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When to change oil?

16K views 68 replies 52 participants last post by  akjeff 
#1 ·
Ok, question, I switched everything over to synthetic oil at my 5000 mile oil change, now the dealer is telling me that instead of 3000 mile oil changes, I can change oil at 5000 miles instead of 3000. Now I have always changed oil on my bikes at 3000 miles, but then again I have never run synthetic before. I value your input here. What are your thoughts.
 
#2 ·
I stick to the moco's schedule and change at 1k 5k 10k 15k and so on.
At nearly $100 an oil change to do it myself I really don't want to do it too often.
It to certainly can't hurt to change it more often but that's your wallet!
New cars now days are recommending 10k service intervals.
 
#3 ·
I still maintain a 3k schedule. The oil is still fine, but it picks up deposits (which it's suppose to do) and thus needs changing.

It's just my opinion.... I'm sure others will vary.

Ain't cheep.... but reman motors ain't either!

Beavz
 
#11 · (Edited)
3k for me. Valvoline 20w50 motorcycle oil. $3.99 at Autozone plus I get 20% off. Looks clean & clear every change. Was recommended by biker buddy with 130k on his bike with no engine work.
 
#12 · (Edited)
5k on HD Syn3 20w50 Run HD filters on the engine

Syn 3 20w50 in trans and clutch. Book says 20K interval after intial 1k, so thats what it gets.

Not a spec on the engine magnet last Sunday.
Clutch will get changed this year at 9K on the oil as I want to check the plate adjustment, and will have the cover off.

5K trans change is 4 times more than spec, seems a waste of oil and money,
buts that just me. Your maintenance interval may vary.

They have to warranty the machines at these oil specs and intervals, so who am I to argue.
 
#13 ·
I follow MoCo's maintenance interval. There is no data demonstrating that earlier oil changes is any more beneficial than the 5000 mile interval with conventional oil unless it gets overheated causing the polymers to break down early. But if it makes someone feel better, who am I to say otherwise. Heat is the enemy of oil and petroleum stock oils can handle it better with the modern additive formulas than the additives of 30 years ago. Fully synthethic oil provides greater protection from thermal breakdown due to overheating. I do count on the filter to do a good job of cleaning the suspended contaminants from the oil. If you really want to see for yourself; have an analysis of your oil done when fresh, at 1000 miles and again at your next oil change.
 
#14 ·
I change motor and primary every 5000 unless it is going into winter then I change all three I use half qt lucas syn stablezer in motor I USE 90/140 IN trans I have put 10000 on trans oil looked as good coming out as what I was putting in I use the scavenger on each oil change there is about a qt in sump when yopu drain the pan The scavenger lets you get a complete change I had 65000 on the rk no problems
 
#15 · (Edited)
If you really want to see for yourself; have an analysis of your oil done when fresh said:
Caterpillar dealers have oil sample bottles for about $25 test.
Gets a chemical analysis plus particle count.

More you take the better the trending is for each hole, and you can really get into some real geek stuff if you want to read it all.

I read the 3000 mile oil change in your car is excessive, modern oil is good for 6-7K. Just helps the oil change guys stay in business.
My Ridgline has a sensor that determines oil life ( electrical resistance
of the zinc blahblahblah additive in the oil or something it reads) and that
takes it out 7k or more.

If I was running dino oil in aircooled (Harley) I would change at 3ish just for the heat factor, at least in the summer. I'd stretch in the cooler months though.
 
#16 ·
Even before H-D came out with Syn3 they oil change interval was 5k for the engine. If it was really harmful to your engine to go that long between changes don't you think the moco would have said change it sooner to reduce warranty claims. As for any dealers service department recommending shorter intervals for oil changes its for one reason and one reason only. To get more of your money.
 
#17 ·
I remember when synthetic oils for autos first came out, they were claiming 25,000 miles between oil changes and 5,000 between filter changes. I knew a guy who did just that and at 200K miles everything internal still looked and measured nearly like new.

New engines are sealed up so much better than they were 20 years ago and oil technology has improved so much, I think the recommended 5,000 interval is more than adequite, especially if using synthetic, but you have to make your own peace of mind.

One factor might be how many miles you put on your bike. If your putting on 15-20,000 in a riding season you'll be doing a lot of oil changes! If your putting on 2,500 per year, then changing the oil once a year isn't quite as painful!
 
#19 ·
I do my engine oil at 3k and my primary and trans at 5k. Don't know why, but its always worked for me. I feel like I'm wasting money, my primary and trans oil looks right out of the bottle when I drain it. I want to put it right back in...:cool:
 
#20 ·
I switched to 5K oil change interval for engine and primary almost 20 years ago on the Harley's I've had. Put 90,000+ miles on an Evo, 144,000+ on a TC using that schedule. Never saw a need to change transmission oil on Evo's and TC's every 5K so I run the tranny 15,000 to 20,000 miles between changes with no problems. Haven't had to go inside a tranny since the shovelhead days years ago. If I'm not mistaken, Harley has changed the recommended oil change interval for transmissions from 5K to something much higher.

I do oil changes on vehicles at 6000 or 7000 miles and run all of them over 200,000 miles before selling.

I have sent oil samples over the years to Blackstone for analysis and it's never shown any problems.

But it's your bike, do what you want.
 
#29 ·
Well said. I agree totally. If 5k miles is good enough for the mothership it's good enough for me. If that change rate was even close to causing problems (warranty work) they wouldn't take a chance.
 
#21 ·
Given the formulation of today's synthetic oils I adhere to the manufacturer's recommendation of a 5k interval.
If someone finds comfort in an accelerated frequency, that's between them and their wallet. I can find other, more useful, places to throw money.

Sampling oil to determine if there is a noticeable difference between a 3k and 5k replacement interval sounds like OCD... to me, anyway.
 
#23 ·
There's absolutely no reason to not go 5k miles if you're using synthetic oil. Realisticly, you could go longer without any issues.

Let me put it this way: Have you ever heard of anyone with an H-D TC motor that had a motor failure because the oil 'failed'? I haven't. Leaked out maybe, but synthetic oils can handle high temps better than dino oil so your oil is just not going to break down in 5k miles.
 
#25 ·
This definitely comes down to peace of mind. Sure the synthetic oils can be changed at extended intervals but we have found that for *most of the bikes we service*, changing the oil at 2,500 or 3,000 versus 5,000 mile intervals only adds 1 more oil change a year. It is funny because every synthetic convert asks about intervals and we tell them that 5k is fine but they still tend to keep it closer to 3k...I think the Texas heat has more of an effect on customers heads than the oil....

Cheers,

Trent
 
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