At the rate my car is burning oil, I'm thinking of extending it even more, since I am replenishing the additives and such often enough.
3 Reasons to NOT do Extended OCIs
- Thread starter TheIceStormof06
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I have educated myself to the point I do one year oil & filter changes on my Explorer. Its lasted 19 years and 400,000 KM so far, and burns no oil to speak of. ( 1/2L per 14K)
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Reasons for shorter OCIs?
1) it wastes money
2) it wastes time
3) it wastes resources
Cool, take that all you tree huggers
Two of my vehicles require chassis lubrication (actual grease points). So if I'm going to be under there anyway, might as well do oil or filter if time (staggered schedule)
Reasons for shorter OCIs?
1) it wastes money
2) it wastes time
3) it wastes resources
Cool, take that all you tree huggers
Two of my vehicles require chassis lubrication (actual grease points). So if I'm going to be under there anyway, might as well do oil or filter if time (staggered schedule)
Some even argue we don't need to brush and floss our teeth everyday, shower every night before going to bed and change our under wear.
Originally Posted By: TheIceStormof06
With all the recent advancements in engine design and synthetic engine oil technology, I was trying to figure out top reasons why I don't want to go with an extended OCI
1. I actually like the satisfaction I get from changing My own oil! Why extend when this limits my therapy
2. Changing my oil, gives me a reason to tinker and get away from it all.
3. Lastly, I guess the piece of mind knowing that I'm giving her fresh blood.
But seriously...I wanted to keep it light on the forum...great wealth of knowledge here in BITOG.
Chime in with your reason.
None of those sound like a good argument towards not doing long OCI's
With all the recent advancements in engine design and synthetic engine oil technology, I was trying to figure out top reasons why I don't want to go with an extended OCI
1. I actually like the satisfaction I get from changing My own oil! Why extend when this limits my therapy
2. Changing my oil, gives me a reason to tinker and get away from it all.
3. Lastly, I guess the piece of mind knowing that I'm giving her fresh blood.
But seriously...I wanted to keep it light on the forum...great wealth of knowledge here in BITOG.
Chime in with your reason.
None of those sound like a good argument towards not doing long OCI's
Two cars. !. VW Passat 1.8 liter with both turbo and GDI. Change oil & filter every 8 months around 4500 miles. 2. 1995 Miata. Engine known to develop ticking from clogged valve lash adjusters. Change oil & filter every 9 Months around 3000 miles. Synthetic always.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
My main reasons: Because I know my engines can't handle and extended OCI, and ultimately I will ruin one of more of them. Oil is cheap, engines aren't.
+1 "Extended" OCI means different things to different engines and driving conditions. For some engines, 10k or more is reasonable. For others, it's not. UOAs are great in helping to find that threshold. But, it also won't tell you everything. For example, my VG30DE shears oil pretty quickly for whatever reason. My UOA showed wear metals were fine and I could run it longer. I don't. Reason is, the oil holes in the hydraulic lifters on this engine are small and are known to coke up. When that happens, you get a very audible clacking noise as they can't pump up. To keep those working well, there's no way I'm going 10k miles on an oil change.
"Extended" is very relative to engine and driving conditions, and I agree we should go as long as possible.........but that WILL differ greatly.
My main reasons: Because I know my engines can't handle and extended OCI, and ultimately I will ruin one of more of them. Oil is cheap, engines aren't.
+1 "Extended" OCI means different things to different engines and driving conditions. For some engines, 10k or more is reasonable. For others, it's not. UOAs are great in helping to find that threshold. But, it also won't tell you everything. For example, my VG30DE shears oil pretty quickly for whatever reason. My UOA showed wear metals were fine and I could run it longer. I don't. Reason is, the oil holes in the hydraulic lifters on this engine are small and are known to coke up. When that happens, you get a very audible clacking noise as they can't pump up. To keep those working well, there's no way I'm going 10k miles on an oil change.
"Extended" is very relative to engine and driving conditions, and I agree we should go as long as possible.........but that WILL differ greatly.
