So, we know you check your oil before every flight but...

How often do you check your vehicle's oil?

  • Daily, I'm as anal retentive with my vehicle as I am with my plane.

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • At every fill-up. Not as anal retentive as my plane but close.

    Votes: 3 2.2%

  • Not quite every fill-up but fairly often.

    Votes: 22 16.1%

  • a couple of times between changes.

    Votes: 55 40.1%

  • Oil? What's oil?

    Votes: 30 21.9%

  • Other.

    Votes: 25 18.2%
  • Total voters
    137
  • Poll closed .
timwinters

timwinters

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...how often do you check the oil in your vehicle (one that's not ever given you a reason to suspect it's using oil).

I got to thinking about this the other day. I check the oil in my plane EVERY TIME I fly. Even if it's just an intermediate stop on a cross country flight to fill up.

But...

I only check the oil in my vehicles twice per oil change.

1. The first fill-up after the oil change to make sure they (or I) didn't screw up when changing the oil.

2. Right before I take it in for an oil change to make sure it didn't start using oil since last oil change.

That's it.

What do you do?
 
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Anytime I have the hood open for any reason. I really try to do all the minor maintencance on my car to save a few pennies.

Power steering pressure sensor, valve cover gasket, and drivers side door handle were all done in the last three days. When the hood was open, I checked the oil and threw in some SeaFoam...
 
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Depends. On our nice new low milage cars I really don't. I just note if there's been any significant loss at each oil change. As long as they don't use enough to worry I don't check.

On the older higher milage cars that I know use a little it's maybe every couple of tanks of gas or before any significant trip.
 
timwinters said:
...how often do you check your oil in your vehicle (one that's not ever given you a reason to suspect it's using oil).

I got to thinking about this the other day. I check the oil in my plane EVERY TIME I fly. Even if it's just an intermediate stop on a cross country flight to fill up.

But...

I only check the oil in my vehicles twice per oil change.

1. The first fill-up after the oil change to make sure they (or I) didn't screw up when changing the oil.

2. Right before I take it in for an oil change to make sure it didn't start using oil since last oil change.

That's it.

What do you do?
Click to expand...
Since I drive old cars so I can fly old airplanes they both use some oil. So I check both about every 2,000 miles.

2001 Ford F150 V8 Triton 140,000 miles: Pretty sure it burns about a quart every 5,000 miles. Don't think much of any leaks.

1998 Honda Accord 2.3L 240,000 miles: I need to replace the valve cover gasket. I don't think its burning any. Lose about a quart every 5,000 as well.

My 2011 Kawasaki Concours 1400 motorcycle goes through absolutely no oil. Factory service schedule for oil change is every 7,000 miles. In reality I do it once a year so it's less than that.

Rarely do I add oil. Usually by the time its low enough to want to add oil its time to change it. I always have a trip meter on all my vehicles set to the last oil change so it's pretty easy for me to think about if I should check it when I'm getting gas.
 
cowman said:
Depends. On our nice new low milage cars I really don't. I just note if there's been any significant loss at each oil change. As long as they don't use enough to worry I don't check.

On the older higher milage cars that I know use a little it's maybe every couple of tanks of gas or before any significant trip.
Click to expand...

Note I said "one that's not ever given you a reason to suspect it's using oil."

;)
 
I've got a '91 mazda truck that seems to use equal amounts of oil and gas, so I check it pretty often. I have to admit the other cars only get checked when I change the oil. :eek:
 
rbridges said:
I've got a '91 mazda truck that seems to use equal amounts of oil and gas, so I check it pretty often. I have to admit the other cars only get checked when I change the oil. :eek:
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Both my four wheel vehicles have oil level sensors so I really don't pull the dipstick very often. After an oil change to make sure it's filled correctly is about it. I do watch for obvious signs of a leak.
 
My 1999 S-10, 4.3L didn't use enough to be concerned about between 5,000 mile changes so I got lazy. Might look if I had the hood open but didn't make a special effort to do so.

231,000 on the clock when I sold it.
 
cowman said:
In that case every 5,000 miles.
Click to expand...

