Low, low mileage....change oil or not?

ray66v · Oct 3, 2012

Because contaminates can lead to acids forming, Yes, you should change it annually..

For me, if it's not anywhere near the hours, or miles I usually change it at, I don't change oil by the calendar.

But, I also use a good quality oil. And oil quality is very good today, so I expect a lot from it.

Soundguy · Oct 3, 2012

yep.. walmart oil today is likely 'factors' better than what was available 50-70 ys ago.. .. heck.. i remember filling stations selling filtered drain oil.

I also remember people taking the drain oil out of a car using it in a lawnmower or tractor!

JDgreen227 · Oct 3, 2012

Soundguy said:
yep.. walmart oil today is likely 'factors' better than what was available 50-70 ys ago.. .. heck.. i remember filling stations selling filtered drain oil.

I also remember people taking the drain oil out of a car using it in a lawnmower or tractor!

:laughing: Soundguy, I am guilty of the last one...there was one time I put 10W-30 in my GMC late in the fall instead of 5W-30 and when I realized that I drove the truck about ten miles to warm up the oil and then when I drained it out I used it in my push mowers....thanks for making me recall that....

sixdogs · Oct 3, 2012

Soundguy said:
...

...I also remember people taking the drain oil out of a car using it in a lawnmower or tractor!

Wow, isn't that a blast from the past. I worked in a garage and that was a common practice I forgot about. So was draining the opened oil cans by the help--me--for use in their own car.

Soundguy · Oct 3, 2012

and here i thought i was the only guy that left tipped up oil cans to drain out oil. I've made up a quart of oil out of a couple of oil changes...

Bird · Oct 3, 2012

So was draining the opened oil cans by the help--me--for use in their own car.

Yep, so did I, but we never used, or sold, used motor oil for use in any engines although we did sell the old used motor oil to one of the companies that "re-refined" it. And we sold Texas Star re-refined motor oil for two bits a quart.

Diamondpilot · Oct 3, 2012

Gary Fowler said:
If you are only putting 1500 miles per year on a vehicle, save your money on synthetic and just use regular oil and change it once per year whether it is needed or not. As long as you continue to make long trips with no stop and go driving, I think you will be good at that interval.

I agree 100%. He will never see the benefits of synthetics. I would change it once a year to free the crankcase of oils with moisture and acids suspend in them for fresh oil. Its cheap insurance and once a year is good practice for low utilized machines like these.

Chris

clemsonfor · Oct 4, 2012

sixdogs said:
Wow, isn't that a blast from the past. I worked in a garage and that was a common practice I forgot about. So was draining the opened oil cans by the help--me--for use in their own car.

When my fater in law had a shop, he had a 5 gallon bucket or 2 with holes drilled in the top. All the oil containers went into it turned upside down. The oil collected was then poured into bottles and the shop gofer used it in his old tore up cars. This was as recent as 6 yrs or so ago. This oil had dirt and dust in it to. Think of all that dirt that floats around in a shop. The top always had those holes open unless there were bottle turned upside down in them, so dirt could just fall into the open holes. I would of never used it in anything i had at the time, but when you live like that guy did you didnt care much. That car probly burned and leaked so much oil he probly just put a new filter on it once a year and topped the oil off every week.

JDgreen227 · Oct 4, 2012

clemsonfor said:
When my fater in law had a shop, he had a 5 gallon bucket or 2 with holes drilled in the top. All the oil containers went into it turned upside down. The oil collected was then poured into bottles and the shop gofer used it in his old tore up cars. This was as recent as 6 yrs or so ago. This oil had dirt and dust in it to. Think of all that dirt that floats around in a shop. The top always had those holes open unless there were bottle turned upside down in them, so dirt could just fall into the open holes. I would of never used it in anything i had at the time, but when you live like that guy did you didnt care much. That car probly burned and leaked so much oil he probly just put a new filter on it once a year and topped the oil off every week.

LOL reminded me of my first car a '62 Meteor (Mercury Fairlane) that had the 260 V8....it burned so much oil I never bothered to change it just kept adding a quart a week....:laughing: