Oil Change Interval for Low Mileage Use?

[nick778]

I used to visit this site a lot but haven't in about 2 years.

I have an '07 Acura TL-S and changed out the factory fill after 1200 miles to M1 0w-20 (I bought a lot of it up before they went to 5w-20 based on the good results I saw posted here).

I don't drive too much. The current M1 0w-20 oil has 3000 miles on it and has been in the engine for 8 months. My question is do I change it before winter due to i.e. built up acids in the oil and such or is it fine for another 3-4 months?

Of course my oil meter in the car says I still have 70% usage left on the oil.

When I use the car it is for an average of 30-60 minute runs with stops in-between.

Any opinions and recommedations would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[levi]

I don't drive too much. The current M1 0w-20 oil has 3000 miles on it and has been in the engine for 8 months. My question is do I change it before winter due to i.e. built up acids in the oil and such or is it fine for another 3-4 months?

Methinks if you drain and change at 12 months you'll still be sending very decent oil to the recyclers....

 

[BGK]

It's important that when you drive the vehicle it gets fully warmed up regardless. If not, your oil will not test well...

 

[BarkerMan]

Changing the oil an extra time now and then is cheap and easy to do. I do my own oil changes because it's important to get correct and is often left to an unqualified person if you hire it out. You would not ask the question if you did not suspect that it's a good idea. Be brave, do it, cheap insurance and peace of mind.

 

[The Critic]

The oil and filter should be replaced annually even if you do not accumulate enough mileage to trigger a service as recommended by the maintenance minder.

Also, the initial fill should have been left in for at least a few thousand miles as it provides extra protection during the break-in period. It has a higher dose of additives than most oils.

 

[02zx9r]

Originally Posted By: The Critic


Also, the initial fill should have been left in for at least a few thousand miles as it provides extra protection during the break-in period. It has a higher dose of additives than most oils.


Can you give me some links or places where I can read that these initial fills provide "extra protection" and need to be in there for longer than say 500-1000 miles.

Thanks, always willing to read and learn

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: nick778
When I use the car it is for an average of 30-60 minute runs with stops in-between.
Given that, you can run minimum 1 year OCI, but I suspect you could easily go 2 years, but over 1 year probably should be with a UOA.

And if you have a beater as your second car, put the drained M1 in it.

 

[nick778]

I changed out the initial oil at 1200 miles to get ride of any engine debrie and wanted to run the M1 0w-20 after break-in. I also use about 4 oz of Schaffer's Moly EP oil treament for hte antimony and a little extra moly (also recommended from thi site when I used to participate in the past).

I was concerned that my short trips and not fully bringing the oil temperature up to 'hot' might use the acid absorbing and/or other additives qicker than a car with more miles during the interval.

I do my own oil changes for as long as I can remember. No second vehicle other than a '06 Suzuki Hayabusa which I use M1 10w-40 MC specific oil.

I will change it before one year is up regardless of mileage but was wondering with colder temperatures coming soon, should I change it now with 8 months on the oil.

The oil looks dark but I know that means it is doing its job of keeping dirt etc in suspension.

So, do I change it now before cold temps set in or wait until the end of March would be one year.

I'm sort of itching to change it but if I don't need to then I'll wait.

 

[02zx9r]

i changed out my factory fill at 300 miles.

The oil would probably be ok but if you want to change it out for the winter, go ahead, its your car. Do what you fill like.

Not that it isnt a good oil, do you use the M1 racing 4t (mx4t) just because it is a good oil ($$$$) or because you feel you will not get the protection using a cheaper oil that will be just as good? Or you just a Mobil 1 fan?

 

[nick778]

I like the M1 racing 4T for all the reasons you mention. I also use it in my '06 Kawasaki Vulcan. Same situation as the car. The don't put on many miles during the riding season.

The Busa runs hot (and fast...lol) and the extra $$ for the 4T to me is not a significant issue since I am only changing the oil once a season on both.

What do you use in your rocket?

 

[02zx9r]

I ran the mx4t a couple of oci's, then found out about the rotella and how many people tried it and like it. Ran a fill of 15w40, then the syn 5w40 and did notice a lot smoother clutchless upshifts with the rotella. Certainly a LOT cheaper with good wear and protection for $8/gal (4qrts) for the dino and $16/gal for the synthetic.
-After sunruh did his uoa on exxon superflo in his yzf250 it did pretty good so I ran that in my crf and since it was pretty cheap but did well I ran it in my zx9r. No complaints with that either. Did a uoa on it :

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=983543#Post983543

I have some Valvoline synpower 20w50 i got at guy one get on free so have about 12 quarts of that, plus 12qrts Brad Penn 20w50 and about 10qrts of gtx 10w40, plus a gal of mobil delvac 15w40 and delo 15w40.

So I am not too picky but eventually I would like to just stick with one brand for the streetbike, the crf dont really care as it gets changed out so often but will probably eventually stick with the hdeo's as well since it is a good price and good performing oil. Some guys on the fjr's and goldwings are going up to 8000 miles on rotella with good wear numbers

 

[02zx9r]

Originally Posted By: nick778
The Busa runs hot (and fast...lol)


I hear ya, fastest I had my nine up to was 185mph according to my speedo, but I know in reality it is probably closer to around 170mph as I went one tooth down on my counter sprocket for a little bit better acceleration with oem tooth count on rear sprocket and 520 chain.