:)

And to Jesse's point. My 2002 chevy truck is pushing 200k miles and it still burns/uses almost zero oil. It might be 1/2 quart low at oil change time (5000 miles). It's been an amazing truck considering that I ran the living pizz out of it when it was my company truck. Little 4.8L V8 pulling a 16 foot trailer, loaded to the gills, flying up and over the mountains 'twixt Nashville and Chattanooga at 70mph+... screaming the whole way in second gear. I can't begin to count how many times I did that when I was building in AL & GA. Likely measured in the 3 figures...but certainly high twos.

:thumbsup:
 
Our 2010 Subaru Outback is now at 87k. Oil changed every 5k with Mobil-1 0w-30. Never used or leaked any.

Also have a 2010 mustang and f-150, also using Mobil-1 in those but they're at a muh lower milage. They don't use either.

I do all my own auto maintenance. Every 5k I do the oil, rotate tires, top off fluids, check brakes, etc. these newer cars just don't need much.
 
When the oil light comes on (which has never happened).

When I was a young, macho man I used to check it every time I added gas. But I have had my current car for 11 years and over 100k miles and it has never been below the full line. I just change it (have it changed) around every 3-4k.
 
cowman said:
these newer cars just don't need much.
Click to expand...

Certainly...

However, my little O470-L has proven itself to be just as reliable (thus far anyway) with a consistent oil burn of about a quart every 12 hours.

So why don't I just check it every 10 or so?

Because checking it before every flight is drilled into us during our training?

Because the stakes are so much higher?

In my mind it's the latter...but likely a bit of both!

I just thought the difference in my attitude from vehicle to plane might be an interesting juxtaposition. But apparently I'm not an outlier on this.
 
While I don't check the oil often, I do preflight my car out of habit with a quick walkaround. I've saved myself twice on flat tires I didn't notice were there before I started driving. I wouldn't have noticed if I just got in and drove until that funny sound or pull started happening :yes:
 
None of my vehicles use a measurable amount of oil, so I don't bother. And I'm going on 10,000 mile change intervals with synthetic oil.
 
I never do which is probably really bad. My mechanic does whenever it's in the shop
 
My husband checks it every month. Part of the monthly checkup. I get it changed every 3k or so as well. Husband checks tire pressure as well at said checkup... Along with checking for rust. 2002 celica with 164000 miles. He does it since I did run one car (Toyota tercel) totally out of oil.
 
If they made a little trap door right above the stick on the Ford like they do the Cessna, I'd check it more often. :goofy:
 
New cars I check every 1k and then forget if its good after an oil change or two...non of my five are burners...then again I just of rid of a turbo in warranty that ate a quart every 1200 miles...the dealer said it was okay...I thought otherwise.
 
When the no oil light comes on I add 4 qts and continue on my way. Don't ever buy a mechanics car... Just saying
 
Oh. Tim, I got in the habit of checking oil in a plane prior to start. That's the result of pulling one out of the hangar after maintenance and finding no oil in the engine.

"I thought you put oil in." "No. I thought you did". :mad2::mad2:
 
Airplane-continental which uses~1 qt/25 hr change interval--Before first flight of day & after 3 or more hours of operation in that day.

Auto- 2013 Ford v-6 -only when one of the multiple oil level/pressure/temperature sensors flashes a warning. Grade B Synthetic on 5000 mi interval.

1998 v-8 pick-up. Every 6 mos. or so. Engine has 125,000+ mi. & vehicle is lightly used.
 
Once a month and before every long trip. Same with checking tire pressures and Rain-Xing the outside and cleaning the inside of the windshields.
 
For vehicles, I check tire pressure and fluids once a month, at the beginning of the month. Including oil. It takes about three minutes.

I make the teens do this to the car they drive -- I tell them the car turns into a pumpkin on the first of the month, and they are not allowed to drive it until they check tires and fluids. So they do it. I am hoping the habit will stick with them.

For the mower and snowthrower, I check oil before each use -- it only takes a few seconds.
 
My next car will probably have an electronic dipstick instead of a physical dipstick. I'll either check it several times a day to keep from being bored while in rush hour traffic, or I'll never check it and let the computer inform me when it needs more oil.
 
NoHeat said:
For the mower and snowthrower, I check oil before each use -- it only takes a few seconds.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting statement.

And I do the same on all equipment; mowers, tractor, skid steer, log splitter, power washer, etc. Check them before each use and they're always fine. Nothing I own uses oil.

And yet, I don't check the trucks but twice per oil change. Why are vehicles different in our minds?

