Should ALL petrol engines be serviced every 5000?

[Sunfish]

drive around town, short trips, 97 rav, after a month the oil level is higher than maximum, smells wrong

You're "making oil" which means you have a build-up of petrol or water in the sump which boils off when it gets hot. Not good either way.

You prolly need a new head gasket which would be the cheapest of the possible remedies. There are many ways for a mechanic to test this.

On second thoughts, if it's high milage and hasn't the guts it used to, it's buggered. That's a technical term for a worn engine.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

Sorry officer, I was just looking to have less of a carbon footrpint by making my engine last longer

ta
rolf

You let yourself get caught...?

 

[willair]

I've been servicing my own Landcruiser every 5000kms and performing all other scheduled servicing and repairs along the way and I change every 4000kms because the viscosity gets thin and in my opinion is contaminated enough to stop performing as well as it should, let alone 5000.

Upon reading a manual for a Proton Persona, the manual tells to change every 15,000kms to retain a warranty.. This seems ridiculous, am I missing something with these newer/small engines?

5000 sounds about right,i run a few honda's,and use only oil and filters that are made by honda one has over 250k still on the same heads never been near the motor just depends how you drive..

 

[investor2009]

Make sure your readings are taken correctly (ie when the engine is cool or whatever the manual tells you with your specific model) and check for condensation on the underside of your oil cap. This would indicate water leaking into your oil, heating and then causing condensation. Also check your coolant (when cold) to see if it looks milky. This is another sign of a head gasket, as well as smoking from the exhaust.

Chances are you have a leaky injector, but I'm actually guessing you are taking incorrect readings. My 80 is notoriously difficult to get an accurte reading because of the way the dipstick tube is made.

drive around town, short trips, 97 rav, after a month the oil level is higher than maximum, smells wrong
do a round ttrip to our other town of IPs, 240k, oil level is back between low and high on the stick, smells better, feels better, crap must evaporate out
change oil and filter 10,000k coz thats what the book says
in winter, here -a lot degrees, the oil level seems to just go up no matter how far you drive, but the temperature needle falls low enough for the choke to kick in if you stop at a traffic light, need revs to keep warm

 

[investor2009]

I thought so, by that time the scheduled oil change comes around the oil is old and I prefer to over-service rather than under. The motor will last forever in the 1FZ-FE engine, it's just maintaining the vehicle until forever comes around

5000 sounds about right,i run a few honda's,and use only oil and filters that are made by honda one has over 250k still on the same heads never been near the motor just depends how you drive..

 

[Rolf Latham]

one further addition on drain intervals for newer vehicles

aside from the fact that the new engines seem to produce less rubbish, the oil capacity vs engine capacity is also much larger.

Eg our co has a Kia Sorrento 2.2 diesel, 7 litres to fill.

That works out at 3.2 litres per litre of engine capacity

So the 4500 cc Cruiser engine would need a sum capacity of near 15 litres which it doesnt

ta
rolf

 

[Sunfish]

Don't forget the auto!

Draining the oil doesn't drain the torque converter (on mine anyway) so you never get completely fresh oil. It gets hot and breaks down so do change it regularly.

 

[RumpledElf]

We get ours done every 10k (or we're supposed to) but realistically it ends up getting serviced every 20-30k. Dunno why I bother counting, should just do it every 6 months and be done with it.

Feels wrong getting the car serviced more frequently than 6 monthly.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

Don't forget the auto!

Draining the oil doesn't drain the torque converter (on mine anyway) so you never get completely fresh oil. It gets hot and breaks down so do change it regularly.

I thought the torque converter was a sealed unit. And it doesn't use engine oil (surely??).

 

[Graingrower]

I thought the torque converter was a sealed unit. And it doesn't use engine oil (surely??).

It doesn't use engine oil, but I'm not sure if it's sealed off from the tranny oil. If you forget to put a hose back on your tranny cooler in an XG falcon Ute, then take it for a drive it'll go maybe 100m before it pumps all the oil out of the tranny and then it won't go anywhere. Connect hose back up, top up oil and away you go. Then for the next week it burns the waste oil off the exhaust and everytime you pull up a cloud of white smoke comes out from under the bonnet, really cool effect!

