Need an automotive engineer to answer the why, but save all those partial amounts, pour them together, and use them in mowers, tractors, top off oil, etc. it doesn’t go ‘bad’ for years, even longer. My tractor runs exclusively on 5w10w15w20/30/40/45 witches brew.

 

Well from what I read it does start to go bad after a year. Oxygen gets in the bottle, condensation, the additives start to break down, etc.

My only other thing that needs motor oil is my small push mower. My third weekend driver car takes different viscosity than the other two.

 

Why get rid of it, don’t you top off tween changes? Every car I ever had / has required a top off before change.
Most have loose rings, less friction for better mileage, but allows oil past rings.
I don’t know any car these days goes 7500 not use some oil.

 

Porsches and Audis use no oil in my experience. Coming up up on a year for both cars and they are both at the top of the “stick”. We have never owned a car that uses oil. However, we have never owned a BMW. Understand it is common with them.

 

Good point, so far for 5 plus years both cars have never needed a top off. We each put about 7 to 8,000 miles a year on our cars.

 

That is amazing. My 93 5.0 Mustang ate a quart a month from new. Current cars eat about 1/2 a quart every 3k.

 

Oh, just caught that. Very low miles per year. Never mind.

 

All Asian here. Never been a fan of German engineering. Had a BMW 530 last year as loaner while car was in body shop. Way too complex and un-user friendly. After 2 weeks when I had to give it up I finally figured out the systems.

 

We have owned a lot of Hondas. Great cars. They do require less service than German cars as they age.

 

That's why I have them done at the dealership with Motorcraft bulk oil (semi-synthetic). Nothing left over. No mess no taking the old back to the parts store. I get zero self satisfaction changing my vehicles oil. Plus, there's never a doubt about recommended service being done because all the records are on file at the dealership.

 

Because everything is in liters now, meaning the oil pans etc. but still list in quarts for us odd balls in the U.S.

 

Two fronts here:
1) If you research into oil filters for your vehicle, you'll find that there's usually a larger filter than what was originally spec'd. Why? My guess is to appease TPTB that they're trying to reduce the amount of oil consumed. That, and bulk-filling cars by the millions off the assembly line and oil changes in the stealership saves just that much more every vehicle. If the filter is "big enough", then you're okay by the average consumer's point of view. Our '04 Durango Hemi and '18 Mustang both can take larger filters, miraculously bringing the refill quantity to even quart fillups.
2) Both the Durango and Mustang use less than one quart between oil changes. The Durango has close to 150,000 miles on it, the Mustang, 24,000. Modern engines are incredibly tight. It would seem that the two areas are all in the name of reduced environmental contamination. Not a bad thing.

 

Aw, hell! Just throw the extra in the tank. Help lube up those injectors.

I use Rotella T-6 in everything but the wifes car. Cant beat the $20 oil change with wash and tire rotation at the steeler. And after I change the oil in the two lawn mowers, two generators, two boats, pick up and tractor, I might have a partial quart. And yes I have thrown it in the tank. But I put a pint of 2 stroke in the diesel every fill up anyways. And I put oil in the fuel before winter too, for the lawn stuff. And in the generators before summer storage.

With todays oils being partially synthetic or full synthetic, it will store longer than you think.

 

Aw, hell! Just throw the extra in the tank. Help lube up those injectors.

One of the things I dislike about typing is the inability to easily convey emotion. Was that intended to be sarcasm? If not, then the concern there is that oil has a bad negative effect on gasoline's octane rating. On something like the Mustang eco-boost, low-speed detonation is sure death. Search "eco-boom".

 

My SUV takes the paper filter cartridge, the one that fits in the metal canister. I get it they're environmentally friendly and save on plastic and all that, but I find them annoying.

What's also annoying is I get the five quart jug of oil for $27. Then I have to buy two quarts at over $10 each sometimes to fill it up and then get rid of one half of those.

 

What's also annoying is I get the five quart jug of oil for $27. Then I have to buy two quarts at over $10 each sometimes to fill it up and then get rid of one half of those.

You obviously need more vehicles in your stable to spread the luvin' around!

 

wow - someting new to bitch at, guess we're done beating on boat brokers - you must be a ton of fun at parties

 

Impressive! When are you due back at Boys Town?

 

Be glad you don't have a Countach -- it takes almost 5 gallons

 

Oil might store fine but the 10% ethanol gas doesn't. That stuff absorbs water like crazy.

 

As a comparison, the 5 cyl jetta we used to have, took 8 qrts of castrol full syn at $12+ a qrt. Due to the amount of mileage the wife averaged at the time, it got changed every 4-5 months.

More oil means lower oil temps, lower levels of particulates and it last longer. My 5.3L V8 tahoe take 5'ish. I wish it held 8.