I change the oil in my DD every 6 months more or less, regardless of miles, (which are usually in the 3500 range) because 90+ % of the driving is short 4 miles or less around town trips. The car is generally kept in my attached garage which never gets below freezing, but still. It gets a few, trips of maybe 100 miles in a year, and maybe one 500 mile trip. So, I figure twice a year is good. I am just now starting to use an Ultra filter, and will only change it once a year.
This is why I don't do an extended OCI:
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Tell you what:
I'll send anyone here my 5,000 mile Mobil 2 if you promise to run it another 5,000.
I actually use the "old" 5000 mile oil from my wife's Scion (lots of short trips and idling, and engine has a known issue of ring problems/oil use) as top off oil in my truck and my brother in laws truck. All 3 are spec'ed for xw-20, so good use of it IMO.
I don't do extended OCI (anything longer than manufacturer recommendation for duty (regular/severe) that the vehicle does) on any of my vehicles.
Both of mine are short trippers.
My truck is mostly 3 miles each way to work with an occasional 1 hour drive. The pic above is from the truck, 2 days before I had driven it to my moms, 50 miles each way mostly highway. Apparently not enough to get all the moisture out of the oil.
Scion is short tripper (kids to school, just a few miles, lots of idle time) with occasional 1 hr highway trips. 5000 miles (around 8 months) is the most I am comfortable with without a UOA, and for the cost of the UOA, I could do several oil changes.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Tell you what:
I'll send anyone here my 5,000 mile Mobil 2 if you promise to run it another 5,000.
I actually use the "old" 5000 mile oil from my wife's Scion (lots of short trips and idling, and engine has a known issue of ring problems/oil use) as top off oil in my truck and my brother in laws truck. All 3 are spec'ed for xw-20, so good use of it IMO.
I don't do extended OCI (anything longer than manufacturer recommendation for duty (regular/severe) that the vehicle does) on any of my vehicles.
Both of mine are short trippers.
My truck is mostly 3 miles each way to work with an occasional 1 hour drive. The pic above is from the truck, 2 days before I had driven it to my moms, 50 miles each way mostly highway. Apparently not enough to get all the moisture out of the oil.
Scion is short tripper (kids to school, just a few miles, lots of idle time) with occasional 1 hr highway trips. 5000 miles (around 8 months) is the most I am comfortable with without a UOA, and for the cost of the UOA, I could do several oil changes.
dnewton3
Staff member
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Tell you what:
I'll send anyone here my 5,000 mile Mobil 2 if you promise to run it another 5,000.
1) I presume you mean Mobil 1?
2) assuming there's nothing known wrong with the engine or oil ... I'll take you up on that.
3) everything needs to be as "clean" as possible for the transfer; clean collections, shipping containers, etc ...
Send me the lube; we'll do a UOA to confirm it's still OK for use, and I'll put it in one of my cars for another 5k miles, or more.
You pay for shipping and the UOAs; I'll take the "risk".
PM me if you are serious.
Tell you what:
I'll send anyone here my 5,000 mile Mobil 2 if you promise to run it another 5,000.
1) I presume you mean Mobil 1?
2) assuming there's nothing known wrong with the engine or oil ... I'll take you up on that.
3) everything needs to be as "clean" as possible for the transfer; clean collections, shipping containers, etc ...
Send me the lube; we'll do a UOA to confirm it's still OK for use, and I'll put it in one of my cars for another 5k miles, or more.
You pay for shipping and the UOAs; I'll take the "risk".
PM me if you are serious.
Last edited:
Reason 98) Known mechanical defect (by design or fault).
Reason 99) Had some old, not to spec oil to use.
Reason 99) Had some old, not to spec oil to use.
Nissan manual says 3750 miles or 5 months. That's what I do because I am under warranty and I fall under the severe definition. I drive 2 miles each day to my job.
Patman
Staff member
One big reason that's causing me to start shying away from the extended intervals I've done in the past is fuel dilution. I saw 8% fuel in my Civic's last report and the first report with my new Corvette showed 2% (which I'm pretty sure will settle down)
Originally Posted By: Patman
One big reason that's causing me to start shying away from the extended intervals I've done in the past is fuel dilution. I saw 8% fuel in my Civic's last report and the first report with my new Corvette showed 2% (which I'm pretty sure will settle down)
How much % of fuel in a UOA is considered bad ?
