I bought a 02 nissan frontier almost a year ago. I immediately changed the oil when I got it with 5w30 conventional valvoline and a wix filter. The truck is only used for light local hauling and grocery getting. I've put just over 2000 miles on it since buying it. I was initially thinking of a 4 to 5K mile interval but that may take another year or more before that occurs. Any issue with stretching this out to next spring or maybe just changing the oil and not the filter? The filter is a real pain to get to and I'm too old to be laying on a cold garage floor. This is a good truck with only 66K miles on it so I don't want to abuse it but also only want to perform "reasonable" maintenance.
How long can I push this oil fill?
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I would do once a year.
No floor time? Run a Fram Ultra 3 years. A yearly drain and fill is easily within Valvoline's abilities at only 2,000 miles. Probably 2 years, but check it with a UOA.
Filter should be good to 4K regardless if it's a year old. If the oil is a year old and this is a short tripper vehicle, just change the oil. Do the filter next time around.
What is going to happen to oil just sitting there? Nothing.
The filter goes by miles filtered. The oil has enough add pack to counter any acids from short tripping from such low mileage. Condensation will happen no matter how often you change the oil. As soon as you drive the car and get the oil temps past 212 degrees the water evaporates.
It feels good to change annually, but that's all it is a feeling. Every two years is half as often and more than enough protection left.
The filter goes by miles filtered. The oil has enough add pack to counter any acids from short tripping from such low mileage. Condensation will happen no matter how often you change the oil. As soon as you drive the car and get the oil temps past 212 degrees the water evaporates.
It feels good to change annually, but that's all it is a feeling. Every two years is half as often and more than enough protection left.
Only 2k miles a year. As long as your drives are long enough to get rid of any condensation, I would not hesitate to go 2 years / 4000 miles on an oil change. The engine will never know.
but if your drives are short, change the oil annually, and the filter bi-annually.
but if your drives are short, change the oil annually, and the filter bi-annually.
Originally Posted by Gebo
I would change the oil twice per year and the oil filter once per year.
How did you pick those numbers?
I would change the oil twice per year and the oil filter once per year.
How did you pick those numbers?
The worst scenario for oil life is short trips in extreme cold. From studies I've read, an appropriate oil change interval for such a scenario is 3000 miles.
I'm going to jump on the annual band wagon here since you don't mention any highway time. I'm also in the camp that believes if your going to change your oil the filter should be changes as well. I also think annual changes on short trippers should be performed in the spring so if I were you I would dump the oil and leave the filter for now, then in the spring change the oil and filter and then annual spring changes.
A good quality oil does not go bad over a year, nor does the TBN drop to the point where acids can't be neutralized by the additive package. There is no magic thing happening when uncontaminated oil sits inside the engine for a year. It remains perfectly viable. But no matter what, I'd suggest that you don't exceed the severe service interval.
Contrast that clean oil in your infrequently used vehicle, with over used contaminated oil, chock a block full of combustion byproducts, moisture, soot, unburned fuel, particulates, the remains of evaporated fuel and you get the picture. Oil use is what matters most, not time.
As always, choose a quality oil and change it frequently enough to remove contaminates, as the oil change is the only way to do this.
Contrast that clean oil in your infrequently used vehicle, with over used contaminated oil, chock a block full of combustion byproducts, moisture, soot, unburned fuel, particulates, the remains of evaporated fuel and you get the picture. Oil use is what matters most, not time.
As always, choose a quality oil and change it frequently enough to remove contaminates, as the oil change is the only way to do this.
2006 Sentra of ours with 106K on odometer does similar runs. Not more than 3000 miles per year. It doesn't run on the highways often because I don't feel very confident about the stability of the vehicle beyond 60mph. I change oil and filter once a year. I have been running Miles Lubricant's semi-syn 5W-30 for the last 4 years. Usually, I change the oil first thing as the temps go beyond 50F, somewhere around April or early May.
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
When changing oil once a year and putting a vehicle into storrage I always change the oil before Winter/storrage.
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
When changing oil once a year and putting a vehicle into storrage I always change the oil before Winter/storrage.
Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
What I am unable to figure out, is it better to change the oil in April/May or Oct/Nov i.e. immediate AFTER winter or BEFORE the winter sets in, or it doesn't matter. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
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Originally Posted by Duffyjr
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
This is true. My statement was about storage. Sorry.
