new civic oil change?

My new 07 civic owner's manual tells me to watch the oil life % on the gauge
to know when to change oil. I've always changed every 3000 miles (4k tops)
including the filter. Anyone know if you can change your oil too much?

mike

 

Not as far as I'm concerned!

1980 Toyota Corolla, 244,000 miles, first change at 1500 and then every 3K
after that.

1987 Honda Accord, 220,000 miles, first change at 1500 and then every 3K
after that.

1985 Toyota Corolla GTS, 259,000 and still running, first change at 1500
and then every 3K after that.

1988 Tpyota Supra, records indicate changes at 4K miles, 208,000 and
running great.

I use Castrol GTX at the specified weight, most of the crankcases are 4
quarts including filters, I put in 3.5 Qts of Castrol and 1 Qt of Marvel
Mystery Oil. On all the cars listed above except the Supra. I use Castrol
High Mileage oil in that, and the seal blow-by smoke it was blowing after
being stored for winters is now negligible.

But I put my 2005 Scion TC on Castrol Syntec, and set the Service light
for 4500 miles. Manufacturer's spec is 7500, as it has always been on
Toyotas.

 

Make sure you don't change the oil the first time till it's time as that is
not standard oil in there.

After that, you can change the oil more often than necessary, but why
bother? The oil life indicator measures a number of factors to determine
the interval and it will be slightly different for each change. It monitors
engine temp, RPMs, length of trips, etc... Which are all real factors in
determining the interval.

My '01 V-6 Accord, I never change the oil till the light starts blinking
(somewhere in the 7000 to 8000 mile range as I drive mostly highway). I'm
now at 179,000 miles only using dino oil and the engine still starts right
up, run smooth and quiet.

 

You cannot change it too much for the car, but changing it more than it
needs is a waste of money and resources.

The maintenance minder system works. It was designed by people that know
how to build and maintain a fine automobile. Just change the oil when the
minder tells you to, and you'll be fine.

 

If you go to Jiffy Lube or similar places more oil changes means more
likelihood they will really screw up your car. As long as a good mechanic
does it I don't see the problem.

I am a believer in having oil changes done by the primary care mechanic.
Give him (even if it's 'you') a chance to look for things like CV boots
cracking and leaks starting.

Mike

 

Use the maintenance minder.

3K changes are crazy unless you are driving in the harshest environments.

I change every 7,500 in my Hondas before the MM cars. I use Synthetic rated
at 7,500. I have oil analysis's done periodically, and never a problem.

Okay, maybe I'm damaging my cars, but the '96 I'm still driving has 185k on
it now and in 7,500 miles it may use 1/2 qt of oil.

But do what makes you feel better. I hate to see you wasted money and oil!

G-Man

 

Or you want every chance to keep it absolutely as long as possible, and
are happy to pay the very cheap insurance that oil changes provide to
keep the engine going.

Yeah, you could end up with a totalled car at 100K miles. So what? All
of life's a gamble. But that's better than having a perfectly good car
with a ruined engine because of something like sludge due to marginal
engineering choices within the engine.

 

Not standard oil? What is it?

 

"Break-in" oil. Has extra additives.

Google this group for more information as it has been discussed many times.

 

What the hell is "break-in oil?"

 

Has extra additives.

Google this group for more information as it has been discussed many times.

 

The idea of "break-in" oil is to deal with the metal surfaces lapping in. It
is important to leave the oil in as long as the owner's manual states and no
longer.

When I worked in aviation non-detergent oil was often used for piston engine
break-in. I don't know why... I was a radio weenie, not a mechanic.

Mike

 

At least the 'not a mechanic' part is obvious!

 

Michael Pardee is one of a handful of regulars here who
gives competent, in-depth, and honest advice on Hondas,
based on experience he occasionally describes. He would
never call his automotive repairs background "impressive,"
but I do.

 

When rebuilding any of my old "tin" or anything else for that matter, I
have a strict regimen for the "break in" period.

Non Detergent Oil (ususally 30 weight)

First change at 100 miles
Change again at 250 miles
Change again at 600 miles
Change again at 1000 miles to detergent multigrde (usually 10-40
Change again at 2,500 miles
Change at 5,000 miles there after.
(optional oil filter change at every 2,500 miles)

It might sound like overkill, but it has never failed me.

I will do the same for any Honda that I "refresh" should I be able to
locate a good core (EJ1) for the "flock" of '82/83 Hondas..

JT

 

Save yourself some money and the environment a little wear and tear by
just changing it when the car tells you to. A great deal of R&D went
into the development of oil life monitors. The only people who really
hate them are the quick lube places which have made a business out of
the 3,000 mile religion.

John