Extending Oil Drain Intervals: What is your experience?

[Mike]

I'm about 90% decided that I am going to start doing extended oil drains on my truck now that I've had a rebuild. I've had an OPS Ecopure system in the truck since day one, but have simply just been replacing an extra oil filter every 15-20k for the life of the first engine. Did that because Fitzgerald basically told me that any failures they could point toward the oil would void my warranty if I was doing extended drains. Well, I did your oil changes as advised, and your engine was an epic fail, so thanks for nothing Fitzgerald.

Anyhow, with the OPS Ecopure, I "think" that the recommendation is to replace the bypass filter every 25k, send in a sample, and go from there. The full flow stock engine oil filters get replaced every 50k. I will be calling OPS to verify those numbers with them, but I think that is how they explained it to me a few years back when I first got the truck.

I'm coming up on my 2nd oil change since the rebuild, so I will getting my first sample then, then starting the extended drains following this oil change if I go forward with it. Gotta be honest, I'm a little nervous about doing it.

 

[ironpony]

Never had a problem with doing extended drains on my other truck. You just have to keep up with the testing. You might want to go with 100% synthetic oil at the same time.

 

[Rigjockey]

If you are well passed the break in period on your rebuild I might extend oil changes.
But you are a former wrench, so you would know if it is good idea or not.

 

[mndriver]

I so no real benefit to extended intervals..

you need to add the 5000 miles to the other distances.

these are the oil samples when I did extended intervals. Volvo says I can go to 45k miles. So I did.

I intend to start pla an oil change at 25k now. Even my Volvo service manager suggests 25-30k Volvo shop bulk 10W30 oil.

 

[Mike]

I so no real benefit to extended intervals..

you need to add the 5000 miles to the other distances.

these are the oil samples when I did extended intervals. Volvo says I can go to 45k miles. So I did.

I intend to start pla an oil change at 25k now. Even my Volvo service manager suggests 25-30k Volvo shop bulk 10W30 oil.

View attachment 67708

What I’m talking about doing is never changing the oil until the oil sample says it needs to be changed. Looking to take the oil to 200k or more of possible.

 

[Electric Chicken]

What I’m talking about doing is never changing the oil until the oil sample says it needs to be changed. Looking to take the oil to 200k or more of possible.

You hate Fitzgerald that much?

 

[Mike]

You hate Fitzgerald that much?

fitzgerald is a non factor at this point. Engine has been rebuilt by a Detroit shop.

 

[mndriver]

What I’m talking about doing is never changing the oil until the oil sample says it needs to be changed. Looking to take the oil to 200k or more of possible.

Yop.

totally get that.

And I would never do that.

detergent additives aren’t renewed, etc to keep the spot loading of the engine clean.

just how I’ve always looked at it.

even my warranty paperwork requires me to show proof it was done every 25,000 miles.

what warranty life did interstate give you?

 

[Electric Chicken]

fitzgerald is a non factor at this point. Engine has been rebuilt by a Detroit shop.

Oh I thought you were being spiteful.

 

[Mike]

what warranty life did interstate give you?

100k

 

[Electric Chicken]

100k

Well. Now that that's settled...

 

[Rigjockey]

Gay Irish.
Gerald Fitzpatrick and Patrick Fitzgerald.

 

[Sinister]

Gay Irish.
Gerald Fitzpatrick and Patrick Fitzgerald.

Actually the prefix "fitz" is thought to mean "false" originally.

Offspring the actual royalty in the rest of Europe wanted to get rid of they sent to Ireland and gave them made up lands and title there, and added "Fitz" to the front of the name.

200k miles on an oil change reminds me of an idea so terrible only @terrylamar would come up with it.

 

[ironpony]

200k miles on an oil change reminds me of an idea so terrible only @terrylamar would come up with it.

That's the point of doing the oil analysis. As long as the trace contaminants are minimal, you're basically throwing away oil that's the next closest thing to clean.

 

[Mike]

200k miles on an oil change reminds me of an idea so terrible only @terrylamar would come up with it.

people are running the oil change intervals even higher, and taking the engines up to 1.5 million and higher.

New trucks are going 70k, and that is with lower quality bypass filtration that you can get aftermarket.

 

[Electric Chicken]

That's the point of doing the oil analysis. As long as the trace contaminants are minimal, you're basically throwing away oil that's the next closest thing to clean.

Does the oil analysis tell you how much life the oil has remaining, or does it just tell you how contaminated it is? My understanding about oil is that it's the additives that get used up, not the oil itself. So if the additives are gone, it doesn't matter whether the motor or filtration isn't putting garbage in it.

 

[Oxbow]

What I’m talking about doing is never changing the oil until the oil sample says it needs to be changed. Looking to take the oil to 200k or more of possible.

So, you run it until the sample says it's bad, and then a little longer until you get a chance to change it which could easily be another 10k plus the miles it was bad prior to the last sample, all the while paying for new filters and samples, all to save $200 in oil each 25k when you could have just put new oil in it in another 20 minutes.

I know the big boys do it, but does that really sound like a good bet to a one truck operation?

Not to me.

 

[Mike]

I know the big boys do it, but does that really sound like a good bet to a one truck operation?

the samples i am doing anyway. If I do it, I would be changing once the oil came anywhere near close to borderline.

that said, I'm still undecided.

Gonna run the numbers at 100k intervals and see where it comes out.

I've never ran the numbers on doing this, but given the cost of oil, and basically spending half the money on the regular oil filteer (as the would be changed every 50k vs. 25k when I would normally do the oil changes, I'm feeling like the savings vs. the risk is likely not worth it.

Off the top of my head, I am guessing a savings of about $600/year running 100k per year.

 

[Oxbow]

the samples i am doing anyway. If I do it, I would be changing once the oil came anywhere near close to borderline.

that said, I'm still undecided.

Gonna run the numbers at 100k intervals and see where it comes out.

I've never ran the numbers on doing this, but given the cost of oil, and basically spending half the money on the regular oil filteer (as the would be changed every 50k vs. 25k when I would normally do the oil changes, I'm feeling like the savings vs. the risk is likely not worth it.

Off the top of my head, I am guessing a savings of about $600/year running 100k per year.

I understand. The problem is that it's impossible to put accurate numbers toward the likelihood and subsequent cost of premature oil related failure to make the analysis complete.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Trucks are like bananas to a mega. They buy in bunches, lose in bunches, sell in bunches.

They can play the odds because one down truck doesn't even phase them. Sometimes they don't even notice.

I'm no expert but whatever truck I end up with is going to be my baby and my livelihood. I will maintain it accordingly.