junehhan

Hey guys, i've hit 3000 miles today and I have a question. I know the manual states to change the oil at 3750 miles, but when really would be a good time to change it? I'll be leaving this weekend for the RT 26 drive with the NE Central OH S2000 group, which means it should be a weekend of lots of high rpms and lots of time spent in vtec land. Even though i'm only at 3000 miles, should I go ahead and change it anyway before the event, or should I wait till after the event and actually change it at the recommended 3750 miles. You guys have to realize that for anyone who drives in this region, doing 7500 mile oil changes is simply not an option. If I shouldn't change the oil, should I at least change the filter to a brand new one and just top off the oil? How much oil does the factory filter use? In the 3000 miles, i've burned just a tad over a quart so far and have been topping off with Mobil Drive Clean dino oil. Winter is also coming soon and I need to change to a synthetic 10w30 as soon as possible as well. The manual states to wait till 5000 miles, but would any harm be done if I changed to a synthetic as early as 3750-4000 miles?


Thanks

junehhan

Any opinions guys?

JonasM

Well, we can talk about this more Sat/Sun, but here's my opinion:

It seems pretty well established that there actually is a special factory oil (more molybdenum) in the car from the start. Most agree that it's best to keep it in as long as possible (up to the 7500 that Honda recommends, 3750 for extreme conditions). Since I don't rev the crap out of my car, I'm assuming that 7000 would be OK. However, I'll be putting her away for the winter with something like 5000 miles on her (4500 now, and I'll be putting her away soon after this weekend's trip), so my plan is to get the oil changed at about 5K. I figure that's a good compromise between waiting for 7K and letting her sit with old oil all winter.

I'd say be sure to put some miles on her this fall, and do like I'm doing - change at about 5K (unless you plan on driving her all winter, in which case I would wait a bit longer, depending on how you drive...)

See ya Saturday!

JonasM

junehhan

I ordered a hardtop and will definately be driving mine all winter. However, would it be okay to just change the filter out and top off the fluids?

JonasM

I guess if you're paranoid (not a bad thing in this case) that might be a good idea. I've heard of several people who did just that - change just the filter to minimize metal bits, but leave the break-in oil alone.

JonasM

xviper

I don't think 700 miles is going to make a big difference. I changed mine at 5000 km which is 3000 miles. It's just easier for me to remember to do it every 5K km. Heck, some guys have even dumped the factory oil at 1000 miles with no ill effects.
I'm one of those people who question the "specialness" of the factory oil. True, tests have shown a high concentration of Moly but it has not been established if this was added to the oil or if it came from the assembly lube, which is very high in Moly. The first time two metals parts come together is critical and requires the extra protection of the assembly lube. Once the engine has circulated the oil for a while, the assembly lube is washed off the metal parts and the Moly is diluted. In this diluted condition, I have doubts that it is doing anything.

junehhan

Well, thanks guys for your opinions. You've definately helped to put my mind at ease. I've been continuing to top off my oil with Mobil Drive Clean oil, which I selected since it's the same oil that Honda dealers sell with the Honda label on it, yet costs a lot more. Tomarrow, i'll go ahead and change the oil filter in my car and just top off just in case the factory oil really is a special break-in oil. Once I hit 5000 miles with the factory oil, i'll probably just switch to Redline 10w30 since I need a full synthetic for our winters, although it's not as extreme as what Xviper see's in his part of the world. I need the full synthetic since my car sits outside.

xviper

You'll be fine with what you're doing. My car went it's first winter with the factory oil but the following winter, it had synthetic and I just felt that the car was happier with an oil that had better flow characteristics at sub-zero temps.

JonasM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]I don't think 700 miles is going to make a big difference.

junehhan

I think we American's get screwed when it comes to the automotive industry. Not only does Europe get better maintanence, but they also get the cooler cars first, and the latest in automotive enthusiest technology first as well. Of course, at least we don't get raped by the governent and have to pay $4-5 a gallon of fuel either. Heck, they even get access to 98 pump octane fuel while here, most people are stuck with 91-93 octane. In case anyone is curious, there is a radical activist group in Santa Monica, Cali that is trying to push the government to ban the production of any high octane fuel. They claim that no vehicle should be designed to use higher than an 87 or 89 octane gasoline!!! either