Oil Change frequency

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turkeybird56

Military Vet 1976-1996 Retired US Army
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Hemi 5.7
Agree with Hemimann. Moisture in the oil is an issue regardless of syn or conventional oil. I would absolutely change at least every year. I would also make sure I got out on the hwy and get the engine up up to operating temp every couple weeks.
Yup moisture concern, especially if not run hard once in a while. Also on air cooled motors like mowers, air cooled motorcycles, and such. I had to run my HD real hard in winter to avoid condensation in oil, and it not get That cold here. I even see it in my air cooled Genny oil, which automatically runs 5 minutes an week.
 

Fnjoey

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I change mine every 5000 miles, I use mobile 1 full synthetic.
 

Harley Harrold

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Since I am retired now, I change my synthetic engine oil yearly, per the oil manufacturers recommendation. Before I changed the synthetic engine oil every 5K miles. Even though my truck sits a lot, and my location gets quite humid, the engine still sweats internally allowing moisture to enter the oil, driving and getting the oil up to temperature to burn off this moisture in needed, otherwise the oil needs to be changed more often.
 

howie12

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I have two Pentastar engines. One in my 2018 pacifica and I use Amsoil Signature 0w20 oil in it. Tht is Amsoil's 25,000 mile oil by their claim. The oil change indivcator and manual say 10000 miles for a change. My other PEntastar is in my 2020 Ram 1500 Longhorn 4x4. I have been using 0w20 Shell Rotella gas engine oil in it. The Pacifica has about 62,000 miles on it and the truck about 31,000 miles. I do an oil analysis using the AMsoil kits on all oils I change for fun and information.

I ignore the time interval for an oil change since my vehilces get run decent distances and get fully warmed up when used..

I also have A JCB backhoe/frontend loader with a 76 hp PErkins diesel engine and a small Misubishi 4wd tractor with a 3 cylinder 23 hp diesel. These get few hours on them and often don't get warmed well warmed up. The JCB has a 11 or 12 qt sump so a lot of spare oil/additives for the engine size. The little Mitsu has a 3 qt sump which is large relative to hp.

The two pieces of equipment get tested every year or two and typically changed every 6 or 7 years. I change the car and truck nominally at 10,000 miles which is usually 12-14 month interval. Once I ran the car 15,000 just to see the oil analysis so I could choose to run a bit longer than 10,000 if changing was inconvenient.

I change my own oil. I have never had a bad oil analysis and everything has significant life left in the oil based upon testing results. THe diesel engines still have good base numbers and very low particulate load and all additives still are at sufficient levels. Viscosity is alway OK for all tests/engines, I have never seen and notable water reported in a test nor have either the gas or diesel engines had any fuel dilution issues. I never see condensation on a dipstick when I pull it and never have seen milky oil except in my Polaris 700 which had the water pump and oil pump onthe same shaft with a seal between to keep them separated and it often failed. That engine was often used with 'mayonnaise' like oil do to water in the oil because it was all I had to plow snow because it was all I had to [plow the snow at the time. It never seemed to damage the engine and when last repaired it didn't use any oil and ran fine and I sold it with about 7000 miles/800 hours of hard use, with no apparent bad effect.

AS I said, I do the analysis for fun and at bout $20/test it is cheap fun for me. I hate throwing away good oil because changing is not a fun job and getting rid of the oild oil is a pain too. I am not an environmental fanatic but it also seems like a good idea to minimize unnecessary oil changes.

In the past I had an ecodiesel and a couple VOlvo inline 5 cylinder diesel engines in my boat and I always used oil analysis in them too.

None of my engines now or in the past are high/hour/mileag and none used pervceptable quantities of oil so no oil was added between changes.

My conslusions after 15+ years of doing analysis and using high quality synthetic oils is time is irrelevent in oil changes as long as your machines get warmed up periodically. I tend to stick with the mileage intervals recommended by the manufacturer but feeel comfortable running over 20% safely if timing for the change is inconvenient. If you use good synthetic oil of a name brand quality meeting the viscosity and specs set by the manufacturer I see no reason to change sooner than the mileage or hour limits set by the manufacturer. Dealers or oil change outlets recommending more frequent changes are feathering their own pockets or are just old fashioned and not up to date. Remember Kendalls big advertising slogan in the 1950s was "the 2000 mile oil" when many were recommending 1000 mile oil changes. OIls, additives, engine metallurgy, fuel properties and fuel quality at retail stations have all improved significantly. in the last 60 years.

