Oil change intervals

[silverz51]

OK, I topped off the oil in my truck the other day. It was 1 qt low. I had changed to 10W30 Mobil 1 about a year ago. I only drove this truck about 4K miles since the last oil change. I know it's been a year, but I wonder if I should wait until I get 6~7K miles before I change the oil?
Synthetic oil is supposed to last quite a bit longer than regular oil between changes. I know that in my Corvette. the instrument panel tells me when to change the oil and it takes quite a long time between changes and I drive it a lot more than the truck......

 

[DNFXDLI]

You should do a little reading here..hehe. In a nutshell..get an analysis done on your oil..that will help determine a changing schedule for you.

 

[F150]

Various conditions call for various intervals..

 

[silverz51]

You should do a little reading here..hehe. In a nutshell..get an analysis done on your oil..that will help determine a changing schedule for you.

How do you get an analysis of your oil? Sounds like it might be expensive....
I baby the truck and do not expose it to severe service except for a few short runs to the store every now and then. Otherwise just drive it for 5~10 mile trips through town and the occasional 50+ mile road trip. No WOT driving, no towing or hauling..... it never runs hot.

 

[DNFXDLI]

How expensive is a rebuild? The only sure way to know what state your oil is in is with an analysis:
Blackstone labs
Oil Analyzers
Standard test is around $25.

 

[silverz51]

Well, my curiosity led me to an interesting website (among others).
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/interval.html
According to the Paradise Garage tests, calculations, observations, etc. The recommended intervals for my truck using Mobil 1 would be over 10,000 miles (of course, filter changes ought to be more frequent, perhaps 5K miles).
Take a look at theory #5 in the web page. Fill in the numbers and check it out. These intervals are accurate for engines that use no oil. For engines like mine which use a little oil, the intervals are even greater!
I will change the filter soon and out of curiosity will spring the bucks for an oil analysis and see what actually happens

BTW, every single website that studies this topic says that the 3000 mile interval is totally bogus and a waste of $$ as well as environmentally bad.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Some of my vehicles get 1 change per year...some even longer.