Changing oil but not filter

[Jeep Junkie]

With a saturated filter, the engine won't take 5 full quarts, so keep that in mind. Why not just change it every 5k miles along with the filter? The only reason to change it at 2500 miles, would be if your were driving in heavy dust every day.

You seriously need to see a professional counselor who can help you with your oil anxiety.

Either that, or you just make these threads to see how worked up you can make people over and oil related topic.

Soon we will get responses to go by the owner's manual, go by the oil life monitor, to not second guess what engineers with doctorates figured out, and to use Amsoil because it is the cure for everything oil related.

Will my Primary Care Doctor give me a referal to a.counselor?

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[Rogersocal]

Basic dump and fill. Nothing wrong with it. Not needed, but nothing wrong

 

[Old Dogger]

I have been driving and changing my own engine oil since the 50's. Back then, one changed their engine oil every 1000 miles. I have never changed my engine oil, without changing the engine oil filter at the same time. If one can't afford to change the engine oil filter, at the same time as one changes the engine oil, then one should not own a vehicle. As to how many miles and time one should change their engine oil, will be debated for ever. I know a fellow that changes his oil filter every 10K, but never changes the engine oil. But he does add oil between the 10K mark. But everybody to their own.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

Synthetic oil and filter will still be good at 7,500 miles.

Synthetic oil will typically go 15,000 miles or so and filters are typically rated for 10,000 - 25,000 miles depending on brand.


Now even with that said, do what ever change interval you feel comfortable with.

As for fearing the oil cap, as long as you use proper tools and proper torque then there is no reason to damage it. My old Audi got an oil change every 10,000 miles and was still sporting the original plastic filter cap at 234,000 miles when we traded it in.

 

[Jeep Junkie]

Synthetic oil and filter will still be good at 7,500 miles.

Synthetic oil will typically go 15,000 miles or so and filters are typically rated for 10,000 - 25,000 miles depending on brand.


Now even with that said, do what ever change interval you feel comfortable with.

As for fearing the oil cap, as long as you use proper tools and proper torque then there is no reason to damage it. My old Audi got an oil change every 10,000 miles and was still sporting the original plastic filter cap at 234,000 miles when we traded it in.

Manual says 18 foot pounds. It feels too much. I did 16 last time and even that felt a little tight

 

[Valpo Jeep]

@Jeep Junkie to be honest I don't even bother with a torque wrench on a filter, just snug it up. Canisters I just grab them with 2 hands and turn them until tight, no wrench.

Been doing that with canisters since the 1980s and filter housings since buying a Chevy Cruze in 2013. Never an issue.

 

[Old Dogger]

Manual says 18 foot pounds. It feels too much. I did 16 last time and even that felt a little tight

I do 10ft lbs., with a wobble socket.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I just seat it down snug. It's never leaked.

 

[Apexcars]

I just twist till my eyes start to squint a little. Not full-on tongue-poking-out tight but a little more than finger tight.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I change my underwear every shower though. New shower, new underwear

The shower is the oil, the underwear is the filter. Change them both.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I just twist till my eyes start to squint a little. Not full-on tongue-poking-out tight but a little more than finger tight.

That's exactly how it's done. If you don't hold your mouth and tongue right, then the job if destined to fail.

 

[UncleJimmy]

Say oil is changed every 2500 miles but filter every 5000 miles. What can go wrong, can the 2500 mile filter contaminate the new oil?
Thanks!

Think logically on this.

How does new, fresh oil contaminate more than the old oil that is already in there?

Regardless at what interval you change your oil, there will always be around 1/2 quart of oil left in the engine (in the galleries, bottom of the pan etc). I have tested numerous times as I used to be fastidious about getting all the oil out and I would park the Jeep on an incline and also add ramps so the Jeep was at a steep incline. Then I would drain it for several hours. I always had 5.5 quarts drained and refilled to top of dipstick. So by not changing the filter you have about an additional cup of used oil in the engine. Hardly any difference.

Secondly, I see comments that are contradictory:
A.) the oil is still good so you don't have to change it, and at the same time:
B.) you are contaminating the engine oil by not changing the filter. So which is it? Is the oil clean or dirty at 2500 mi? If it's clean then it doesn't matter and if it's dirty then you all better be changing that oil and filter out.

