Drive Accord Honda Forums banner

Don't Replace Original Engine Oil Too Soon

58K views 75 replies 44 participants last post by  EngTech 
#1 ·
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the August '96 issue of S/N. On all Hondas (except Passport), the original engine oil contains additives to protect the engine during its break-in period. Since these additives aren't in over-the-counter oils, make sure the first oil change happens at the recommended mileage/time interval, and not before.
 
#2 ·
Do not go to the 7500 mileage mark on break-in oil though. Change out by 3750 miles that Honda recommends for severe service even if highway driving. My oil analysis will show that. They simply put a lot of moly in the oil. This amount of moly in oil can be purchased by consumers from the likes of Redline.
 
#72 ·
Plus One



Yes, I changed Motor Oil Once it seemed to Slow Break in Consumption , Broken~In 4 Turbo Motors all same way .. I Added do the High Southern Heat 10W-30 as
Oil was being used Crank Case .. Dropped Filter Replaced Boss Filter & Topped Off around 2400 Miles . .
Oil Consumption was Min. but still some did few more Long Distance Drive through the Mountains - Started in Early Morning , but Afternoons got Very Hot Days & Highway ..
Asphalt 130 Degrees .. Last Long Run in Fall Oil Consumption had Stopped I had 1-2 Oz of Lucas Syn Stabilizer added before as Usage had slowed .

Change Oil Out @ around 4595 miles ..as it was Pretty much Done do to the Long Trips & Mountains ..


Filters are Very Important as it Effect PSI on the Oiling System .. to Long Running Factory Stuff 10K as You Drive like Grandma Your Filter will Loose 5-6 Psi Oil Pressure.

I Don't Feel 3K-5K miles of City Driving & Short Runs - A - Thorough Break In ~ Your Only getting some Variations and Not Much Long Term ( Run In )

On the Piston Rings .. Crank Bearings . Long Trips with Pulls of 30 sec.- 180 Seconds ~ Up Hills ~ Then Coasting or Free Wheeling down the Other side -

Washing away all Debris from Piston Rings to Filter and Cooling these Area . ( Big Plus )


Now that said; Other Owners ~ that Bought during a Cold Spell and only stay around Home are even Worst .. It could take some

Older Person Driving like Grandma 8K-9K Seat the Rings with Lower Oil Pressure from Old Filter . ( Canada Cold ) Marvel in Fuel

Would be Good as Fuel has very Little Lubricity , as it Use to . ( Go and Compare )

All Cly. are Cross hatch Honed - This Cross Hatch is what Seats Rings & Ring Tension ..
 
#3 ·
bump....this should stay at the top!!
 
#4 ·
For the 2003+ 4-cyl. engines they're recommending oil changes every 10K miles.... or every 5K on the severe duty schedule.

I wasn't planning on going 10K or even 5K. I think every 4K miles or every 3 months (whichever comes first) is ideal.

Does that seem sensible?
 
#5 ·
i dont want to contradict whats been recommended but for what its worth, i have read many times over the years, even from car experts that a car's oil really should be good until about 5k miles(under severe conditions) or 7k miles with highway driving. they say that the car manufacturers just wanted people to bring their cars in for service more often so they can make more money.
 
#6 ·
04blkpearlcoupe said:
i dont want to contradict whats been recommended but for what its worth, i have read many times over the years, even from car experts that a car's oil really should be good until about 5k miles(under severe conditions) or 7k miles with highway driving. they say that the car manufacturers just wanted people to bring their cars in for service more often so they can make more money.
I've also read a lot that says car manufacturers are extending the service schedules to lower maintenance costs. This explanation might be more likely, because when I pulled the oil out of my F23A1 at a 3000 mile change it was very black.
 
#7 ·
Original oil change

My partner the Honda tech strongly recommends changing to Mobile-1 5w30 at 3000 miles. He actually recommended changing earlier until I reminded him of the additives the factory oil has in it.
 
#8 ·
Oil discussions will continue to be the bane of forums such as this.

Reciprocating engines' oil is supposed to be black after a while. Give this a shot... change it, wait 1,000 miles, then look at it again. Heck, look at it after 500 miles. It will be dark, prolly nearly black.

The true test of an oil's capabilities comes in laboratory analysis. This will yield such things as metal content, additive breakdown, etc. Nowadays, folks are going amny miles longer on each change, just sampling the oil at different intervals.

The problem with this is that for the average consumer, the cost of multiple analyses is more than changing the oil (unless you are talking synthetic). But if you have access to free samples, say thru work or a lab friend, take advantage of it. You will be surprised at what you find out.

About 15 years ago, I met a man who was on a personal campaign to promote synthetic oil and extended usage intervals. He was using Mobil 1, changing his filter every 25,000, and the oil every 50k miles. When I talked to him, he had over 150k on the car, and it was stil going strong. His goal was 300-400k using that schedule. I wish I could have talked to him later, and see what he concluded. His oil samples were coming back fine every time, he said.

Personally, I am for extended intervals. It is cheaper, and is better for the environment. Until someone can show me where a car was properly cared for & driven, and the extended interval caused premature wear or damage, I am all for it.

Turbine engines are a different animal than recips, in that the oil never contacts the flame areas of the engine, but guess what the drain interval is on a turbine engine?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Never.
 
#10 ·
Wolffit said:
My partner the Honda tech strongly recommends changing to Mobile-1 5w30 at 3000 miles. He actually recommended changing earlier until I reminded him of the additives the factory oil has in it.
OMG what a waste...

Our cars can easy do over 5K with dino oil, let alone synthetic.

Do not take my word for it - do an analysis. Or - see what other people that did their say - go to Forums on this site:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

PS. Ultimately it's your car of course and you should do what you are comfortable with. No point of sweating it for what someone else thinks! :thmsup:
 
#11 ·
rookie said:
OMG what a waste...

