When would you change it, vehicles are Ford four cylinder engines running 5w-20 PYB/P Ultra mix (25%PYB). Would you change it after the hot summer or after the mild winter before the hot summers?
If oil is changed only once a year...
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i would want it out once winter has passed
Use of vehicle? Short trips? How many miles in the year?
Lakeside has VERY mild weather year round so it really does not matter when you change it. How/what conditions the vehicle is operated matter more than the time the oil is being changed IMO.
Bill
Lakeside has VERY mild weather year round so it really does not matter when you change it. How/what conditions the vehicle is operated matter more than the time the oil is being changed IMO.
Bill
All depends on the amount of idle in winter and average lows.....
I change it just before the cold weather sets in, usually late November where I live. In some parts of the country the cold weather sets in earlier, if that's the case then I would change it earlier. Opinions vary.
I have two of 5 vehicles on an annual change. I change them the 1st 2 weeks of January every year just so I remember. Things are pretty mild here in the SF Bay area.
I think after the Lakeside stressing scenario (hot Summer) is probably the best time. So, pick Halloween or Thanksgiving week.
I think after the Lakeside stressing scenario (hot Summer) is probably the best time. So, pick Halloween or Thanksgiving week.
So change it after the hot summer. What if I lived in an area with mild summers and wet winters (Portland Oregon type weather), still change after summer?
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Use of vehicle? Short trips? How many miles in the year?
Lakeside has VERY mild weather year round so it really does not matter when you change it. How/what conditions the vehicle is operated matter more than the time the oil is being changed IMO. Bill
Right, not enough info' but assuming the worse case scenerio of short trips, it's best to change the oil and the end "winter" when the TBN level will be at it's lowest. The hot summers will be the easiest time on the oil.
Use of vehicle? Short trips? How many miles in the year?
Lakeside has VERY mild weather year round so it really does not matter when you change it. How/what conditions the vehicle is operated matter more than the time the oil is being changed IMO. Bill
Right, not enough info' but assuming the worse case scenerio of short trips, it's best to change the oil and the end "winter" when the TBN level will be at it's lowest. The hot summers will be the easiest time on the oil.
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Patman
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Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
X2. I like October/November in my climate. Which reminds me.....
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
X2. I like October/November in my climate. Which reminds me.....
Originally Posted By: Zaedock
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
X2. I like October/November in my climate. Which reminds me.....
Sorry for my response to the OP. I swear I think I would have a stoke if I posted something and no one immediately jumped in to disagree with it.
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
X2. I like October/November in my climate. Which reminds me.....
Sorry for my response to the OP. I swear I think I would have a stoke if I posted something and no one immediately jumped in to disagree with it.
Originally Posted By: RamFan
October
That just so happens to be the month with the nicest weather in most places.
October
That just so happens to be the month with the nicest weather in most places.
In most parts of California, right around March 21 if you are doing the once a year thing. Then the oil is in good shape for the hot summer months. California summers anywhere inland are hot, hot, hot. Usually the winters are not that cold unless you are at high altitude or in some of the deserts after a cold front.
Makes no difference, engine will outlast the rest of the vehicle.
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
That's true under extreme cold conditions but not at more typical cold start-up temp's that may not be much below freezing.
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
I want the thinnest oil in the winter. Change it in the spring, and the oil will shear down over the next 9 months, and be at its thinnest during the winter.
Perhaps at operating temp it will be thinner, but on startup the oil will be thicker once it's been in use for a while. The cold cranking behavior of an oil is at it's best when fresh.
That's true under extreme cold conditions but not at more typical cold start-up temp's that may not be much below freezing.
If you're changing oil just once a year, try to change the oil shortly after the cold days of winter end. Here, January and February are the coldest, so it's best for me to do a yearly oil change in March, say mid-March, but I sometimes go past that. You can see my last yearly oil change was in August, but we had an incredibly mild winter in 2012. Usually our winters drop down to as low as minus 3 to minus 6, but last winter, I think, we only went as low as positive 13 degress Fahrenheit. Still it's best to change the oil after you go through the season that's hardest on oil, which is winter.
Hi,
another Todd - Engine manufacturers recommending annual OCIs typically suggest changing in the Spring
another Todd - Engine manufacturers recommending annual OCIs typically suggest changing in the Spring
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