Change oil every 500 mi?

[bikemaniac]

Hi,

As some of you remember I talked about driving my model A across USA. It says you should make oil changes every 500 mi. The Lincoln Highway is approx 3500 mi. Should I really plan a total of 7 oil changes (3500/500=7) or in a different way: An oil change every 2nd day if I am driving lets say 250 mi/day? I see a lot of logistical problems ... or should I carry all the oil and make the oil change in front of motels across the country? :-)

Lucas

[Mitch//pa]

are you running a filter?

[bikemaniac]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

are you running a filter?

No, it is all stock.

[Mitch//pa]

then i would do it every 500..your talikng peanuts for piece of mind... plus keep a close check on it whenever fueling up... make sure u keep it full and a look out for coolant contamination...
"remember oil is cheaper than an engine"

you can probably stop at any garage and dump it in their lot as i would think most places would be happy to get the waste oil...at the same time youll be making friends, just in case you need something else takin care of or need to borrow a tool

[tuneman]

I don't use a filter. I do run to about 1500 miles ,I also watch the color of my oil at each check. if the oil starts to get dark it's changed early.

[mshmodela]

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Changing oil in my stock model A is the easiest oil change I've ever done... even easier than my push lawn mower... Oil is cheap, 20 mins at most is fast, an empty milk jug or two and a funnel is priceless.

[Skibb]

Full synthetic 10w30 used here with a much extended oil change interval. Like The Tuneman, I watch the color. However, I know two couples from Atlanta who do long, long distance tours to national events who stay close to the 500 mile oil changes. Mitch hit the nail on the head, "oil is cheaper than an engine".

When we have driven on long trips, I have forgotten to check the coolant. Dumb? You bet your engine it is. You gas, you check oil and coolant. My radiator overflow tube used to drain off all the coolant (distilled water). Now a broad headed nail slipped in there prevents coolant loss.

Now a directory of members of MAFCA or MARC would be helpful to call for need help. The bond between Model A'er's on the road is special.

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

Changing oil in my stock model A is the easiest oil change I've ever done... even easier than my push lawn mower... Oil is cheap, 20 mins at most is fast, an empty milk jug or two and a funnel is priceless.

Storing oil in milk jugs for extended time is not good it will make a mess 1 gal oil slick on the floor :-(

[Jacksonlll]

I tell people to change their oil every 500 mi., but that is if they don't drive it much. On a long trip, none of us change oil until we get home. On the road, it is clean driving and steady driving. I think a quick 1500 mi. is not going to hurt anything. Just my opinion.

[C26Pinelake]

Every 500 miles is for sure excessive. Remember when Henry recommended that interval they were driving on dusty, unpaved roads. Keep an eye on the color and I would change it at 1500 miles. Wayne

[hangarb7]

I do 500 miles because my engine is pretty loose and since I never have to add any, I suspect that gas is washing down the cylinder walls and diluting it. So the condition of your engine matters as well. I would consider longer intervals if the oil stayed cleaner longer but triple without a filter? My opinion is no.

An engine rebuild on the road is impossible. An oil change is easy.

JackD

[Y-Blockhead]

This discussion seems to come up frequently and I alway think back in my younger days when I was into VW's.

Flat four, air cooled, no oil filter. Recommended oil change every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. I would think the 40 hp VW engine would be harder on oil being air cooled and runner hotter.

I put this out there only for a comparison, you be the judge.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

This discussion seems to come up frequently and I alway think back in my younger days when I was into VW's.

Flat four, air cooled, no oil filter. Recommended oil change every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. I would think the 40 hp VW engine would be harder on oil being air cooled and runner hotter.

I put this out there only for a comparison, you be the judge.

I once worked for a guy that had one of these VWs. His drive into work was about 50 miles each way, 500 miles / week. He changed his oil every Saturday, regardless of how many miles he had on it since the last Saturday change. He had well over 100K miles on his engine at the time with no major repairs.

As far as our Model As go, I would think that on longer trips, where you are running the engine at a cruising speed for several hours at a time, with today's oils, you should be able to extend the change frequency to several thousand miles. This, primarily, due to the fact that the oil does not have the opportunity to collect condensate as it would on a bunch of short trips in town.

[Tom Wesenberg]

My norm is every 500 miles, but on a long summer trip I would extend it to 1000 miles.

[mshmodela]

Originally Posted by Big hammer

Storing oil in milk jugs for extended time is not good it will make a mess 1 gal oil slick on the floor :-(

True but they last long enough to haul to an oil recycler..

[Ron Lachniet]

We just got back from a 2,300 mile trip and midway on our trip we stopped at Walmart and bought a gallon of oil and a cheap wash pan. We drained the oil and they took our old oil and the pan and empty oil container and we were on our way. I will try to write a little about our trip and some pictures if I find some time.

[ursus]

For straight highway driving using modern detergent oil I would go 1500 miles between oil changes. Ford's recommendation for the Model A comes from the era of dusty roads and primitive motor oil.

The earlier comment about VW air-cooled 4-cylinder engines having a 5,000 - 10,000 oil change interval is incorrect. The owner's manual always said 1000 miles. Any VW owner that changed the oil at 10,000 miles would be needing an overhaul after the first case of oil.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by ursus

The owner's manual always said 1000 miles.

And of course you are correct, I got carried away with all the zeros.

[wensum]

I hark back to my teenage years where we rarely changed the oil, just topped it up and got excellent reliability out of fairly tired Model A's
On a long trip with the motor running at reasonably constant revs and constant temperature, I wouldn't hesitate to go 3000 miles without an oil change.
Taxis get phenomenal mileages simply by being in constant use with very few heating/cooling cycles?

[Bob C]

My 67 VW owners manual shows 3000 miles between oil changes.

Bob