Oil Change Interval ?

[Busted Knuckle]

Brian your oil consumpsion will depend on the condition of yer engine, the use of it, & the amount of miles on the oil (the more mile the thinner it is)! I'd say on yer trip with the mountians, and distance of "straight thru driving" that you should use less than or right at a gallon each way! If you don't it'll show yer engines in pretty good shape for the age/mileage. BK 

[TomC]

In general, with the older style 2 strokers, 1,000- 1,500 miles per gallon burned is normal.  On newer designe, 2,000-3,000 miles is normal, and they should burn oil-it's the nature of the beast with the piston and rings running over the intake ports every stroke.  If you don't burn oil-watch out-maybe to dry and could cause cylinder scoring.  On any 4 stroke, a tight engine should at most be down one gallon at time of change with no adding in between changes.  When any engine gets below 1 gallon per 1,000 miles, it is time for overhaul.  Good Luck, TomC

[FloridaCliff]

Is anyone just changing there oil based on the oil analysis results?

It would seem to be the most accurate way! 

Or is "change it once a year" regardless of miles,  the makes me feel good route and its safe.

My plan was once a year (I only run about 4000 miles) and get an analysis....but I may just send in the sample first and then decide.

OK , oil experts chime in.....especially you fleet guys.....

Cliff

[gg04]

 Just got home from GAT in Dallas..the biggest seller this year was bypass oil filters ,pm services and automatic power systems...(gen. hyd. pump and ac compressor units for no idle time)  all the major engine manufactures but one showed up with a factory installed bypass filter of their own..current pm thinking is that the major wear on a engine is fuel soot...If your oil turns black in under 1000 miles of driving then you have a soot problem...Look into subscribing to one of the current pm companies they are every where now and for low usage users average about $75. a year....If a anayliss company does not want to know what motor trans and driving style and a base line oil sample then you are just wasteing your money....whether you change oil or not is your decision based on real facts..... I haven't changed oil in any vehicle I have owned since the 80's..unless the oil anayliss showed it needed done..to each his own...gg04

[plyonsMC9]

Hello there gg04,

Thanks for your input to the thread - and welcome aboard!  Good to have you here.

I hadn't heard of the Preventive Maintenance company.  What is the name of one you have used or heard of in Dallas?

Thanks - and Best Regards, Phil

[TomC]

gg04- Having black oil has nothing to do with engine condition or filtering.  When I was trucking, I always got my oil analyzed (Speedco is a good one-have it done while changing the oil) and ultimately decided on 12,000mi for the oil change interval.  While I could have gone closer to 15,000mi, it was just easier to do the oil change at intervals of 12's on the odometer, then I didn't have to remember mileages.  My point- they would change the oil, run the engine to check for leaks, then I would leave. I always rechecked the oil about 200 miles later, and by then it was black.  Heck, on my Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel, I change it every 3,000mi and it turns black immediately-and it has 262,000mi on it.  Black oil doesn't mean anything-it just means the oil is doing its' job of cleaning the engine.  Always- Oil analysis is the ONLY real determining factor.  Good Luck, TomC

[bobofthenorth]

In my 8-92 I change every 15,000 km and sample every 7500 km.  The only time I ever had a sample come back telling me that I needed to change was after we changed the oil pan - we must have got some dirt in while changing the pan.  I have a good friend who used to run 8-92s in OTR trucks on furniture hauls.  He tells me that they never changed at less than 20,000 miles.  Personally I think sitting idle is harder on most of our engines than the little bit of time they spend running & I intend to stick to the 15,000 km interval.

[niles500]

Da book always sets Oil/Filter changes at milage intervals 'except on marine and industrial applications' - Oil has spent millions of years under the earth without degrading - time will not kill your lubricant - dirt/contaminents (fuel too from idling) will - with the high price and diminishing stock piles of crude - oil analysis may be the best thing going - no sense in wasting good oil - FWIW

[JimG]

One way to deal with changing the oil yourself, is to install a drain valve instead of a drain plug. This way you can catch smaller amounts of oil at a time and not try to catch 8 gallons in one shot.
Jim G. - Ohio 1979 RTS-II

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

If you do change your own oil, one of these 58-qt. pans should make it easy to catch, store, then recycle it. Presently, I use a big tile saw basin I got at Home Depot, then pour it off into empty gallon jugs... but that Blitz pan looks pretty sweet.

Brian

[gg04]

Black oil has everything to do with oil condition...for years we ignored fuel soot as just an unavoidiable by product of running our engines....times change...Black oil means the additives are working trapping the soot and keeping it in suspension...the more it circulates the more wear it causes on your engine.. . Bypass oil filters are designed to remove all contaminents...even the major eingine manufactures offer them now...modern labs have made it possible to check and contain wear...Just run a web search on p m labs and you can find one near you ...just because we have lived with it for years does not make it right...gg04