Oil Change

[Idaho45guy]

I'm 48 and an old hot rodder, so I've been working on engines and doing everything from oil changes to full engine rebuilds since I was a teen. I use Mobil 1 and Bosch oil filters and change them every 7k miles.

The last time I had an engine issue related to cylinder wear or other internal damage was in 1994. It was a `70 Torino GT with the 351C 4v motor that was burning oil and fouling plugs. Valves were shot. Factory compression ratio was 10.7:1 and the motor had 86k miles on it. It was just plain wore out.

All of my newer vehicles have oil that still looks pretty clean after 7k miles. The old V8s from the 60's and 70's had oil that was dirty and nearly black after just 3k miles.

Modern V8s are so much better than what I learned on in the 80's. I'm amazed that my 1/2-ton 4x4 pickup has 400hp and gets 20mpg on the highway while being faster than most muscle cars from the 60's.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Everything I've read, states the Vibe was assembled in Cali, Now maybe Toyota made all the engine/drivetrains for the Vibe in Canada? and maybe that is what your door sticker is referencing?

Vibes ...used the same Toyota-sourced platform and 1.8-liter four-cylinder engines.
http://www.guideautoweb.com/en/artic...-of-the-other/

The body components and much of the equipment/controls are not the same between the two brands. But, if it makes you feel better, to think the Vibe is the same as the Matrix, I guess I won't stop you. IMHO, they are not the same.

[jcwit]

Believe as you wish! Try buying parts from Toyota, they are less expensive there.

Same running gear, different body, like comparing a Chevy to a Buick, same running gear, different badge!

[shoot-n-lead]

3000 miles at 35 mph is easier than 3000 miles at 70 mph since the engine is working harder at higher rpms.

NO...it is not...the engine runs twice as many hours for the same amount of miles.

Most modern vehicles are only turning 1700rpms or so, at 70mph.

[TexasGrunt]

How does it tell you? My 2013 Tundra doesn't have an oil life monitor, but it is probably a base model. It gets an oil change at 10K miles whether it needs it or not.

Sorry about that. Should have been Tahoe.

[Josh Smith]

I'd kinda like a CJ2a.

Josh

[Lloyd Smale]

I'm a bit old school and allways changed my oil at 3k. Last couple new trucks I bought came with 3 free oil changes. took the 2015 in after the first 3k and the service tech about told me to go home. He said I was nuts and that's the chevy garage! He said don't even consider it till 5k. I told him id at least like this oil change to be done because its a new motor and is breaking in. He said that thinking is as old as 3k oil changes. total waste of time and money. this is a service manager that I know personaly. not someone hoping my engine calfs in 60k so I have to buy a new truck. He said most people up here where theres condensation from winter driving should get the oil changed every 5-7 k but if you live where the temp swings aren't so drastic you could easily go 10k. Like was said. Engines have improved drastically in the last 20 years and so have oils. Biggest thing you can do for yourself today is buy a quality oil filter. theres a big difference in some of the good ones and the cheap generics. the service manager did tell me that the oil life reading on these vehicles isn't a good thing to rely on. Many times oil life is much longer then the guage will tell you and other situations where you drive in extreme cold or heat or high dust areas it isn't sensitive enough to depend on. He recommended I either go with 5k or look to change about when the oil life says 30 percent. Said that was REAL conservative. Like some others too, I used to change my own oil. But when I can get it done without crawling under my truck, getting dirty, getting oil on everything and have a qualified tech look over the rest of my vehicle for an extra 15-20 bucks it just doesn't make sense. I still wont go to a quick lube where teen agers are doing the work. I go to either my dealer or a local mechanic. Most times at 5k I'm ready for a tire rotation too and it doesn't cost much more to have them do that. I think the last time I had the jeep done it was 50 bucks for a synthetic blend change, filter, balance and rotation. If I had to buy the oil and filter it would cost half that. So 25 bucks extra maybe twice a year. I piss away more then that on a pack of gas checks. pretty cheap insurance for a truck that cost more then I paid for my home.

[alamogunr]

One thing I haven't noticed in this thread is mention of crankcase capacity. My 1998 F-150 required 5 quarts. The 2013 Tundra needs 8 quarts. I don't know anything about other late model trucks but assume that most are more than 5 quarts. I know that the big over the road diesels measure crankcase capacity in gallons. Have they also gone to synthetic?

[waksupi]

I had the oil changed in my '95 Mercury Tracer yesterday. They said it has a severe oil leak. Strange, no oil on the ground where it's been parked, and may need a quart added every 3000 miles or so. What's up with that? Think they buggered something?

I'm not going to put money in to fixing it, I've more than got my money's worth out of it.

[John Allen]

I use good filters, synthetic oil and change it every 5000 miles.

[ole 5 hole group]

Mobil 1 is mainly a very high grade petroleum oil, it is not a full synthetic but still is a great oil. Amsoil, Royal Purple and a few others are full synthetic. Oils coming from Germany saying full synthetic are full synthetic. Mobil 1 sued Castol many years ago over their false advertising of synthetic oil - courts ruled as long as the oil contained some parts of synthetic it could be called synthetic - buyer beware.