:dunno:
 
My wife's car doesn't even have a dipstick! Electronic sensor only, impenetrably difficult to navigate to on the menu. But, it rarely needs oil 'twixt changes.

My truck (2003 Suburban) only had 170,000 miles, so it does not use enough oil to count, either. I check it... occasionally.
 
timwinters said:
That's an interesting statement.

And I do the same on all equipment; mowers, tractor, skid steer, log splitter, power washer, etc. Check them before each use and they're always fine. Nothing I own uses oil.

And yet, I don't check the trucks but twice per oil change. Why are vehicles different in our minds?

:dunno:
Click to expand...

Hey, looking for a puddle of oil under the vehicle is checking the oil...
 
timwinters said:
That's an interesting statement.



And I do the same on all equipment; mowers, tractor, skid steer, log splitter, power washer, etc. Check them before each use and they're always fine. Nothing I own uses oil.



And yet, I don't check the trucks but twice per oil change. Why are vehicles different in our minds?



:dunno:
Click to expand...


I check the oil in the. lawn tractor more often than in the Forester but that isn't saying much...
 
Once a week generally or at the beginning of a long trip.

Rich
 
Towing on a trip, all fluids checked every morning when the engine is cold.

In town, hardly ever. I'll usually putz around in the garage on a nice day and check fluid levels on all the vehicles all at once which usually ends up happening about once every other month.

If I notice any are low at changes I try to figure out why or start monitoring more closely. The Subaru is burning a little bit. The Cummins has such a long dipstick it's almost useless to try to check it. Plus it holds almost three gallons so a burn or leak would be pretty obvious. Neither of the other trucks has ever been low yet.

The tractor needs an oil change. ;)
 
I just had the first oil change in 5 years in my 1997 Mustang. I can't recall ever checking the oil in all that time.
My Cadillac emails me every month and tells me that oil level, tire pressure etc is all OK so I don't have to worry.
My Bonanza gets checked every time I fly even though I know what the result will be.
Stephen.
 
My new Accord is on a 10,000 mile recommended oil change. Just did the first oil change and checked the oil twice. Car has a low tire pressure monitor but I still check it about once a month to keep them in the zone.

Airplane I check every flight for several reasons:

1. It isn't mine
2. I don't know who has flown it
3. It is older than I am
4. If the engine seizes on a car I'll be on a road, with a plane, who knows where I'll be.
 
Clark1961 said:
Hey, looking for a puddle of oil under the vehicle is checking the oil...
Click to expand...


Right. If it's not leaking, it's probably empty. I know about this from owning several jeeps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm a special case. With a dry sump, I really only get accurate readings at engine shutdown.so it is easier to just take a look then..
 
My daily driver has a real, honest-to-goodness analog oil pressure gauge. I check the oil if (and it hasn't happened but once in 3 years) that gauge drops any.

My car did have an oil leak that the shop discovered because while I watch the floor under it in the garage, it has a plastic pan which held the leaking oil. I have mixed emotions about whether that's a good or bad thing.

In the airplanes, I check every time. There are several reasons:
1) It was drilled into me by my primary instructor: never miss a chance to check the oil or the fuel.
2) An instructor was killed in a plane I flew during my primary training attempting an emergency landing on a golf course due to an oil leak caused engine failure. The instructor and the student (commercial student, injured but recovered) passed over a perfectly good airport while reading low pressure to get to the home drome. Because it was a plane I had been flying, it really drove home this happens to real people.
3) As Gordon Baxter so eloquently put it: "pulling off to the side of the road in a small airplane will usually get your picture in the papers." It's not worth the risk.

In 11 years and 217 hours (I know, I know.) I've added oil to a plane exactly once. So it's not like I see issues all the time. But still... it only takes once to ruin your whole day.

John
 
jsstevens said:
In 11 years and 217 hours (I know, I know.) I've added oil to a plane exactly once. So it's not like I see issues all the time. But still... it only takes once to ruin your whole day.
Click to expand...

If those 217 hours had all been in one airplane you would have likely added oil many many times.

I've encountered one engine so far in all of my flying that can make it to a 50 hour oil change without needing to add oil.

The main reason we check oil in airplanes before every flight because most airplanes require you add oil at some point between changes. The other reason is that oil leaks develop pretty often and as have been mentioned the result can be catastrophic.

I lost several quarts of oil recently in a 15 minute flight.
 
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