You talking about the alien base on the back side?

 

Funny thing today I got the Maint Service Required light flashing - guess it is time to reset it - don't need an oil change LOL!

 

Let me tell you a bit about changing my oil today. I am at 4900 miles and switched to Mobile 1 and Toyota filter. But damn did that dealer ship put the filter on too tight. I had to drop the bottom scatch protectors and then stab the filter with a screw driver. Made a ____ing mess in my driveway, plus ____ed me off. I am not sure it was worth it all!!!

 

If it was your first oil change it was done by the factory.

I did a Prius oil change for a friend and couldn't even get the filter off or get a grip on it - there is no room to get fingers between the filter and the engine block plus it is smaller than the usual filter wrenches.

 

How long can I reasonably go using Mobil 1 syn and the OEM oil filter. I am at 5000 now, but was hoping to get to 7500. Is that bad?

 

You can change now or wait. There are no rules, and it's a personal decision. Some people feel they can go 10K miles, and Mobil would not disagree. On my new Forester, Subaru says synthetic must be changed at the same interval as regular oil, which for them is 7500 miles. Personally, I change my cheap Pennzoil synthetic at 2500 miles on both xB and Forester for daily driving. If I was on a long trip, I would go as far as 5000 miles.
But you can see how it is really up to you, to do what makes you feel best.

 

It really depends on the type of driving you do. Today, almost all driving is done under "severe service" conditions, which requires a more frequent OCI than driving done under "ideal conditions". Severe service is defined as:

-Trips less than 10 miles (16.09 kilometers)
-Driving in dust and sand
-Cold weather that prevents full engine warmup
-Idling for extended periods
-Stop-and-go driving
-Pulling trailers
-Heavy loads
-Operating in any other heavy-duty and severe service, such as sustained high-speed driving in hot weather.

For "severe" service, most owner's manuals recommend an oil change every 3,000 miles or 90 days. That is a safe OCI, synthetic or not.

Motor oil in the engine becomes contaminated with many things including blow-by, condensation, fuel, dust, metallic shavings, and sometimes even antifreeze. The contaminant, especially those that are liquid, are not completely removed by the oil filter. As they are whipped into the oil, sludge is formed. Also he additive package is consumed, used up or destroyed as the engine operates. When the additive package is destroyed, it becomes a contaminant; it doesn't just evaporate or disappear. If it is not removed at good service intervals, it could possibly become a catalyst to sludge formation.

 

You are not talking about Pennzoil Platinum are you? That is one of the best performing synthetic oils available, superior to M1 and has to ability to easily reach 10,000 miles.

Just want to clarify!

 

Thats a blanket statement and is incorrect unless you know that persons driving habits.

 

How do you figure? I am not telling him to go 10,000 miles I am just saying that it can easily reach that. Most run 7500 it seems on PP and the UOA's it returns are excellent.

I was mostly commenting on his Pennzoil quality, not the mileage you can go on it, that was just an example. PP is an amazing oil.

 

Look at the 4th post above this one.

 

I disagree with you man.

I understand what your trying to say, but today's engines are much better on oil then in the past and can go to 5,000 under more severe conditions without any problem, on CONVENTIONAL oil. Remember, oil has also gotten much better then in the past as well and can withstand much more "abuse". If you want to change at every 3,000 go ahead, but im just saying it's just not needed. I would do it just because I like to if I wasn't running synthetic.

If your using conventional oil, 3,000-3,500 miles is fine I guess, but still a waste of money. Go 5,000 without worry as it will do just fine in the engine safely.

If using synthetic, your silly to do anything LESS then 5,000 miles... Otherwise, just use conventional.

 

No worries - that’s what we are here for, debate and gaining insight.

Again, you are making blanket statements. Oil selection and OCI is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing. For example, high silicone levels normally be traced to a problem with your air intake. Lead from gasoline can cause the most advanced add-packs to fail well before 5K miles….how many of us really know how much lead is in our favorite gas? The best oil in the world can be ruined by bad gas. The only way to really KNOW whats going on w/ your oil is to have a UOA done on it which gives you not only percentages of wear metals, but contaminants as well (Fuel dilution, blow-by gases, oil oxidation, etc.). 90% of the people I talk to dont even know what UOA is, yet they continue to spew forth all kinds of uneducated advice.

Sludge formation - it has nothing to do with the original base stocks used in oils but more to do with:

1. When oil isn't changed frequently enough, oil is eventually whipped together with contaminants and it bakes (oxidizes).

2. Contamination (blow-by, condensation, fuel, dust, metallic shavings, antifreeze) mixed into the oil. Example: during a routine valve cover gasket replacement, antifreeze could accidentally run or drip into the oil, creating large amounts of sludge very rapidly.

Oil (even synthetic) is cheap. Engine work is not.


More blanket statements. What if I drive 3000 miles a year, would you still think a 3K mile OCI is a good idea? Do you really understand just how much of that oil is actually unburnt fuel?

Im beginning to see a theme here. Im not trying to dog on you man, but you should do some more research on motor oil, which does NOT mean listening to your "friends" on your favorite online forum.

 

Im not trying to make blank insight at all, I just was never descriptive enough when my explanations.

I agree with you that there is much more to it then just one-size-fits-all. Time, usage, etc... Are all factors in the oil. I was just giving general statements and not really go in too deeply into the subject.

Synthetic or not, there are many factors like you said that contribute to the oil life. And again I agree that oil is cheap compared to any engine work (obviously!).

In the end, we all have our preferences and opinions to share with others. We all just want the best for our engines and is not worth figuring out who is right or wrong. It all comes down to taste.

Happy changin'!

 

Na Zdrowie!

 

Haha, you polish too?

 

Nope, but I love the country...er...OK, I the women of your country!

As an avid traveller, I like to learn 'Cheers!' in every country I visit.

 

You bet your dupa I'm Polish - actually I was raised Polish but actually my grandparents on my fathers side were from the Ukraine / Austria region depending upon what time in history you looked at boarders that moved around.
So just an update the Synlube I have in my xB has been in for 17,560 miles and my mileage is still averaging above 40mpg.

 

I used K&N filter with Mobil 1 for the tC.

I've noticed the K&N and TRD look the same except TRD is black color. But they both have the wrench nut.

I was having hard time to get the channel-locks to the filter so I noticed unscrewing the plastic tire guard would give you alot more room. Sure enough, it worked!

 

George said: After you loosen the filter a bit, put a big ziplock bag over it before you take it off. The ziplock bag will catch most of the drippage. You just remove the filter and zip up the bag!

GREAT TIP !!!! THANKS GEORGE ! I can't wait to try that on my next oil change!!!

"Install the filter with 3/4 turn after the gasket touches. You can do this by hand without the wrench. Geeze, that filter is teeny!"

Hey GEORGE, it does not have to be that 'teeny'.
Get the longer Toyota OEM filters off E-BAY, (See photo, our XB's can use the stubby 90915-yzzf2 or the longer 90915-yzzf1) 10 for $30 plus $10 shipping, see link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Scion...spagenameZWD1V