Thoughts on oil change intervals (time, not mileage)

I change my 5.4 at 10,000 miles regardless of time. I also run Mobil 1.
190,000 and 16 years and it it does not burn any more oil than when new.
Book calls for 5,000 miles and some time limit. Whatever.

I think mostly the mileage is a general hope for a time frame. Because engines, well most engines, don't come with a running meter on them, they use mileage.

It's very likely for an engine to enjoy low mileage oil changes when the hour meter gets high, stop and go traffic, short and slow trips. But if you like to drive and enjoy taking the slower back roads, keep the power needs down, but run up the miles... why not get a little extra out of a good oil? Engines like to run at medium power steadily for miles, but short and choppy, or pedal to the metal uphills and high speeds take their toll.

Your maintenance schedule spells out what you should do.

I have been changing the oil once a year, with less than 5000 miles. I have just switched to oil changing in the fall instead of the spring because my old mechanic friend figures old oil gets acidic and may damage important surfaces in the engine. I, too, drive it 30 km every month in winter. It seems there is at least a day in every month with an above freezing temperature.

I have been doing EXACTLY that for years ! Most 5000 mile oil changes happen between 1 and 2 years. In 130k miles, it has NEVER used more than 1 additional quart.

Mike Schriber wrote:
It seems to me that most everything you read talks about changing your oil every so many miles or every twelve months. I run Mobil 1 synthetic in my Ford V10 motorhome and typically change it every 5,000 miles. Upon occasion, more than a year will pass without me racking up 5,000 miles. However, since I drive the rig often and it gets up to operating temperature for extended periods of time, I'm thinking that the one year "limit" is essentially meaningless.

Thoughts?

it may be overkill but i change oil in our gasser every 6-mos/5000 miles, whichever comes first. it's not a bad thing to change your oil frequently.