Down with extending your drain intervals!!!

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Mark72

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Let the flogging begin. I'm putting my head on the chopping block here. I'm going to post what I've stated in a recent thread today. While I'm hanging on the cross, someone please bring me some water...

Maybe, just maybe the oil manufacturers know more about oil longevity than us consumers.
Maybe all these UOA's we see don't paint the real picture. Some of you know that I'm not an advocate for long OCI's. I've been raked over the coals for my comments, I accept that. But IMO, you spend X-thousands of dollars on a vehicle that is a rolling ripoff the moment you drive it off the lot. We all want and need these vehicles to last us a long time, and it's my opinion that shorter OCI's ensure that which we really don't know about and remove any possible question marks from the scenario. Many of you who talk about extending your drains to save money make it sound like you have to replenish your oil as often as your gasoline. This is one reason I'm so sick of the synthetic hype particularly for those who live in climates that don't warrent it. Now, if you are talking about racing aplications and climate as I stated, that's a different scenario I could agree with, but not the extended OCI part of it. Furthermore, show me two identical vehicles, starting at zero mileage, driven exactly the same, same climate, etc...one on extended oci's and the other on more conservative ones, and I guarantee you the car with the shorter oci's will last longer, if not run better. I own a 1995 Chev Lumina and car dealers eyes pop when they see the condition of this vehicle and how it runs. It's a pathetic car consider the make and model and far from special, but this thing will last until C@rist returns, I swear. Babied on 3-4k OCI's...proudly
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Thanks for backing up your assertions with ..... nothing.


Guess that was the first nail in my wrist. LOL
 
I agree with you somewhat. I use synthetic (well group III so someone will tell me I don't use synthetic
smirk2.gif
) and I change it out every 6-7k miles. I have no desire to buy an Amsoil-type product and stretch it out past 10k. But, it is your car and you can do whatever you want with it. Its all about your own comfort level. I don't care if you use Super Tech at 50k OCI or Amsoil at 1k OCI, I sleep just fine.
 
Extended drains is very subjective. If 10k is too much, and 5k is more your style, then why not do 3k? Why is it that it took 42k miles on the factory fill for my friend's hard-driven Honda Civic Si to finally die? Do you think the oil was even at the proper level for that entire time? If you want the engine to last 1,000,000 miles, sure, change your oil every 3k with a group III oil with a fantastic add pack. If you're ok with 500,000, maybe extending is ok.

I'm not sure what's so mysterious here - it's all chemistry. Chemistry, and chemistry isn't very magical. If you have stuff left to react and all other properties show that the base oil, the carrier of these chemical additives, is holding up just fine, then why would you think that changing it out sooner than a UOA indicates is necessary is a good thing?
 
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Originally Posted By: Mark72
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Thanks for backing up your assertions with ..... nothing.


Guess that was the first nail in my wrist. LOL


I run extended OCI's on ALL my engines. They all (with the exception of the Expedition) have more mileage than most passenger car engines up here in the GWN accrue before they go to the wreckers.

I KNOW what the inside of my 302's look like. It isn't a guess, it isn't contrived and it isn't conjecture.

Now my version of an extended OCI may not be as "long" as some go; I run 12,000Km. But in a land where 5,000Km OCI's are the norm, that's almost 3x as long.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Extended drains is very subjective. If 10k is too much, and 5k is more your style, then why not do 3k? Why is it that it took 42k miles on the factory fill for my friend's hard-driven Honda Civic Si to finally die? Do you think the oil was even at the proper level for that entire time? If you want the engine to last 1,000,000 miles, sure, change your oil every 3k with a group III oil with a fantastic add pack. If you're ok with 500,000, maybe extending is ok.

I'm not sure what's so mysterious here - it's all chemistry. Chemistry, and chemistry isn't very magical. If you have stuff left to react and all other properties show that the base oil, the carrier of these chemical additives, is holding up just fine, then why would you think that changing it out sooner than a UOA indicates is necessary is a good thing?


Because it is up for debate if UOA's are giving you the real picture. Every other thread in this forum is a question asking for confirmation on going a certain distance on their oil, or if it was far enough, or too far. These are all question marks, and my piont is...so why gamble with something you spent a lot of money on and that needs to last you a long time?
 
Until you have run your Lumina during the same conditions with 5-6K oil changes, it is really hard to see the merits of your argument.

