Caliber Oil Analysis

Post by **racer12306** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:38 pm

I wanted to take a sample to see how the engine was doing, just to make sure nothing major was going on since it was a used car. I figured it would be fine, but it doesn't hurt to know. I was thinking of moving the oil changes out to 7500 and I may give that a shot. I had been reluctant because I heard Calibers can hurt some oil in 5000 miles and now knowing that the VVT is based on oil pressure that makes sense.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:46 pm

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:26 pm

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 11:42 pm

Nice. Do you run Q Horsepower on a regular basis? That's what I have in my 4runner right now, and the last UOA was great. I'd been using Valvoline Synpower, but the QS is a bit cheaper and usually more available, so I figured I'd try it. On my second run now....

Post by **racer12306** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:56 am

I've grabbed whatever was cheapest at WalMart.

That has been Quaker State Q for a while now. I did see Valvoline SynPower for $13/5 qt but felt a little uneasy about that

although I'm sure it is fine. I'd like to push this out to 7500 mile intervals so I might do some experiments to see if there is an oil that will allow that with a little safety margin.

I'm going to run this current change to 6500 and see how the Quaker State holds up.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:07 pm

Very nice. What kind of driving does the Caliber see? Also that Quaker horsepower is a non synthetic correct?

Post by **racer12306** » Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:10 am

The Quaker State Q line is full synthetic.

The Caliber mainly sees easy 2 lane highway with some lights traffic. It rarely sees city driving.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:50 pm

racer12306 wrote:I've grabbed whatever was cheapest at WalMart.

That has been Quaker State Q for a while now. I did see Valvoline SynPower for $13/5 qt but felt a little uneasy about that although I'm sure it is fine. I'd like to push this out to 7500 mile intervals so I might do some experiments to see if there is an oil that will allow that with a little safety margin.

I'm going to run this current change to 6500 and see how the Quaker State holds up.

Whoa, where the heck did you see Synpower for $13/5qt??! Buy me some son! It's $21.50/5 at all the Walmarts here....same as Mobil1. Synpower is awesome oil.

theColonel · Post by **theColonel** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:06 pm

racer12306 wrote:I've grabbed whatever was cheapest at WalMart.

That has been Quaker State Q for a while now. I did see Valvoline SynPower for $13/5 qt but felt a little uneasy about that although I'm sure it is fine. I'd like to push this out to 7500 mile intervals so I might do some experiments to see if there is an oil that will allow that with a little safety margin.

I'm going to run this current change to 6500 and see how the Quaker State holds up.

At the risk of being a hemmorhoid, if it were me I'd stick with what you've been doing so far. It may be too conservative, but your engine may last forever !

Post by **racer12306** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:56 pm

No worries with that comment. There are two very different theories on oil change intervals. Short and safe, and long and to the limit, but still safe.

I'm looking at Pennzoil Ultra and it appears to be a great oil that will last well beyond 7500 miles I'm trying to achieve. So if I can get to 7500 safely, I'll be ok. Otherwise I'll switch back and stay safe at 5000 miles.

Dave, the Synpower was $13/5qt at my local Walmart. If it didn't burn the savings in shipping I would buy a few jugs and send it. If you're interested I can see how much UPS would charge to ship a few if it's still $13.

MoxHair · Post by **MoxHair** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:42 pm

quicksilvr wrote:Synpower is awesome oil.

It's all I use in the Evo.

MyNeonSaysHi · Post by **MyNeonSaysHi** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:46 am

The question is, can the oil filter last that long? I assume so of course.

That would be the only thing I would be worried about with all those miles between oil changes.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:37 am

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:The question is, can the oil filter last that long? I assume so of course.

That would be the only thing I would be worried about with all those miles between oil changes.

If your air filter is doing it's job, and the engine does not have a sludge problem, a top of the line oil filter is usually good for somewhere between 7500-10000 miles. However, the only way to know for sure is to do UOA's...and keep stretching the interval until you see it degrade.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:39 am

racer12306 wrote:No worries with that comment. There are two very different theories on oil change intervals. Short and safe, and long and to the limit, but still safe.

I'm looking at Pennzoil Ultra and it appears to be a great oil that will last well beyond 7500 miles I'm trying to achieve. So if I can get to 7500 safely, I'll be ok. Otherwise I'll switch back and stay safe at 5000 miles.

Dave, the Synpower was $13/5qt at my local Walmart. If it didn't burn the savings in shipping I would buy a few jugs and send it. If you're interested I can see how much UPS would charge to ship a few if it's still $13.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the shipping would eat up the savings...plus your hassle isn't worth it. I wonder if my Walmart would price match your walmart....hehehe....

Post by **racer12306** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:18 am

I have no doubt that a PureONE would last at least 7500 miles. Frams can last the duration of an OEM recommended interval (which can be upto or more than 10,000 miles) and a PureONE is a much better filter in build and filtration.

Dave, I'll check into it and see what UPS would charge for say 4 or 5 5qt jugs and see if it's still available for $13. Shipping one definitely isn't worth it.

Post by **racer12306** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:30 am

Just checked UPS and USPS and it looks like it would only save you, at most, $2 per 5qt.

Mopar_Korean · Post by **Mopar_Korean** » Thu Nov 18, 2010 11:07 pm

Thats pretty awesome. Seeing how the basic test only costs $25 I may have to do one too.

Post by **racer12306** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:38 pm

It's not a bad thing to do if you want concrete numbers. Not worth it to do many in a row like a lot on BITOG do.