Oil Changes

dreamer2b · December 2002

I have a 99 ford escort and was wandering how often i have to do an oil change. I have 107,000 kms on it and drive at least 70km a day.

bretfraz · December 2002

If you changed it every 5000-6000 km and used a quality name brand oil and oil filter, I think your car will be just fine.

2002zx2man · December 2002

I get my oil changed every 3000 miles. My car only has 7008 miles on it and I've had the oil changed, as well as the filter, twice.

95switch · December 2002

I recently had the purge valve and sensor replaced on my 97 Escort (SOHC). The yellow check engine light has been on for like the past 2 years, but a week back it began to blink...So thinking things that blinking in the car are bad, I dreaded going into the repair shop and opening the checkbook. But I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to some arching that was going on with some spark plugs, the purge valve was "in need" of replacement. The 2nd set of spark plugs and 2nd set of wires, and a new purge valve and sensor removed the yellow light problem and allows the car to run more smoothly, like the 35 mpg, still getting at over 130K miles. Other than tires, 1 set of brakes, and a timing belt replaced at 70K the car has been great. The purge valve and sensor, locateed under the air intake hose where the air filter is kept, cost $64, plug wires were $53, platnium plugs $9, labor 2 hrs which included the diagnostic checkout. I think because of the mileage I have in the vehicle I'm a pathfinder not a problem seeker. But any comments will/may assist others.

cattcraw · January 2003

I have a 93 escort with 220,000 miles on it.
It still runs great. I change the oil every 3000
miles.

americanflag · January 2003

That was an easy one!

kinley · January 2003

changed oil in his Buick Fireball 8. He just kept changing the filters every five thousand miles and added a quart when down a quart. He ran that Buick for 125,000 miles that way and never torqued the block.

kkollwitz · January 2003

While lying under my car this weekend, and dealing with the inevitable mess of dripping oil when I unscrew the filter, I had an epiphany. What I want is a little sharp tool I can use to cleanly punch a hole in the filter, thus letting it drain before unscrewing. Anyone know of such a thing?

malachy72 · January 2003

heard that many use a screwdriver or ice pick, FWIW.

andre1969 · January 2003

...y'know, I never even thought of that! I remember years ago, when an oil filter had worked its way on too tightly on my '80 Malibu 229, my grandfather did drive a screwdriver into it with a hammer, and then beat on the screwdriver handle with the hammer to knock the filter loose.

The oil naturally drained out when the filter was punctured, but I didn't even think of this as a potential benefit at the time...I was just thankful he got the filter off!

I had to do that trick again, about 10 years later. The oil filter on my '79 Newport was on too tight, and instead of twisting off, it crumpled up! The top part of the cannister twisted, but the base did not, causing it to twist, kinda wasp-waisted, in the middle. I remembered Granddad's old screwdriver trick, and it came off without a hitch.

Thankfully, I think that was the last time I put an oil filter on too tight!

An icepick (I think there's some similar tool called an "awl", too) would be fine for draining an oil filter. If you ever need to use a screwdriver to get a filter off though, make sure you use one long enough to punch all the way through both sides of the filter, so you'll have the leverage to get it off.

fleetwoodsimca · January 2003

If your efforts ever leave you with only the base plate still on the car, and all else ripped away in the effort to remove, there is a tool available that slides into the holes on the base plate. The other end of the tool provides a socket wrench attachment. I have a set of these tools which I have never had to use. I hope to keep it that way!

kinley · January 2003

me to remove the lid off a large jar. I couldn't budge it, but my oil filter wrench did the job immediately. Only in America.

americanflag · January 2003

Also, oil filters serve absolutely no function, except maybe to impede the flow of oil. Just see the Oil Filter board for details. So how could changing the filters have helped? Myswell as just left the filter off completely.

kinley · January 2003

mookie14 · February 2003

i have a 03 trailblazer now im wondering do i wait for the computer to tell me when to change my oil not the miles???? plus in a chevy what difference would synthetic make in a new truck.plus how do i reset the computer when i do change the oil thanks.chevy

0patience · February 2003

americanflag,
Also, oil filters serve absolutely no function, except maybe to impede the flow of oil.
Do what??!!
Someone actually said that?
Hmmm, I have alot of data that says otherwise.

0patience · February 2003

GM OIL LIFE SYSTEM RESETTING
This vehicle has an engine oil life monitor. The GM Oil Life System will show when to change the engine oil and oil filter. This will usually occur between 5,000 km (3,000 mi) and 12,500 km (7,500 mi) since the last oil change. Under severe conditions, the indicator may come on before 5,000 km (3,000 mi).

