How can I tell if my synthetic oil needs changing?

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Even with synthetic I still change at least every 4-5k.

And as said beofre you are wasting your money. Regular oil can do 5k easy in most cars/trucks.

The places where syn oil really does well is turbo cars, racing cars, and extrended drains.

Only costs a couple bucks more for better protection. I can think of a lot worse things to waste money on than protecting the motor of my car

Facepalm. You are not getting extra protection. Your car will see no diff from regular oil then a syn.

Not to mention you can't generalize and claim he's wasting his money without a proper oil analysis and comparison of syn vs. conventional.

I change the oil in my car every 1K or so, am I wasting my money? I challenge you to say I am because I have the oil analysis to say otherwise. Synthetic is the only thing that can handle the fuel dilution, heat and abuse of a motor that is hot lapped at the drag strip.
Old Pic

 

[Indyboy2]

I do this for a living and these are from my personal Experience ,I am a tech at a fleet management shop.I have spoken to oil and filter reps from all over .IT boils down to filtration period.If your oil is free from Contaminates excessive combustion gas,fuel,metal, then all is good.If your engine is running correctly and has no internal problems (oil analysis will show this)copper,lead,tin aluminum then 15k or around 15k is fine with filter changes .Changing your oil every thousand miles is just plain uncalled for"your case might be different" unless there is a internal problem in the engine .If we went by your schedule we would be in the poor house .You do have to check your oil with anylasis that's correct
Over the road diesels you can go 25,000 miles on a Dino oil change up to 50k with syn oil and thats a 600hp over the road turbocharged engine running 22 to 25 psi of boost day in and day out the engine is under the worst conditions there is granted it does hold alot more oil .We run our fleet cars every 7500 miles with recycled oil and alot of them have 150,000 plus on them with the internals never touched.
Just to give you a example of a car that has a 18,000 mile oil change interval porsche 997
Now why does a car that cost around or over 100k have a oil change interval like that?.Maybe their oil filtration system is very good or the engine has a superior oiling system.I can understand a drag car or something that is used in a VERY dusty conditions but for a run of the mill over the road car or truck with full syn oil with one filter change 15k will be fine as long as the oil is spec for that and it has the proper oil filter,no no-name brands But I will say if your car is new and you want to keep the warranty on that car you had better go by the manufactuer recommended change intervals.Most are 7500 miles but check with your dealer or manual
to the op dump that k&n oil filter im not sure about this but they are around 20 micron thats pretty high the lower the better mobil 1 oil filters are around 10 micron the k&n will flow more but filter less
interesting read http://www.theautochannel.com/...00919/press025973.html

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: Indyboy2
I do this for a living and these are from my personal Experience ,I am a tech at a fleet management shop.I have spoken to oil and filter reps from all over .IT boils down to filtration period.If your oil is free from Contaminates excessive combustion gas,fuel,metal, then all is good.If your engine is running correctly and has no internal problems (oil analysis will show this)copper,lead,tin aluminum then 15k or around 15k is fine with filter changes .Changing your oil every thousand miles is just plain uncalled for"your case might be different" unless there is a internal problem in the engine .If we went by your schedule we would be in the poor house .You do have to check your oil with anylasis that's correct
Over the road diesels you can go 25,000 miles on a Dino oil change up to 50k with syn oil and thats a 600hp over the road turbocharged engine running 22 to 25 psi of boost day in and day out the engine is under the worst conditions there is granted it does hold alot more oil .We run our fleet cars every 7500 miles with recycled oil and alot of them have 150,000 plus on them with the internals never touched.
Just to give you a example of a car that has a 18,000 mile oil change interval porsche 997
Now why does a car that cost around or over 100k have a oil change interval like that?.Maybe their oil filtration system is very good or the engine has a superior oiling system.I can understand a drag car or something that is used in a VERY dusty conditions but for a run of the mill over the road car or truck with full syn oil with one filter change 15k will be fine as long as the oil is spec for that and it has the proper oil filter,no no-name brands But I will say if your car is new and you want to keep the warranty on that car you had better go by the manufactuer recommended change intervals.Most are 7500 miles but check with your dealer or manual
to the op dump that k&n oil filter im not sure about this but they are around 20 micron thats pretty high the lower the better mobil 1 oil filters are around 10 micron the k&n will flow more but filter less
interesting read http://www.theautochannel.com/...00919/press025973.html

that's just painful to read.