On a separate subject I am generally not buying Amsoil products for routine oil change oils anymore since so much good stuff is available from the major oil Companies like Shell, XOM, CHevron, TOTAL etc at a much cheaper price. I still use Amsoil in snowmobiles, motorcycles and for 2 stroke engines. I also use their synthetic greases and transmission lubes and hypoid oils all things where the major oil COmpanies don't have similar stuff generally available at cost effective retail outlets.

All the best,
 

Terry1958

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I now use Blackstone Labs oil test to give me an idea on how well my oil is doing. I asked about time interval because I don't drive my truck much at all and they said time was not really a factor anymore. I sent them a sample with over 2 years but only 1500 miles on it. Tested great.
Also have my Avalon Hybrid tested. Toyota says 10000 miles, I change at 5000 miles, Blackstone says oil should be fine to 7000.
Makes me feel better getting an occasional test than rely of people's opinions.

And I use synthetic oil. Right now using QS Full Syn.
 

Jim113

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I bought my RAM just before covid hit in 2020 and since then I have only put 3900 miles (6300 km's) on it, but I still change my oil once a year using extended performance synthetic, regardless of the oil monitor ... Since you also live in Canada I would recommend the same ...
 

lpennock

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While I'm in the longer oil change camp, You don't want to exceed the intervals listed in the owns manual until you are no longer under warranty coverage. Engine replacements have been denied because of not being able to prove the oil changes had been done within the intervals listed.
 

Jim Bowker

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I live dangerously. I wait until the dash tells me to change it. I do that on my 2017 Ram, and prior to that I did it on my Ridgeline. Before having a vehicle that kept track of it, I just changed at 5k miles since it was easy to remember. What some people call "peace of mind" or "cheap insurance" I call wasteful. Apparently I live live on the edge - I don't change the oil until it says to, and I never buy extended warranties on anything, and yet the world continues to turn. To each his own.
 
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I barely put 4000 miles a year on my CTD, so I go by the EVIC. Going synthetic next oil change. Ive got almost 30,000 miles on it it's a 2015 model 2500.
 

mb33458

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I dont put many miles on my truck, about 4k over the past year. I take my truck to the dealership each year and have the oil change and tries rotated. They use full synthetic 0W20 (with OEM filter change), and I usually have a coupon. One year it was free, this year it cost me about $77. The truck is under full warranty for another 8 years, so I allow them to do the MPI. When my warranty wears out I might have another plan of action. They also throw in a free car wash. Only downside so far is it takes about 1.5 hours to complete.
 

Jane S

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Curious as heck. I have a 2015 Reg cab short box. I changed the oil at 33000 km now I am at 43000 km a year later. My oil change gauge shows 50% life left.
Do I change by the oil life gauge or kilometres driven.
Last change was with synthetic.
Just wanting to see what the consensus is.
Not worried about warrant as it is long gone.

Neither it is
mileage + idle hours = total miles

1 hr = 30 miles
 

Bandit1859

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Curious as heck. I have a 2015 Reg cab short box. I changed the oil at 33000 km now I am at 43000 km a year later. My oil change gauge shows 50% life left.
Do I change by the oil life gauge or kilometres driven.
Last change was with synthetic.
Just wanting to see what the consensus is.
Not worried about warrant as it is long gone.
Do not trust the oil life gauge. Watch your mileage change every 4-6000 miles you will be find
 

Lsujker

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I run synthetic oil in my snow plow jeep. 4.0, I-6. It's pretty much a winter vehicle/beater, doesn't see many miles. I go years between oil changes. Which is why I run Citgo synthetic. Changed it last winter... The sticker indicated last time i changed it was 5 years ago. The oil looked good and clean too. Not very dark. I think the time before that was around 4-5 year interval.

I'm not recommending that long of an interval ...just that the world isn't going to fall apart if ya go longer.
I have two yjs with the 4.0. One of them, the owner obviously never changed the oil. It’s a sludge motor at 199k miles. Slowly cleaning it out over time but she ticks. This would attest to the 4.0 durability.
The 4.0 and 5.7 are very different internally. One is flat tapped vs roller bearings. This single reason would keep me up at night think about that old oil just sitting there.
 

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if your mileage is low on the oil change period, and you dont drive your truck that often , sitting oil properties will change , I would change the oil after three months or 4000 to max 8000 km, i change mine every 4000 miles oil is cheap engines arent
 
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