Vehicle should not be driven more than 12,500 km (7,500 mi) or 12 months without an oil and oil filter change. The system will not detect dust in the oil. So if the vehicle is driven in a dusty area, be sure to change the oil and oil filter every 5,000 km (3,000 mi) or sooner if the "CHANGE OIL SOON" indicator comes on. Reset the system when the oil has been changed.

RESETTING PROCEDURE
Turn the ignition to ON without starting the engine.
Fully push and release the accelerator pedal slowly three times with-in five seconds.
If the "CHANGE ENG OIL" light flashes for five seconds, the system is reset. If the light does not flash, repeat the procedure.

armtdm · February 2003

Regarding the use of oil filters You stated "Hmmm, I have alot of data that says otherwise. "

Can you provide please. Personally, in todays engines and with todays oils I am heavily leaning to stating that filters are pretty much useless and for catastrophic failures only. They basically capture no contaminants and due at times impede flow. The oil does all the work.

So, if you have "actual real life studies" and data please provide.

0patience · February 2003

Most of it is oil analysis sheets.
To compile it would be a ton of work, but let's look at it from the standpoint of the engine.
Most filters are what, 15 micron, so anything smaller than that goes thru the system. 15 microns will go thru the clearances of the bearings, so they usually pass thru and are suspended in the oil. Anything larger than the 15-25 micron won't pass thru the clearances, so they will do damage. When you figure the clearances, they are more than the 15 micron.
Hydraulic systems on the other hand require 5 micron filtering, because of the closer tolerances in the valving, motors and pumps. So alot of hydraulic filters filter 5 micron and above. The design principle is that the 5 micron particles will pass between the tolerances of the valves and pumps, anything large should be captured in the filter and not go thru the system.

armtdm · February 2003

Is the quantity of 15 _+ micron particles in the oil and to what extent they will decrease the longevity of the engine. Almost anything built today will go 100,000 plus miles with cheap SL rated dino oil every 3000 miles and no filter IMO, Now, throw in a filter and same change interval and will the engine go longer. That is what we don't know and has not been proven out in real life studies.

0patience · February 2003

Well, yes and no.
You can pull apart any oil filter and see the results of the +15 micron particles.
Now, about what has been proven in real life studies. The trucks that I work on are extreme duty trucks, range from 1 tons to 120,000 lb haulers. They all get oil analysis done on them.
In extreme cases (hauling in high heat, extremely dusty and smokey conditions hauling machinery into fire areas) on the heavy haulers, there has been occasion where the oil filter became plugged and the oil bypassed. In those instances, the silicate, copper, lead and tin content spiked.
silicate is dirt and water. copper, lead and tin are bearings. You can pretty much draw a conclusion from that.

armtdm · February 2003

The average US driver does not encounter your conditions and those trucks probably have bypass as well. Every filter that I have cut open (analysis also) and on other boards where filters have been analyzed there are basically no contaminants in the media, nothing. This has been at 3000 miles and 10,000 miles. Your comparison is similar to the companies that say if it is good enough for racing cars it is good enough for mine. Not true. Racing engines get torn down and rebuilt after every race, long term protection is not of interest, less detergents in the oil, HP is what counts. Your truck scenario of heavy loads, dusty conditions bears no semblance to a real life average driver car. Anyway, we need real life average daily driver studies to really show if filters do anything other then house more oil in the average car.

We simply do not have those.

0patience · February 2003

I can see your viewpoint, but also see the otherside of that. When Mt St. Helen's blew, I saw vehicle after vehicle that ash had gone into the oil system. This in itself was severe, but without an oil filter would have been catastophic on thousands of vehicles.
Now I know that isn't something that happens alot, but my point is, that it is better to have an added edge to protect your engine.

armtdm · February 2003

I guess what I am also saying is that the quality of the filter may not make difference in the long run. A fram will capture the volcanic ash as well as a Mobil 1 in all probability.

andre1969 · February 2003

...when oil filters were actually optional on cars! I vaguely remember reading an old ad for a 1940 DeSoto, and one of the bragging features was that it had a standard oil filter where it was optional on competing cars!

I think those old oil filters were a different design, too. There used to be something called an oil bath, but I don't know what it was. My buddy's '55 DeSoto Coronado had one. My '57 Firedome has a round cannister that you have to take off, and there's a drop-in filter. Real pain in the butt to change...you have to get all the little gaskets lined up just right or it'll leak like crazy. I could almost understand it if people didn't change these things!

Chrysler started using the spin-on type oil filter that is so common today in 1958, on the wedge-head big-block engines. I don't know who actually first came out with it, though.