If using the oil throughout the year and changing once a year, do it in the Spring.
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
This is true. My statement was about storage. Sorry.
If using the oil throughout the year and changing once a year, do it in the Spring.
Originally Posted by ka9mnx
Originally Posted by Duffyjr
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
This is true. My statement was about storage. Sorry.
If using the oil throughout the year and changing once a year, do it in the Spring.
I definitely agree with this. Cold weather use will bring more fuel contamination so a spring oil change makes sense. In my winter beater I need at least 2 oil changes a year and typically use a 0w30 or 0w40 in the winter and something thicker in the summer, so a spring and winter change makes sense. I change it just before it gets too cold to do it outside comfortably.
In my summer car that gets stored it gets changed also right before storage for winter. Then again sometime in the summer when it gets around 3k miles of mostly short trips.
Originally Posted by Duffyjr
I say spring for my TBI 5.7, the oil reeks of gas come April, so my thought process is it's damaged oil. This time of year and thru the summer it's not to bad because I'm not letting it idle in the mornings. My 3800 doesn't really matter, I don't think it gets much gas in the oil thru the winter letting it idle in the mornings. Both are short trippers.
This is true. My statement was about storage. Sorry.
If using the oil throughout the year and changing once a year, do it in the Spring.
I definitely agree with this. Cold weather use will bring more fuel contamination so a spring oil change makes sense. In my winter beater I need at least 2 oil changes a year and typically use a 0w30 or 0w40 in the winter and something thicker in the summer, so a spring and winter change makes sense. I change it just before it gets too cold to do it outside comfortably.
In my summer car that gets stored it gets changed also right before storage for winter. Then again sometime in the summer when it gets around 3k miles of mostly short trips.
I would get the cheapest "synthetic" Supertech or QS or Castrol, as previously said on here, it is just a better processed regular oil. Less active organic compounds to form waxes or paraffinize. Less sulphur.
Such an oil ages better and can do 24 months/ 4-5k miles, has higher base number.
A conventional oil could possibly do that, but not worth the risk saving the 5$ or less.
Such an oil ages better and can do 24 months/ 4-5k miles, has higher base number.
A conventional oil could possibly do that, but not worth the risk saving the 5$ or less.
Originally Posted by DrDanger
I would get the cheapest "synthetic" Supertech or QS or Castrol, as previously said on here, it is just a better processed regular oil. Less active organic compounds to form waxes or paraffinize. Less sulphur.
Such an oil ages better and can do 24 months/ 4-5k miles, has higher base number.
A conventional oil could possibly do that, but not worth the risk saving the 5$ or less.
This!
I would get the cheapest "synthetic" Supertech or QS or Castrol, as previously said on here, it is just a better processed regular oil. Less active organic compounds to form waxes or paraffinize. Less sulphur.
Such an oil ages better and can do 24 months/ 4-5k miles, has higher base number.
A conventional oil could possibly do that, but not worth the risk saving the 5$ or less.
This!
Originally Posted by JLTD
Run a Fram Ultra 3 years. A yearly drain and fill is easily within Valvoline's abilities at only 2,000 miles. Probably 2 years, but check it with a UOA.
Fram Ultra for sure. It has wire backing, and is NOT made of paper like most other oil filters. The paper Wix oil filter you have is good, but I wouldn't leave it in more than a year.
Fram Ultra can go 3 years easily. Just change the oil every year if using a conventional cheap oil, or change every 2 years if using the Mobil1 Euro 0w40 cheap at walmart in 5 quart jugs.
M1 0w40 meets a lot of long-drain high quality performance specifications that says 2 years in your case is very reachable.
Run a Fram Ultra 3 years. A yearly drain and fill is easily within Valvoline's abilities at only 2,000 miles. Probably 2 years, but check it with a UOA.
Fram Ultra for sure. It has wire backing, and is NOT made of paper like most other oil filters. The paper Wix oil filter you have is good, but I wouldn't leave it in more than a year.
Fram Ultra can go 3 years easily. Just change the oil every year if using a conventional cheap oil, or change every 2 years if using the Mobil1 Euro 0w40 cheap at walmart in 5 quart jugs.
M1 0w40 meets a lot of long-drain high quality performance specifications that says 2 years in your case is very reachable.
Go ahead and change it every 2-3 years. It's been proven via UOA's time is not a limiting factor on oil protection ability.
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