Challenge: Guessing mileage based on oil color

What about the oil filter that is loaded with crud; and, don't forget all the contaminants still left behind. I always change my fluids per the manual unless I feel the operation has been severe. Just a thought.

 

Are you saying that you have not changed the oil for so long that you have added four quarts ??? You are starting to scare me now. Why would you abuse your engine like that ???

 

"Based on the oil color and grades, could you tell how many miles driven since last oil change 4 month ago?"

Impossible, and why would you ask?

 

yer driving 20,000 a year, 5,000 in four months, yer going thru a quart a month?

 

my dad put 300,000 on his '75 chevy wagon with out ever changing the oil. he just changed the filter every so often and added oil as needed. about a quart/1000 iirc.

 

I seem to remember that you were burning about a quart every 2k miles, so I'll guess you're about 8k into a 10k oil change interval. I couldn't tell that from the oil though, it looks pristine.

BTW. My oil sometimes looks very clean like that when I pull the stick after it's been sitting for a long time (overnight for example). When I pull the stick hot however, especially after a good long drive that's had the oil fully up to temperature, then I can often notice a little bit more color to it.

 

Only car I've had that burned 1qt of oil every 2000 miles was my first car in high school. A 1974 Vega. With 174,000 miles on a 2004 car means it has been driven roughly 21,750 and 24,850 miles a year. Respectfully speaking, you might consider an overhaul or new car in a year or so if your yearly mileage continues. Your burning to much oil and cooler temperatures will not change that.

 

Yes, and I would suggest that you also drain and replace the synthetic oil at that time.

If the OP can add a quart of synthetic oil for $5 and do that 8 - 10 times per year, that seems much more reasonable and cost-effective than to spend $2K or more to have an engine from a lower-mileage salvage vehicle installed. The OP has not reported visible emissions being produced or any other indication that his driving the car is resulting in excessive air pollution or any other anti-social outcome.

 

I'd still do both the oil and filter at 10k. Also, I'd probably switch to a cheaper oil than M1 for a burner like that.

In another thread OP says his oil consumption on 5W30 is closer to 1 qt per 4000 miles. He's Prius is closing in on 200k miles, so you've got to expect some oil consumption. Personally if the car is still running ok and not blowing smoke or fouling the plugs then I'd just keep feeding it the oil.

 

Late model cars have generally used so little oil that we have developed high expectations.

I wouldn't be real happy if my car burned a quart every 2,000 miles, but if you had new Toyota, Toyota would call that normal if you tried to get it fixed under warranty. A few decades ago, a car only burning a quart in 2,000 miles would have been considered good.

There is no valid reason to back off from using a decent synthetic oil. Synthetic provides better protection as well as longer oil life.

The oil should still be changed at the normal interval, contaminants that the filter doesn't catch are still building up and should be removed by changing the oil.

 

Synthetic oil and filter at regular intervals definitely, and more closely monitor consumption. Going 5w-30 to 0w-20 will not double the rate of oil burn by itself. I would never recommend using a low mileage engine as a swap. Rebuild or replace vehicle yes. AllenZ you have time. I only offered friendly advise that you start planning given this and the mileage.

 

I didn't know a Vega could be that good!

Don't recall just how much oil gf's mom's car needed, but have vague memories of more than a quart per gas refill.

 

Sold it before it got worse.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he shouldn't use a good quality oil. I'm just saying that if the OP wants to save money by just continually topping off instead of changing then he'd be better of using a slightly cheaper alternative and still dumping it at regular intervals (to prevent acid and sludge build up as you alluded to previously). There are cheaper options than M1 (esp for a burner) that are still decent oils. Supertech Synthetic, Quaker State Ultimate Durability, Mobil Super Synth ... for example.

I'd also consider giving a high mileage oil a run, say try Valvoline Maxlife for a few oil change intervals and see how it goes.

One last thing, I'd prefer to top off a before the oil is right down to the 1/8 above bottom line on the dipstick. Even if you're only adding 1/2 a quart at a time I'd prefer not to let it go much below about the half way point. There's not much oil in that little sump.

 

We might be looking at different prices.
Walmart.com - Mobil 1 Synthetic Motor Oil

 

LOL yeah, I keep forgetting how different the pricing is in the US compared with how much we get ripped of here in Oz. We pay about $90 for 5L of Mobil_1 here , though there are lots of cheaper alternatives around half that price that are still decent oils. So yeah, at the prices we pay here I wouldn't be feeding $20 per Litre oil to a burner.