burning (loss) oil?

A 2006 with 190 miles, it that correct? Check around the engine to see if there is any wet spots from an oil leak. Especially around the valve covers.

Yes it has 188,000 miles and no leaks I have checked it.

With 188,000 does it smoke any? It might be just wear on the engine with that milage How is the oil pressure?

It does not smoke, the indicator on the dashboard shows that the oil pressure is within the limits of normal. Should I change the viscosity of the oil from 5W-20 to 5W-30 or 5W-40?

Hi,

I noticed that it has been a couple of days since you have been contacted.

I read through what you are experiencing. If you are adding 3 liters every 6,000 miles, that really isn't outside of what is considered acceptable. The manufacturer indicates the use of a quart of oil in 1,500 miles is acceptable.

However, I have a question. How often do you change the engine oil and oil filter? Also, continue using the recommended oil viscosity.

Let us know what we can do to help.

Joe

I last changed it on August 23rd of last year and I still have about 3,000 miles left before the next change. Generally, I change it once a year, but it depends on how far I have to go. Why do European and Japanese cars that use synthetic oil run which they can travel is 15,000 kilometers and the American ones almost half?

Hi,

I wouldn't recommend going 15,000 Km between oil changes on any vehicle. All internal combustion engines internally create dirt. They all do.

Engine oil, unless contaminated, doesn't wear out. It gets dirty. When dirt builds up in an engine, it causes sludge and restricts oil flow. Additionally, dirty oil causes additional wear on bearings, cylinder walls, piston rings, valve guides, and anything that moves internally.

If you are using synthetic oil, it still gets dirty the same as conventional oil. I recommend that my customers change it every 5K miles or once a year.

As far as the extended miles between changes, different manufacturers have different recommendations. My personal vehicle gets the oil changed every 3K miles. I had a valve cover gasket that started to leak at 145K miles (about a month ago). When I removed the valve cover to change the gasket, everything still looked new. If I continue changing it at the same intervals, I know the engine is good for 150K miles.

I hope this answers your question.

Joe

Look for the sticker on the door, it may have fallen off. I usually use 5 w 20 in the winter, the oil is thinner at the beginning and makes the truck get more lubricant throughout the engine. The oil is thinner then gets thicker as the car warms up, if you drive in the south where the temperature outside is higher than I use 10 w 30 for a more consistent lubrication. Let me know what you decide, depending on how you use the truck. If you use the truck for hauling or towing the 10 w 30 would be better.
Let me know what you decide and which one you use.

Mike

Hi guys. Please let me clarify the point just made because it can be taken the wrong way. Multi-viscosity oil doesn't "become" thicker when it gets warm. 5W-20 oil acts like cold 5-weight oil when it is cold. It flows better on initial start-up than a higher viscosity oil would. That same oil acts like a hot 20-weight oil when it warms up, so it resists washing off parts too easily. Multi-viscosity oils still get thinner as they heat up. They just retain their designed-in lubricating properties for the intended temperature range. That is done through the use of additives. Those are detergents, dispersants, anti-foaming agents, seal conditioners, and viscosity index improvers. As mentioned, the oil itself doesn't wear out. It's those additives that wear out. The industry standard used to be they would last 3,000 miles. That's why every manufacturer recommended oil changes at that interval. Today the oil formulations had to improve to meet the demands of the newer materials used in engines. That meant it was the additives that had to improve.

You can see this when doing an oil change. Regardless which brand or viscosity oil you're draining out, if it is really hot from a recent run on the highway, it rushes out like water under pressure and splashes all over, including on your hand. If it's cold from sitting in the shop's parking lot for a few hours, it comes out like maple syrup, even if it's straight 5-weight.

Synthetic oil thickens less at cold temperatures than does petroleum-based oil, which is one of its selling features. At minus 30 degrees F. it pours like petroleum oil at 10 degrees F. At minus 60 degrees F. petroleum oil will be as hard as ice cream. Synthetic oil, I'm told, will still flow, but I don't care to find out for myself.

My truck tells me when to change the oil, but that goes up to 10,000 miles. I become nervous if I let it go much past 5,000 miles. Just because I can doesn't mean I should. The detergents dissolve the sludge and other deposits. Dispersants carry the bad stuff to the oil filter where it is supposed to be trapped. That harmful stuff develops in every gas-powered engine regardless of the type, amount, or condition of those additives. The rate at which the filter plugs up with those contaminants is only related to how fast they're developed, not on how many miles between oil changes. With excessive short-trip city driving, an oil change once a year is way too long an interval. The oil never reaches the temperature the additives were designed to be most effective at. Heat is mostly responsible for wearing out the additives, so with mostly highway miles on long runs, a year is again much too long to wait for an oil change. Everyone you ask will have a different opinion on when the oil should be changed. No two engines see the same type of driving on a regular basis, nor do they get the same maintenance.