Thinking about extending my service intervals.

Humbly, based on replacing many parts and rebuilding many engines and componants, I would suggest using the highest quality Moly grease and using oil samples. Also using a full, or semi-synthetic engine oil is the only proper way to get extended service intervals. Only based on 30+ years of doin it. Take care.

 

I have generally been on a two week interval on greasing for quite a long time. Easy to do and allows me to thoroughly check the underside. A good grease gun is cheap, even a high quality grease in inexpensive. To make the job easier and less waste of grease, I started using Lock n Lube couple on the grease gun hose several years ago. Great little device.

http://www.locknlube.com

On oil changes and oil samples, one or two samples is not the best way to determine intervals. You want to do regular sampling and follow trend lines and patterns.

On my S60, OEM recommend is 15K. I am doing 22.5K intervals. I got consistent, even wear numbers and TBN depletion rate up to 22.5K, then after that I would get some variations from the normal trend line. Some slight spikes beyond the trend line in wear metals and TBN depletion increasing at a higher rate than the trend line. So I settled on 22.5K for oil changes. 615,000 miles on the factory reman now, uses about 1/2 gallon of oil in that 22.5K interval. Just because a lab report may show a oil to still be "technically" good according to the lab, does not mean it actually should still be used. Do regular sampling and track trend lines and patterns. Let your engine give you little clues on where it wants the oil changed.

I get my grease and my oil from the same supplier, Schaeffer. The grease is a moly grease with an aluminum fortifier. I use the syn blend 15w40 in the summer months and a syn 5w40 in the cold months. Prices equivalent to Wally World off the shelf pricing for the traditional name brands, and they deliver it free to my front door.

 

You can safely extend your changes with a supplemental filtration system. I personally have a Gulf Coast Filter system that I love. Others like the OPS system, etc.

I change the GC filter every 10k along with the OEM oil filter and fuel filter. Every time, I pull a sample and send it to the lab that GC uses.

I've had it for one year now, and it's proven effective in the numbers, all of the typical contaminates have decreased since installing it. Lowered the wear metals numbers, soot, etc.

Doing this, it cost me approximately $70.00 every 10K miles rather than $300.00 if I changed the oil each time.

The program tells you that the oil is doing good and not to change it until they suggest to. They have testimonials claiming a million miles on the same oil. ..I'm not going to join that club, but I extended mine to 30k and I'm comfortable.

My buddy turned me onto these GC filters, his has been on 4 different gliders since he bought it. ..keeps taking it off/reinstalling it on the next one.

If nothing else, it doesn't hurt to have additional oil capacity for cooling purposes at the very least. But I'm a believer in them, given the lower numbers.

I even checked against the lab a couple times, sent another sample to a different lab to keep them honest. The results were almost identical from two different labs, so that's a good indication that the filter works like advertised.

I have a 2000 MY first gen Cummins isx signature 600, in excess of 850k miles, never been apart.

www.gulfcoastfilters.com

 

Last place, heavy hauling the oil was changed along with oil and fuel filters and everything greased at 12k. I was driving a 2007 CAT with 906k on the clock and counting.

 

I took a 1995 Cummins N-14 to 1.4 million miles when it was sold doing 30K mile oil changes on conventional Kendall 15w40 and no bypass filter. Only thing engine needed over time was one fuel injector and an accessory drive seal.

 

I did my D13 at 25K. Never had filter issues, but only fueled at Petro & TA.
It would use about 1/2 gallon at most between services. Never had to add.
Delvac mineral. 525K when I had to sell it.

 

That's typical. My current S60 with 617K on the reman uses about 1/2 gal in that interval also.