The Myth Of The 3000 Mile Oil Change - How Long Do You Want Your Cars Engine To Last?

The little plastic sticker in the corner of the windshield plays on your guilt: “Next oil change,” it says, listing an odometer reading 3,000 miles higher than the last oil change. Your odometer rolled past that number 1,500 miles ago without so much as a sip of fresh oil for the engine.

Are you driving down the road to ruin? After all, the conventional wisdom says oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Then, just as you’re figuring out what your car’s tombstone should say, along comes a campaign claiming the conventional wisdom is a myth.

The campaign, “The 3,000-Mile Myth,” originated with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, a state agency charged with reducing landfill junk and pollution. In a survey, the board found that 73 percent of Californians took the conventional wisdom to heart, changing their cars’ oil most often at 3,000 miles – more frequently than their cars’ manufacturers’ recommended. Moreover, it discovered, only 60 percent of used engine oil is turned in for recycling.

The result: more oil than necessary bought and used, and more used oil going into landfills, where it could potentially contaminate water supplies. Changing motor oil less frequently saves oil, money and the environment, the board contends.

“While the old standard for oil change frequency was every 3,000 miles, advances in car engines and oils have made that obsolete,” says the campaign’s Web site, www.3000milemyth.com, where the word “debunked” greets visitors in large orange letters. “Many of today’s automakers recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles.”

Word of the campaign, which is being conducted in print and on radio, has rolled across the nation. The American Automobile Association and Enterprise Rent-a-Car have signed on. But not everyone is so ready to abandon the wisdom they’ve heard their entire car-owning lives.

“Changing your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first, is generally recommended,” says the American Oil Change Association, a lube industry organization. “Your car may be clean on the outside, but is it clean on the inside? The life expectancy of your car depends on your answer.”

Many factors play here. If you are a rent a car or throw it away at the end of the warranty, you don't even need to change the oil. Just keep it topped off and it will last to that point. If you are like the millions of Americans that first purchase the car with 100K and need it to last 250K+ you might want to concider better maintenance. Vehicles are not maintenance free and like anything else, the better you maintain it, the longer it will last. How Long Do You Want Your Cars Engine To Last?

1988 Chevy S-10 Oil Runs Up The Dipstick

when driving 55mph or higher my oil pressure goes to 60-80
when i get home oil has ran all the way up my dipstick. I have checked for water in it possibly and havent noticed it milky looking or anything. I also replaced pcv valve. What else could be checked or needs to be done to find out why my oil keeps going up my dipstick? I read something in a haynes manual for this, and it says something about a charcoal canister needing to be cleaned. would that cause my oil to come out of the dipstick?

Response:
It could be, the canister is located on the radiator core support, has 3 vaccuum lines on the top, and a fibre filter on the bottem which is open, and approximately 6 inch diameter. Note 1 of the vaccuum lines goes to the PCV valve and follow your emmission diagram on the core support. But, depending on the mileage and driving habits, I suspect piston blow by. Run a compression check both wet and dry. Check the color of the spark plug electrode. And finally, do a vaccuum check. Have you ever noticed or wondered why Preformance vechicles have taller or multi vented valve covers? It's so the crankcase can breathe at higher RPM's. They also have a larger oil pan that holds as much as twice as normal.If the crankcase can't breathe then it fills with gases and builds pressue. That pressure goes the path of the least resistance. In some cases the dip stick tube, others, seals and gaskets.

What Happens if I don't change my oil?

I read this post on Yahoo.com today and was quite surprised.

Change Your Oil Every 3,000 Miles


The little sticker placed on the car windshield reminds you to change a car's oil every 3,000 miles -- regardless of make, model or scenario.


But many experts now say the 3,000-mile oil change is dead. Why? New car engines and oil quality have advanced to the point where cars can go 5,000 to 10,000 miles without a change.


"Generally speaking, vehicles don't need to be changed every 3,000 miles anymore," says Tara Baukus Mello, author of Bankrate.com's Driving for Dollars column. "It's somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000, unless they have an engine oil sensor, and then it could be anywhere."


However, don't automatically assume you can push oil changes beyond 3,000 miles.


"It's important to consult your owner's manual for the frequency, the number of miles, the length of time between changes and the type of oil -- and to follow whatever those instructions are," Mello says.

Being a Shop Owner, a Shop Technician for over 20 years and previous Street and Track Racer, I have not only pushed engines to there limits but maintained fleets of vehicles for long periods of time including Police Vehicles that rarely get turned off.   Here is the skinny on oil changes.