What kind of filter would a 1950 Buick have had?

csandste · February 2003

developed in the mid-fifties. Quality has been going down steadily since that time!

andre1969 · February 2003

...it just hit me, the "oil bath" thing I was thinking of was actually the air filter, not the oil filter. I guess my buddy's '55 DeSoto had the cartridge that drops in the cannister, like my '57.

swschrad · February 2003

had a college buddy who kept an old mid-50s Ford Customline sedan for a lot of years... and when he got the urge to go bumping down rail lines periodically, he had to pull hte top off that thing, lift or pry the old filter out of the tar in the oil bath, drain, fill, and put in another filter.

nasty, dirty, evil, tarry creatures those oil bath filter cans were. I can imagine the air filter unit would be even worse, but I seem to remember that car had a dry filter for air.

ish. much nicer to pour the old oil out of a spin-on, feel how much heavier it is than the new one, and how much dirtier the oil is coming out the center hole than out the edge holes (the direction of filtering in recent Fords I have owned.)

I have no doubt the filter is catching things I would not want sprayed on one side of the rod bearings.

alcan · February 2003

Scott, you're going back. I used to get stuck with servicing oil bath air filters when I started my apprenticeship.

mookie14 · February 2003

i got a 03 tblazer and i need to know this actually when do you change your oil 3000 or do what the book says when the monitor pops up on the display panel. im confused im over 3000 like 3100 im worried the monitor has not came on so well in one simple WORD HELP!!!!!!! plus i think i will get it done at the dealer resetting and all that stuff i dont know.ps im going might be going out of town so its urgent.

swschrad · February 2003

and so it likely won't light up until something between 5000 and 7500 miles, your manual should have the correct figure.

you're into hot philosophical discussion time as to whether you should dump the factory oil early or leave it in. chevy says leave it in. a large number of posters on this board including me figure on dumping factory oil and filter early, anyplace from 500 miles to 2000.

if you're headed out on a trip of a couple days and will be back in town before you hit 5000 miles, it will be changed then at GM standards.

if you wanna be a creaky old crank and try for 300,000 miles on the engine, change it before you leave and use a new GM oil filter as well.

kennynmd · February 2003

first I don't know anything about cars. When I need something done to it I take it to my mechanic. Well, I just bought a 2003 Lexus ES300. I want the best for this vehicle and want to do things myself. I was wondering how hard is it to change the oil on this vehicle? I want to use synthetic oil (probably Mobil1). Also does anyone know how good K&N oil filters are eventhough they are pricey? Finally, are additive such as Prolong, Z-Max, etc. any good? Aree they worth the money? Thanks

0patience · February 2003

If you are changing oil in the regular intervals, organic or synthetic oil, your call.
K&N oil filters, if you are going for reusable, their great. If you are looking for performance enhancement, not gonna be much.
The additives, don't waste your money.

bigorange30 · February 2003

Don't waste your money on "snake oils". Most of them have had FTC rulings against them because of false advertising. Take a look at this one for instance on Z-Max.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/02/zmax1.htm

armtdm · February 2003

Very easy however, you may wihs to wait for your warranty to be over and or keep excellent receipts. Lexus oil cahgnes are in th $50-$60 range (they wash the car for you though) but you do need to protect the warranty. Lexus did have a few sludge factories in the engine they share with the Sienna and Camry and they were as reluctant to rebuild/rep[lace as toyota was

fpasos · February 2003

I have a 92 escort and recently change one of the headlights and I noticed that it is aiming high right. How do I adjusted back down??
Thank you.
Fpasos

bigorange30 · February 2003

That post is WAY off topic. This is about oil changes. You need to go to an escort board to ask that question.

nippononly · February 2003

what percentage of Lexus owners change their own oil...I would hazard a guess of 1% or less??!! LOL

arcticman · February 2003

And its a real pain considering I do it without the car on a lift of some type. I used to let a local Toyota/Lexus mechanic do it for 30 bucks.

mookie14 · February 2003

in a mth i will change my oil now i want to use castrol synthetic blend the main thing is this. how do i tell them to reset the monitor on my truck. better yet how to do it is what i am saying and how long can i go with changing my oil next time without NO!!!! engine damage. thanks plus what is the BEST filter to use the chevy truck.

mookie14 · February 2003

will anybody respond to message 40 thanks.

knapp3 · February 2003

I don't know a thing about your engine monitor. Never had a car with one. But doesn't your owners manual tell you how to do that? Or a quick call to a Chevy dealer's service dept? If you read much of these posts, you'll learn that the best filter is just about anything but a Fram. GM's plain old AC Delco brand is pretty good for our vehicle. The oil you've selected is probably good for 3-4,000 miles regardless of what any engine monitor says.

malachy72 · February 2003

are reset by disconnecting the battery and re connecting. BTW, why Syntec blend?