Also, "over the road diesels" is not the worst condition. City driving in arizona is far worse due to high temps, dust in the air and stop/go conditions. There was a study done in NYC on taxi cabs and they have less severe service than the typical soccer mom due to the cars constant run time and continual maintenance.

Telling people that it's ok to go xxxxx miles between changes without having all the information is just silly. You can't apply sweeping generalizations because the label says so.

Also, if this comment is directed at me:

Originally posted by: Indyboy2
Changing your oil every thousand miles is just plain uncalled for"your case might be different" unless there is a internal problem in the engine .If we went by your schedule we would be in the poor house

You once again show your ignorance because you have zero knowledge of my car or it's operating conditions. That and you can't read:

Originally posted by: gillbot
I challenge you to say I am because I have the oil analysis to say otherwise. Synthetic is the only thing that can handle the fuel dilution, heat and abuse of a motor that is hot lapped at the drag strip.

 

[Indyboy2]

LOL talk about ignorant,i can see you have absolutly no idea about how much abuse a over the road diesel has to take.In the Northeast Below Zero winters with Hot summers.Trucks have to pull 40,000 lbs in some cases up 3 to 5 mile hills in the 90 degree plus heat or -20 cold,sit in traffic for hours down in nyc for traffic jams and accidents.
I Said in my post that your case might be different enlighten me on why your car had the analysis done and you determined it needed a oil change interval of 1000k
I am not telling everybody to go 15k without all the information,READ!!!I said that 15k should be no problem with a oil filter change as long as the oil was correct and the filter was correct and had NO excessive Contaminates you will know this by oil analysis thus change as needed you made it sound like 15k was a joke and unubtainable and its not it just shows your lack of knowledge on anything to do with fleet management .And i also said to follow the manufactuer guidlines for service intervals
And one last favor link me to that study you mentioned,i see some key words there CONTINUAL MAINTENANCE And the Point is???Are you saying people in arizona dont maintain there cars correctly?
Show me one valid link that proves me wrong.It depends on oil used,filter used,Operating conditions and above all the filtration medium used and the crankcase Ventalation
Here is a link if you want to know how people are doing with oil analysis
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php
alot of people getting 10-20k on the syn with the anyl sheets to prove it

Oh but there all probably ignorant and there post must be painfull to read also
im done here

 

[Jeff7181]

You can't really compare oil change intervals from a 600 horsepower turbo diesel engine from a big truck that holds 15 gallons of oil to a <200 horsepower naturally aspirated gasoline engine that holds 4-5 quarts of oil.

By the way... most big trucks in cold climates idle overnight or use oil and fuel heaters. They experience very few cold starts compared to your average automobile.

And your post is painful to read because you use improper punctuation and seemingly random line spacing.

 

[Indyboy2]

