oil changes

[pjm47]

Does anyone know the answer to how often do you need an oil change when i only drive about 5,000 miles a year with my car. Oil changes on the Rogue should be 3,750 miles according to the manuel or 3 months. I am lucky to put 4,000 miles in 6 months. Any answers does time verses miles mean much

[kerrton]

There is no debate here, you should change your oil every 3 months regardless of mileage, because the oil will degrade over time regardless of mileage. Actually, if you are driving very short distances the oil will degrade FASTER than if you drive longer distances, because the engine doesn't operate in normal temperature range for long enough, so moisture and contaminants don't have a chance to burn off.

So bottom line, take it in every 3 months regardless of mileage.

[DanTheMan]

I disagree with the three month mindset. Oil doesn't follow any time frame, nor does it really loose its properties. The first change out should be around the 3K mark, for breakdown reasons and any metal finings. After this, you really just need to follow Nissans recommendations for warranty reasons. Motor oil will keep all of its properties throughout its life. The only real problem occurs when you change out with a subpar oil and sludge builds up.

The routine oil change out we are so used to is really not all that important. The filter replacement. however is.

Cheers!

[going rogue]

I've got a similar usage scenario: 4 months with 3800 km (2375 mi), mostly short trips (avg. speed is 23 km/h, avg. fuel "economy" is 12 l/100km). I've scheduled my first oil change for Jan. 5. Should have about 4000 km by then. Haven't decided whether to continue changing oil every 4000 km, or every 6000 km as recommended by Nissan.

[philipa_240sx]

After this, you really just need to follow Nissans recommendations for warranty reasons.

And Nissan's recommendation is 3,750 miles or 3 months as per Schedule 1:

Quote »Use Schedule 1 if you primarily operate yourvehicle under any of these conditions:- Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles innormal temperatures or less than 10 miles infreezing temperatures- Stop-and-go traffic in hot weather or low speeddriving for long distances- Driving in dusty conditions or on rough,muddy, or salt-spread roads- Towing a trailer, or using a camperor car-top carrier[/quote]Oil changes are not that expensive. A couple of extra oil changes per year (every 3 mos. as compared to every 6 mos) is chump change compared to repairing or rebuilding an engine.

[philipa_240sx]

Oil doesn't follow any time frame, nor does it really loose its properties.... Motor oil will keep all of its properties throughout its life.

While the oil itself does not 'change' it's properties by sitting there, fuel, water, carbon deposits... nearly everything gets into the oil while the engine is running, dilutes it and changes it's lubricating properties. Short distance driving just exacerbates this problem as the engine never properly warms up which helps evaporate some of that dissolved fuel and water. Also, contamination is at it's peak when the engine is cold and the piston rings, valves seals, etc are not sealing as well as when they are hot.

Oil filters (the type found in passenger cars) will mechanically filter out small particles (about 25 microns and larger), but are less effective with smaller particles and cannot separate suspended fuel and water in the oil. This is one of the main reasons we change oil in the first place, not because it 'wears out'... but to flush out the contaminants contained within the oil.

If you really want to experiment and find the best oil change intervals, do what the professionals (trucking companies, mining, etc) do: Oil Analysis. It's cheap ($25-$50), and you can find out just how your engine is doing and if an oil change is really required. There are many labs that provide this service, Blackstone Labs is one of them:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

[DanTheMan]

Hi philipa_240sx,

I have to respectfully disagree. I had a 2000 Camry that I ran oil tests on. After 12,500 miles of the same oil, the viscosity remained the same. as did the other properties, heat transfer and conductivity. The TSS and TDS increased, but were then decreased with a filter change.

I believe, IMOH, that the filter change is the most important. With that said, I am in no way disregarding oil changes. I am just stating the facts, as I had them tested.

Cheers!

[philipa_240sx]

Hello Dan,

That's great that you got 12,500 mi from that oil. Your driving style and oil selection seems to work well with that engine and the oil test proves it.

I didn't say you couldn't make an oil last 12,500mi, in fact I agree with you that this is possible! However without proper oil testing, arbitrarily switching to such long oil change intervals can be foolish. Not everyone drives thier car the same. What may be a 12,500mi oil for you can yield wildly different results for someone else.

Hence I stand by the mfg, recommendations of 3750mi and 3mos... they are the safest for someone who drives repeated short distances in the city as per Nissan's Schedule 1 Maintenance and does not perform oil analysis. Also, if there ever is a warranty issue, there is no dispute as proper oil changes would be performed as per the mfg. recommendations.

[takeshi]

Does anyone know the answer to how often do you need an oil change when i only drive about 5,000 miles a year with my car. Oil changes on the Rogue should be 3,750 miles according to the manuel or 3 months. I am lucky to put 4,000 miles in 6 months. Any answers does time verses miles mean much

Already mentioned above but a used oil analysis will give you some definitive answers that are directly relevant to your usage. From a technical standpoint, you don't have to follow Nissan's recommendations but, personally, I'd rather not give them an excuse to deny warranty coverage. YMMV.

[DanTheMan]

Hence I stand by the mfg, recommendations of 3750mi and 3mos... they are the safest for someone who drives repeated short distances in the city as per Nissan's Schedule 1 Maintenance and does not perform oil analysis. Also, if there ever is a warranty issue, there is no dispute as proper oil changes would be performed as per the mfg. recommendations.

Oh, I agree 100% for warranty reasons. I wouldn't want to give them any "way out" of their coverage.

Now once the warranty is over, that's a different story!!

[DanTheMan]

Well, I changed my oil at around 1400 miles today. I used Penzoil Premium Synth 5w - 30. I will advise of any differences with this oil. It's my understanding that Nissan uses a synth. 5W - 20?? I was going to go with Mobile 1, but heard that there is substantial rocker chatter on first start.

Cheers!

[Chas1]

Lots of chatter with any oil in the Rogue. I use the Penzoil too and its a wee bit noisy. No rockers in a Rogue are there? I am asuming I am hearing Valve train noise of some sort. Possibly rattling timing chains?

[philipa_240sx]

No rockers in a Rogue are there? I am asuming I am hearing Valve train noise of some sort. Possibly rattling timing chains?

Most modern Nissan engines including the Rogue use a direct acting valve train where the cam is located directly over the valve. There are no rockers or lifters (hydraulic or otherwise). This makes for an extremely light and efficient valve train but it's sensitive to temperature changes and can produce noise when cold. The system also uses steel timing chains with a hydraulic actuated tensioner.

Many Nissan owners complain of valve noise on startup. However, there are no wear related issues. Many (myself included... I had 144,000mi on my '03 Altima) have put a lot of miles on these engines with no issues.

The QR25DE motor used in the Rogue is also a very long stroke motor. I now believe this design produces a small amount of piston slap when the engine is cold. Once again, my Altima (which used the same QR25DE motor) exhibited the same engine noise and I did not have any wear related issues.