Engine Oil Change

[OKLY]

Hi all,

I always travel on the highway a lot (it's possible for me to touch 3,000-4,000km in a month) plus I usually rev quite hard when overtaking at about 5.5k RPM so my question is, would using full synthetic and change oil every 10,000km or use semi synthetic and change every 5,000km be better?

I know that a high quality semi synthetic oil could also last up to 10,000km but the oil filter must be good as well. However because of my driving style, I'm thinking that using semi synthetic and changing every 5,000km might be the better option. At least the engine gets fresh oil more frequently.

Any opinions?

 

[bera]

your oil dip stick can be a good indicator...i make it a habit to check it once a week (if i rajin and remember)...once a month is compulsory for me...if i see the oil already blacked by carbon...i would change it straight away regardless of how much km traveled or age of the oil...

 

[Supra_Fanatics]

But my engine oil always end up at half level on the dip stick indicator..roughly after around 5K KM, I service every 8K KM...using fully syn 10W40...dunno why either...

 

[bera]

But my engine oil always end up at half level on the dip stick indicator..roughly after around 5K KM, I service every 8K KM...using fully syn 10W40...dunno why either...

same here la bro...that's why i check it always...dont want to risk engine oil dry out...for me i'm only using semi syn...my service intervals varies...our friend the thread poster is lucky...always on the highway...me everyday stuck in traffic...so in a sense "enjin hidup odometer tak jalan"...thats why i prefer to look at the dip stick rather than depending solely on the odometer reading...

 

[AD_EG]

i never follow more than 5k service...even if the shops says 10k or the oil proven for 20k..

better use semi and change every 5k bro. thats better.

 

[xtremeleo]

a good fully synthetic oil can be used more then 20,000km, change the filter every 10,000km

 

[NeuroOne]

u can go fully syn and get a bosch type-r oil filter which rated 20K km.
but like bera and supra_fanatics, i look at the dipstick to check the 'hitamness' and my 'butt-dyno' but usually change semi-syn at no more than 7K km.

 

[xtremeleo]

the hitamness doesnt indicate how the oil performs sir

 

[NeuroOne]

the hitamness doesnt indicate how the oil performs sir

yup. u are right.
but i take it as indication that it has done the job of lubricating and cleaning the engine, and it may affect the lubrication quality as it gets more hitam.

 

[bera]

the hitamness doesnt indicate how the oil performs sir

if you dont mind me asking...how to tell the "oil performance"...?? would like to learn also...

because as i know...oil and fuel have cleaning addictive added to them...while fuel burn away... engine oil stays in circulation, go through the oil filter and later drip into the oil pan...carrying with it the gunk, impurities and what not...

it just my logic dictates that the cleaner the oil...the better it perform...now i'm really confused :hmmmm:

ps://before this also heard that engine oil will spoil over time...is it true...??

 

[AD_EG]

this is still a never ending debate. how many km can engine oil last etc etc.

---------- Post added at 12:44 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 12:41 PM ----------

engine oil will lose its viscocity over a certain period of time as i understand. but whne that happens im not sure, and as bera mentioned the oil can hold/carry all the impurities etc and sludge can also build up in the engine. again...how long it takes for this to happen? i dont know and certainly dont want to see it happen in my engine. so, ill just go along with service every 5k with good quality oil. and be happy knowing my car internals are taken care of.

 

[ixeo]

depends on the engine oil and the engine. some engines are famous for sludging e.g. VW's groups 1.8T.

I change engine oil every 20,000km or 1 year, whichever comes first. the japanese engine was sparkling clean when opened after 5 years of daily driving. The engine oil alone costs RM2xx. but its worthwhile since I only change once a year. save time.

 

[xtremeleo]

if you dont mind me asking...how to tell the "oil performance"...?? would like to learn also...

because as i know...oil and fuel have cleaning addictive added to them...while fuel burn away... engine oil stays in circulation, go through the oil filter and later drip into the oil pan...carrying with it the gunk, impurities and what not...

it just my logic dictates that the cleaner the oil...the better it perform...now i'm really confused :hmmmm:

ps://before this also heard that engine oil will spoil over time...is it true...??

hi, the one u see in the oil pan; from the dip stick isnt the real scenario, as the suspended dirt is kept there by the filter. if ur oil filter is of high quality and performing up to par, it will only allow clean oil to pass through to other areas of the engine. u can see what i mean by removing the engine cover, u wont see dirty oil there like what u can see at the bottom of the oil pan. fully synth doesnt get spoiled over time, at least not as short as a simple mineral base oil, they are more stable in terms of resisting oxidation, chemically more stable, etc. dats y u can use it more then 20,000km without a problem

 

[Izso]

I posted this sometime ago.

http://www.zerotohundred.com/newforums/features/384644-simplified-guide-to-engine-oils.html

Engine oil has several factors, the base oil, the additives and the detergents. The better the base oil the better the oil is and the more expensive it is. Ester based being the best (group 5 usually).

The additives are things like friction modifiers, octane boosters and other secret recipes.

Detergents are those that clean the internals of your engine bay. Cleaning out sludge, varnish and whatever.

Getting a fully synthetic doesn't necessarily mean it'll last 20k km, but it does mean it'll last longer than semi's and minerals. And fully syn won't leave deposits like mineral oils does.

A good fully syn like the 5W40 from Honda is pretty good for constant high revving engines and doesn't break down as easily say compared to Pennzoil's 5W30 fully syn.

Good detergent fully syns like Royal Purple didn't even last 8000km for me. Engine ended up really rough and FC was bad after 7000km++ but it cleared out so much sludge I ended up discovering some broken oil seals which were clogged by the sludge.

Dirty oil indicates the detergents is doing its job. Clean oil after say 8000km I'd be suspicious of the oil quality. The only real way to find out how good or bad an oil is, is to use a UOA test kit and send the test kit results for analysis. But let's be honest - how many people will do that? So in the end it's always about word of mouth or butt tests.

If you have a look at my article on the camshaft, you'll see that my cylinder head is super clean, no yellowish varnish anywhere and everything is still silver in colour. Nice... and... clean.

5.5k RPM revving isn't really that high unless you're talking about 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear, then you're a heavy footer!

 

[g4i8y0t]

Recently, I bought Mobil1 5W50 fully synthetic at RM129 per bottle at Tesco Manjung. Because they were so cheap I bought 2, hehe.. One thing I noticed was that even though the recommended OCI for Mobil1 is 10k km, the performance degraded a bit after 9k km. After an oil change at 9500km, my car feels more responsive and has got slightly better pick-up, definitely not placebo effect.. *I changed the oil filter at 5k km.