I have a 1995 Toyota Corolla with 176K miles on the odometer. My maintenance schedule suggests changing the oil and filter every 6000 mi. or 6 mos.
Being consertivately cautious (esp. at 176k), I change my oil every 3000 miles. However, since I drive fairly little, I have driven only about 2500 miles since my last oil change 9 months ago (last June).
Does oil have a “shelf life” after which it deteriorates, as does gasoline? Should I change the oil more often than 9+ months regardless of the number of traveled miles?
My driving conditions are on dusty gravel/dirt roads, many short trips, and very few longer-distance high-speed trips.
Thanks
Yes, you should.
Just as it is written in your Owner’s Manual, you qualify for "Severe Service"
You should change it every 3k miles or 3 months, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST !
Please read up about your air filter as well.
What you describe qualifies as “severe service.” The owner’s manual should have a maintenance schedule for this. Follow the mileage/time recommendations, whichever comes first. There may be items other than the oil and filter that should also be changed more frequently.
I don’t understand your question. You just said your manual requires changing it every six months. Why would you ask if you need to change it after nine months?
As others have said, it sounds like you should be following the schedule for severe service, if you’re not already.
Your oil should be changed every 3/4 months based on the little driving/short hop and dusty conditions.
The oil will not break down but the contaminants (dust, moisture, etc.) will be prevalent.
I think that part of the problem is that the OP does not understand the concept of “whichever comes first”, which is the second part of the maintenance schedule’s recommendation of “every 6 months or 6,000 miles”. Why this should be a difficult concept to comprehend, I do not know, but based on so many similar maintenance questions that we get in this forum, I have come to this conclusion.
So–in other words, I think that the OP’s interpretation is that if his car has not reached 6,000 miles in 6 months, he can wait until 6k miles to do an oil change.
OP–is my interpretation of your quandry correct?
Anyway, as others have stated already, this car is clearly being driven under Severe Service conditions, so it should be maintained according to that schedule. And, in addition to calling for oil changes every 3k miles/3 months, whichever comes first, the Severe Service maintenance schedule also calls for more frequent air filter changes, more frequent transmission servicing, and perhaps more frequent servicing of some other items also.
I drive my 2006 Corolla/Matrix 3-4000 miles per year, 2-3 short trips a week.
Toyota says change the oil every 5000 mi or 6 months.
So I change it every 6 months.
I guess I framed my question in an obtuse manner. I understand what ?whichever comes first? means. And, yes, I am experiencing ?severe? driving conditions.
I am looking at my owner?s manual right now. It recommends changing the oil and filter under ?severe? (Schedule A) driving conditions every 3750 miles or 6 months, and under ?normal ? conditions (Schedule B) every 7500 miles or 12 months (yes, 12 months) ? Quote: ?Use odometer reading or months, whichever comes first.? (I mistakenly used the wrong unit of measure the first time. It says 6000 kilometers, not miles, which is also about 3750 miles ? really 3725.22 miles, but close enough).
Anyway, I guess what I am really asking in a round-about way is what is implied by the subject heading of the question: ?Engine oil lifetime/shelf life?. Does regular engine oil have an ?expiration date? where it begins to break down chemically with age much like gasoline? For instance, I have heard that if you put your lawn mower away for the winter, you should use fresh gas in the spring because its tank gas will have gone stale.
I understand that the more one drives, the oil begins break down due to temperature and wear. And I also understand that oil is chemically similar to gasoline. But what happens to the motor oil if it just sits there? Is that quart of 5W-30 that has been sitting unopened on my shelf for the last 2 years still good? If I park my car for 9 months, should I change the oil as well as the gas before driving it again?
The manual is for general guidelines for knuckleheads like me. Frankly, if the oil still has its lubrication capacity after only 2500 miles and 9 months, why should it be changed, regardless what the manual says? If the same oil can go 3750 miles in 6 months (severe), and 7500 miles in 12 months (normal), what about 2500 miles in 9 months (severe, low-miles)? Also, my car?s warranty WAY expired.
I guess I could Google motor oil and study its chemical characteristics and the effects that aging has on it in relation to application, but it?s more interesting to me to drop this question on a CarTalk forum.
P.S.: What?s an OP?
OP = Opening Post.
Oil sitting in a bottle will last a pretty long time. Oil that is in an engine that has been run some, not so much. The problem is that acids and other contaminates get added to the oil as the engine is running. Change the oil as often (or not) as you want. It is hard to say how much a long change interval will shorten the life of your engine, but it will have a negative affect.
OP = Original poster.
At another place I frequent, we often refer to “the OP” as the Opening (or original) Post - as in ‘What you wrote in the OP’. In the context of how it has been used here, you’re correct. I need to pay more attention.
My mistake.
No mistake on your part. I just didn’t know what OP meant. Now I do. Thanks for the update.
The contaminants in your oil will cause acid formation over time. The acids will corrode your engine. All oil has additives to reduce acid formation, but when those additives are used up, it’s as if they were never there. Follow the severe service recommendations as an upper limit. You should start thinking about changing oil after 80% of the life is gone (3000 miles).