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Oil Change Interval

Yahoo Message Number: 6796
Like many of you, I still work and need to limit my coach travel activities to the weekends and my vacation. As a result my coach rarely does more than 3000 miles a year. The CC and Cummins manuals suggest an oil change interval of 18,000 miles or every 12 months, which would mean changing my oil after only 3000 miles.

I drive a 2002 Intrigue with a Cummins ISL 370 Hp engine.

My question: is this really necessary - what is the harm if oil stays in the coach for more than a year. I don't believe that oil breaks down with time, but rather with use and heat. When we replace our oil, we don't ask how long its been sitting on the shelf. There is no "use by" date on the container. Is there some property of used oil that makes it harmfull to the engine?

Thanks all for your help.

Arthur Block
Intrigue #11332

Re: Oil Change Interval

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6797
Quote from: artblocknj
Like many of you, I still work and need to limit my coach travel > activities to the weekends and my vacation. As a result my coach > rarely does more than 3000 miles a year. The CC and Cummins

manuals

Quote
suggest an oil change interval of 18,000 miles or every 12 months, > which would mean changing my oil after only 3000 miles.

I drive a 2002 Intrigue with a Cummins ISL 370 Hp engine.

My question: is this really necessary - what is the harm if oil > stays in the coach for more than a year. I don't believe that oil > breaks down with time, but rather with use and heat. When we > replace our oil, we don't ask how long its been sitting on the > shelf. There is no "use by" date on the container. Is there some > property of used oil that makes it harmfull to the engine? >

Thanks all for your help.

Arthur Block
Intrigue #11332
My suggestion?? During your slack times, take the coach out and drive it an hour or so once a month. Then do oil changes every 7500 miles. If thats TOTALLY impossible...then yes do your changes every 3000 miles ( Ouch!...lol)

While out on a drive...run the genset...run an AC or 2...run about everything. Might even try running the furnace ( not at the same time as the AC's though...lol)

CHANGE FILTER every time though. Dont run a filter 15K if your changing oil every 3 or 7 K miles.

Oil Change Interval

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6799
Arthur, I have brought this up at CC and FMCA rallys with the Cummins representatives as the interval relates to putting in a synthetic oil which would extend the interval. Their reply has been consistent, to comply with the warranty on the engine the oil needs to be drained at least every 12 months regardless of miles driven. If you or someone out there has different information I would be interested.

Ed Knodle

2001 Allure 30613

Re: Oil Change Interval

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6800
For many years I had been skeptical of the Time Specification of changing oil. I grew up in the '60's with single weight oils. I always thought it was a ploy by the oil companies to sell more oil. But, I have a factory trained Auto Mechanic Son-In-Law who claims that the multi-grade oils have so many additives in them now, that once introduced to the contaminents of the internal combustion engine, that the oil & additives start reacting and breaking down whether the engine is running or not. I sure do not want to be the one Cummins rejects my warranty claim for engine defects because of my Old Days thinking. Here is one old Fart that is finally sold on the time intervals changing. I'm like lots of the un-retired owners, but I'm doing the time recommend changes to keep my warranties valid...
Happy Trails

Lee in Portland, 350 ISC Cummins, '01 CC Intrigue x 35 ft.
"edknodle" edknodle@...> wrote:

Re: Oil Change Interval

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6803
Thanks for your reply, Dr. Bob,

Much of what you have said appears to be politically correct among the motoring masses, but there is an element of common sense that eludes me. I claim no expertise so I can only bring my common sense to the discussion.
If engine oil does get "nasty" (not a technical term) with use, then one would think it does damage for the duration of time it is in the engine, not just during the Winter layup. The oil change interval (18,000 miles for an ISL in RV service) would imply that the 25 quart sump is benign when first changed and gets progressively worse as the miles pile on - to the point that its continued use will unduly harm the engine. That all makes sense - but where does the time element come in. Why do the pundits demand that the oil be changed regardless of the miles at timed intervals - the case of the ISL that interval is quoted as 6 month in some manuals and 12 months in others.
The inconsistancy also suggests a voo-do approach.
Several years ago, Consumer Reports did an oil change study on automobiles.
Over serveral years months they changed the oil in one set of cars every 3000 miles (the then suggested interval) and 6000 miles in another identical set.
All cars were new when the test started. The cars were put into service as normal cars (i.e., they were not run on a test track) and after 50,000 miles the cars were returned and the engines torn down. Consumer Reports found no difference in the wear pattern of the two set of cars. They came to no firm conclusion, but left it to the reader to form a conclusion. Even CR would not buck the oil change issue. Today, most car manufactures suggest a 7,500 mile change interval. What happened? Did the oil get better or the engines get better or both - or did they just learn from experience? Just something to think about.

I agree about changing the filer when changing oil.
Anyway, thanks for your response - it was much appreciated - I hope mine would give this topic some more consideration then the common wisdom would generate.

Arthur Block

2002 Intrigue #11332
 

Re: Oil Change Interval

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 6805
Arthur

My understanding is that oil begins to break down when it is exposed to the air. Over time it also gets water and contaminates in it especially if it sits for lone periods of time. I would not buy a used coach that is only driven 3000 miles a year. Change the oil every year and drive it more. We take ours out for a one hour drive every 45 days to keep it from sitting to long. Sitting idle is one of the worst things you can do for a coach.
You also need to change the trans oil per the schedule, the oil does not wear out but it does grow things when it sits idle.

Bill G. 2001 Magna #5998