How often do you change your oil?

[jacobwall]

Hi,

 

How often do you change your oil? We have been changing it every 25 hours, is there any benefit or is it OK to wait until 50 hours to change your oil? 

Regards,

 

[jetdriven]

Waiting until 50 hours, as Lycoming and Mooney recommend, makes your 250$ oil change last twice as long. I see no reason to change it earlier. Oil analysis agrees.  The 25 hour thing was a holdover from when engines has screens and not spin-on fliters. 

[stevesm20b]

I change my oil every 4 to 6 months, which works out to be about every 25 hours. If I'm making long cross country trips (NY to CA)  I will extend the oil changes to 50 hours. If it starts looking dirty and I have more than 25 hours, I change it.

[flight2000]

I changed mine every 50 hours as well, unless I'm not flying as much, then every 6 months.  I change my own oil, so the cost is parts/oil only.  I love spending time with my aircraft, so it's a labor of love...

Not flying much right now because I'm geographically separated at the moment.  The plane is still flying, just not with me at the yoke.

Brian

[Gone]

25 hours for me.  I only get to fly about 100 hours a year and I have been told that oil with normal engine gunk in it develops acidic properties over time.  I just had my overhaul done 2 and a half years ago.  I want it to last.

[lahso]

25 hrs or 3 months - whichever comes first.

[MagicCarpet]

50 hours for me.

[timpercarpio]

50 hours with Phillips 20W-50 and Camguard

[PTK]

Q. 30-35 hours or 4 months like clockwork. Aeroshell 15W50 with Tempest filter. Oil is cheap! Next to air, oil is the cheapest thing my engine asks for and it's happy! And when she is happy I'm happy!

[rbridges]

Quote: edgargravel

25 hours for me.  I only get to fly about 100 hours a year and I have been told that oil with normal engine gunk in it develops acidic properties over time.  I just had my overhaul done 2 and a half years ago.  I want it to last.

[Seth]

I used to change it every 35 to 50 hours in my former 1967 M20F - usually due to cross country flight and when I could get it changed.  I used Aeroshell 15w50

With the Missile and the price of the overhaul, I'm changing it every 30 hours.  If I go over due to a cross country by a few hours, that's okay.  Otherwise 30 hours.  Phillips XC 20w50 and once I get 100 hours on the engine, camguard as well.

I changed the oil on the Missile and used mineral oil (break in oil) at 10 hours and at 25 hours (10 and 15 hour interval) and then swtiched over to Phillips XC 20w50.  I changed the oil about 30 hours later at 55 hours and I've put another 20 hours on since then. 

I do not wish to discuss oil type in this thread nor hijack it, just wanted to be speicifc as to what type of oil I'm using for informational purposes. 

Regardless of what oil you use, I used to be okay with 50 hours, but after speaking with Bruce Jager when test flying and then picking up my Missile, I have decded that about 30 hours is when I'm going to change oil going forward.  For now, that's about when I've added a quart of oil and it's time to add a second quart. 

-Seth

[BorealOne]

Oil companies get enough of my money. Regular testing shows that 50h changes in my Ovation are just fine. 20w50 with Camgard.

[rob]

I change every 50 hours. If I'm at 48 and have a three hour flight upcoming, I'll change at 51. 

[Hank]

I change every 50 hours, too. For trips near there, I change before or after depending on how close to 50, projected flight time and how busy I am. Oh, yeah--20W50, and I do the changes. Beginning with my next oil change this summer, I will also be cleaning and checking my plugs at the oil change.

[Lood]

50 hrs or 6 months

[gregwatts]

New oil every 25 hours....new filter every 50 hours. 15W-50

[Newmooneyguy]

[Bennett]

25 hour intervals with Shell 100W+ except when I am on long flights, in which case I try to do so before 30 hours.  Normally I take the airplane to LASAR to accomplish these changes as I like them to inspect the aircaft at the same time.  Bit of a pain to fly that far for an oil change, but they will do it while I wait, and I like their professionalism. 

[Newmooneyguy]

Every 25 hours on the oil, 50 hours on the filter, Aeroshell W100

[Dale]

I change my oil at 35 hours.  This was recommended by my mechanic who felt that planes with a turbo should change the oil no later than 35 hours.  I use Phillips with camguard, which was also recommended and I feel confident with that combination.

[DaV8or]

50 hours. Oil and filter. Using Phillips 20-50w and Camguard.

[scottfromiowa]

Six months or 35 hours.  I still have screen...Camguard and Phillips X/C (blue bottle)  Usually ends up about now and right before annual as I have been flying about 70h/year.

[FlyDave]

40 hours. My oil is getting a bit dark at that point and with fresh oil and filter it stay's pretty green until around 30 hours. I remember someone saying "When it goes black it'll never go back".

For the first 8-10 hours after a change my oil is so clean that, when the engine is hot you can't see the oil on the dipstick. It kind of freaked me out the first time I checked it. I had to run my finger down the dipstick to check it.

[fantom]

Quote: FlyDave

...I had to run my finger down the dipstick to check it.

[John Pleisse]

Every 25-35 hours....I add 2 to 3 qts in the interim, so I don't pay much attention to the calendar recommendations.