I gotta general question about oil changes. I know it's smart to change it every 3,000 or 3 months. If I've only gone 1.5k over a period of 5 months is it important that I change the oil? There's still plenty of oil left. I guess the question is does oil go bad after a certain period? Sorry if thats a stupid question
as far as time goes, i'd say 6-8 months in a crankcase is a safe shelf life for a motor oil. after a motor oil is exposed to air it begins to degrade, so yes it does go bad. it just takes a while.
um....you can change your oil every 7500 miles if you want........to reduce your engine life buy alot. its cheap and you might as well get it done every 3k.
__________________
Limited Lip, 05 Tails, Oem Fogs, Group N Top Hats, JDM Pinks, Whiteline 24mm Sways, Python 990.
Originally posted by monk3y change your oil every 7500 miles.
as far as time goes, i'd say 6-8 months in a crankcase is a safe shelf life for a motor oil. after a motor oil is exposed to air it begins to degrade, so yes it does go bad. it just takes a while.
you for real? change every 2-3k miles. oil needs to be changed bc it gets dirty from running though the engine collecting dirt and what not right? regular or synthetic it still runs through the same oil gallaries and filter so why would you run synthetic oil longer without being changed? big misunderstanding about synthetic oil.
why would you use synthetic oil in an engine that was built for regular oil anyway? synthetic runs cooler which would prevent the internal components from reaching peak operating tempurature and achieving optimum thermoexpansion.
to answer your question. yes change your oil. even though you didnt put that many miles on it, it sat in your oil pan and wasnt able to move around that much so it lost some of its properites and is due for an oil change.
yeah i'm dead serious. if you like throwing away money, change your oil every 3000 miles. some evidence suggests if you like ruining your engine change it that frequently.
try getting your oil samples analyzed by labs. when you do, you'll find out that your oil at 7500 miles is almost as good as it was at 1000. the only reason you ought to change at that point is because the filter has probably crapped out. Gerhard's done a lot of independent testing on this, search for his posts for more insight into why the 3000 mi change is a scam.
why run synthetics in a "motor designed for conventional"? maybe it's the superior basestock that outlasts group III dino stocks, or the superior additive packages that prevent foaming, condition ring seals, or flow better at cold engine temps? maybe it's simply the superior lubrication and need for less frequent oil changes?
what does the honda manual say about oil change intervals? 5,000 miles? i don't have one handy but i'll bet you 1,000,000 bucks that it doesn't say 3,000. in fact the only people saying 3,000 miles are the oil companies and jiffy lube. i wonder why...
about thermo-expansion, how much "cooler" is synthetic running? in an engine where there are already tight tolerances, how much does it need to expand? what expands? rods? slugs? crankshaft?
if you can show me a lab report of a healthy engine's oil with significantly more wear metal after a 7500 mile change on a good full syn (let's say M1, or amsoil) i'll be impressed.
Engine wear actually decreases as oil ages. This has also been substantiated in testing conducted by Ford Motor Co. and ConocoPhillips, and reported in SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. What this means is that compulsive oil changers are actually causing more engine wear than the people who let their engine's oil get some age on it.
synthetic runs 30-60 degrees cooler. that would make a difference in thermoexpansion. all of that said and done about synthetic being the superior basestock oil. when oil flows through the oil gallaries it needs to flow at a viscosity, to flow at a certain pressure, which is why the gallaries have a specific bore. use a thinner oil (synthetic) and it will flow though the gallaries and the orfices at a much faster rate, bringing down oil pressure. same is said for using to thick of an oil, causing oil pressure to raise.
regular oil doesnt have additives in them either? they have the same additives in them that some synthetics do. unless the oil doesnt have a SAE logo on it, they have additivies in them.
what is oil used for in an engine? clean, cool, seal and prevent erosion correct? so by replacing this oil and using new fresh oil will cause more damage than letting old dirty oil sit for more than it should? that is the same as saying cleaning your car will do more damage to the paint than not cleaning it and letting the dirt bake on it.
i am not saying synthetic oils are bad, i am just saying that using the oil that is recommend by the engineers who built the car is the best oil to use. if they are smart enough to build the engine, i would believe they were smart enough to pick the best oil to use for that engine. if i get a car that uses synthetic oil from the factory i wont go to regular and stick with synthetic for the life of that engine.
monk3y is right. Although I wouldn't reccomend going 7500 miles, going 4000-5000 isn't gonna harm you any, it's the filter that goes bad before the oil.
And as far as the company putting synthetic in their cars. Sometimes the cost becomes a little bit more of a factor. Synthetic oil is better for the engine, but it costs more. Honda is saving a lot of money by using conventional oil. It does not mean Honda is a bad company for it, in fact it means they are a smarter company. So just because the car doesn't come out of the factory with synthetic doesn't mean that it's better off without it.
__________________
"You think anyone's gonna want a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys? ... Forget about it."
Simple as this: Filtration and the type of oil makes a huge difference. I send my oil to Blackstone Labs every change. I went 9K mi last time and they said everything is fine. I Vtec every time I drive. Also, the 9K is about 50/50 city/highway. That proves to me that I don't have to change every 3. BTW I use Amsoil Synthetic 0W30 and 10W40 and Amsoil extended/oversized filters.
__________________
Your signature is too big. So big it just won't fit.
this also has a lot to do with are cars using oil so you are always adding oil !! you can not send a lab a oil sampel from a h22a with 9k on it !!!! if you add new oil all bets are off ??see what im saying ???or am i just that wrong !!interesting post !!
yes, monk3y is right. i too have had my oil analyzed after 7500 miles and was still in great shape. like he said, search under Gerhard, its been beaten to death.
I'm known for ranting about this... but you don't generally need to change your oil ever 3000 miles or 3 months.
It's a total waste and will not keep your car running longer.
Normal motor oils: every 5000 miles.
Synthetic motor oils: every 7500 miles.
There are only TWO times to change your oil sooner than that:
1) The car sits for long periods of time without being driven.
2) The car it in an extrememly dusty environment.
With regard to #1:
If a car doesn't warm up to operating temp for at least 15 mintues a day, then water from the air will start to get into the oil. If this is the case, the oil needs to be changed at specific TIME intervals without regard for the milage on the oil.
With regard to #2:
If a car is operated in a dusty enviroment, then dirt particles will be sucked into the intake at a higher than acceptable level. This will then coat the inside of the combustion chamber and slide past the rings and into your oil. (Yes, it really does happen that way...) In this case you need to change the oil at low intervals of milage.
Also, you do not want to use a K&N drop-in oiled filter in dusty environments. They do not filter as well as the OEM or foam filters.
Despite adding oil, my filter went 9K with out needing changing. Yes some of the oil is new cause it's burning up however, I don't get under my car every month and a half. I do it twice a year. Blackstone labs only proves to me that I don't need to do it every three and the oil and air filtration I'm using is fine. (if there is high silicon in your test sample, that's bad air filtration i.e. sand)
__________________
Your signature is too big. So big it just won't fit.
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
