Do you need an oil change with less than 10,000 miles in 10 years?

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

By pass oil filters stop particles smaller (probably 5 microns ) than those stopped by the full flow filter, (probably 20 microns ).

The by pass filter is fed through a restrictor, so that it fliters a perecentage of the oil, each time.

As the name suggests, the full flow filter filters all the oil , if it didn't the engine would seize. They were fitted with a by pass valve so that oil is by passed under conditions of excessive pressure drop across the element (Usually of the order of 5 psi )

In this case, running the engine at high reves on a cold start will cause the by pass to open; as it will if the filter element becomes excessively blocked.

(Another good reason for changing the filter element and the oil at at least the recommended intervals, so that when the oil increases in viscosity as sludge forms and circulates within it, and the filter becomes obstructed, the oil is by passed for the minimum time.

Pre war engines did not have oil filters, but had short lives. By pass filters were available as "retro fit" accessories

(Fram were one of the main suppliers ) With higher specific ratings, oil filtration became more important. The 803cc BMC A Series engine used by pass filtration. The 948 and subsequent A Series engines used full flow.

The B series engines in cars like the MG ZA Magnette, and the olther Austin, Wolsey, and Riley clones, were by pass, the ZB and it's sisters went to full flow filtration.

With a combination of better materials, better machining, better oils and better filtration engine life vastly improved

In the 1930s, Midland Red boasted that their engines would last for 20,000 miles, now some manufacturers recommend that as the service interval!

With prpoer servicing, the Perkins Prima was good for at least 300,000 miles.

A 4.236 was good for at least 7,000 hours.

But as emissions regulations tightened, the oil companies had to improve oils very rapidly. Often, before we could complete a 1500 hour reliability test, Shell had introduced at least two upgrades

Howard

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

As a schoolboy I bought a 1947 Vauxhall to play with using my pocket money (£3) I soon got it running and would drive it round our large garden – it was one way to stop the nettles growing. This I'm sure had a by pass filter, as do the Cummins V8-300s we use of 1960s vintage. And yes, as Howard has said, in the 60s and 70s an engine would need a rebuild at 5 or 6 thousand hours as opposed to modern engines doing 250000+ miles with ease ! How things have changed, ford 100E with metalled in rods, A and B series engines, 4.108, 4.154 6.354, in the 70s I would nearly always have at least one of these on the bench in bits !

Yes ! change the oil every year, no matter what the milage. Engines fail nowadays due to poor design or electrical issues ! Noel.

[Bob Unitt 1Participant @bobunitt1]

Posted by Chris Pearson 1 on 19/07/2023 18:22:33:

You may be thinking of Castrol R oils, which should never ever be mixed with mineral oils.

Ah, takes me back to the 60's… A friend with a genuine BSA 500cc Gold Star stuffed a brillo-pad soaked in Castrol-R into the silencer, so he could have that glorious racer-smell without having to do an oil-change after every trip.

[A SmithParticipant @asmith78105]

A teaspoon of "R" in to a full petrol tank has the same aromatic effect.

[Bruce VoelkerdingParticipant @brucevoelkerding91659]

and to think that the original air-cooled VW Beetle had no Oil Filter (it did have an Oil Cooler).

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Howard Lewis on

In the 1930s, Midland Red boasted that their engines would last for 20,000 miles, now some manufacturers recommend that as the service interval!

With prpoer servicing, the Perkins Prima was good for at least 300,000 miles.

A 4.236 was good for at least 7,000 hours.

…….

Howard

Well maintained Gardner was good for a million miles, needed a top end overhaul at half a million

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

A can of oil is a lot cheaper than a new engine, and as someone said, short runs kill engines.

I have put up 78000 miles since 2006, much of that in short runs, so I change the oil and filters every year, before my DOE test. Overkill ?, maybe, but the engine is still sweet..

Penny wise/pound foolish.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by Bruce Voelkerding on 21/07/2023 14:26:17:

and to think that the original air-cooled VW Beetle had no Oil Filter (it did have an Oil Cooler).

Neither did the very first versions of 1955 Chevy 265cu v8, first with fancy overhead valves and no still no oil filter.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

My 1983 Triumph TSS had/has a wire mesh strainer for the oil. Might catch flies, but wouldn't catch mozzies.

Must get it back from the brother-in-law…

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by larry phelan 1 on 21/07/2023 19:36:37:

A can of oil is a lot cheaper than a new engine, and as someone said, short runs kill engines.

I have put up 78000 miles since 2006, much of that in short runs, so I change the oil and filters every year, before my DOE test. Overkill ?, maybe, but the engine is still sweet..

Penny wise/pound foolish.

Larry,

Spot on, there. Oil is cheaper than repairs. Filters are cheap, too.

The youtube channel which quite often hammers this home is “Just Rolled In”

One that fits your mileage is in THIS ONE. There are plenty of others on that channel. Excessive, but demonstrates the possibilities of poor, or no, maintenance.

Before I bought a peugeot diesel in 1987, I carried a container of oil but that car simply had an oil change at the service interval and the level fell to almost the lower mark on the dipstick at the next service. That car was still the same after 125k miles. Since then, a few cars have needed topping up (changing to semi-synthetic oils most certainly reduced consumption – very obvious with our volvo 480). My 27 year old peugeot 106 has not been topped up between oil changes although it has 136,000 miles on the clock.

Our three peugeot 2 1/4l turbo diesel 607 models have not normally needed topping up between service intervals. Those cars had completed 625k miles between them and oil consumption was still minimal (possibly some oil dilution between oil changes, but those engines were still good at 250,196 and 278 thousand miles

My recent acquisition should not need any oil until about 70,000 miles (I think) – when the gearbox oil will be at its service interval.

[vic neweyParticipant @vicnewey60017]

I wonder how oil depreciation applies to hybrids, the engine on my Prius is off for 50%+ of the time so for10,000 miles the engine was probably running for less than 5000. The engine would still be turning but with valves open and no spark. It uses no oil at all and retains it's original colour right up to the service time.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

Posted by vic newey on 22/07/2023 09:23:55:

I wonder how oil depreciation applies to hybrids, the engine on my Prius is off for 50%+ of the time so for10,000 miles the engine was probably running for less than 5000. The engine would still be turning but with valves open and no spark. It uses no oil at all and retains it's original colour right up to the service time.

Are you sure? I thought even the first generation Prius used a planetary gear to couple the engine, motor generator(s) and gearbox. The ICE does not rotate in electric mode.

Robert.

[Chris Pearson 1Participant @chrispearson1]

Mention of topping up reminds me of a 4.2 l Jaguar which I had 30-odd years ago. Home was on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and work was in Rosyth. I could just about do the journey on a pair of tanks of petrol, but I had to stop to top up the oil. When it got to 1 gal each way, it was time for new piston rings (which solved the problem).

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