Conflicting oil change information everywhere

[98civex]

Hi guys so I have a 98 civic ex d16y8 all stock except for suspension.

I've started changing my own oil and there are a ton of conflicting info on type/intervals.

The service manual that came with the car says under "normal" conditions to change it every 7500 miles and the same manual recommends that for conventional oil.

It very briefly touches on using synthetic saying you could use that as well but to make sure it meets oil ratings/requirements.

So conventional oil can go as long as 7500?

I'm curious if it's beneficial to use synthetic or continue with 5w-30 conventional and would like opinions on brand and filter.

 

[XpL0d3r]

It depends. Looking at the manual, it determines "severe" driving conditions as driving less than 5 miles per trip, frequently in 90* heat, extensive idling, lots of city stop and go traffic, and frequent muddy / dusty roads... those conditions it says to change every 3750 miles.

Honestly, changing it sooner than later is always the better option. I always went every 3-4k with my 97 Civic. I used conventional and a synthetic blend. I go every 5-6k with my RSX will full synthetic.

You can use conventional, just use the same 5w30. You might get a little more life out of your engine with synthetic, you might not. With synthetic, you can probably change your oil less frequent, compared to conventional. With my Civic, I was fine using conventional. The only reason I switched to a synthetic blend was because I went forced induction.

The biggest factor on keeping the car healthy is based on how you drive the car, and how well you maintain it.

You'll get different opinions anywhere you go when it comes to oil. Personally, I use Mobil1 full synthetic. I will let someone else chime in with their opinions on oil and especially a filter as I lack knowledge in that area

 

[HeX]

I see no conflicting information, unless you refer to the standard ideology of people thinking oil changes should be done every 3000 miles. This is an old outdated idea that only continues to exsist for the sake of making more money by tricking people into changing oil sooner than needed. You can confirm this all with some thorough research. So following the manual is the correct choice as oil change intervals are suppose to vary.

As for oil type, conventional is fine but synthetic is better especially if you are soneone who tends to go past the mileage point or runs your car hard or drives alot. Synthetic oil doesnt thin out as quickly as conventional does. Also, using a higher quality filter with sunthetic oil can allow you to go longer than 7500 miles between intervals.

I personally always use Mobil1 high mileage synthetic oil (which has a great rep) with Toyo Roki filters. Read why here...
http://www.clubcivic.com/forum/threads/best-civic-oil-filters-toyo-roki-hamp-synergy-oem.227212/

 

[98civex]

I see no conflicting information, unless you refer to the standard ideology of people thinking oil changes should be done every 3000 miles. This is an old outdated idea that only continues to exsist for the sake of making more money by tricking people into changing oil sooner than needed. You can confirm this all with some thorough research. So following the manual is the correct choice as oil change intervals are suppose to vary.

As for oil type, conventional is fine but synthetic is better especially if you are soneone who tends to go past the mileage point or runs your car hard or drives alot. Synthetic oil doesnt thin out as quickly as conventional does. Also, using a higher quality filter with sunthetic oil can allow you to go longer than 7500 miles between intervals.

I personally always use Mobil1 high mileage synthetic oil (which has a great rep) with Toyo Roki filters. Read why here...
http://www.clubcivic.com/forum/threads/best-civic-oil-filters-toyo-roki-hamp-synergy-oem.227212/

But the service manual says on conventional it can go to 7500 miles. Or am I missing something?

 

[HeX]

Yeah, re-read my comments because I did end the first paragraph by saying to follow your manual and explained when to do it sooner or later, just as Xpl0d3r stated as well.

 

[98civex]

Ok. What about filters used at quick lube places. Are those only good for the "standard" 3k mile intervals or could go longer?

I ask out of curiosity as to what brand they generally are that always them to change oil for a cheap price

 

[XpL0d3r]

I would avoid quick lube places altogether, honestly. Many of those places say they change oil filters, but don't actually do so. No wonder they're so quick

 

[98civex]

I would avoid quick lube places altogether, honestly. Many of those places say they change oil filters, but don't actually do so. No wonder they're so quick

Lol yeah I'm merely asking out of curiosity as to how they can do oil changes for sometimes as cheap as $20

 

[98civex]

What confuses me is, if synthetic is good for 7-10k but an engine normally consumes a certain amount every x amount of miles. It's not like it'll stay full on that oil for the entire time before it needs to be replaced, right?

 

[XpL0d3r]

What confuses me is, if synthetic is good for 7-10k but an engine normally consumes a certain amount every x amount of miles. It's not like it'll stay full on that oil for the entire time before it needs to be replaced, right?

An engine doesn't consume oil. At least it is not supposed to. Some oil may burn off over time, but that's due to things such as bad seals, gaskets, etc. The reason that oil is changed is because it breaks down over long periods of use. It's frequently heated and cooled, and loses its lubricating properties over time. As that happens, the friction between moving parts inside the engine increases. Changing the oil regularly provides relief to those internal moving parts, and ensures the motor is healthy and hopefully lasts longer.

 

[98civex]

I used to not think so either but in the manuals of most cars it'll mention normal consumption every x amount of miles.

For example my friend's 2003 Camry's manual states it's normal to lose around a quart of oil every 1200 miles

 

[HeX]

I used to not think so either but in the manuals of most cars it'll mention normal consumption every x amount of miles.

For example my friend's 2003 Camry's manual states it's normal to lose around a quart of oil every 1200 miles

That has to be a misread as any engine that consumes oil in such a short period of time has serious leak issues somewhere. That is in no way normal.

 

[98civex]

I'll take a pic of the manual. It actually says half quart every 600 miles or something

Quick google search for that Camry oil consumption and I found this post on a forum about consumption

 

[HeX]

I think that refers to IF you are burning oil THEN that is an acceptable amount until it reaches 600 miles per quart which is when repairs should be considered. That is the only logical explanation I can consider as no engine is suppose to burn oil.

 

[mc360]

There are lots of forum posts comparing oil filters by cutting the tops off them and viewing their contents. most say Wix is good and to stay away from Fram because Fram has cardboard end caps (well the standard and high mileage fram do, the fram ultra has metal end caps and is much better). If you buy oem then you need to buy a specific oem filter manufactured in a certain area because one oem filter is made by Honeywell (also makes Fram) and the other filter is made by wix I believe.