Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
At what intervals do you change the oil(we have a class C if that matters in this equation), where do you take it if you don’t do it yourself?
Ford E450 gas.
Ford E450 gas.
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Oil changes
- Thread starter Ohiosnowbird
- Start date
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Utclmjmpr
Well-known member
A class "C" means nothing without knowing the chassis and engine make and type,, gas or diesel ..
If you don't know this,, then maybe its better that you don't do it..>>>Dan
If you don't know this,, then maybe its better that you don't do it..>>>Dan
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OP
OP
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
Got it. Ford E450 gas. Thanks.
Hubby works on alll our farm equipment and cars. Mix of gas and diesel, he was curious, mainly.
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Tom
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2005
- Posts
- 51,932
It's been many years since I did it myself. I've used mobile oil change/lubrication guys for a long time. They're sometimes hard to find. I learned of the last guy I used when checking in for a hitch/tow bar install as another guy was checking out. We got to talking and he promised to email me the contact info when he got home. Sure enough, he did. The guy came to our house but, because it was a long way from his shop/base, I offered to may him an additional 'mileage fee', and he agreed.
I've occasionally found mobile guys that come to a campground - through the CG office.
Utclmjmpr
Well-known member
Your owners manual will advise you and your dash warning system will remind you..>>>Dan
Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
I change my oil at greater than 3K miles or once a season whichever is first. It works out that unlike commuting where you can predict where you'll be when the oil change interval comes up, you could be a thousand miles or more from home and looking to get it done on the road. Maybe not the end of the world but I'd rather not kill a day during a trip schlepping around trying to find someone that will do it. It's done when I'm home on my terms and it's always ready to go, and don't have to think about it on the road. It's trivially easy to do, even more so than my other cars as I don't need ramps to fit under it. Slide under with a 15mm socket, strap wrench, drain pan and new filter. 10 minutes later spin on the new filter and put the plug back in. Up top new oil in, and done. Half hour max, less than $30.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Isaac-1
Well-known member
I change mine once per year, but we average under 5,000 miles per year.
uchu
Well-known member
Ditto. Once per year, right before taking "George" to storage. Average 3,500 km or roughly 2,100 mi.
I do it myself and it's relatively simple. Much easier than changing my car's oil. Tons of space underneath. YouTube is your friend.
OP
OP
Ohiosnowbird
Well-known member
Thanks!
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
I'm a fan of the once a year oil & filter change, unless the engine manufacturers mileage interval is exceeded before that (but that's not common on RVs). Most gas engines of the last 15-20 years keep their own oil minder calculation based on mileage and driving conditions, and they signal when a change is recommended. Typically around 5000-6000 miles unless predominantly stop & go city driving.
A lot of the traditional oil change info was derived in the days when engine mechanical tolerances were much looser and oils less capable, making more frequent changes advisable "just to be safe". And of course oil change shops and oil brand retailers encourage more frequent changes just to sell product. And you can't ever change oil too often right?
A lot of the traditional oil change info was derived in the days when engine mechanical tolerances were much looser and oils less capable, making more frequent changes advisable "just to be safe". And of course oil change shops and oil brand retailers encourage more frequent changes just to sell product. And you can't ever change oil too often right?
Isaac-1
Well-known member
To follow up on what Gary said, many better brand oils today are good for 7,500 miles or more, with extended life oils available that are rated for 10,000 - 20,000 miles between oil changes, which may be fine for daily driver vehicles. The issue at hand is motorhomes are not typical daily driver vehicles, many of them sit for months at a time between use, this often takes the form of over the winter storage lasting 3-5 months. Which leads to the issue at hand, over time engine oil becomes acidic, this becomes an issue when some of the oil additives used in modern motor oil breaks down. Hence the traditional mantra of changing oil every 12 months regardless of miles, which I tend to practice myself, however studies have now shown that when using high quality synthetic extended life motor oils which have better additives and are less prone to acid build up, they can make it to their rated mileage regardless of the amount of time that has passed up to at least 5 years, with many now advocating for a 2 or 3 year oil change interval when using such extended life oils in low annual mileage vehicles. This is based on oil analysis done on used engine oil.
Kirk
Well-known member
We had an F53 chassis class A and a Ford rep told me no less than once a year and suggested that 5k miles should be the other limit unless we went with full synthetic which we didn't, since that still meant once a year.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
This debate too often becomes religious in fervor. The engine won't explode if you defer an oil & filter change to 5001 miles or even 366 days. Maybe your 200,000 mile gas engine degrades to 180k if you repeatedly stretch the change interval too much, but "too much" is a variable. Those deleterious things that can happen don't always occur or can be very minor in effect. And many owners won't own a vehicle long enough to ever learn if there is a difference. Some owners err on the side of caution while others strive more for economy & convenience.
Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
many owners won't own a vehicle long enough to ever learn if there is a difference
On my third car now heading towards reaching the moon (~230K). When I'm done with them there isn't even any salvage value. I have no aspiration of taking the RV that far, odds are I won't hit 100K with it. But I view the RV as severe service as you'll ever see for a V8 used in pickup trucks at a quarter of the weight. My change interval exuberance is as much preventative as cautious. Of all the things that can potentially go wrong, it won't be due to lubrication. Changing oil is quick, easy and inexpensive - spending $30 even twice as often as recommended amounts to little cost over the life of the vehicle and eliminates one seed of doubt. Totally recognize that it's overkill but it's a variable I can control, so I control it.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
On my third car now heading towards reaching the moon (~230K). When I'm done with them there isn't even any salvage value. I have no aspiration of taking the RV that far, odds are I won't hit 100K with it. But I view the RV as severe service as you'll ever see for a V8 used in pickup trucks at a quarter of the weight. My change interval exuberance is as much preventative as cautious. Of all the things that can potentially go wrong, it won't be due to lubrication. Changing oil is quick, easy and inexpensive - spending $30 even twice as often as recommended amounts to little cost over the life of the vehicle and eliminates one seed of doubt. Totally recognize that it's overkill but it's a variable I can control, so I control it.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Sure, but for every person of your persuasion there is another of the drive-it-and-forget-it genre. And every possible variant in between.
Kirk
Well-known member
The manufacturer's recommendation is based on a mileage that they guarantee will be soon enough to avoid lubricating the degradation but it does not mean that 1 mile more will do damage and it doesn't say that. I always liked to use 5K as it was an easy interval to keep track of and in practice it was pretty much a case of +/= 100 miles, or so....
Isaac-1
Well-known member
The other thing to keep in mind is that the better name brand oils on the market today are far superior to what was available 20-30 years ago, particularly if you go with a synthetic or synthetic blend. So if you are going to go to an oil change shop and use their bulk house brand oil, 3,000 miles between oi changes may be advisable, but if you are going to use a premium synthetic extended life oil, then 10,000 or more miles may be perfectly acceptable, which is hard for many of us older people to realize.
826joey
Active member
As a retired auto shop owner I have seen many a vehicle in for repair that had been at a "quick Lube" for oil change. That is all they did was change oil and filter. The point is preventive maintenance. You want somebody to look over front to back for potential issues that you dont want to repair out on the road. If you are only under the front you are not getting the whole picture
SeilerBird
Well-known member
I do oil changes at 5000 miles, 10k miles and ever 5k thereafter. Makes it easy to remember.
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