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my feeling is that if you change the oil yourself, doing it every 3k miles won't cost much and your engine is well protected because the oil is not near the end of its life cycle when you change it. Heck, on my collector car I change it every 1000 -1500 miles .. BTW I am an automotive engineer. Member of the esociety of automotive engineers(SAE)
my feeling is that if you change the oil yourself, doing it every 3k miles won't cost much and your engine is well protected because the oil is not near the end of its life cycle when you change it. Heck, on my collector car I change it every 1000 -1500 miles .. BTW I am an automotive engineer. Member of the esociety of automotive engineers(SAE)
yes, as a retired quality engineer myself from a major engine maker I can agree with you 100% since we know the facts engine wear as well has how oil works inside and engine.
Often times I find it hard to share the facts of engine wear with others since there is so much marketing misinformation that passes for good facts. People just don't understand there is no voodoo about engine/oils there is only the physics of engine wear.
While you won't ruin it by changing it 'too much', 3,000 miles is far too frequent and is a brainwashing sham perpetrated by the oil change and auto industry. Personally, I would recommend running full-synthetic of whatever grade your owners manual recommends and use a Nissan genuine oil filter. Do NOT use a Fram filter, whatever you do. And don't hesitate to run 5,000 miles in between changes. I've been doing this for 40,000 miles with absolutely no ill effects.
Good luck!
At 40,000 miles you don't know the long term effects of what you are doing.
City driving is an early death on any engine due to constant heat cool cycles that add much contamination to the oil. Also what is not understood is every time you start your car you add 500 miles of wear to the engine due to 2>5 seconds of running dry with no oil. It takes the oil pump that long to build PSI. THAT is why 3000 > 3500 is not to often to change.
My car holds oil on top of the cylinder head when shut off so oil is always available. One thing I've actually thought about adding was an extra oil pump that pumped oil up and rotated the engine a few times before starting. Maybe even an ignition/fuel cutout switch and just crank it over a few times, then add spark and fuel and it's fully lubricated.
However even doing without this cars these days will get 300,000 miles on the engine without major rebuilds provided you change the oil.
My car holds oil on top of the cylinder head when shut off so oil is always available.
How in the world is oil puddled up on top of the cyl head going to be pressurized by the oil pump in the crankcase going to lube the bearings and other moving parts of an engine?
Go back to school and learn the sequence of oil lubrication for an engine.
I dunno I assumed it lubricated much better because of the check valve in the oil filter which holds it up there. When a generic oil filter is used you can hear the valves clanking on startup.
Also what is not understood is every time you start your car you add 500 miles of wear to the engine due to 2>5 seconds of running dry with no oil. It takes the oil pump that long to build PSI. THAT is why 3000 > 3500 is not to often to change.
Can you please cite some references or data to back this up?
Engine parts are not dry when the engine is started. Gravity will cause oil to flow "down" but camshafts, pistons, etc all have some oil on them.
yes, as a retired quality engineer myself from a major engine maker I can agree with you 100% since we know the facts engine wear as well has how oil works inside and engine.
Often times I find it hard to share the facts of engine wear with others since there is so much marketing misinformation that passes for good facts. People just don't understand there is no voodoo about engine/oils there is only the physics of engine wear.
+ money spent on a diy 3k oil change(about $20) is money well spent on the longevity of an expensive engine.. If you stretch it to 6000 miles it will cost you about $40 a year.. Its a no brainier for a 3k oil change
I drive a 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 S with 72k miles on it. At 61k I had the motor and the catalytic converter replaced as the previous converter was nearly destroyed and my car was burning oil like crazy. I was covered under the governments 8 yr 80k warranty for catalytic converters, so the Nissan dealer fixed it for nothing.
Those who know Nissans know that on Altimas made between 2002 and 2006 have this pesky catalytic converter problem.
My car's new engine now has 11k on it and I have religiously changed the oil every 3000 miles. My dad said I am going to ruin my motor by not letting the oil wear in on the engine because I "change it too much"
I bought the car in March 2009 at 57k miles and had the motor replaced 2 months into owning the car. I know whoever previously owned my car did not maintain it at all, and I am lucky enough that my car was given a new engine and I dont want it to happen again.
Is what my Dad said true? Am I really ruining my motor by changing the oil "too much" as he says? Or am I just being a good car owner?
There is not even a chance to ruin an engine by changing oil "too much".
Read the user's manual to choose oil, and stick to the one manufacturer recommends. Also, always change oil filter when you change oil itself.
Nissan cars of that period have frequent problems on engines (as reviews say, I have never owned one), so look through the forums how you can improve its reliability, it may be helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankgn87
+ money spent on a diy 3k oil change(about $20) is money well spent on the longevity of an expensive engine.. If you stretch it to 6000 miles it will cost you about $40 a year.. Its a no brainier for a 3k oil change
I pay more than $70 for 4.5 liters of oil + $5 for filter every 3K miles and I think it is still worth it
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.. BTW I am an automotive engineer. Member of the esociety of automotive engineers(SAE)
