Oil Change

Change it before the trip to a High Quality Synthetic oil designed for extended drain intervals.

I run AMSOIL and do a once per year oil change. Wouldn't even consider changing it until 10,000+ miles.

And bring an extra quart or two.

You guys keep up the 3-5K oil changes. I do own stock in some oil companies.

There are a great deal of good answers here. The technology in todays oil is far better than years ago. We have an LB7 Duramax engine and the recommended oil change interval is 10,000 miles. I have never gone that long on an oil change. I usually change the oil every 5,000 miles, even on the road. I can't see any long term damage to your engine if this is the only time you go over your comfort zone on one oil change. It has been recommended, and I agree, to check your oil level often and enjoy your trip.

My ford E450 2006 owners manual says to change every 3000 miles. Easy enough and after 13 years and 100,000 miles the oil still has a little amber color when I dump it out. I know the new manual say longer interval to 7500 but it is a cheap alternative for me to keep the oil changed at 3000 miles and we have been rewarded for 100,000 miles of trouble free service from our MH.

I had an 2009 Chevy traverse which was also the same as one on the Saturn SUVs that a friend had. His ended up needing a timing chain around 40k.

Down the road I ended up getting a recall notice for timing chain issue. I took it in expecting a chain replacement but the dealer called an hour or so later saying it was all done. I said how can that be, how did they replace the chain already. He said NO they don't replace the chain, they just adjust the ECM to an shorter oil change interval. I hadn't gone by the long interval that it was originally programmed in it so maybe my chain was ok. The core issue is that they had undersized the chain and iirc corrected it around 2011.

The heck of it was that the engine had to be pulled to replace it. Moral of the story is lower mileage oil changes my be your best bet.

Just changed my oil while on the road. I have a v10. I installed a quick valve when I purchased the MH which really makes it easy. The filter is right there and the lube joint are easy to hit also. Took me 20 minutes to change. Just ride up on my 2x6’s turn the valve as emptied the oil in a jug from the valve. Took to the local Advanced auto store dumped it and done. The v10 is so simple to change it is more work taking it to get it changed. .

dodge guy wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
If you are worried, change the oil before you leave, keep it filled on the trip, and change it when you get home.

Read your owners manual and see what it says. The days of 3,000 mile oil changes went the way of the dodo bird

Sure, and the days of engine issues due to extended oil change intervals is just beginning. See it all the time. 7-12k miles on an oil change will cause issues down the road. Not worth the gamble. I would t recommend going more than 5k miles.

Do you see problems all the time from long oil change intervals or from operation with insufficient oil because the owner wasn't checking the level periodically during those long intervals?

Since this is a fairly recent gas motorhome, the engine is almost certainly the Ford V10, for which there is quite a history already of high mileage engines in commercial operation. Ford's recommended oil change interval is 7500 miles, I believe. If that were too long, you would not be hearing of these engines regularly making 250k + miles without major work or repairs. Going a little over once or twice while doing mostly highway driving (which is comparatively gentle on the oil) is hardly a death sentence for the engine. Driving with insufficient oil, on the other hand, is quite problematic.

For the OP: when I was on a long trip (Vermont to and around Alaska and back), I had my oil changed at a Jiffy Lube in Fairbanks, and that without any trouble or drama. As I recall we sat in the motorhome during the whole proceedings and ate a snack or played a round of cribbage or something of that sort.

The less you change your oil, the more engines they sell.

My intervals are 25,000 miles per engine manufacture. I pay roughly $300 for 44 quarts 2 filters one bypass filter and 2 fuel filters. All performed at truck stops or large engine repair shops.

dons2346 wrote:
If you are worried, change the oil before you leave, keep it filled on the trip, and change it when you get home.

Read your owners manual and see what it says. The days of 3,000 mile oil changes went the way of the dodo bird

Sure, and the days of engine issues due to extended oil change intervals is just beginning. See it all the time. 7-12k miles on an oil change will cause issues down the road. Not worth the gamble. I would t recommend going more than 5k miles.