1. If you are planning on getting rid of the car in under 50,000 miles, you could get away with not ever changing the oil.
2. If you plan on tossing their car at 100,000 miles or less, you can get away with changing your oil every 10,000 miles.
3. If you would like your engine to last up to 500,000 miles change your oil every 3,000 miles.

Here's the thing, there are differences in everyones driving habits. For example, the police vehicles are sold at auction at 120,000 miles or less so The oil only gets changed every 5,000 miles. The average car owner likes to keep there car to close to 200,000 miles these days and changing the oil more frequently helps to ensure the ability to do just that.

The easiest way to be able to tell when your oil should be replaced is when you can visually see the oil changing to a darker color as this is the first signs of the viscosity (thickness)breaking down. This means the oil is no longer doing its job.

So what exactly am I getting at? You may save a few dollars on oil changes but if you are needing your vehicle to last as long as it can you are just short changing yourself in the long run. An engine can cost Thousands. 

What Happens if I don't change my oil?  Nothing at first and then over time, the engine will start to wear prematurely and start burning oil (oil level decreases). You won't notice the vehicle smoking out the exhaust for a while but once you do, its too late. The damage is already done. You will be buying 2 to 3 quarts of oil between oil changes just to keep the engine full of oil. The engine will pass oil through the exhaust causing damage to the O2Sensors and catalytic converter causing the check engine light to come on and the fuel management system to work improperly giving worse fuel miles and Costing you more money. Then over time you notice a slight rattle or knock noise on start up that eventually happens anytime the engine is running and now you are looking at buying a new engine of replacing the vehicle. In the meantime your neighbor who had his oil changed regularly at 3,000 miles is having none of these problems and you are sitting there thinking you bought a lemon and the whole time it was just a lack of maintenance on your part.

........ Change your Oil, it isn't that expensive. $20,000 car vs. $20.00 oil change..... do the math.

Oil Pressure Question

OK guys, my 1989 S-10 Blazer has an oil leak, I know this for sure. It has the oil filter on the fender well. Normally when the oil gets low the gauge drops below 40 and the light comes on. Last night when I was stopping at street lights I was starting to hear a slight knocking noise. The oil pressure gauge was still reading between 60-80 however when I checked the dipstick, there was no oil. Well, I threw in 4 quarts of oil, waited 10 minutes, checked and there was oil on the dipstick. Oil gauge was still reading 40-60 pressure.


What would make the gauge show pressure when there is no oil?

Oh, about 2 months ago, the converter plugged up and the truck backfired and blew the gasket out of the valve cover, but not to where the cover warped or leaks oil. We cut off the converter,it smoked for a few days, ran really rough and then cleared up and I haven't had problems with it until last night. After the oil was put in, it started smoking and running rough again. We didn't replace the muffler so i assume that is most likely plugged again, causing the smoke and rough running.
 
Response:
 
Oil filter remotely mounted? Haven't saw one of those since my 53 Chevy. I would look at what is moving the oil from the engine to the filter and back. Possible leak there. 60-80 psi is way too high. But gauges as they get older are not very accurate, and they can stick. Is the dip stick original? Was it changed for a shorter one? Without looking at the ride, it's only a guess at this point. If you plan to keep it, tow it in to a good mechanic and have him take a leak at it.
 
Here we are talking about at least 2 problems. They may be related. The Oil problem, air in your oil line will still give you a pressure reading although it is False. The lack of oil giving you the bearing knock is proof enough. Now, if you run your engine low on oil it runs at a Hotter Temp and causes wear and heat damages. Now remember this, the cat converter was attached and was removed because it was believed to be plugged. If it was then there is a good chance of Carbon Deposit Build Up in the EGR System. What is the Carbon? It's your engine oil cooked from heat. What is your EGR System? Exhaust Gas Recirculatory System. What removes Carbon? Heat. What causes the re occurance? Lack of Oil.

1999 jeep grand cherokee the oil gauge is reading very high at 80

the oil gauge is reading very high at 80 but i know their is only 6 quarts of oil in the jeep. 1999 jeep grand Cherokee

Answer:

The reading is too high and is more than likely not accurate. The problem is most likely the oil pressure sending unit sending the gauge the wrong information. You need to check the pressure with an external gauge to see what it is really reading and find out for sure if the pressure is 80 or really less due to an improper reading. The gauge goes in where the oil pressure sender is. Remove the sensor and install a gauge in its place.