Break In Oil Change - Thoughts

[Buddybiro]

well, we dont share the same emotional connection then.
its a piston engine, its trying to grind itself into oblivion every time you start it and drive it.

they arent metal shavings as you eluded to before. you're describing two very different things


" metal shavings
"it will look like metal flake paint with all the tiny partials of metal in there "

What would the sparkling things in the oil called. I might have called them the wrong thing.

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[CB750F]

OP, do what you want but for all the new vehicles I bought I followed the stated
service. All motors lasted 10 to 15 yrs. Lower yrs are due to other non related
issues like rust terminated the car before motor broke , accident, you get the picture.

Whatever makes you feel good but chances are it's just a placebo.

By far the most important aspect to keeping your vehicle in somewhat good shape
is to follow the recommended maintenance schedule. IMO, early oil change
is a waste of $ & resources.

Of course, I don't have a PhD but I do have a high school degree, barely passed too!
Oh, wait, if your using your truck outside normal usage, pulling(towing a lot) or
offroad(a lot) or racing, then, yea, change your oil often. ?

 

[HenryMac]

I have the option of changing the oil during a weekend stay in Ohio, which puts me right around 3000 miles. I'm leaning to that option

Makes a lot of sense.

I changed mine at 4,000 miles. You need to rotate the tires about every 4,000 miles anyway. Makes sense to do both at the same time since changing the oil filter with the front drivers side tire off makes it easier.

 

[OrangeStreak]

That’s mine. I have a little fuel but I’m not worried about it unless it gets high and stays there. The metals amount on a new engine is within normal. I’m at the point mileage wise now where I can wind it up a few times to max and get rings set and should be good to go with the next analysis check.

Rick,
I really like the comments section giving a summary of your results. Does this come standard with every report?

 

[Trigganometry]

Rick,
I really like the comments section giving a summary of your results. Does this come standard with every report?

Yes, they comment in all reports done.

 

[JohnnyO]

My system has always been to do the first oil change at 2500 miles with conventional oil and at 5000 and every 5000 after with full synthetic.

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

JMO. I always do the 1st LOF at 500-1k miles with a Wix [if available] filter and Synthetic, was a Mobil 1 guy for years and recently got converted to Castrol. Then 5k intervals that I may start extending b/c even though the oil is no longer 'honey colored' its not gritty...
Fluid maintenance is the most cost effective preventative maintenance you can do and really makes an impact on the longevity of some critical/costly systems.

Dont be like my neighbor who never opens the hood and runs his oil until the light comes on THEN tops it off with about 3 quarts of fresh oil..years ago when my son was young [5-8] I'd offer to change it if he bought the stuff just so he could get some practice. Once only about a quart of tar came out and the filter was filled with about a pound of sludge. My boy could not believe it.

I was certain that was going to be the last LOF b/c that sludge was probably the only thing holding that engine togather...it actually ran for another 2 years! he was on the expressway when it finally launched.

 

[OrangeStreak]

JMO. I always do the 1st LOF at 500-1k miles with a Wix [if available] filter and Synthetic, was a Mobil 1 guy for years and recently got converted to Castrol. Then 5k intervals that I may start extending b/c even though the oil is no longer 'honey colored' its not gritty...
Fluid maintenance is the most cost effective preventative maintenance you can do and really makes an impact on the longevity of some critical/costly systems.

Dont be like my neighbor who never opens the hood and runs his oil until the light comes on THEN tops it off with about 3 quarts of fresh oil..years ago when my son was young [5-8] I'd offer to change it if he bought the stuff just so he could get some practice. Once only about a quart of tar came out and the filter was filled with about a pound of sludge. My boy could not believe it.

I was certain that was going to be the last LOF b/c that sludge was probably the only thing holding that engine togather...it actually ran for another 2 years! he was on the expressway when it finally launched.

Anthony,
Your mention of sludge reminded me of an incident when I was in High School. Worked part-time at a Texaco station. One day a customer in a Plymouth pulled in and the manager called me aside and said its OK to check this guy's oil level but don't mention an oil change or he will come unhinged. I washed his window and then pulled out the dipstick and there was some sludge on it! Never saw anything like that before . Glad he made it out of the driveway and down the street on my watch ?.

 

[SURanger]

I did my first change at 1000. I switched over to full synthetic Pennzoil platinum, will be doing my oil every 4000 miles and rotate my tires while I’m at it.

 

[THLONE]

I have Ford change my oil when Ford says to. After it goes at least 150,000 miles I will report back.

