I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
year, I've only driven 2000 miles. Most of those miles have come in the
form of small trips. Should I be looking to get another change soon or can
I wait some more? Thanks.
J
TBone - 20 May 2005 19:50 GMT
What does the oil look like?

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> I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
> oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> J
J - 20 May 2005 21:50 GMT
Shame on me. I haven't checked in awhile. I will look later when I go back
out to my car.
> What does the oil look like?
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>>
>> J
mac davis - 20 May 2005 20:08 GMT
>I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
>oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
>J
in my limited experience with oil analyse, it's the short trips and short
commutes where the engine never really gets a chance to warm up that cause the
most acids and crap in the oil...
I run synthetic now, and change it once a year, whether it needs it or not..
mac
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Tom Lawrence - 20 May 2005 22:56 GMT
> I run synthetic now, and change it once a year, whether it needs it or
> not..
But you do perform more frequent filter changes, yes?
Jeff Mayner - 20 May 2005 20:26 GMT
> I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of
> changing the oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on
> Feb. 2nd of this year, I've only driven 2000 miles. Most of those
> miles have come in the form of small trips. Should I be looking to
> get another change soon or can I wait some more? Thanks.
Don't buy the hype, or conspiricy if you prefer. If you're still under
warrenty, go ahead and do your suggested maintenance. You don't need to
change the oil that often. You describe normal service. Stretch it out and
do the environment and your wallet some good.
> J
Coasty - 20 May 2005 23:01 GMT
6 months or 5K, Mobil 1 has 5K and 7K oil out on the market now. My wife
has a 2004 WJ she bought when the new models came in the fall of 2003. It
only has 6K on the odometer. I change the oil once a year, I sent it out to
a lab and the analysis came back clean. So for her vehicle it is yearly. I
change my 04 TJ every six months or 5K and it only has 10K on the odometer.
Your choice, your money.

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|I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
| oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
|
| J
SnoMan - 22 May 2005 05:35 GMT
"user" wrote:
>I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing
>the
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>J
Oil changes are mileage and time limited. No more than 6 months even
if it is only 1500 miles and 3 month if it is a harsher climate with
stop and go driving (cold weather)
rudyxhiebert@yahoo.com - 29 May 2005 03:51 GMT
Owner's manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in Canada,
8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
after using it for 13,000 kms and seven months and the report showed
that it was still OK.
RamMan@dodgecity.cc - 29 May 2005 14:43 GMT
>Owner's manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in Canada,
>8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
>after using it for 13,000 kms and seven months and the report showed
>that it was still OK.
The issue as I understand it is that the oil becomes contaminated with
microscopic particles and combustion residue. Besides clogging the filter,
it becomes thicker and so therefore presents more of a burden for the oil
pump to circulate. Even at the manufacturer's recommended 5000 miles it
gets pretty gooey and by which time the filter has also become clogged.
Changing oil at 3000 mile intervals as recommended by all of the various
oil change shops and most dealerships only serve to embellish their
receivables. Funny story, an old family aquaintance at one time owned a
Miller beer distributorship in Danville, IL (Altman Distributing) and had
4 beer trucks on which he paid to have the oil changed every 1,000 miles!
The small independent garage next door (Klein's Garage) that did all of
Altman's mech. service on the trucks used to keep some of the "used oil"
in a big barrel, called "Altman oil" which the garage owner would
subsequently put into his own cars.
If you want to change something "early" change the filter and then add
another quart or 1/2 quart of oil, depending on what was lost in the
filter change.
Many years ago, i.e., back in the '40s, '50s and even into the '60s it was
quite common to only change the filter at every other oil change. Isn't it
interesting how flawed that line of thinking was? Even today with modern
oil and synthetics, the FILTER usually fails long before the recommended
mileage interval to change your oil. Why anyone would only change their
oil and not replace the filter completely baffles me.
I'm also unsure what the "6-months or whatever comes first" is all about.
The oil only breaks down and/or becomes contaminated from being used. It
doesn't wear out or separate or lose its lubrication qualities from just
sitting there. Anyone know what the line of reasoning is behind this
recommendation?
Roy - 29 May 2005 15:23 GMT
>>Owner's manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in Canada,
>>8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> oil change shops and most dealerships only serve to embellish their
> receivables.
Gotta agree with that. The oil change companies scared the hell out of the
consumer.
Roy
nospam.clare.nce@sny.der.on.ca - 29 May 2005 22:44 GMT
>>Owner's manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in Canada,
>>8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
>sitting there. Anyone know what the line of reasoning is behind this
>recommendation?
Yes - good reasoning behind it. If you put on 3000 miles in 3 months,
chances are pretty good the engine has been warmed up several times
and the moisture has been driven out of the oil.
If you put 1000 miles on in six months, the moisture has most likely
NOT been driven out of the oil, and moisture in oil causes sludge and
corrosion. Short trips are pure HELL on engines and engine oil.
J - 30 May 2005 00:17 GMT
Well, I had only put on 2000 miles since my last change (February 4th) so I
figured it probably was a good time to get it done. Better safe than sorry.
>>>Owner's manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in Canada,
>>>8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
> NOT been driven out of the oil, and moisture in oil causes sludge and
> corrosion. Short trips are pure HELL on engines and engine oil.
SnoMan - 06 Jun 2005 17:35 GMT
"rudyxhiebert" wrote:
>Owner’s manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in
>Canada,
>8,000 kms. or six months - whichever comes first. I had mine analyzed
>after using it for 13,000 kms and seven months and the report showed
>that it was still OK.
It really depends on how you define "ok" and what they are checking
the oil for too.
mac davis - 07 Jun 2005 16:11 GMT
>"rudyxhiebert" wrote:
>>Owners manuals and car dealer insist on 5,000 miles or, as in
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>It really depends on how you define "ok" and what they are checking
>the oil for too.
on the one's that I used to get, (the friend who worked for the oil distributer
retired), some of the things shown on the print out were viscosity, contaminates
and something that gave a percentage of "original" sample..
we used to change the synthetic when the percentage dropped below 90%...
mac
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Christopher Thompson - 24 May 2005 00:59 GMT
ok in my owners manual it describes the 3000 mile service interval as severe
driving condition. this would include as stated in the owners manual short
trips city driving condition high ambient temp ect. so my suggestion go by
the owners manual.
> I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
> oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> J
SnoMan - 25 May 2005 05:33 GMT
>ok in my owners manual it describes the 3000 mile service interval as
>severe
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>>
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There is no harm in change oil often and 6 months is a bit to long to
leave oil in a modern truck engine regardless of mileage with seasonal
changes.
J - 25 May 2005 23:28 GMT
I've decided to just get it changed this Friday. I bet I could probably
wait longer and the oil doesn't look bad but better to take caution now
rather than take a cab later when my car breaks down somewhere.
>I typically subscribe to the 3000 mile or 3 month schedule of changing the
>oil on my Durango. However, since my last oil change on Feb. 2nd of this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> J