Engine oil change

[gery]

What how many miles / km you exchange engine oil?

I ask because in all my bikes I changed the oil every 4,000 miles.

gery

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

In miles every 4,000-5,000 (or once a year if I haven't rode it enough) oil + filter.

[gery]

User manual says about 6,000 miles - but I think 5000 will be reasonable. I preferred to be sure.


thanks gery

[voyager55]

I change at 5000 miles.

[cushman eagle]

I change mine at 4000+ miles

[Mr Jensee]

I am just anal on oil changes. Both my cars and my bike all get the new stuff plus filter every 3000 miles. I just consider it cheap insurance.

[Lumpy Rider]

Mr. Jensee, I'm with you on the oil changes. My grandpa Couvillion purchased two new Chevy pickups in 1957 (one red, one blue) and drove both until his passing in 1997. He maintained the trucks meticulously and passed his wisdoms on to me. Both 235 Chevy sixes had valve jobs, but neither had been completely rebuilt. He was a Havoline man. A real testament for oil changes.

By the way, I see you are in Lafayette, La. I came of age in Ponchatoula. Papa lived in Houma. Have family in Metairie, Springfield and Bunkie. Sure do miss the food!

Duane

[Mr Jensee]

Wow, small world. I worked for a year in Hammond and Amite for Acadian Ambulance back in the 80's. I know Ponchatoula and that area very well. Folks I want to tell you that you can't find sweeter strawberries than those grown in Ponchatoula and the rest of Tangipahoa Parish! I also as a kid had many formative years living in Houma.

[Lumpy Rider]

It can be a small world for sure. I know of Acadian Ambulance. Working for the Ponchatoula Times, Ponchatoula Enterprise and Hammond Daily Star in the 80's, handled their advertising. I agree that Ponchatoula strawberries are the sweetest! And make the best strawberry wine. Worked many of the strawberry festivals, umpired Dixie Youth baseball, cut grass for Ed Layrisson (Tangi parish sheriff), ate lots of crab at Middendorfs, and used to run crab pots out of Pass Manchac. Grew up fishing on the Tickfaw and Blood Rivers and Lizard Creek. Hey, do you remember Ole Hardhide?

[Mr Jensee]

No I can't recall anyone or anything named Ole Hardhide but hey, I am getting old now. I remember working with a number of crazy Italians there though. I say crazy because when I worked there we handled several shootings a week in that parish! I was told that that was normal.

[Lumpy Rider]

As you say,Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes were especially harsh, corrupt areas then. Some schools were not desegregated until the early 80's. Plenty of race wars. I remember Hammond And Amite being especially rough.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Listen to this blokes view on Oil Changes (starts around 20 seconds in) and I agree with his thoughts and reasoning, especially his words at about the 6:50 mark.
Check it out:

[Tonyvdb]

I also agree, for what it costs to change the oil it cant hurt to change it even more often (after 1000mi even). I changed my oil in my GPZ twice a year, once in the spring before the first ride and again in around the start of August. Will be doing the same with my 1200.

[usmalenurse]

Change the oil/filters in everything I ride or drive at 5,000 miles. A lot easier to keep up with at 5,10,15 etc. and I've had no issues (engine wise) with any of my vehicles. And that's over 483,000 combined miles on the 2 bikes, my CRV and my SportTrack.

[SgtSlag]

The only concern I see with changing oil/filter too often, is wasting oil, and filters, which require special disposal methods. Many shops, in my northern latitudes, burn it for heating purposes; others sell it to recyclers. Filters require more work to harvest the oil from, before disposing of the rest of the materials they are made of (paper is likely burned, metal is likely recycled/re-used).

Aside from the disposal issues, by changing it out too frequently, you are also spending money which could be put to other, better uses. The old adage of 3,000 mile OCI's is wrong, from a scientific point of view, even though many still claim it as the best/only OCI. Motor oils have changed, drastically, over the years. To get a rough idea on how much they have changed, visit the API site, and read through their recommendations on the various standards, as far as what year engines they can safely be used in: pdf-link. Also, take a look at the Owner's Manual, on current, or even 20-year-old cars/trucks: they have been recommending OCI's of 5,000 miles for many years, now. The factories are saying this, so I trust them; it was the factories who made cars, who recommended the 3,000 mile OCI, back in the day. Modern cars get 200,000+ miles, without major work, very commonly, today.

The evidence against the 3,000 mile OCI is there. It is up to you to decide for yourself, though. With full synthetic oils, you can easily go to 7,000 mile OCI's, and with modern, high-quality filters, the dirt circulating within the synthetic oils, is not a genuine concern, either. Your money, your vehicles, your decision. Cheers!