One big reason that's causing me to start shying away from the extended intervals I've done in the past is fuel dilution. I saw 8% fuel in my Civic's last report and the first report with my new Corvette showed 2% (which I'm pretty sure will settle down)
How much % of fuel in a UOA is considered bad ?
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
How much % of fuel in a UOA is considered bad ?
I find any amount bad actually, the 2% in my Corvette isn't that much but it still caused it to thin out to a 5w20. The 8% in my Civic is probably an error, IMO, as it thinned out the oil the same amount as it did on other reports which had no fuel dilution.
But I do believe that fuel dilution is going to be a problem more of us on here will see as it seems to be an issue with a lot of engines using direct injection.
How much % of fuel in a UOA is considered bad ?
I find any amount bad actually, the 2% in my Corvette isn't that much but it still caused it to thin out to a 5w20. The 8% in my Civic is probably an error, IMO, as it thinned out the oil the same amount as it did on other reports which had no fuel dilution.
But I do believe that fuel dilution is going to be a problem more of us on here will see as it seems to be an issue with a lot of engines using direct injection.
My next vehicle will be DI, with a Fumoto valve I don't mind doing 5K OCI's.
With 90 quarts of oil, I need to use it up.
With 90 quarts of oil, I need to use it up.
Originally Posted By: 28oz
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
My main reasons: Because I know my engines can't handle and extended OCI, and ultimately I will ruin one of more of them. Oil is cheap, engines aren't.
+1 "Extended" OCI means different things to different engines and driving conditions. For some engines, 10k or more is reasonable. For others, it's not. UOAs are great in helping to find that threshold. But, it also won't tell you everything. For example, my VG30DE shears oil pretty quickly for whatever reason. My UOA showed wear metals were fine and I could run it longer. I don't. Reason is, the oil holes in the hydraulic lifters on this engine are small and are known to coke up. When that happens, you get a very audible clacking noise as they can't pump up. To keep those working well, there's no way I'm going 10k miles on an oil change.
"Extended" is very relative to engine and driving conditions, and I agree we should go as long as possible.........but that WILL differ greatly.
That is correct in my book. I have UOA reports now for all three of my vehicles, and my oil change regimen is a good one. Pushing two of my vehicles past 6K miles with synthetic oil would be asking for trouble, and my work van 4K miles would be the max. I feel I am getting the most value out of my oil, keeping a small safety margin, and doing what's best for the engine in the process. A hypothetical 10k OCI for "me" with synthetic oil would just about guarantee me problems. There are people on this site that can safely go further, a lot further and they have UOA data to back it up. Maybe some day when I leave the NY Metro area I'll be able to do the same. Until people have actually lived in this area and made the daily commute, they may never know.
I'm glad I took the UOA plunge, it backed up what I thought, and it enabled me to stretch my OCI a bit longer eliminating any guess work. Money well spent.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
My main reasons: Because I know my engines can't handle and extended OCI, and ultimately I will ruin one of more of them. Oil is cheap, engines aren't.
+1 "Extended" OCI means different things to different engines and driving conditions. For some engines, 10k or more is reasonable. For others, it's not. UOAs are great in helping to find that threshold. But, it also won't tell you everything. For example, my VG30DE shears oil pretty quickly for whatever reason. My UOA showed wear metals were fine and I could run it longer. I don't. Reason is, the oil holes in the hydraulic lifters on this engine are small and are known to coke up. When that happens, you get a very audible clacking noise as they can't pump up. To keep those working well, there's no way I'm going 10k miles on an oil change.
"Extended" is very relative to engine and driving conditions, and I agree we should go as long as possible.........but that WILL differ greatly.
That is correct in my book. I have UOA reports now for all three of my vehicles, and my oil change regimen is a good one. Pushing two of my vehicles past 6K miles with synthetic oil would be asking for trouble, and my work van 4K miles would be the max. I feel I am getting the most value out of my oil, keeping a small safety margin, and doing what's best for the engine in the process. A hypothetical 10k OCI for "me" with synthetic oil would just about guarantee me problems. There are people on this site that can safely go further, a lot further and they have UOA data to back it up. Maybe some day when I leave the NY Metro area I'll be able to do the same. Until people have actually lived in this area and made the daily commute, they may never know.