You keep your car really clean and it runs well; that is good. However, you could keep your car really clean with 5K intervals, your car could be running just as good and an added benefit that you have saved on importing oil. I'm just sayin' ....
 
I also agree with the 3,000 mile oil and filter change, Mark. I have 130,000 miles on my Dakota 4.7 and have run nothing but Pennzoil Synthetic and a Pure One 30001 oversized filter on it from day one and she neither leaks nor burns any oil. Meanwhile, it seems every car I follow in town around here which isn't new belches blue smoke out the tailpipe when they step on it at a green light. I always think to myself "There's another one who never changed his oil".
 
Originally Posted By: Curtis Newton
Until you have run your Lumina during the same conditions with 5-6K oil changes, it is really hard to see the merits of your argument.

You keep your car really clean and it runs well; that is good. However, you could keep your car really clean with 5K intervals, your car could be running just as good and an added benefit that you have saved on importing oil. I'm just sayin' ....


I could care less how much oil they have to import. It's been proven that we are no where near tapping out the reserves stored underground like the G would have you believe in order to line their pocket books. My car lasting me as long as possible and not having a car payment are more important. I have no issue with running oil up to 5 or 6k, but I'm really speaking of those who go beyond. My best friend runs M1 extended performance and changes it twice a year since he bought the car brand new. each change it might have 3-4k on the oil. It comes out as black as a tire. Yeah yeah..so the argument that the oil still had additives in it, but I couldn't stand the thought of having dirty oil like that swirling around in my motor for the last 3-4 months before I changed it.
 
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Again, this is only my opinion while realizing I could be wrong. But I'm so strongly against it, that I just had to get it off my chest. I apreciate you even taking the time to read any of this, or even finding it worthy of scolding me over it.
 
My 1994 LS400 is more than 250k miles, the OCI's was/is 6-7k/6mo with dino and 12-14k/12mo with synthetic. It consumes about 1/2 qt per 4-5k miles so that I did not bother to top off if it had dino, because when time to change, the oil level was not at the add line. If it had synthetic then I would top off 1/2 quart at 4k then another 1/2 quart at 8k.

It's a waste of money to use syn oil and have the same OCI with dino.
 
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Originally Posted By: Mark72
While I'm hanging on the cross, someone please bring me some water...

Get over yourself, man. Sheesh.

What exactly do you think you're saving us from, anyway?
 
The Jesus references are a little over the top, but other than that I can see where you're coming from. Although it could also be argued that the automaker know more about this than we do as well and they're also moving in the direction of extending oil change intervals (Toyota at 10,000 miles and some of the European makers have already been doing 15,000 miles and others using OLM) and they seem to also feel the oil can be run longer without ill effects.

Also in terms of those cars you're seeing blowing blue smoke, clearly those people let the oil level ride far too low for far too long, I run extended OCIs but I always check my oil at every fuel stop to make sure it's topped up. I have to add about 1.3 quarts every 10,000 miles and my car is a 1989 Honda Accord with 221,000 miles so i can't complain about the amount I have to add.

EDIT: This motor still runs like new and the last time the dealer had the valve cover off to adjust the valves they noted on my receipt, "Valvetrain is exceptionally clean, evidence of good maintenance." So it sounds like I don't have a sludge problem as a result of those 15,000 mile intervals.
 
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I think you could risk a 5K mile oil change interval in your 15-year-old Lumina. What kind of oil, if I may ask, does Jesus use?
 
I have 125K and it does not really use hardly anything. I used to put more miles on my car and changed it at about 9K 9mths. I now do 1 year and am lucky to have 5-7K. I might start doing SSO and change out at 1 1/2 years.

No anger here, it's a free country.....I think.....hope it stays that way.
 
Mark72: Bitog has 30987 members according to the the latest tally. The beauty of this forum is that we came here to learn and find our own comfort level with OCI , type of oil, viscosity,and brand, Some believe that their individual circumstance requires them to use cleaners in their engines, or to use a viscosity other than that specified in the owners manual. The beauty of it all comes when we receive our own great UOA. If there is a desire on your part or any individual to tell this forum what to do back it up with factual information. Then and only then ,will it be considered. FWIW Oldtommy
 
we all gotta hve a hobby, some paint, some play guitar, and some change oil once a month for mental effects, wish I had the oil store there,lol.
 
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