By the way oil and fuel heaters? Block heaters yes some have heaters in the fuel /water separator but most don't. I'm sorry I did not know I was typing a novel or a article for the the newspaper so I am just casually typing and really don't care about punctuation or what you think about it.
AGAIN PROOF ME WRONG. You told me I gave terrible terrible advice ,that was based on your opinion only no facts to back it up at all. I know how much a truck holds and it was stated in my previous thread about that .So switch to a smaller engine 5.9 liter Cummins
the oil change interval is 15k on standard oil. We have a lot of these engines in our equipment and a lot of the have 8000 hrs or more and still run strong.
You guys make statements and give no fact to the reason why I need to be changing my syn oil every 3 thousand to 5 thousand miles. Nobody around here can have a decent discussion on anything without turning it into a big Pis-ing match and then the name calling starts and the grammar errors and all that bull only shows that you have no interest in opposing viewpoints or facts .All I want is facts that prove my statements are completely wrong and my advice is completely without basis. I have years of proven change interval studies and numerous articles and and analysis sheets that prove this fact .
Jeff7181 I totally agree that yes they do see less in the way of cold starts and yes engine start up is where a lot of wear occurs but not all of it. Where I went to school for auto diesel they used to say 70-90 percent of all wear is at startup. But with the evolution of oil and oiling systems in the new cars and trucks I would say that number is lower now. I will see if I can dig up the study Caterpillar did they concluded that acid and particles in the oil was the main engine wear factor.
Give me facts not rederik and opinion. I have to laugh at people when all they can do when they have no facts is try to make the the opposing viewpoint look bad by trying to make them look stupid when in fact they are the ones that look stupid and uninformed
Challenge me on what I have said here
1. Type of oil used is crucial in how long you can go between intervals
2.Crankcase ventilation is a major factor in how long a engine can go between oil changes
3.Type of filter medium used and quality of that medium
4.Conditions that the Unit works in
Always use oil analysis to determine change intervals I totally agree ,conditions that the vehicle encounters I totally agree, but to say to someone that they give bad advice to people is just totally uncalled for. Inform yourselves then you make the decision on how to go about it.
I stand by the statement that 15k or around 15k should be fine as long as all the factors in determining that are met. You are throwing your money away if you change your syn oil at 3k Under normal circumstances. I understand that there are circumstances that would cause you to change earlier but as I stated before for a over the road every day driver vehicles it's not needed.
To do it right you need a baseline on the engine oil to see how far you can go on a oil before a change is needed .Change accordingly
I just can't believe that people are recommending oil changes on syn oil at 3-5k most manufactures recommend 7500 miles what a waste of time and money for a stock over the road car or truck .That recommendation is based on normal use and on conventional oil so your argument to me is that synthetic oil gives no benefits or extended oil drains compared to conventional because you guys say it needs to be changed less than that. Totally Baseless Garbage
Big Oil Loves 3000k oil change intervals $$$$$$$$$$

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Gillbot

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Even with synthetic I still change at least every 4-5k.

And as said beofre you are wasting your money. Regular oil can do 5k easy in most cars/trucks.

The places where syn oil really does well is turbo cars, racing cars, and extrended drains.

Only costs a couple bucks more for better protection. I can think of a lot worse things to waste money on than protecting the motor of my car

Facepalm. You are not getting extra protection. Your car will see no diff from regular oil then a syn.

Not to mention you can't generalize and claim he's wasting his money without a proper oil analysis and comparison of syn vs. conventional.

I change the oil in my car every 1K or so, am I wasting my money? I challenge you to say I am because I have the oil analysis to say otherwise. Synthetic is the only thing that can handle the fuel dilution, heat and abuse of a motor that is hot lapped at the drag strip.
Old Pic

People with more normal usage, ie. anyone who isn't doing 'hot laps' at a drag strip would be wasting a huge amount of money changing their oil every 1600km, especially with synthetic, unless they're only doing very low kms.

At the end of the day, if it makes you feel good to change your oil once a week, knock yourself out

If you feel like doing it using the recommended spec oil at the recommended interval your manufacturer, then I suspect that unless you do some serious miles you're going to sell the car/crash it/have it stolen long before you see the difference between synthetic and dino (assuming your manufacturer doesn't specify synthetic). That's just, like, my opinion, man

 

[shortylickens]

I am REALLY sorry I asked.

 

[milkfish]

to change your synthetic oil at 1k miles makes no sense.Why do you bother to spend the money on any quality oil at all?. if you are going to change mobile one oil at 1k then I will send you my address and you can send me your old oil.I will put it in my 2007 car. sounds like you have more money than brains. indy boy is right,if you have another opinion you should back it up with facts not with your own opinions.why spend money on oil testing when you are going to throw away the oil before it is even in danger of causing damage?How long to you plan on keeping the car?do the math syn oil change costs aprox. 50.00 yes I said aprox. if you kept the vehicle for 100k thats $5,000. In your wildest dreams do you think the kelly blue book is going to offer extra $5,000 mfor your car? last but not least are you even considering our enviroment? we cant afford to keep dumping used oil,even if it is recycled you are recycling many ..... many more quarts than someone who has half a brain and uses the oil to the manufactures (most offten understated) life.

 

[SparkyJJO]

What don't you understand about Gillbot changing his oil every 1000 miles, HE GOES TO THE DRAGSTRIP! His motor sees much heavier use than your typical car so of course he's going to change his oil more often. Duh.

 

[milkfish]

:beer: I guess running your engine for 15 seconds at full throttle is more severe than idling in traffic ,stop and go,and accelerating on freeway on ramps? we all have lost the idea behind the origional post,which was when to change your oil. the best bet is to follow the automobile manufactures recomendations for oil change intervals and try to temper them with the claims of syn oil recomendations.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: milkfish
:beer: I guess running your engine for 15 seconds at full throttle is more severe than idling in traffic ,stop and go,and accelerating on freeway on ramps? we all have lost the idea behind the origional post,which was when to change your oil. the best bet is to follow the automobile manufactures recomendations for oil change intervals and try to temper them with the claims of syn oil recomendations.

Actually it isnt.
The point of my original post was "How can I tell if it needs changing?"
The answer has already come and gone: Do an analysis.

 

[milkfish]

actually it is when to change your oil. you can not continue to do an oil analysis every few thousand miles to see if it is time to change the oil yet.if you need to use a forum to have other people tell you when to change your engine oil you may want to leave it to profesional mechanics. Are you a mechanic? what kind of vehicle are we talking about? i'll tell you what ,you change your oil, then every 1,000 miles you send me some oil to sample and $20.00 then I will test it and let you know when it is time to change your oil. while you are at it you should check the ph of your coolant to see if it needs to be changed, and every 2 years change the brake fluid as well. do not forget the transmission oil. you might as well put new wiper blades on with each oil change.

 

[Jabbernyx]

Originally posted by: milkfish
:beer: I guess running your engine for 15 seconds at full throttle is more severe than idling in traffic ,stop and go,and accelerating on freeway on ramps? we all have lost the idea behind the origional post,which was when to change your oil. the best bet is to follow the automobile manufactures recomendations for oil change intervals and try to temper them with the claims of syn oil recomendations.

To his credit, he did state that he does have an oil analysis done.

 

[Gillbot]

Man are there a lot of misinformed shadetree mechanics in here.

Ok Indyboy2, please take five minutes and clean up your replies if you care to debate. Your posts are barely readable by the general populous.

I never said that ALL over the road diesels has less severe service than a soccer mom machine. As for the rest of your arguments, I'm not even going to bother reading your replies because they are 90% flame bait just looking for an argument. A simple link about MY OIL will prove absolutely nothing about my car to you, and since you are so hell bent on proving your vast knowledge of fleet maintenance to a bunch of CONSUMER car drivers, your ignorance will continue to shine through. HOWEVER, since I feel the need to humor your lack of intelligence I'll restate YET AGAIN why I change my oil every 1k and further prove YOU CANNOT READ:

Originally posted by: gillbot
Synthetic is the only thing that can handle the fuel dilution, heat and abuse of a motor that is hot lapped at the drag strip.

I find it completely comical that you keep demanding proof yet you have not posted a shred of "proof" to back up your own claims. Since you are the all knowing in the oil field, this should be easy for you. I await documented proof from all the major oil suppliers since you have an "in" with them. This should be rather easy for you to obtain.

Also, I have oil analysis done EVERY few weeks and this test determines when the oil will be changed, NOT MILEAGE. It just so happens to be ~1k miles, give or take. That and the fact that ~1k miles on that car could take better than 6 months to accumulate.

Originally posted by: milkfish
I guess running your engine for 15 seconds at full throttle is more severe than idling in traffic ,stop and go,and accelerating on freeway on ramps?

Oh please enlighten all of us as to what my car runs at the drag strip! I never knew that hot lapping multiple passes in a row could only be 15 seconds of total racing. If that is the case, my car must run 0.5's in the quarter since I make 10-15 passes per session.

Originally posted by: milkfish
you can not continue to do an oil analysis every few thousand miles to see if it is time to change the oil yet.

I have an oil analysis every 500 miles or so. For a car that gets less than 2000 miles a year, it is worth it TO ME. $20 per sample is cheap insurance on a multi-thousand dollar motor. Well, that and the fact that the oil analysis costs me $0, I guess it's a perk of being in the industry.

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
What don't you understand about Gillbot changing his oil every 1000 miles, HE GOES TO THE DRAGSTRIP! His motor sees much heavier use than your typical car so of course he's going to change his oil more often. Duh.

Save your breath, everyone here knows more about my car than I do.

 

[Indyboy2]

lol

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
Well, that and the fact that the oil analysis costs me $0, I guess it's a perk of being in the industry.

Now that's just not fair, heh. The rest of us might as well change the oil =P