[Lumpy Rider]

Science agrees with you, Sgt. Improvements in automotive engineering, improved oil viscosities, and modern oil detergents now allow 7,500 mile OCI's - the general point at which Dino oils today start to become saturated with suspended particulates to the point where it is less effective at protecting engine internals. Granted, this applies to engines which run properly.

[voyager55]

in 40 some years of riding, I've never known anyone whose had engine failure due to changing oil & filter to late or well beyond what most believe is the correct mileage to change it at.
The oil companies have done a wonderful job brainwashing us with their special miracle motorcycle oils etc. They've made a fortune doing it to
This debate will never end.

[Mr Jensee]

The only concern I see with changing oil/filter too often, is wasting oil, and filters, which require special disposal methods. Many shops, in my northern latitudes, burn it for heating purposes; others sell it to recyclers. Filters require more work to harvest the oil from, before disposing of the rest of the materials they are made of (paper is likely burned, metal is likely recycled/re-used).

Aside from the disposal issues, by changing it out too frequently, you are also spending money which could be put to other, better uses. The old adage of 3,000 mile OCI's is wrong, from a scientific point of view, even though many still claim it as the best/only OCI. Motor oils have changed, drastically, over the years. To get a rough idea on how much they have changed, visit the API site, and read through their recommendations on the various standards, as far as what year engines they can safely be used in: pdf-link. Also, take a look at the Owner's Manual, on current, or even 20-year-old cars/trucks: they have been recommending OCI's of 5,000 miles for many years, now. The factories are saying this, so I trust them; it was the factories who made cars, who recommended the 3,000 mile OCI, back in the day. Modern cars get 200,000+ miles, without major work, very commonly, today.

The evidence against the 3,000 mile OCI is there. It is up to you to decide for yourself, though. With full synthetic oils, you can easily go to 7,000 mile OCI's, and with modern, high-quality filters, the dirt circulating within the synthetic oils, is not a genuine concern, either. Your money, your vehicles, your decision. Cheers!

OMG, I disagree so much on so many levels. Number 1 the oil recycling and disposal industry is a booming business in this country. A good percentage of the oil you buy is partially recycled. In a country right now where jobs are at a premium you are advocating the demise of one more. Number 2 Oil breaks down faster in a motorcycle engine than it does in a car. In air cooled motorcycles oil breakdown happens beginning at less than 1500 miles due to higher operating temperatures. Sure you can probably go 7000 miles in a modern car with no damage but do you really believe that in all those 7000 miles your car is operated under optimum conditions? I know mine doesn't and I don't drive down many dusty roads and I seldom press hard on the accelerator. Number 3 yes oils have changed over the years but unless you want pay for a quality performance full synthetic, dino oils are still a lot like they were 30 years ago. There are improved detergents, though oils like Quaker State I still refuse to buy after using it ruined a Plymouth engine I had back in the seventies. Yes it is choice, but my choice is to not risk engine damage just to make my wallet a little fuller until the next engine repair.

[Lumpy Rider]

Added to base mineral oils today, detergents, dispersant additives, anti-friction modifiers, viscosity additives and corrosion inhibitors do make it possible for engines to operate for several thousand miles after the oil gets dirty. Oil would develop into sludge after only several hundred miles without these protective chemical "boosters." The boosters and their properties, however, do eventually wear out (based on a myriad of mitigating factors), returning oil to it's pre-additive state. In this form the oil will not clean, cool or lubricate for very long, much like the oils of yesteryear. Since the oil does not signal when this transformation actually occurs, 3,000 to 5,000 mile OCIs provide a cushion, and inherent peace of mind that we are not destroying our investments.

I once owned a towing operation and ran several one ton gas fueled trucks that saw severe duty. Oil change intervals were 6,000 miles which averaged to about once a month for each truck. I ran the trucks for 300,000 miles before selling them to body shops, or small repair facilities. A 1996 Ford F350 (460 gas) ran 450,000 miles before selling to a repo agency.

A friend drives vehicles for Roush industries which offers engineering services to the automakers. The vehicles in the studies the company conducts are run 20 hrs/day, 7 days/week. Oil change intervals are 10,000 miles. Many of these cars are driven past 200,000 miles with no engine failures.

My own intervals are between 3 and 5k miles, but not because I believe it is necessary, but because it makes me feel proactive.

[debron]

What?? Oooooh........I'm supposed to change the oil??