Hey guys, I figured this might be the right forum to ask this..

My 03 Screw has ~2900 miles on it now, and I've had it for just over 5 months. My commute to work is exactly four blocks, and I occasionaly travel to other sites for work, but none are more than 6 miles away.

I noticed that the maintenance schedule for the truck says to get the first oil change at 5000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. At the rate I'm going, it's most certainly going to work out to an oil change every six months.

My question is, with such low mileage numbers, are there any reasons to get the oil changed more frequently?

With 3 months as the standard for so long, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I missed regarding the frequency, since my case is particularly lopsided with regard to miles vs. months.

Thanks,

Jim / skoal

 

I’ll take a stab at this. I am no oil expert by any means but I believe the reason for miles vs. months is the possibility of moisture in the oil. Cold engine temperatures allow moisture, acids and unburned fuel to contaminate the engine oil faster, acids formed by water condensation in the crankcase and fuel dilution during cold starts also break down the additives.

So it’s always wise to change at the recommend time intervals or miles, which ever comes first…

 

I agree with 01 XLT Sport, if Ford says to change it at 5,000, then change it at 5,000.

 

Ok, leave it to me to differ with 01-XLT. If I'm right, you're runnin' the 5w20 dino oil that came in your truck. Personally, I neither like nor trust this stuff, so I wanted to get it out of my truck asap. You might want to consider something a little better to put back in when you do change your oil (I'd suggest Mobil 1 Tri Synthetic).

Like 01 said, I'd too suggest ignoring the timeframe between oil changes and look more at the total miles driven and what type of miles they were. Stop and go traffic and short in town hops are hard on oil because they generally result in a build up of heat in the motor. Highway driving (not trailoring) results in a constant flow of air that keeps engine temps down extending the life of the oil.

Long and the short of it, if you change your oil a litttle early, so what. It might be good for your peace of mind and it can't hurt the truck. Personally, I usually change my oil and filter around 4K miles because the majority of my driving is in town at low speeds.

Good luck.

-Mike-

 

Skoal,

I don't have my owners manual right in front of me for my '01 Screw, but I think that your short commute fits the criteria for a more frequent oil/filter change interval, perhaps 3 months or 3000 miles. I think the theory is that under such conditions the engine seldom gets up to full operating temperature to burn off condensation and other contaminants in the oil.

If you check your owners manual, I'll bet you will find two alternate service schedules, basically one for "light-duty " use and one for "heavy-duty" use" or something to that effect. One of the criteria for the "heavy-duty " use is short commutes, particularly in cold weather.

SM

 

hey guys saw the oil question. i too have a brand new 03, got it last month. i know that new engines have to "cut through" the cylinder walls, leaving metal debris, only on a micro level though. as far as changing oil, you can do it every 2 miles if you want, it is recommended that you do not go over the limit, but under? your choice! me, i have about 1005 miles on my rig, i do it next month and put some top line earl in it!! hope that helps

 

The most important thing you can do for the life of any engine is change the oil frequently. With that being said, the newer synthetic oil does not need to be changed as fequently. I have 1998 F-150 4x4 and change my oil every 3-5k. Buy the cheapest and change the filter every other oil change. Engine will last forever.

 

Lots of opinions out there, so heres mine. 3k oil changes, use 5w20 Motorcraft semi-synthetic oil (countless studies show, that when you change your oil every 3k, using the $5.00/qt fully synthetic oil does little for wear and tear) Change your oil filter EVERY oil change, do a search here on oil filters, one of the top three was the Motorcraft. I could go into a huge write up on why you should change your oil filter every time, but the short version is.. Once the filter gets plugged, the oil will bypass the filter part, and unfiltered oil will go back to your engine. Walmart prices... Motorcraft oil $1.77/Qt Motorcraft filter $2.50. I know, here comes the "Mobil 1 is the best" ect.... And if I were to take my $34,000 truck, and disregard recommended oil changes, go against every study done, and change my oil every 6k, then yes... I would use the Mobil 1. JMO

Enter flames now

 

Short commutes are the worst for an engine. I highly recommend every 3 months max for you, regardless of mileage. Especially if you haven't changed the oil yet as many people change it around 1k miles the first time.

 

I'm a low mileage driver myself (about 400-500 miles/month). Most of that mileage is in-town driving. My dealer recommended a 3-month/3000 mile oil & filter change frequency, and I'm glad to go along. I may be spending $50-60 more a year than on a 5/5K change cycle, but that's well worth it if it keeps my wheels in top shape.

 

Nope, no flames. Just a request that you post a half dozen or so links to the "countless studies" you referenced. Amsoil, Royal Purple, Redline, and Mobil 1 have all provided studies indicating results to the contrary. Many new cars (BMW, Mercedes, Corvette, etc.) now come straight from the factory with full synthetic oil. Simply put, I live in Florida where it's 90+ degrees for a large majority of the year. I think everyone would agree that heat is our engine's worst enemy. Heat causes the oil (and additive package) we use to breakdown, hence the need to change the oil on a regular basis. Synthetic oil manufacturers offer a 5K+ mile oil change interval as a bonus to using their products. I don't even trust that option given where I live, and change my oil between 3K and 5K miles (which is also well within Ford's requirements per my manual). I simply feel that using a very good synthetic oil is cheap protection for my $30 truck.

Again, this is not a flame but simply a different opinion on my part.

-Mike-

 

Like I was saying, no need to flame. It is also just my opinion. And of course if I made an oil, my studies would prove that using MY oil is the best thing you can do. Semi-sythetic oil, (even DINO oil) does not break down under normal condions in 5k, its the acids that are formed, and other particles in the oil that do the damage. So whether your using .99 cent oil or 5.39 oil, it still needs to be changed every 3k. (5k under perfect condions, that never happens).

 

Skoal-I would change it every 6 months regardless of your mileage (in your low mile case). Short trips are supposed to be harder on your oil and engine than highway miles as even though your coolant may get to operating temperature, the oil never does to burn off the gases in the oil.

 

I'd change the oil now and put in some synthetic, but it's up to you

 

This may be dated info now but, many years ago, I used to work at a stealership (not Ford) and they posted an article in the service dept. about changing oil too frequently. I remember it talking about paraffin building up if new oil was put in too often. Sounded like B.S. to me back then but it was published somewhere. Perhaps oil wasn't as good then?
Anyway... I put Mobil 1 in my 2003 screw at 3000mi. It's going to be strictly synthetic for my baby. Always change the filter with the oil. In fact I'd say it was better to change the filter and not the oil instead of changing the oil but not the filter.