In this case I think that maybe the lack of oil stopped the clutch packs and brake bands in the tranny working, but it may have drained the torque converter, I'm not sure.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

It doesn't use engine oil, but I'm not sure if it's sealed off from the tranny oil. If you forget to put a hose back on your tranny cooler in an XG falcon Ute, then take it for a drive it'll go maybe 100m before it pumps all the oil out of the tranny and then it won't go anywhere. Connect hose back up, top up oil and away you go. Then for the next week it burns the waste oil off the exhaust and everytime you pull up a cloud of white smoke comes out from under the bonnet, really cool effect!

In this case I think that maybe the lack of oil stopped the clutch packs and brake bands in the tranny working, but it may have drained the torque converter, I'm not sure.

I'm pretty sure the torque converter is completely sealed, and uses different fluid to the auto trans.

 

[Macca]

I have been driving Holden Commodores and Statesmen for 25 years, I usually get them serviced every 6 mths or so even if that means 15000klms before a service.

I usually service the auto about every 100000 klm

Never had to repair a motor or gearbox yet (touch wood)

I usually get about 300,000 out of each car, I am happy with that but I do get lousy trade in values

 

[Sunfish]

It doesn't use engine oil, but I'm not sure if it's sealed off from the tranny oil. If you forget to put a hose back on your tranny cooler in an XG falcon Ute, then take it for a drive it'll go maybe 100m before it pumps all the oil out of the tranny and then it won't go anywhere.

I'm sure that's not a recommended service procedure GG.

The torque converter isn't sealed but doesn't drain. It uses gearbox oil of course.

I was raising the point that auto gearboxes are less forgiving of neglect than engines and quite expensive to repair.

 

[RumpledElf]

I usually get about 300,000 out of each car, I am happy with that but I do get lousy trade in values

Ohh, my car is getting awfully close to that ... and I was going to hang onto it!

If it lasts 5 more years the kid gets it as an old bomb to learn to drive in

 

[Ausprop]

Ohh, my car is getting awfully close to that ... and I was going to hang onto it!

If it lasts 5 more years the kid gets it as an old bomb to learn to drive in

how old is it already? do you really want to put your kids in a car that is roughly 10 years behind in auto engineering at a time of their life when they are most likely to stack it? If your kids were to stak your car wouldn't you prefer your brand new merc 500 than a clapped out datsun?

 

[Macca]

Ohh, my car is getting awfully close to that ... and I was going to hang onto it!

If it lasts 5 more years the kid gets it as an old bomb to learn to drive in

Hi,

My current car is only up to 260k so got plenty left yet, I might get $6 or $7k as a trade so why bother. I will just drive it until it costs more than a $1k per year to keep on the road.

Quite like this one it is a 98 Stateman bought at Govt auctions in 2000 for $28k

 

[random]

No , it'd just be even more Australian nanny state but , give Gillard time and she'll probably law that in to anyway.

Cheers

 

[Rolf Latham]

If your kids were to stak your car wouldn't you prefer your brand new merc 500 than a clapped out datsun?

awwwwwwwwww come on........the twelve oy has wonderful crumple zones

ta
rolf

 

[RumpledElf]

how old is it already? do you really want to put your kids in a car that is roughly 10 years behind in auto engineering at a time of their life when they are most likely to stack it? If your kids were to stak your car wouldn't you prefer your brand new merc 500 than a clapped out datsun?

The car is 10 now. I figure a 16yo corolla with 300+K on the clock should be fine. Unless it dies completely between now and then.

I'm not going to cough up a fortune for a newer car just for the kid, and the resale value of the car is really, really low with the mileage it has so why not just hang onto it for her?

Then if she stacks it, its less of an issue because its an older car and not worth much to start with.

The poor car is about to reach the end of its useful life anyway despite being mechanically perfectly sound, stupid government regulations mean I absolutely have to buy a new car within the next 6 months, which is a really huge issue as I have no money right now. So unless someone buys my house ASAP, by the end of the year I basically have two options - buy a clapped out old $1000 commodore or other gas guzzling large car from the 90s, or just don't drive anywhere that requires all 3 kids in the back seat. Or the illegal but extremely tempting option of taking a bandsaw to the baby seats so I can fit 3 kids in the back of a corolla.

I love it that buying an older, crappier, less economical cheap and nasty car is my best option because of some stupid Government rule about SAFETY.

 

[random]

Meant to say don't say that too loudly or give Gillard time and she'll probably law that in too.

But your right , the price we pay for our oil here and added to all the garbage printed on the can , yet it is still almost water after 5000.
I didn't change my wifes car for 18 mths , so I decided I'd treat it to a few in a row at 5000 . I was amazed at the oils condition even only after 5k , kaput !

Cheers