I'm glad I took the UOA plunge, it backed up what I thought, and it enabled me to stretch my OCI a bit longer eliminating any guess work. Money well spent.
Originally Posted By: madeej11
Agree with 2015_PSD. You guys that are changing your oil at 5,000mi. with synthetic are wasting money and good oil. In fact it's probably worse than what's been frowned upon for years here and that is changing at 3,000mi. with dino.So go ahead and pollute, don't you people have kids that will have to suffer the consequences of the filth we leave behind. Every little bit counts and if your kids follow your wasteful ways then you're just perpetuating the problem. Besides it's already been established that you are just advancing the wear on your engines. It's a win win situation by abstaining. Let's wake up and get the most from your oil. Don't be so selfish by satisfying your petty OCD.
I help local businesses by taking my used oil to Autozone. Used oil gets recycled, and local businesses get bulk oil for their equipment. So not really seeing the "polution" problem here.
Agree with 2015_PSD. You guys that are changing your oil at 5,000mi. with synthetic are wasting money and good oil. In fact it's probably worse than what's been frowned upon for years here and that is changing at 3,000mi. with dino.So go ahead and pollute, don't you people have kids that will have to suffer the consequences of the filth we leave behind. Every little bit counts and if your kids follow your wasteful ways then you're just perpetuating the problem. Besides it's already been established that you are just advancing the wear on your engines. It's a win win situation by abstaining. Let's wake up and get the most from your oil. Don't be so selfish by satisfying your petty OCD.
I help local businesses by taking my used oil to Autozone. Used oil gets recycled, and local businesses get bulk oil for their equipment. So not really seeing the "polution" problem here.
Originally Posted By: Patman
One big reason that's causing me to start shying away from the extended intervals I've done in the past is fuel dilution. I saw 8% fuel in my Civic's last report and the first report with my new Corvette showed 2% (which I'm pretty sure will settle down)
Like you I'm becoming "gun shy" with really extended OCI's with our 2017 Explorer with the 2.3 EB engine. I've been running seasonal UOA's. So far the 7,000 mile summer run with Mobil 1 5W-30 over 2 months showed good wear metals and the oil stayed a 5W-30. But it was practically all highway driving. From end of August to early December I ran Motorcraft 5W-30 for 4,300 miles. While the wear metals were good the oil sheared down well into the 20 weight range, without outward signs of fuel dilution. I'm currently running Mobil 1 5W-30 from 12/5 to late May or early June, approx 7,000+ miles. We'll see how the UOA did for the worst of winter in "normal" driving. From these UOA's I'll know how to best do my OCI's for my driving conditions. For our vehicles with the PI Ford engines ~9,000+ miles on synthetic seems to be fine without reservations. I'm surprised your 2006 Civic has heavy fuel dilution. I thought that year was PI not DI, but I could be wrong. If it's PI then I'd guess you have a mechanical or electrical issue causing the fuel dilution.
Whimsey
One big reason that's causing me to start shying away from the extended intervals I've done in the past is fuel dilution. I saw 8% fuel in my Civic's last report and the first report with my new Corvette showed 2% (which I'm pretty sure will settle down)
Like you I'm becoming "gun shy" with really extended OCI's with our 2017 Explorer with the 2.3 EB engine. I've been running seasonal UOA's. So far the 7,000 mile summer run with Mobil 1 5W-30 over 2 months showed good wear metals and the oil stayed a 5W-30. But it was practically all highway driving. From end of August to early December I ran Motorcraft 5W-30 for 4,300 miles. While the wear metals were good the oil sheared down well into the 20 weight range, without outward signs of fuel dilution. I'm currently running Mobil 1 5W-30 from 12/5 to late May or early June, approx 7,000+ miles. We'll see how the UOA did for the worst of winter in "normal" driving. From these UOA's I'll know how to best do my OCI's for my driving conditions. For our vehicles with the PI Ford engines ~9,000+ miles on synthetic seems to be fine without reservations. I'm surprised your 2006 Civic has heavy fuel dilution. I thought that year was PI not DI, but I could be wrong. If it's PI then I'd guess you have a mechanical or electrical issue causing the fuel dilution.
Whimsey
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