Oil change frequency

[antibayern]

Hi,

Newbie here, I am the owner of a 92 Rover automatic. Sorry for asking an ignorant question: How often do I need to do an oil change if I only drive occasionally and have very low mileage? I think I only do about 100 miles a month in warm months and hardly any in cold months (between November and April). Do I still do an oil change every 6 months? 

Thanks!

[notamini]

Here is what I do. Every three thousand miles or once per year. Both time and mileage break down your oil and make it toxic to your auto box.

[antibayern]

Thank you notamini! May I ask what else I should do/keep in mind if I do generally low-mileage driving and the car is sitting idle in the garage for a long period of time?

[jockduck]

I also have a car which only does a few hundred miles a year and I change the oil every 2000 miles and the filter every second change, I believe that the piston/ring group is working well because the oil remains very clean, combustion products are detrimental to oil chemistry. One thing for sure modern oils are better now than when our cars were new.
Jock

[notamini]

Use high octane fuel and, if you know it will sit for months, use fuel stabilizer like Seafoam. Never add oil additives and use MA2 type 10W30 or 10W40 oil.

[antibayern]

5 liters of oil should be enough, right?

[jockduck]

Mmmmmm maybe a little more depends how much you drain the oil, if you have the drain plug out for a couple of days, jack the LHS up a bit to persuade some more out and change the filter you will need almost 6 ltrs.
Jock

[richard1]

Here is my generic answer for oil changes (then mini specific)
One of the things that I do is analyze oil for my customers and base their maintenance plans on fact. Among the various things I’ve noticed over the 5000 or so samples I’ve analyzed, is that one year is really the maximum you should go to avoid additional corrosion in the engine. And going further often results in dry seals and gaskets, as the seal swell additives in the new oil either get used up or no don’t get enough splash or circulation to the seals to keep them clean and moistened.

When we don’t drive the 5000 miles or so in a year, in all probability most of those drives are for less than enough miles to thoroughly heat the engine and burn off moisture. And those short drives are more in the lower gears, at stop lights, stop signs, parking lots, etc. this means more fuel burned - more residual in the oil.

So all my personal cars get once a year oil changes (minimum), including my classics, which may get anywhere from 500 to 3000 miles on them in the year.

For the AP MINI, the capacity is 16 pints for a dry fill (includes converter), and 11 pints for normal oil changes. (I need to check whether that was with the small filter or large, so it might be a little more). Note that since 5 pints remain in the engine, you are always mixing 31% old and 69% fresh, so don't think real extended drains are possible, and if you are switching to MA2 for the first time, the first oil change should be shorter, as the non-MA2 oil will cause more particles to be in that remainder and that period.

In any event, never pass one year if you've driven it occasionally, even with synthetics. If you change the oil and store the car for the winter, it is fine to drive until the following fall.


Edit: I checked the early and SPI manuals, and they keep the 16 pints and 11 pints in all engines with the AP. I would think the later ones with bigger filters would need a touch more, both dry fill and wet fill, So when changing oil, recheck the level after about 10 minutes and add to the dip stick level.




Tarija and Santa Cruz, Bolivia

[antibayern]

Thank you Richard and everybody! Very helpful!

[joerg]

Hello antibayern,

your name implies that you are from Germany. I drive a 1996 Rover Minimatic for some years now and I liver in southern part of Germany. I can only underline what the guys wrote before.

[antibayern]

Hi Joerg,

No I am not from Germany (even though I like the country a lot and have been there many times), my moniker originates from my intense dislike of Bayern Munich, not that it matters. :-)