Oil Change = Engine Failure ???

[Steve Tinker]

Adam - a large quantity of lubricant can be be worse off than a small quantity. Do you know what 9+ litres of oil looks like after 10,000 miles of short / slow trips in a Northern hemisphere climate !! The oil is not nice to see, smell, touch or be part of a very expensive piece of equipment like an engine. That amount of oil takes about 10 miles to fully come up to temperature and burn off the accumulated acids and water vapour, while your average car's oil is up to temp at less than 5 miles.
Not many people have mentioned it, but I feel the car feels quicker after an oil change.......

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

Not many people have mentioned it, but I feel the car feels quicker after an oil change.......

Mine feels the fastest after a wash & wax!

[jmatta]

Steve, your point is very well taken. Those that drive their cars around town, on short trips and errands, should definately change their oil every 3-4k miles. As you pointed out, the oil never gets hot enough to burn off the crud. I avoid driving my car unless I know I will get it good and hot, but still change the oil no longer than 3k miles (once a year for me).

I've also added the LN oil filter adapter and magnetic drain plug to my car to catch the fine particles the standard filter misses. I'm really curious to see what the drain plug looks like next time I change oil; hope there aren't a bunch of filings attached!