When should I change the oil?
- Thread starter MSTUEBER
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Once a year and try to give it 30 min of highway time once a month if you can.
If you actually get the oil nice and hot on the first and last drives of the year, I would say you could likely leave in service a few years. 400 miles a year? Why dont you drive it more?
Personally I only put a couple thousand miles a year on my truck and I change it once a year with synthetic
Once a year with a quality conventional would be A-OK.
Does it leak at all? If it does, I'd use Maxlife, change it once a year and call it a day.
Does it leak at all? If it does, I'd use Maxlife, change it once a year and call it a day.
Based on UOA and the Total Base Number of any national brand oil in a car driven only 400 miles a year, I'd skip a year.
After all, your oil won't look dirty in just 400 miles right? Any sign of coolant in the oil? Fix it and change it.
After all, your oil won't look dirty in just 400 miles right? Any sign of coolant in the oil? Fix it and change it.
If it were me, I'd do an annual oil change. My car does 1200 mi/yr and I change annually with Mobil 1. But, both of us could likely go 2-3 yrs w/o a problem, as long as every time we go out, the car is run to fully hot conditions (12-20 miles). At $18-$20 per oil change, it's not breaking the bank to change annually. If it were $50, I might shoot for 2yrs.
Use a good quality conventional oil and keep it in for two years. If the garage is attached to the house you could go three years.
Drive it a bit more. Those Mazdas want to run, not sit in a garage.
How about coolant? Brake fluid? Differentials?
Drive it a bit more. Those Mazdas want to run, not sit in a garage.
How about coolant? Brake fluid? Differentials?
400 miles is really nothing for any oil on the shelves today, you could easily leave it in there for 18 months, if you get the engine nice and hot every time you take it out you could probably even extend that to 2 years.
I'd use Mobil 1 10w30 HM
I'd use Mobil 1 10w30 HM
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Originally Posted By: MSTUEBER
I have a 1992 Miata that I only put about 400 miles a year on it. I changed the oil last month. Do I need
to change the next year or will the oil be good for a few years. I only drive it on nice days and sits in the garage.
This guy went 5 years and about 1700 miles on his oil: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4190879/1992_Surburban_Big_Block_-_M1_
I would suggest next time you feel like changing oil, send in an oil sample for testing. Anything anyone is saying right now is speculation until a UOA is done.
I have a 1992 Miata that I only put about 400 miles a year on it. I changed the oil last month. Do I need
to change the next year or will the oil be good for a few years. I only drive it on nice days and sits in the garage.
This guy went 5 years and about 1700 miles on his oil: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4190879/1992_Surburban_Big_Block_-_M1_
I would suggest next time you feel like changing oil, send in an oil sample for testing. Anything anyone is saying right now is speculation until a UOA is done.
Once a year, conventional or synthetic of the proper weight.
dnewton3
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Originally Posted By: MSTUEBER
I have a 1992 Miata that I only put about 400 miles a year on it. I changed the oil last month. Do I need
to change the next year or will the oil be good for a few years. I only drive it on nice days and sits in the garage.
Oil has no idea how old it is. As long as conditions are good, and the add-pack isn't overwhelmed, oil can last a LONG time.
There are some UOAs here (admittedly not the norm) that show 3-5 years is easily doable, presuming the engine systems (air filtration, coolant, PCV, etc) are in good shape. I run 3-4 years in a few of my low-use equipment applications and have never had a bad UOA. There is a UOA here somewhere from a 11 year (ELEVEN!) OCI. Low use and long storage. And yet the UOA was fine; both engine and lube were not compromised.
You can rest assured the oil will EASILY go 3 years, given your 400mi/yr average. And no, you don't need a syn to do this, either. There's no evidence that shows a syn is any better at long term storage than a dino, despite all the marketing hype and BITOG rhetoric you'll hear.
You didn't ask, but the corresponding topic is that of the filter. A "normal" cellulose filter can easily go 3 years at your use level as well. 5 years is a bit "iffy" according to Jim Allen, who got the insider tour at Fram a few years back. A fully syn media filter could probably double that easily; 6-10 years is conceivable.
I have a 1992 Miata that I only put about 400 miles a year on it. I changed the oil last month. Do I need
to change the next year or will the oil be good for a few years. I only drive it on nice days and sits in the garage.
Oil has no idea how old it is. As long as conditions are good, and the add-pack isn't overwhelmed, oil can last a LONG time.
There are some UOAs here (admittedly not the norm) that show 3-5 years is easily doable, presuming the engine systems (air filtration, coolant, PCV, etc) are in good shape. I run 3-4 years in a few of my low-use equipment applications and have never had a bad UOA. There is a UOA here somewhere from a 11 year (ELEVEN!) OCI. Low use and long storage. And yet the UOA was fine; both engine and lube were not compromised.
You can rest assured the oil will EASILY go 3 years, given your 400mi/yr average. And no, you don't need a syn to do this, either. There's no evidence that shows a syn is any better at long term storage than a dino, despite all the marketing hype and BITOG rhetoric you'll hear.
You didn't ask, but the corresponding topic is that of the filter. A "normal" cellulose filter can easily go 3 years at your use level as well. 5 years is a bit "iffy" according to Jim Allen, who got the insider tour at Fram a few years back. A fully syn media filter could probably double that easily; 6-10 years is conceivable.
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Unless I had insane levels of idling, I'd go 3000 miles minimum even on SuperTech dino, even if it took me 5 years or more. My Suburban went 5 years on M1 (link was posted above) and likely could have gone another 5 years. The PYB in my 94 Pontiac has been in there for 2 years with no issues, the engine is smooth & quiet - about 2000 miles so far. I will likely never change the oil in the Pontiac again, just keep it topped off - the car will be junked in a year or two as it's getting a little old and has to sit outside. The engine has many years left though for someone who would drive it more. Don't waste your money on useless oil changes, buy good quality food instead - eat more steaks.
I just changed the 25 year old rear differential oil and anti-freeze last week. It does not lose one drop of any fluids in
all these years. In the winter I pull the battery cable off and plug it back up in spring, and it just fires back up.
all these years. In the winter I pull the battery cable off and plug it back up in spring, and it just fires back up.
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