Our cars can easy do over 5K with dino oil, let alone synthetic.

Do not take my word for it - do an analysis. Or - see what other people that did their say - go to Forums on this site:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

PS. Ultimately it's your car of course and you should do what you are comfortable with. No point of sweating it for what someone else thinks! :thmsup:
mine gets changed every 3K miles with mobil 1. overkill, deffinately. safer rather than sorry. absolutely. stupid since I won't keep a car more than 18 months, probably. :lmao: :lmao:
 
#13 ·
Hi all - picked up my V6 EX sedan tonight! Love it, absoultely love it. My first 6-cyl engine!

Anyway, I specifically asked the dealership about their break-in recommendation and about first engine oil change...they said wait for 3,750 miles, which is what Honda recommends on normal oil changes (apparently; I do it every 3K regardless). What are the thoughts out there with regard to 3750 or waiting longer? the title of this thread is obviously what has me concerned...I want to break in the car properly.

Thanks!
 
#17 ·
This is something that has been on my mind lately. My car has just over 3K miles on it now and I've had it for about 3 months. I always change my oil every 3 months or 3K miles. I've done a lot of reading about the first oil change and most people seem to recommend keeping the original oil in the car for 5K or 6 months.

Should I change it? If I change it before 5K or 6 months is there going to be any side effects? What do you guys think?
 
#19 ·
right, well we all drive the same model, so should we entitle the thread "go read the owner's manual"? :)

i'm in massachusetts and now i remember the dealer saying that mass. is considered "severe" overall, but of course it depends on where you live & how you drive...just that our roadways suck and it might be safe to go w/ the severe usage schedule.
 
#37 ·
I am the new owner of a 4Cyl 08 Accord

I searched through the owner's manual and it appears that I am supposed to put an awful lot of faith in the Maintanence Minder as I could find NO listiing for mileage only that by 5% I should get the oil changed. Nor is there a different time span for break in oil. It is deffinetly a new mindset as I too always changed my oil every 3,000 miles or 6 mos using Mobil 1 on my 92 Grand Prix. I guess it's time for this old dog to learn new tricks, but it's still hard to accept.:dunno:
 
#21 ·
jermy4 said:
This is something that has been on my mind lately. My car has just over 3K miles on it now and I've had it for about 3 months. I always change my oil every 3 months or 3K miles. I've done a lot of reading about the first oil change and most people seem to recommend keeping the original oil in the car for 5K or 6 months.

Should I change it? If I change it before 5K or 6 months is there going to be any side effects? What do you guys think?
Honda is rather adamant about leaving it in for 5K or one year max for the first change. The break in oil is Exxon with high moly add pack. I couldn't stand it and changed mine over to Mobil 1 between 3-3.5K. No ill effects, no consumption. Your call on this one........

Changing oil @ 3000 miles is the longest lived oil myth ever devised. It may have been realistic in the 50's & 60's but not with today's oils and engines. Top notch dino oils like Havoline and Chevron can easily go 5-6K or longer. Save yourself some time, money, and oil.....change @ 5500 miles and your engine will outlive you.
 
#22 ·
Scheduled maintenance for oil changes call for 3750 severe and 7500 normal oil change intervals for the 7th gen V6. I changed mine out at 4000 miles since it's been in there for over 6 months. 7th gen I4 engine have a 5000/10k severe/normal oil change interval. I would change the filter every time you change the oil.

RTexasF makes a good point about changing the oil and filter at least once a year regardless of mileage. Oil breaks down over time in the crankcase and loses it's lubricating properties. Changing the oil would also get rid of the water that may have collected in the crankcase to prevent the engine from rusting from the inside out.
 
#23 ·
Here is what I do. I run synthetic. After 3 thousand miles I change the filter (Purelator One Top of the Line) and top of the oil level. Next three thousand miles I change everything. Bottom line is a new filter every three thousand mile.

Now I will be changing out the manual trans lube at 20,000 miles. Honda calls for the use of their Manual Trans Oil. Well, from passed experience with Honda Dealers, they use regular motor oil. As such, I will proably use a Royal Purple Synthetic 5W30 or XPR Xtreme Performance and Racing oil.
 
#24 ·
Now I will be changing out the manual trans lube at 20,000 miles. Honda calls for the use of their Manual Trans Oil. Well, from passed experience with Honda Dealers, they use regular motor oil. As such, I will proably use a Royal Purple Synthetic 5W30 or XPR Xtreme Performance and Racing oil.
It seems kind of stupid to take a risk with 5W30 synthetic that costs $6 a quart anyway (especially when the manual calls for 10W30...at least mine did) when the Honda synthetic MTF only cost me $7.12 a quart but its your car :lmao:
 
#25 ·
Sorry for the misqoute on the oil weight. The point being is that the Honda dealerships are substituting regular motor oil instead of using the Honda MT Fluid called for in their own manual. (But still charging you the $$$ for the dealership to service the trans) No matter, the Royal Purple is still better than regular motor oil in the trans. have used it in all my cars and have not had a problem yet.
 
#26 ·
Synthetic oil in a tranny is a big no-no.. The problem? NOT enough friction for the synchros. I'd stick with conventional oil or MTF if I were you and save your money, too.
 
#28 ·
#33 ·
benj,

I'd never thought about that.....using synth engine oil in a tranny. My manual says XW30 (forgot the 1st number) can be used in place of genuine Honda Manual tranny fluid in an emergency. I always assumed it meant dino oil. Is synth acceptable or not?

I'll stick with Redline and go with GM's product next time but I am curious.

Got any rain yet in Bama?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top