Thirdly:
A.)the oil will always be cleaner by draining/refilling the crankcase at 2500 mi and leaving the filter until 5000 mi than running the same oil through the end of the interval.
B.) the filter will always be cleaner by putting fresh oil in at 2500 mi than leaving the same, dirty oil in until 5000 mi.

So the question is, do you want cleaner oil and filter while it's in service? That's up to you. There are numerous reasons why you might such as idling in traffic, frequent cold starts, frequent short trips, (which are all severe duty), as well as engine design and fuel changes to accommodate emissions standards that stress the oil more.

Can you make your oil last longer? Perhaps, but what is the objective? To make the oil last as long as possible or to make the engine last as long as possible? By changing at low intervals and skipping the filter, this makes the job easier, quicker, cost less and has no measurable downside to the quality of the oil or performance of the filter, in fact as I have just shown, the filter will be be cleaner as the contaminants are drained out halfway through the interval.

Finally, you can watch some of the more experienced engine builders, mechanics, oil experts on YT and they all will recommend more frequent OCIs than what the OEMs recommend, and many of them change their personal vehicles at 2000-3000 intervals. Wether that matters to you or not depends on several factors such as, do you intend to keep the vehicle for a long time or are you someone who always trades in at 5-7 years? If you are in the latter group then this may not interest you, but if you are in the former group then you will always have cleaner oil and filter and a cleaner engine by following this maintenance schedule.

 

[Rogersocal]

Friday topic on a thursday.. We all must be bored at work.

 

[UncleJimmy]

Manual says 18 foot pounds. It feels too much. I did 16 last time and even that felt a little tight

I do it by hand (with a wrench) with just enough torque to prevent leaks.

 

[Jeep Junkie]

Think logically on this.

How does new, fresh oil contaminate more than the old oil that is already in there?

Regardless at what interval you change your oil, there will always be around 1/2 quart of oil left in the engine (in the galleries, bottom of the pan etc). I have tested numerous times as I used to be fastidious about getting all the oil out and I would park the Jeep on an incline and also add ramps so the Jeep was at a steep incline. Then I would drain it for several hours. I always had 5.5 quarts drained and refilled to top of dipstick. So by not changing the filter you have about an additional cup of used oil in the engine. Hardly any difference.

Secondly, I see comments that are contradictory:
A.) the oil is still good so you don't have to change it, and at the same time:
B.) you are contaminating the engine oil by not changing the filter. So which is it? Is the oil clean or dirty at 2500 mi? If it's clean then it doesn't matter and if it's dirty then you all better be changing that oil and filter out.

Thirdly:
A.)the oil will always be cleaner by draining/refilling the crankcase at 2500 mi and leaving the filter until 5000 mi than running the same oil through the end of the interval.
B.) the filter will always be cleaner by putting fresh oil in at 2500 mi than leaving the same, dirty oil in until 5000 mi.

So the question is, do you want cleaner oil and filter while it's in service? That's up to you. There are numerous reasons why you might such as idling in traffic, frequent cold starts, frequent short trips, (which are all severe duty), as well as engine design and fuel changes to accommodate emissions standards that stress the oil more.

Can you make your oil last longer? Perhaps, but what is the objective? To make the oil last as long as possible or to make the engine last as long as possible? By changing at low intervals and skipping the filter, this makes the job easier, quicker, cost less and has no measurable downside to the quality of the oil or performance of the filter, in fact as I have just shown, the filter will be be cleaner as the contaminants are drained out halfway through the interval.

Finally, you can watch some of the more experienced engine builders, mechanics, oil experts on YT and they all will recommend more frequent OCIs than what the OEMs recommend, and many of them change their personal vehicles at 2000-3000 intervals. Wether that matters to you or not depends on several factors such as, do you intend to keep the vehicle for a long time or are you someone who always trades in at 5-7 years? If you are in the latter group then this may not interest you, but if you are in the former group then you will always have cleaner oil and filter and a cleaner engine by following this maintenance schedule.

Right around 2,000 miles my oil starts looking pretty crappy, that's why I want it out of there. Anything that looks crappy must be crappy

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