How Accurate Is Oil Life?

tanked_darren · January 2, 2011

+1,000,000

tanked_darren · January 2, 2011

We should have a devoted oil thread, what is wrong with this site. There are a few different things that seem to get posted repeatedly that could be pinned.

jblakeney · January 2, 2011

Try owning a machine shop or just work in one for awhile......... either way..... its called sludge. I have seen several high interval engines fail due sludge build up. Which is a problem caused by high mileage interval oil changes. I posted a while back a 350 that had a sludge problem. Owner was a 6k changer...... I will look for the pictures again....

The build up begins in the heads and grows down to the pan then into the pump then it finds a nice oil port to block and wham-o you have a rod bearing actually make contact with the bearing (it should never do that by the way) and your engine is on the build table.....

But it is your vehicle so, if 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or what ever floats your boat go for it. I will laugh when its on the build table in my shop... Me and my fleet are 3-4k.....

Jbo

builderpaul · January 2, 2011

Try owning a machine shop or just work in one for awhile......... either way..... its called sludge. I have seen several high interval engines fail due sludge build up. Which is a problem caused by high mileage interval oil changes. I posted a while back a 350 that had a sludge problem. Owner was a 6k changer...... I will look for the pictures again....

The build up begins in the heads and grows down to the pan then into the pump then it finds a nice oil port to block and wham-o you have a rod bearing actually make contact with the bearing (it should never do that by the way) and your engine is on the build table.....

But it is your vehicle so, if 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or what ever floats your boat go for it. I will laugh when its on the build table in my shop... Me and my fleet are 3-4k.....

Jbo

That is the problem with using milage to determine oil change intervals. 6K highway miles in warm weather will be fine but 6K worth of short trips in cold weather will make sludge. Driving conditions, engine oil temp, outside temp, number of starts, etc. play a bigger role in oil life than just milage. These variables are all accounted for in the OLM.

MaverickZ71 · January 3, 2011

Try owning a machine shop or just work in one for awhile......... either way..... its called sludge. I have seen several high interval engines fail due sludge build up. Which is a problem caused by high mileage interval oil changes. I posted a while back a 350 that had a sludge problem. Owner was a 6k changer...... I will look for the pictures again....

The build up begins in the heads and grows down to the pan then into the pump then it finds a nice oil port to block and wham-o you have a rod bearing actually make contact with the bearing (it should never do that by the way) and your engine is on the build table.....

But it is your vehicle so, if 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or what ever floats your boat go for it. I will laugh when its on the build table in my shop... Me and my fleet are 3-4k.....

Jbo

I see some people on here have listed Pennzoil, which is what we use. I figure Pennzoil has tested the heck out of their oil, and their 'warranty' guarantee only covers their conventional Dino oil up to 4,000 mile changes, no longer than that. That's good enough proof for me, so I change everything we've got (mixed fleet in makes and mileages) at 4000. If running synthetic, I would consider stretching the interval.