-Would love to put a zx12r motor in my zx9r frame with a turbo, would be around 235 horses and could probably get around 230-240mph but that is just too much, wouldnt be able to keep the front wheel on the ground, and I don't do wheelies now so I wouldn't want to learn that way

 

[2K2AcuraTL]

My '02 TL-P puts on about 5-8k Km a year, and becomes a hangar queen every winter. I was sure I was going to hit 50,000Km before I put away... but old man winter had other plans..
It sitting at 49,918...(31,017 miles) since June 2001.
Oil gets changed the day I tuck it away.
I figure one OCI a year is pretty cheap even for full synth and a good filter. I believe that there are enough contaminates etc in the oil, that I'm wont let it sit in the sump over the storage period.
J.

 

[nick778]

Yeah, I've heard a lot of folks like and so well on the Rotella and even their 5w-40 syn. I just like the 4T M1 anf it runs well in my bikes.

I think we're both crazy on running out bikes...lol. A friend with a HD Nightrain was trying to outrun me on the Busa in FL on a 4 lane rurual highway (grass divider in-between) and there wasn't a car in sight.

I gave him a head start (only fair), downshifted one gear, tucked under the winshield and let loose. I blew by him at 160mph indicated. The bike is so stable it felt like 80mph. I didn't look at the speedo until I backed off the throttle. My friend said he was wide open and running 90 mph when I blew by him.

He asked if he could try my bike and I let him with the caveat that if he broke it he bought it. He came back with a big smile and said he would kill himself on the bike if he owned one of these.

Considering what these HD huys spend on accessories and just regular maintence using M1 4T one a season seems like a deal to me. My Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan 'likes' it also with much better shifting and it runs cooler and revs easier.

I think I'm doing some oil changes this weekend.

 

[Drew99GT]

I'd change it out now just for another low mileage oil change on a new motor, but after that, you could easily go a year on M1 0w-20 since you say most times you drive it, it's for 30 to 60 minutes. Even if you do some stops, I'd bet your getting the oil up to temp enough to burn out the fuel and moisture. Plus, once it is at operating temp, I think it's always a good idea to get on it a time or two and blow the cob webs out (plus, it's fun!).

 

[02zx9r]

Originally Posted By: nick778
Yeah, I've heard a lot of folks like and so well on the Rotella and even their 5w-40 syn. I just like the 4T M1 anf it runs well in my bikes.

I think we're both crazy on running out bikes...lol. A friend with a HD Nightrain was trying to outrun me on the Busa in FL on a 4 lane rurual highway (grass divider in-between) and there wasn't a car in sight.

I gave him a head start (only fair), downshifted one gear, tucked under the winshield and let loose. I blew by him at 160mph indicated. The bike is so stable it felt like 80mph. I didn't look at the speedo until I backed off the throttle. My friend said he was wide open and running 90 mph when I blew by him.

He asked if he could try my bike and I let him with the caveat that if he broke it he bought it. He came back with a big smile and said he would kill himself on the bike if he owned one of these.

Considering what these HD huys spend on accessories and just regular maintence using M1 4T one a season seems like a deal to me. My Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan 'likes' it also with much better shifting and it runs cooler and revs easier.

I think I'm doing some oil changes this weekend.


Yeah as long as you are getting your money's worth and not changing it out at 1000 miles then the 4T should serve you well.

There is no way I could change my oil once a year, i simply enjoy it too much!

 

[PT1]

I would change it at 12 months to remove the combustion by products.

 

[02zx9r]

Rotella works well in here!

 

[99TA]

My 99 Pontiac is driven about 40 miles a day,20 miles each way to work.The oil cap always is wet with moisture in cold weather and this car never does short trips.I think alot depends on the design of the PCV system and how well it pulls the moisture out.Keep in mind the average engine gets about 1 cup of water into its oil for every gallon of fuel used.I think what i would do is check for signs of moisture like at the oil cap etc.

 

[cheetahdriver]

i am surprised nobody referred you to mobil's aunt minnie test.

below is mobil's test, i don't think you can do any worse.

1. The aunt minnie test is the test of "the severity on the engine oil during this type of testing is attributed to conditions where the engine rarely reaches optimum operating temperatures."
2. The driving test consists of two short cycles, a 3 mile and 1.5 mile test.
3. "Under this severe driving condition, synthetic oil can provide excellent protection against engine wear and deposit formation."
4. The bulk oil temp ranged from 90 C in the summer to 30 C in the winter.
5. Fuel dilution was as high as 11%.
6. Cleanliness was excellent, the deck sludge rating was 9.7 out of 10.
7. "The iron content showed a low rate of increase, only 100 ppm after 40 months, although there has been a steady increase to over 600 ppm over the last 22 months. The source of iron has not been determined, as visual inspection of the engine did not indicate any abnormal wear or corrosion. In addition, elevated iron levels have not appeared in other test vehicles operating under 'aunt minnie' conditions."

The oil was a 5W30 running in a 3.1 L V6 with no oil drains.

The oil volume sampled was 5.5L and make-up was 4.4L. TBN retention was 33.

Test duration was for 60 months.


don't worry about the "short trips vs long trips" controversy.