I run Amsoil and their oil filters, I change once a year - normal driving now is 12,000/14,000 miles a year - my '01 sequoia is closing in on 300,000 miles. Doesn't use oil and no engine problems. I've been using Amsoil since the mid/late 1970's and change once a year - several vehicles and 2 pickups since have never used oil or had engine problems - all ran over 180,000 miles, some went a tad over 250,000 miles.

I started running dual oil filters in 2001 with the Sequoia & Tundra - probably not necessary and an added expense for the by-pass filter but it makes me sleep better.

I change tranny fluid myself every 75,000 miles - that's a complete flush using Amsoil synthetic tranny fluid. Drop the pan, as the pan bolt is recessed and the pan still holds almost a quart of fluid when it stops dripping. Replace pan and add 6 quarts of tranny fluid. Disconnect the upper tranny cooler line (discharge), run the motor for a couple seconds pumping out 2 quarts of fluid at a time - replace with new tranny fluid and repeat until you have pumped out all the old fluid from the torque converter - on my Sequoia I pump out and replace 10 quarts.

If one just wants to do a pan flush - flush every 30,000 to 36,000 miles and you should be golden.

That's what I've done/do and recommend to all who ask but each to their own, as there are some lemons out there and nothing you do will make a difference.

[jmort]

Mobil 1 is a "full" synthetic per API definition. It is just a marketing term. Some Mobil synthetic varients are group III, but Mobil 1 is group IV
Redline is probably closest to the fullest synthetic, but that does not make it best for all applications.
Regardless, Mobil 1 is a full synthetic as that term is defined by API.
Lot nonsense about synthetic oil out there.
AMSOIL buys some of their bases from.....Mobil
There are some real good group III oils.
Just get a decent oil and the best synthetic oil filter you can find.
The AMSOIL drones/"dealers" are getting a good product, but it is not the ne plus ultra.

[robg]

When petrol motors start to burn oil its usually the valve stem seals gone not the rings etc these days.

[DerekP Houston]

I leave transmission services up to the professionals.

Josh

I do a 3qt drain and refill on my civic every 15k or so. Depends on the vehicle but none of the ones I've owned recommend power flushing the transmission anymore.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup the jeep holds 7 and the Silverado 8. Bound to last longer then the same engine pushing 5 around. As to diesels. My son in law is a diesel mechanic and he said 90 percent of diesel trucks he services and knows about use conventional shell Rotella.

One thing I haven't noticed in this thread is mention of crankcase capacity. My 1998 F-150 required 5 quarts. The 2013 Tundra needs 8 quarts. I don't know anything about other late model trucks but assume that most are more than 5 quarts. I know that the big over the road diesels measure crankcase capacity in gallons. Have they also gone to synthetic?

[Lloyd Smale]

could be your front or rear main seal. they tend to leak when the motors running. Still should be some oil on the ground though from its getting on everything under your vehicle. I once had a olds cutlass with the crappy first gen 3.8 motor. It would go through a quart of oil every 300-500 miles and didn't smoke a bit. Modern ignition systems have spark power strong enough to burn it off fairly cleanly. If it puffs smoke at start up its probably your valve seals. Biggest problem with todays vehicles is moisture. Lots of guys install catch cans like the racers use these days to keep it from getting it and blow by oil sucked through your intake manifold and coating your valves. With direct injection you loose the spray of gasoline from the fuel injector that used to wash the valves.

I had the oil changed in my '95 Mercury Tracer yesterday. They said it has a severe oil leak. Strange, no oil on the ground where it's been parked, and may need a quart added every 3000 miles or so. What's up with that? Think they buggered something?

I'm not going to put money in to fixing it, I've more than got my money's worth out of it.

[dbarry1]

Oil change every 3,000 miles just like Dad. He's always said, it the cheapest maintenance you'll ever do (on the most expensive component).

[nicholst55]

I'd kinda like a CJ2a.

Josh

I used to own a '49 CJ2A, that had a '59 OHV 4-cylinder dropped in. It would climb walls - not quickly, as it was very low-geared, but it would climb walls!

[MaryB]

I had a 53 Willy's Utility Wagon, someone had transplanted a Ford 289 into it. Thing had 4 shift levers, the 4 speed, transfer case high/low, 2wd/4wd, and an added on under/overdrive so it could do 55 on the highway. In 4wd low low it would crawl on its own at 2mph... and basically would crawl over just about anything.

[finstr]

Wow, so much talk here! I've been a automotive technician for over 30 years now. Spent 15 years with Toyota. I was there when the recommended oil change interval went from 6,000 to 8,000 due 100% to customers complaining about service cost. Toyota changed NOTHING other than the numbers on paper. No re-engineering, no upgraded oils, nothing. Still the engines would easily go 500,000.
People brag about what's best for their engine and how many miles they can drive it only to trade it in at 250k or scrap it at 350k.
So ask yourself, how far do you really want to drive the same car? Most people get tired of driving them long before the engine expires. are you willing to keep the rest of the car in running order until that day comes? I certainly won't .
By the time the engine is truly worn out the car will need FAR more repairs than it's worth to keep it on the road. Suspensions, body work, cooling systems, brakes, rotten fuel lines etc are the biggest reasons people scrap cars. Most engines are still serviceable regardless of oil change intervals or brand of oil used.

Jus' sayin....

ps..changing oil often reduces oil leaks long term by keeping the seals soft. It's a fact.