 

6.4 Quarts is 6 Litres.

5.3 Quarts is 5 litres which is what my vehicle takes. Welcome to the Metric system.

 

6.4 Quarts is 6 Litres.

5.3 Quarts is 5 litres which is what my vehicle takes. Welcome to the Metric system.

 

If your vehicles don't use oil between changes, to avoid the expense of buying the extra quart, just run the engine .4 quart low. In the aircraft industry the sumps on a typical Lycoming 4 cylinder engine holds 8 quarts, but the first quart gets puked out the breather upon the first STOL departure. We always leave the sump one quart low and then just top to 7 quarts during service. Of course, those engines rarely go 10 hours between needing a quart. On your vehicle there is a range of safe operating oil level so unless you are in very extreme conditions and high-performance driving, leaving a half a quart low is a simple solution to something that seems to bother you. I've read several articles over the years that point out that the lubrication properties of oil after 8000 miles is not degraded, the oil is replaced to remove the contaminates that have built up in the oil that the filters are not designed to remove. These contaminates are what fouls the engine internals that shorten service life of the engine.
Carpe Diem

 

Yeah I haven't added the.4 yet, and I was thinking it should be okay to not add it.

Wouldn't say it bothers me, again the challenge of electronic communication. Has always felt like a waste to me to get rid of that half court every year I don't need. So I did some research yesterday to see if I could use that 1/2 court the next year, and what I came up with says not so much. And then I start to do the math in my head, by the time you buy the five quart jug and then the two individual quarts, and the filter, does it make more sense just to take it in to a shop? It's something I still enjoy doing, and there's a trust factor with the shop, so I'll keep doing it.

 

.....recycling I mean don't anyone freak out.

LOL!!! Awesome! I wish there was a "love" button!

 

I have also thought about pouring the 0w-20 leftover from her car, 1/8 of a quart, into my SUV which takes 5W-30. I'm not in oil expert, would this be an issue?

 

As long as they're of the same base ("normal", synthetic) then no, you're fine. It'll change the viscosity rating by the difference of the two by their percentages. In your case, not even noticeable.

 

That's good to know. I may start doing that in mine, although the Cummins don't seem to suffer as much injector troubles as other brands do. Anything to prolong the life, eh?

Cummins diesels suffer from injector nailing. Not as much as death by dowel pin. Keeping them warm and not using winter blend fuel will help.

Dont ever buy fuel at the stage stop from the back pumps. They sell a military fuel blend. It is there for all the military vehicles that run out south from there to play. The military calls it JP5. I call it crap solvent. Talk about nailing and poor mileage.

 

Porsches and Audis use no oil in my experience. Coming up up on a year for both cars and they are both at the top of the “stick”. We have never owned a car that uses oil. However, we have never owned a BMW. Understand it is common with them.

That's true now, but it wasn't always so; my air cooled Porsches inhaled oil, even the good stuff like Castrol until Mobil One came along.

Left over oil in our garage goes into snow throwers, lawn mowers, even used it in gas for chainsaws.

 

With modern Porsches it is hard know how much to add given the electronic monitoring system. Never had to add, but the dealer told me if the system says you are low, bring it in for a complimentary top off. Changing the oil on these cars is difficult unless you have a lift and the special tools. Takes about 45 minutes for the old oil to drain out.

 

Yeah I haven't added the.4 yet, and I was thinking it should be okay to not add it.

Wouldn't say it bothers me, again the challenge of electronic communication. Has always felt like a waste to me to get rid of that half court every year I don't need. So I did some research yesterday to see if I could use that 1/2 court the next year, and what I came up with says not so much. And then I start to do the math in my head, by the time you buy the five quart jug and then the two individual quarts, and the filter, does it make more sense just to take it in to a shop? It's something I still enjoy doing, and there's a trust factor with the shop, so I'll keep doing it.

I do all my own as well, nothing to do with $$$. I abhor the inconvenience of dealing with any sort of service, either waiting at a quick lube or dropping the car at a dealership and arranging a ride back and forth. I enjoy poking around under the vehicles and keeping an eye on everything. It held to have a drive on lift in the barn, If I had to use ramps and a creeper, I may just endure the inconvenience.
I refuse to believe that the oil degrades sitting on the shelf for a year. If that was true, how could it possibly be affective after being whipped up, heated to 200 degrees, strained thru filters, squeezed by a gear pump and forced thru a labyrinth of oil galleys for hundreds of hours between changes. I don't buy it for a minute. The industry puts that info out to sell more oil Period! If using old oil was a real problem the highways would be littered by vehicles with blown up engines. I have a Pruning tower on the ranch that we bought in 1976, It is powered with a 40 horse Kohler air-cooled engine. If the oil has ever been changed I would be surprised, I top it up now and then, It gets used a couple of times a year and except for carb issues due to the new fuels she runs like a top. I know this is an extreme example but I am sure oil is changed way more often that it is needed in modern vehicles. My 2012 BMW 750I a few years ago had a software update that included increasing the oil change interval to 12,000 miles. It burns a quart in 4000 from new.
Carpe Diem

 

I have two Hemi powered vehicles and both take 7 quarts and so far don't burn or lose a drop between changes. I go to the local Dodge/Jeep steeler because they offer by one oil change get two more free. Pretty much covers me for a year.

 

LOL. I take the wife's car to the steeler because even on ramps, I dont fit under it.