Extending Oil Drain Intervals: What is your experience?

Interesting thread, with quite a few surprising responses. I know of a few outfits that change oil based on testing. Trucks and equipment. The smallest guy has 2 trucks, couple excavators, couple dozers. Next largest has 25? trucks. Nobody that I know, does extended oil changes to save money. They sample oil to find upcoming problems. If they happen to save some money on oil changes? Cool, but that's not what it's about.

If an oil sample comes up with coolant, what do you do? Depends on how much coolant there is. If it's not much, you keep running it, and do another oil test sooner to see how fast things are changing. It's all about seeing how your engine changes over time. Seeing that, lets you plan ahead. Doesn't every owner operator plan ahead, and have a back up plan to take over when the main plan fails? Testing just gives better insight into back up plans.

5 or 6 years ago, I was doing some oil testing on a truck, to get a little better idea of how much time I had to use it. My samples cost me $30, which included postage for the container, and email delivery for the findings.
 
I had a 3406B years ago that the liner orings would seep Coolant into the oil pan over night. I was on a dedicated haul and it had to go every night weather i wanted it to or not. Every day before id start the truck, id open the drain valve on the oil pan and drain bout a gallon or so of antifreeze outta the oil. Top the radiator tank back off. Start the truck and ride.

The truck lasted over 8 months that way and never had a problem. I tore it down and put liners in once we got time. I'd loved to seen the look on the oil sample folks faces if that thing would have ever got a test done.
Gotta love it! Making do...

Just curious, if that o-ring had gone past seeping, what was the plan?
 
Reviving an not quite necrothread....

so you stop doing oil changes. The oil sample has to come back and say it has seen actual contamination.

what does that mean.

it means if you are seeing wear metals IN the oil, the damage has already been done and you are going to need an overhaul sooner than later.

All to save less than $1000 in oil.

preventative maintenance is just that. Preventative.

Not reactionary.

my oil samples have always come back clean. The one time it came back contaminated was well before the actual damage was done to the engine hard parts. Unfortunately, to replace seals and O-rings meant tearing things apart. Otherwise, it would have never been opened up.
 
Very interesting thread - thanks to all input.

Ive had 2 trucks over 6 years.

N-14, and S60.

N-14 I put a Filtration Solutions unit on - close to $1,000. Filters were $25, recommendations of 10k changes.

They touted “less oil per filter change “ - but it was messy, and the frequency of filter change, whilst retaining factory filters (which I imagine the paper media would break down and leak eventually) - I wasn’t thrilled.

I sampled every 10k, and changed oil on results - 20-30k average, longest was 40k.

Purchased unit at 963k, sold at 1.25m - current owner running at 1.4m+.

Oil samples alerted to high copper and lead, upon which we rolled in new rods and mains at 1m.
 
Part 2. S60.

Installed an Amsoil EaBP 120, gallon spin on filters at $45. Unit was $350.

Reccomends 45k filter changes. I still change on sample results - typically 15-25k.

I like the idea of bypass filtration - higher micron filtering. You can see the difference when filling factory filters to the bypass filter, the amount of time it takes to bleed through the medium.

It started as potential cost saving, but now it’s more about laziness - I might change oil twice a year, 3 times - vs. every 12k on the mark. I change my own oil, but have a concrete floor shop to do so. Completely understand guys that don’t have access to a shop.

It didn’t catch a scored liner - the head being off for something else did. Fuel dilution, soot and silicon I’m always looking at, potassium/sodium too - for potential problems I can catch well before catastrophic failure. Injector issues, air leaks, bearing wear etc.

Oil - I use Schaefer’s., I like the service, doorstep delivery, $15 samples, and I like the rep. I know it’s high dollar - so economically it’s probably ALL A WASH.

That’s my experience @Mike .
 
How much are you paying for that oil? I'm considering Primrose when I get my next truck.
Jeez - I’d hate to lie. I’d have to look. I buy a 30gallon 15-40 7000 Semi-Synthetic barrel. They deliver to the house.

I use their fuel additive, grease, and samples too - so it’s kind of a one stop shop for me.
 

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