leaks, failed water pumps brake problems, poor shifting transmissions. The brake problems are things like mositure damage to calipers. Exhaust systems and cats often fail. These 5k cars will never make 100k miles without a lot of work. All the 5k cars make one and two years, many do not make it to year three.
It's a rare high use car that does not make the 100k miles in a year to eighteen months. The most common reasons for a high mileage car to fail to make the distance are auto accidents and being stolen. I think the value of synthetic oil in short run cars is it's resistance to building sludge. If it's a little better than conventional oil, it could be worth the difference in cost, but I think that more activity and conventional oil is better.
It's a rare high use car that does not make the 100k miles in a year to eighteen months. The most common reasons for a high mileage car to fail to make the distance are auto accidents and being stolen. I think the value of synthetic oil in short run cars is it's resistance to building sludge. If it's a little better than conventional oil, it could be worth the difference in cost, but I think that more activity and conventional oil is better.
Not sold. My mom's 96 Saturn SL2 has almost 96,000 miles, and just turned 11 years old last week. It has the original exhaust, water pump, and even the original transmission which shifts great!
For 5+ years, it was a 6k/yr car. Even now, it only gets 7-8k/yr. Mostly 1-3 mi trips as well.
I'd like to expand on one statement
"All the 5k cars make one and two years, many do not make it to year three."
It should have read, "...many do not make it to three years without some repair work."
If you count something that makes noise, or stops the car from running, the third year of the 5k a year cars is much more active, repair wise, than the first two. At this same mileage in the high mileage cars, it's unusual to see any repair activity. And a note to the Critic, we always have individual cars that are the exception but we get the real bad problems, too. The cars in the category I'm talking about are cars driven by the same driver and number in to the hundreds. With this many care you see just about about anything. Last summer we had a car stolen for a joy ride by two teenagers. We got the car back after a little over a thousand miles in two days and had to replace the tires and brakes (including 2 front calipers, all rotors and pads), front bumper, grill and head lights. We did a major service, fluids and all that, painted the front and as of today there is not one problem, since returning it to service. The snitch device reported sustained speeds over 100mph. This Camry appears to not show any signs of it's vaction with two boys.
"All the 5k cars make one and two years, many do not make it to year three."
It should have read, "...many do not make it to three years without some repair work."
If you count something that makes noise, or stops the car from running, the third year of the 5k a year cars is much more active, repair wise, than the first two. At this same mileage in the high mileage cars, it's unusual to see any repair activity. And a note to the Critic, we always have individual cars that are the exception but we get the real bad problems, too. The cars in the category I'm talking about are cars driven by the same driver and number in to the hundreds. With this many care you see just about about anything. Last summer we had a car stolen for a joy ride by two teenagers. We got the car back after a little over a thousand miles in two days and had to replace the tires and brakes (including 2 front calipers, all rotors and pads), front bumper, grill and head lights. We did a major service, fluids and all that, painted the front and as of today there is not one problem, since returning it to service. The snitch device reported sustained speeds over 100mph. This Camry appears to not show any signs of it's vaction with two boys.
Ive done more short trips now than i used to since moving to texas i still drive alittle further to get to oporating temps.
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