dlister70

My 1992 Toyota Pickup with a 22re last had an oil change in October of 2014. I have a Toyota oil filter from the dealership and oil on hand to do the change, but I don't drive the truck much and it's only had 1800 miles since the last change.

I checked the oil today and it's still full and a although it's a little dirty (or at least it's not honey color), it's not pitch black, more like brown.

I've never waited more than a year before, but it seems wasteful to change oil that isn't "used up".

The oil change sticker was 3 months or 3,000 miles but at 3 months I only had like 400 miles on it and I certainly wasn't going to change it then. At 3,000 miles, I'll probably be looking at over the 2 year mark at this rate.

When would you change the oil in a sparsely driven vehicle?

jeremyt

The folks that recommend 3 months are either high on drugs, blindly listen to people that sell oil changes or park their rigs in a salt water tide pool. Especially with newer higher tech synthetic oils, folks are getting high miles per changes 5k 10k that sort of thing. And its not just winging it, one guy on a forum many years back actually had his oil lab tested every cpl thousand miles and the synthetic oil just kept staying within spec.

EDIT: but check your oil level often of course!

millball

For me, it would depend on how the miles were racked up.

Short trips are hard on engine and motor oil alike.

Short trips don't allow the oil to get hot enough to cook out moisture that creates acids from the other combustion products.

If the miles on the truck were put on in trips of 50 miles or more, I'd probably run the oil a bit longer.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Myself I do mine about every 3 months .

Why 10 miles a day round trip to work a whole 20 mile round trip to the grocery store Once a week It can very well be started and stop a few times in that 20 mile trip.

That is pretty much the extent of the driving on that vehicle.

Now my Tacoma that is used as a work horse always 800 pounds or more in the bed dragging another 2000 pounds or so most days over a 100 miles today was closer to 300

This one gets done every 3 to 4 thousand miles .

Oil and filters are cheap !!

When it smells burnt time to change.

jeremyt

Not to call you out *bows to your 9,541 posts* but if your 3month cycle 10/20 mile rig has burnt smelling oil after 3 months and approx 1800 miles it might be a good bet you have some valve leakage

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

You are no doubt correct but with 250,000 miles and the original valves I can understand some valve wear.

Also the compression is so good I can turn the engine over with the spark plugs in with one hand on the crank pulley

That might also help reduce the oils ability to lubricate .

As for the post count it means nothing to me .

Lots of different things factor in to when people change their oil .

A major one is just how busy the Quicky Mart is.

jeremyt

heh the first 3.0 i had in my truck got mighty light on the whole compression thing for a long while. Of course it was completely gutless but the thing finally revved great! well, till i got lax on oil top offs and sent con rods through the block

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Perhaps if I ever bought a vehicle with less then 100,000 miles I might think of trying this Synthetic oil .

But I buy my oil in 55 gallon drums I wonder how much that would be .

Mom always told me 3000 miles or 3 months and old habits are hard to break

Then I had one I never changed the oil just the filter that took about 4 quarts of oil to about 1/2 a tank of gas .

Funny I never had rust problems under that one.