 

[wanted33]

Jake, My certified Ford mechanic Dave, recommended to do the 1st oil change at 3000 with a synthetic blend (unless the choice is conventional or straight synthetic then that is a different schedule to follow) then every 5000 after that. I will follow the above schedule using synthetic blend which is my own personal preference. This Edmans video explains the difference between conventional and synthetic oils:
Motor Oil | Conventional Vs. Synthetic - YouTube
Hope this helps.

I got the same advise from my Ford mechanic (and old friend) quite a few years ago. I've done that with all of my new Fords since. I have no idea if that's needed with todays oils, but it's a habit now. I'm that old dog that can't be taught new tricks.

Jake, you would probably be fine to wait until you return from your trip. But, since you'll have right at 3K when you hit Ohio that would be good also. Whichever gives you a little peace of mind.

 

[OrangeStreak]

I got the same advise from my Ford mechanic (and old friend) quite a few years ago. I've done that with all of my new Fords since. I have no idea if that's needed with todays oils, but it's a habit now. I'm that old dog that can't be taught new tricks.

Jake, you would probably be fine to wait until you return from your trip. But, since you'll have right at 3K when you hit Ohio that would be good also. Whichever gives you a little peace of mind.

Jim,
After seeing some information on this Site about Blackstone testing, I was going to change my oil right away having 2623 currently on the odometer. But I talked with a guy today (an oil analyzer at Blackstone) and he said that it was an extremely unusual circumstance to see a new vehicle tested at 3000 which has any concerning contaminants. So, I've decided to change at 3000 and have it tested and then decide what to do about testing when its changed again at 8000. This falls below Ford's schedule gap to change oil every 5000 if you are not following the oil-life monitoring system which meets warranty requirements. Dave (who has proven to be an expert mechanic and is current on automotive technology) gave me the same advice as your mechanic, so I trust this advice. And on top of that he likes Rangers ?

 

[HenryMac]

Anthony,
Your mention of sludge reminded me of an incident when I was in High School. Worked part-time at a Texaco station. One day a customer in a Plymouth pulled in and the manager called me aside and said its OK to check this guy's oil level but don't mention an oil change or he will come unhinged. I washed his window and then pulled out the dipstick and there was some sludge on it! Never saw anything like that before . Glad he made it out of the driveway and down the street on my watch ?.

Was the "Never Change Oil" guy Native American? I worked with a fella who used to live near an Indian reservation. He said the Native Americans considered the oil in an engine to be it's blood, and that to drain it out and replace it was something they simply would not do.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Was the "Never Change Oil" guy Native American? I worked with a fella who used to live near an Indian reservation. He said the Native Americans considered the oil in an engine to be it's blood, and that to drain it out and replace it was something they simply would not do.

John, the guy wasn't Native American. But a guy who probably thought he had the oil changing system figured out. It would have been interesting to have picked his brain about where he was...but this probably would have been a touchy situation considering the alert the boss gave me before servicing his car. I was curious about how the engine would sound after he started it up. Surprisingly, it didn't sound abnormal at all. I would have liked to seen his reaction after his motor was fried, when the technician announced it was that he failed to change the oil. Blood would be boiling!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Folks,

I think I might have posted this before, but Engineer Supervisor at Ford Truck (later demoted to engineer and was a poor one at that!) bought a used car for his wife...a Torino with a 400M engine if I recall the car correctly. Rolling POS, but he was super cheap. Wife had the radiator fail when out and about....she panicked and tried to make it home...it was winter and she got trapped on the wrong side of the train crossing when the gates came down, so she sat there idling with almost no coolant in the motor. Once underway and home she had blown both head gaskets. I offered to install new head gaskets...he would not pay to have the heads resurfaced. I pulled the valve covers to the motor and I could not find the valve springs...there was so much crumbly sludge that the springs were completely hidden. Mr. cheapo told me to do a bit of cleaning so I knocked most of the crud onto the concrete garage floor. Then when I pulled the intake manifold...Same deal...curd in the whole valley ... Only the pushrods sticking through the muck. Long story short...new gaskets and told him to get an oil change. He gave it back to the wife and told her to get the oil changed...he could not be bothered with such a task...so she dutifully did a jiffy lube visit...they told her the oil was only sludge, No real oil So she told them to change what they could and dump in fresh oil as best they could. I was amazed that the car was still running when they moved to a "better school system". Never really had any more contact with him as Ford moved him to the exit as a poor performer...

I was amazed the motor lasted a week...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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