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I changed the oil in my car tonight for the first time since I bought it 2 weeks ago. Used one of the vacuum pumps, filled with Castrol GTX 10w30 and a Mazda filter.
Overall a super easy process.
Seeing the old oil in the clear container got me thinking...it was really dark.
Would it make sense to run the new oil for a brief amount of time and then drain and fill again with new oil?
Just curious since the old oil was about 1 year old based on what the previous owner told me.
I like your choice of oil and filter! Did you use a vacuum pump to suck the old oil out? Wouldn't that leave all the crap that is on the oil pan bottom? I always drain the old oil from the bottom for that reason. And after having to rebuild a vw bug engine because I changed the oil after 3000 miles (per owners' manual), I now change the oil every other month no matter what on every car that I've had.
If I were you, I'd do another oil change, with the engine warmed up, and by using the DRAIN PLUG.
ps.....on 12v78 cummings marine diesels on ocean going 100 foot crew boats, they would suck the old oil out. We use to blow a lot of engines. I wonder why?
Don’t be too concerned about the color of oil so much,it’s job is to lubricate and cool engine.
As it passes thru engine it picks up contaminants and darkens. It’s good practice to change oil at least once a year or every 3k miles,so it’s time to change it. Now you have a baseline for your maintenance schedule.
Did you happen to notice if it was full or a little low on dipstick before you changed it?
10w30 oil ok for cooler winter months but would run Castrol 20w50 GTX oil in car for warner months of year and probably ok to leave in car year round as it doesn’t get real cold where you are.
Castrol 20w50 oil is all i’ve used in my car for the 28 years I have owned it and all other 1st gens previous to it. Real good conventional oil for the money.
Yeah on all the auto forums I have ever been on, there are guys talking about how easy it is to suck the oil out with a vacuum pump from the top side (fill tube?). WHY???? So you don't have to drive up on ramps? Ramps are cheaper and easier than replacing a motor full of sludge and metal dust. Midnight Mayonnaise is right - drain from the bottom on a warm engine and all the crud will come out with the oil. On daily drivers I use 3000 for older cars or 5000 for new stuff *, as long as their not using any oil between changes. On specialty cars like my RX I change it every spring, which is less than 1000 miles.
*my 2015 and 2017 both recommend 6000 mile intervals. I change at 5k which is every 2 months for my DD..
Ramps are hard as my car is lowered and has a front air dam. I’ll see if I can make the pan work, as I can access the plug from the top.
It sucked out 3.75qt and I put 4.25qts back in.
Just went on a nice 10 mile drive...took a Maserati SUV off the line at a stoplight...and then he toasted me. Cruised at 80mph on the interstate and she was as smooth as a sewing machine. Definitely noticed a change in the way it drove.
Make some ramps from a 2x8 or 2x10. Cut one piece 3 feet, another 2 feet, and one more 1 foot. Screw them together like stairsteps. Make two of these. This will allow you to drive up and then use a floor jack and jackstands or just reach in to undo the oil drain.
I agree with GSLSEforme. Changing the oil at least once per year and no more than 3000 miles is good practice for our cars. Running the peoper weight of oil is essential. 20W50 is what you should be using until temps are cooler and then a 10W40 or 10W30 can be used. Personay I never drop below a 10W40. I always only use Castrol GTX oil. Again a personal choice, but it never let me down since 1999. I am including the oil viscosity chart from the owner's manual for reference in case you do not have an owner's manual.
Color isn't indicative of a dirty or bad engine, look at diesel engines for an example. A brand new diesel truck starts turning engine oil black right after startup. Granted, this is a different beast than a rotary entirely - but even gasoline piston engines will turn most oils dark quickly when they're ran.
I've done a few flushes on vehicles that I've bought over the years, as I'm never sure what the previous owners were running for oil type. The oil or transmission flushes (for automatic transmissions) usually say to run them for 15min at idle then drain all fluid and replace with new fluid. That way I'm sure that I've removed as much of the old stuff as I possibly could and have my own maintenance schedule with my chosen oil of preference from there on out.
I drain the oil into an aluminum baking pan. Enough volume to hold 5 quarts and sides are low enough to slide under the car. Then I dump the oil in to a yellow cat litter bucket.
And according to Scotty Kilmer, once you pick an oil brand stay with it. I always use Castrol oil because I 1st learned about it from this acid freak / pothead while traveling between ports when working a crewboats in his 1957 purple chevy bel air stationwagon in the summer of 1975. He almost killed us while trying to pass.
Once I cut open a pennzoil quart oil container, and found sediment in the bottom. I was making a funnel for the next oil change.
Last edited by midnight mechanic; 10-14-19 at 06:46 PM.
10-11-19, 06:53 PM
. Cruised at 80mph on the interstate and she was as smooth as a sewing machine. Definitely noticed a change in the way it drove.
