Yearly OCI?

[JANDSZIRKLE]

Ok, here goes.... Wife and i picked up two beaters, both in decent shape, well over 200k miles. Our driving is a lot of short trips, but at least once every 2 weeks they are each given a nice long ride at 50-75 mph. Neither of them goes over 5k miles per year. Was wondering, would using a synthetic oil and changing it once a year be sufficient? No leaks, not burning more than 1/2 a quart per vehicle between changes. Was looking at Mobil 1 high mileage and after doing some googling and reading up here, it looks like it would be sufficient for a yearly change. Mother in law has a Jeep cherokee with 4.0 and cleaned out my stash of Rotella T, well, all but 1 gallon i got at Wally world cheap, so im looking into alternatives. And yes, it would be for the two vehicles in my signature.
Thanks for any advice!

 

[SatinSilver]

Are you related to Gearheadtool or TechnoloGs by chance? You sound familiar.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

No, sorry, no relatives here that i know of.

 

[SatinSilver]

You have a few things in common: funny sounding username, just bought old clunkers, lots of questions, long winded, new username, same region etc...

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

my username is combo of mine and the wifes name, J for josh, S for sarah and our last name, sorry if that confuses you.

 

[SatinSilver]

No problem there Josh Zirkle.

 

[bigdawg74]

User names aside, I think if you have no leaks, have a longer trip every two weeks, and put less than 5K a year on the ODO, go with a stout conventional and still change once a year.

 

[Cujet]

No problem with 1 year OCI's with quality oils, considering the low annual miles driven.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I should think based upon your driving conditions that you could choose a good conventional oil (such as Mobil Super 5000 which is about $13 per 5QT jug) and relax. MS5K comes in an HM version as well if you want to use one. Run a Motorcraft filter on both (if one is made for the Durango) and save a little more. You could easily run both on less than $40 for oil annually.

 

[FZ1]

No full synthetics. Use a blend or a conventional.

 

[JimPghPA]

I ran GC in our 2001 Impala with the 3.4 Liter V6 for 8K miles over 24 months. I did a UOI using a Napa oil analysis kit number FIL 4077 that cost $14.25 + tax. The TBN came back as 2 (still ok but time to change it as a TBN of 1 would be the minimum safe number). The oil did thicken to a 14.2 viscosity (a 40 weight instead of a 30). This was most likely due to acid being absorbed and neutralized by the oil and its additives.

Look at BITOG thread number 2993406 to read my original thread regarding this. I had a type error regarding be sure that it had not caused any engine damage. That was due to me being tired at the time I wrote it.

 

[andyd]

I should prolly change the oil in the Rat. It has been in there over a year. Less than 3000 miles is why I havent. It has a 4.0 What engine is in your Ranger?

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

Ranger is a 2.3L all original. Very little rust underneath just a spot on the hood about the size of a fifty cent coin. I had another one years ago same engine and ran over 350 thousand on it. Great little trucks.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I should think based upon your driving conditions that you could choose a good conventional oil (such as Mobil Super 5000 which is about $13 per 5QT jug) and relax.

Agreed.

 

[gfh77665]

I concur. Good conventional + good filter + less than 5k = annual OCI. Perfect.

 

[chubbs1]

I can only speak for the 4.0 engine (personally) and that thing could probably run on bar and chain oil for 1 year OCI's. (OK, just kidding) but those engines are so tough and there is no need to run "syn" in there for the type of driving you are doing over the 1year.

Use the MS5K or any other oil you like for that matter. The oil in your sig. MLNextGen would handle it fine too. Pick the major brand you like the color packaging/price the most. Seriously, all the major brands tiers are more than adequate for your most vehicles.

 

[Stelth]

Very timely thread for me, as I was going to ask a very similar question about my Dad's car. It's time for him to stop driving, but I think he should keep his car for a while, so that people can take him places and so on. '03 Hyundai, 103k miles, pretty well maintained. I'm thinking PYB and a death can (or whatever) once a year.

 

[JANDSZIRKLE]

Gonna run yearly OCI i think, didn't want too over think it, but with all the experience and knowledge here, felt i should get some insight first. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[wally6934]

JANDSZIRKLE, It gets cold in Virginia, for that reason alone i would use synthetic. I went from 10W-30 conventional to 10W-30 Mobil 1 HM. Big difference in winter cranking (Wi). I also only change oil once a year and have 200K miles on van. As i am concerned about timing chain wear with this many miles, i use the best oil i can find, not the worst i can get by with.

Mobil 1 HM is $22.50 for 5 quarts at Walmart.
Mobil Super 5000 $13 for 5 quarts at Walmart.

Or to put it another way, for $10 more a year you will have the best oil in all areas, like cold startup, wear, life of oil, and most importantly, piece of mind.

 

[FXjohn]

the NAPA synthetic is 3.49 when it goes on sale. just stock up