Frequency of engine oil changes in a DUSTY environment (1 Viewer)

[culmore]

Online I read many articles which say that in a dusty environment, ie an extreme environment, you should change the engine oil, oil filter and likely air filter every 5,000 kms (3,000 UK miles) or 6 months which ever comes first. Okay Im convinced 5,000 kms or 6 months it is. The main reason here I think is to be paranoid about dust getting inside the engine. The temperatures where I live are ideal, rarely below 10 degrees c and rarely above 30 degrees C. Cars here in kenya are a crazy high price so it is worth extending the life of the engine.

BUT should I use mineral or synthetic oil, clearly the longevity of synthetic clearly wont come into play. Im unsure, so many opinions on this. For example Toyota Kenya say synthetic 10,000 kms, mineral 5,000 service intervals

what's the answer and why please ...

many thanks

 

[culmore]

I did some thinking and changing engine oil after six months due to dust does not make sense. Dust is proportinal to the environment we live in, eg desert or rainy Ireland, and kms driven not time. When we drive our cars a lot of air comes through the air filter a serious amount of air, if the car is not moving then almost no dust gets in. So I think dust is proportional to kms not time. Assuming the air filter is kept well serviced.

I am still horribly confused on why some people , and these arevery experienced engineers , say change engine oil after six months. For example the car care nut on YouTube a very experienced mechanic. Then Toyota will say 10,000 miles. hmmmmmm computer programmers like me should not be deciding this stuff we are guessing we need reliable advice from EXPERIENCED industry experts.

 

[aztoyman]

The best way to determine oil change intervals is by Scheduled Oil Sampling. (SOS) The problem for a person with just one vehicle is that it's not very economical to pay for the service.

For a company with a large fleet, it can save them money. Especially if they have been changing oil before it needs it. Plus it can warn of impending failures. Pulling an engine or other component BEFORE catastrophic failure saves a lot of money on repair expense.

Without a lab testing your oil, you're guessing. Testing can tell you when it actually needs to be changed. It can tell you when wear metals are present prior to a major failure. It can tell you if you have silica present letting you know you have dirt entry from an intake leak or poor quality filter. Fuel dilution, coolant or water contamination.

The method you use to draw the sample has to be done correctly. I have seen mine personnel pull drain plugs and collect the sample after it was running down over dirt or copper concentrate. Or reuse a suction tube from another oil compartment.

I don't know what methods the "experts" use to determine oil change intervals. It may be an average of all vehicles out there? Maybe the manufacturers and dealers have logged data? Maybe less warranty claims when done more often? IDK. But the only way YOU will know when to change the oil on YOUR vehicle the way YOU drive it is to have it tested.

One of the instructors at the Caterpillar dealership I worked for wanted to find out himself. He sent in oil samples just before the factory "recommended" oil change interval and the lab sent the results back and said it didn't need to be changed yet. They said to change the filter as specified though. He was over 10K miles and the oil was still good. I never found out how long he went. My class was only a week long. It was a newer car and he had sent enough samples to have established a baseline normal for his car. He was driving in Phoenix area in commuter traffic daily.

That's how you KNOW when to change your oil. Does the extended change interval savings justify the cost of the SOS??? You have to decide that.

 

[culmore]

makes sense aztoyman , Dont know anyone who tests oil here in kenya. The mechanics look at the oil, smell it, and rub it between their fingers to test the viscosity.

How about changing the oil filter every six month. I use genuine Toyota filters. I check and clean the air filter monthly and replace as needed.

In Toyota maintenance manuals they speak of "special operating conditions" and recommend service every 5,000 miles instead of 10,000 miles..

 

[aztoyman]

In your situation all you can do is run the best oil and filters you have available and go on the safe side of recommended change intervals. Changing it too soon won't hurt your vehicle, just your budget. Changing it too late can hurt your vehicle and really hurt your budget.

Running a good air filter is important. Making sure there's no dirt entry in cracked intake pipes and such as well.

 

[culmore]

In your situation all you can do is run the best oil and filters you have available and go on the safe side of recommended change intervals. Changing it too soon won't hurt your vehicle, just your budget. Changing it too late can hurt your vehicle and really hurt your budget.

Running a good air filter is important. Making sure there's no dirt entry in cracked intake pipes and such as well.

yes better safe that sorry!!!! Even If I dont understand why

 

[SNLC]

I change it when it is dirty or at the 3-5,000 mile mark. Whichever comes first.

It will get dirtier in a dusty environment or on short city drives.

Put a little drop of the engine oil on a white sheet of paper to see how dirty it is.

Cheers