how often do you change your oil and oil filter? i jus hit 76650 miles and i changed my amsoil 5w30 after 3k miles because the previous time was teh first time i switched to synthetic. so im wondering how long people would go before the next oil or jus oil filter change. also, is color indicative of oil quality? the stuff i just took out was as dark as the dino oil i drained the last oil change. thanks.

 

Some people advised to change oil every 10k miles with Amsoil and change oil filter every 5k miles. If i were you, I'd change the oil and filter at 3k miles. If the oil drained is golden yellow, you can now change oil and filter at every 5k miles. Next, if the oil drained is still yellowish, you can change at every 7.5k or even 10k.

Remember, the color of your motor oil does not accurately tell the content of minerals/chemicals. To be sure, you have to send a sample of your motor oil to the lab for analysis.



~limsandy

 

Ahhhhhh. If you are telling him "color" is not an accurate measure of the oil's condition(that is correct btw), why are you telling him to base his oil change intervals based on the oil's color????

 

I use Amsoil and change somewhere between 6000 and oh maybe 9000 miles. I second limsandy's suggestion of doing a used oil analysis for real data and especially like the thought of changing the oil filter inbetween oil changes. Remember, that maxima's use that tiny oil filter - I just don't trust that oil thimble to clean effectively for a 10K interval.

A lot of it depends on your particular driving style, commute, ambient temp, length of drives, autocross etc.

I've also read numerous times that oil color don't mean nothin. Do a search - lot of info here.

 

I normally do 5k changes with Amsoil and will continue to do so until 40k. I made the mistake and changed after 3k so I'm "assuming" that it'll be broken in around 40k. I change my 2k1 Dodge Durango every 6 months to a year. Even doing yearly drain intervals the oil appears to be in good shape. Only analysis will actually tell.

 

every six months here, I only put about 500 miles on in a month.

 

Your first run on the Amsoil got dark quickly because there was a lot of cleaning going on. Anywhere between 5k-10k on the next run is doable depending on your driving conditions.

 

Try running the Amsoil engine flush. It's easy to do and it should clean the engine out very quickly. I used it in a friends civic years ago and I couldn't believe the amount of sludge it pulled out of his engine.

 

I do 50% city driving so I change my oil every 8k. I change the filter every 4k. You should at least change your filter on a regular interval considering how easy it is on our cars. just turn the wheel and reach in there. It only takes me 5 minutes cause i never overtighten the filter, i just use my hands. Just be sure to bring the oil level back up to what its supposed to be. 10min max.

peace