swschrad · February 2003

and so it's something simple, like rubbing your head while patting your belly. of course, the reset is NOT standard across lines of the same maker. my exploder's is reset by holding the "oil change" button on the message center in for over 3 seconds. I saw a post weeks ago that holding the trip odometer button and turning the car key to run clears some DCs.

best advice... read the maintenance section of the owners manual thoroughly. somewhere in there they will say how to zap the button. if you have the oil change and complimentary 17 point inspection done at the dealer, of course, expect (and demand if it isn't done) that they should clear the tickler.

shaneysmom22 · March 2003

I just bought this car and I'm hearing a loud humming noise when I start it up and when I'm in park. What the heck is it??
And, in anyone's opinion, how is the escort on gas?

tboner · March 2003

in your owners manual? The instructions for the monitor on my FIL's 99 Chebby Pickup are in the owners manual.

TB

swschrad · March 2003

just for the randy heck of it, on a nice quiet morning, with the fans and radios and electrified dancing lights all turned off, turn the key to RUN, not start, and listen carefully.

if you hear the same hum for a couple seconds, and then it stops, it is your fuel pump. if it takes a second or two to start, and continues, it's likely the blower motor for the heat and a/c.

this is alleged to be perfectly normal, and the reason you have a CD full of tunes in the first place with you

shaneysmom22 · March 2003

Thanks for your 2 cents, although i am quite confused about the radios and fans and electrified music you are talking about...and what do you mean by "the reason you have a CD full of tunes in the first place with you..."?
Well, all I have in my car is a radio, anyway. No CD player and no tape player... It sucks but that's ok....as long as my car works. I'll try your advice! And you say this is perfectly normal for my car to do this? I hope so because it's really annoying!!
Hope I don't sound too stupid....I know absolutely nothing about cars...lol!!

asafonov · March 2003

Greetings,

I am considering buying a 2002 5-speed Chevy Prizm from a private seller. It has 20000 miles on it, clear title, CARFAX shows it was registered as a private party vehicle in the town the seller is from.

Now my question: the seller claims to have done all the oil changes himself at 3k intervals, with synthetic oil, too, but he did not keep the receipts. He has no problem with the mechanic of my choice going over the car in detail and confirming (or disproving) his statements. I trust this mechanic since I worked with this little shop for several years.

Is it reasonable that a mechanic can determine whether oil was changed regularly on a car of this type? I am not talking every 3k miles - 4 or 5 times over 20k miles would have been nice. Thanks for you input,

swschrad · March 2003

by showing a lack of abnormal wear. but as for positive evidence, nope. it is conceivably possible that the previous owner could show you receipts for the supplies, but they actually went into another car. for that matter, how do we know you are REALLY asafonov?

you see, a little excess suspicion can be a powerful influence causing severe doubt and worry.

there is always a risk in a used car, always. there is no absolute satisfaction because there is always a way to fake something. if the oil is "dirty" in this car now, an oil analysis should be neutral... and your mechanic can arrange for one to bolster his professional opinion on the state of the car now. but if the seller "just wanted to be sure the next owner has a good start in my little baby," and has only 30 miles on this oil, it won't say much.

since you have come to trust your mechanic, it's really in his hands. for the most part, prism owners keep 'em for years and run 'em until there is no more to give, and everybody I know with one swears it's the best car they've had, or one of the best. if the car has been hammered, your mechanic should be able to tell from the outboard running gear (wheels, shocks/struts, exhaust dents and condition of the hangers, tie rods and ball joints) and by sniffing the tailpipe with a gas analyzer. if the clutch is beat up, that's a clue... if not, THAT's a clue.

it will be hard to prove conclusively it was babied, though.

rubicon52 · March 2003

In response to your question about the ease of changing oil on an ES300. I have two V-6 Camrys which have an almost identical engine so I'll assume oil changes are the same. There's room under the car to get to everything so no need to put the car up on ramps. The oil filter is on the front of the engine and you will spill some oil on the structural piece below the oil filter (might be the engine mount). Some people wipe it off or use rags to catch the oil. I just let it drip off into the drain pan. You may have a few drops the day after you change the oil, but that's it. The drain plug does have a fiber washer under it which should be replaced every time you take out the drain plug. With the draim plug out, the fiber washer tends to stick to the pan rather than come off with the drain plug. Because it's on the back face of the sump, you have to reach your hand around and feel if it's stuck to the sump. If so (and it usually is) I scrape it off with the beveled edge of a pry bar (works better than a screwdriver). I would definitely recommend synthetic oil for these engines. I use Mobil 1. Hope this helps.

Oil Changes

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles