Autos that tell you when to do the oil change?

[Shadowrider]

Depends on the car. Or at least it used to. I bought a 2002 Monte Carlo and the oil life monitor actually used several different things to calculate it. It would vary from 4500 to 8000 miles depending on how I drove it. My dad bought a several years newer model Mercury Mountaineer and it was a straight up mileage counter. My even newer 2017 Subaru was also a mileage counter.

I've been running Amsoil synthetics for almost 30 years now. I was driving the '02 Monte Carlo enough that it would have needed to have the oil changed every two weeks sometimes if I wasn't running extended drain synthetic oil and primo filters. With a filter change and top off along with oil analysis I was able to get 30,000 out of one change. I usually just ran it to around 20-22K miles and changed it. I drove that car until it blew a head gasket or cracked a head at 250K mikes. It still ran like new, just couldn't keep coolant in it.

These days I just change it once a year and I'm never even approaching the milage, maybe 3K a year now.

 

[HiredHand]

Lake Speed Jr. did a video recently about engine break in on a new vehicles. His belief based on oil analysis is that the first oil and filter should be changed much sooner than recommended by the manufacturers. Basically, there are metal particles that are produced during the first 500 miles that aren’t trapped by the filter, this is when the greatest amount of wear will occur inside the motor. He mentioned Honda used to have a 500 mile first oil drain and filter replacement recommendation, I believe.

 

[Shadowrider]

Lake Speed Jr. did a video recently about engine break in on a new vehicles. His belief based on oil analysis is that the first oil and filter should be changed much sooner than recommended by the manufacturers. Basically, there are metal particles that are produced during the first 500 miles that aren’t trapped by the filter, this is when the greatest amount of wear will occur inside the motor. He mentioned Honda used to have a 500 mile first oil drain and filter replacement recommendation, I believe.

He's not wrong either. Same goes for differentials, but they do have magnets in them which helps.

 

[swampratt]

30 minutes first oil change on new engine and then another change in less than 300 miles.
Usually a couple hours of driving and I do the second oil change then I go 1000 or 1500 and then change oil and filter again then 3000 miles unless I beat on it hard and then it may be just a couple days and oil gets dumped.

Never had any oil related issues except when in 2007 they removed the Zinc from the oil and breaking in a flat tappet cam i lost a couple lobes in 15 minutes of run time and then did it again and less than 15 minutes ruined cam and lifters again.

That oil being ran with low ZDDP levels in a fresh build with a flat tappet is a real deal breaker.

Driven Break in oil from then on and never another issue.

My inline 6 Ford mustang (1982) went 376,000 on Havoline 10-30 conventional and still running fine.. the car fell apart around the engine, transmission and rear end.

Good sealing air filters are something not to overlook.

 

[Okie4570]

He's not wrong either. Same goes for differentials, but they do have magnets in them which helps.

I've always wondered about this. I've changed lot's of ring and pinion gears over the years in my broncos, daughter's jeep and some 3/4 ton trucks and Excursions as well as some for friend's vehicles. Every one of them says to change after the first 500 miles. No new vehicle comes with 500 miles, nor is there ever a suggestion to change it until the recommended changing interval which is sometimes 100k miles. New difs don't seem to be wearing prematurely without the break in change in any make or model. Are the ring and pinion parts companies pulling one over on us??

 

[HiredHand]

I was really surprised when I dropped the transmission pan on my BIL’s 08 F-150. He has almost 200k on the original fluid with no transmission issues. I know Ford has a really long fluid change interval on that transmission. The fluid still looked good, the pan had very little of anything on the bottom, the magnet had some material on it, but nothing that looked worrisome. I know it was the original fluid because the dipstick plug was still in the bottom of the pan. I installed a new filter and added 5-6 Mercon V back. Now he doesn’t haul or tow anything, and never goes off road which may be why his fluid still looked so good.

 

[swampratt]

I just changed a friends entire rearend out. 2012 chevy truck 1/2 ton it was toast, busted carrier and ate up spider gears. 125K miles on it I think.

I change diff fluid every 20K and 6K miles the trans fluid gets drained and refilled.

Brake fluid gets flushed out also and antifreeze in my hot rods gets replaced yearly and every 4 years or 50,000 miles for the toyota engines.
Sometimes my cars were driven 70,000 miles a year.

Horror.

 

[Shadowrider]

I've always wondered about this. I've changed lot's of ring and pinion gears over the years in my broncos, daughter's jeep and some 3/4 ton trucks and Excursions as well as some for friend's vehicles. Every one of them says to change after the first 500 miles. No new vehicle comes with 500 miles, nor is there ever a suggestion to change it until the recommended changing interval which is sometimes 100k miles. New difs don't seem to be wearing prematurely without the break in change in any make or model. Are the ring and pinion parts companies pulling one over on us??

No it's those magnets and the better oils we have today. My F150 has a magnet stack on the inside of the cover and a magnetic plug too. Any mechanical thing is going to wear the most when first used, then drastically slow wear once mating surfaces are "polished" to each other. If you get the wear particles out early (or captured and held) you greatly extend the service life.

I run Amsoil Severe Gear oil and put it in as fast as possible when I get another vehicle. It has additives that form an iron sulphide coating to act as a barrier. Ford's synthetic gear oil isn't bad either. A lot of Ford's oils are actually fairly decent, but I can get much better for usually less money from Amsoil.

 

[Okie4570]

No it's those magnets and the better oils we have today. My F150 has a magnet stack on the inside of the cover and a magnetic plug too. Any mechanical thing is going to wear the most when first used, then drastically slow wear once mating surfaces are "polished" to each other. If you get the wear particles out early (or captured and held) you greatly extend the service life.

I run Amsoil Severe Gear oil and put it in as fast as possible when I get another vehicle. It has additives that form an iron sulphide coating to act as a barrier. Ford's synthetic gear oil isn't bad either. A lot of Ford's oils are actually fairly decent, but I can get much better for usually less money from Amsoil.

Right but even when modern gear oil is used when replacing a R&P, magnetic or no magnetic plug, they still say dump oil and replace after 500 miles. I've replaced 5 R&P in the last 2y, and whether Yukon, USA Standard or Richmond's, they all say replace after 500 miles. New vehicle manuals don't mention it.

 

[okierider]

2008 Tundra, straight up milage counter , I tow trailers a lot and do a lot of stop and go with about 600 miles a week not counting weekends. Full synthetic at 5000...