Should I change my engine oil every 6 months?

TJim

TJ Addict
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2019
Messages
1,200
Location
Athens, Greece
Hey Guys!

I've read a lot of threads about engine oil, they are very useful! I have one question though.

I have a TJ 2004 2.4. I use synthetic 5W-30 engine oil. It is my daily driver but I dont do many long distances. Also, I enjoy a few light-medium off road trips through the year.

The manual mentions that I should change my engine oil every 6,000 miles (10 000 km) or 6 months.

Because I do not do so many miles (average 3,500-4,500 miles a year), SHOULD I change my engine oil only after 6 months?
 
is there a problem if I use a major brand synthetic oil 5w30 that is not MS-6395?
Or is it better if I stick to MS-6395 Approval?

ALSO,
MOPAR MAXPRO 5W-30 is a synthetic oil or a conventional oil? Is it worth using?
 
Last edited:
Hey guys!

Do you know if the TJ 2004 2.4L needs 4 or 5 quarts for a full oil change?

I know manual says 5, but I have seen a lot of sites mentioning that it only needs 4.

Thanks
 
Any oil is a good oil.

It’s just oil, believe me when I say you are overthinking this.
Agreed .

the #1 oil is “enough”

.........followed by “enough and fresh”


Don’t worry about hurting a 4.0, those things lasting so long is one of our biggest problems....we would have had a suitable engine replacement decades ago if anyone had ever needed an engine ....I’m using hyperbole, but I declare these things will survive like cock roaches after a nuclear bomb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hog
Agreed .

the #1 oil is “enough”

.........followed by “enough and fresh”


Don’t worry about hurting a 4.0, those things lasting so long is one of our biggest problems....we would have had a suitable engine replacement decades ago if anyone had ever needed an engine ....I’m using hyperbole, but I declare these things will survive like cock roaches after a nuclear bomb.

Yep. I don't mean to be a dick about it, but anyone purporting to get better results from their 4.0 from using some sort of expensive oil is simply drinking the Kool-Aid and buying into all the marketing b.s.

It would be one thing if we were talking about extremely high performance F1 engines here, but we're talking about a what can be most closely compared to a tractor engine.

There are guys who have run these 4.0s to well over 600k miles, and they weren't using anything other than regular oil.

The only exception would be that if you live in a very cold climate, synthetic would be advantageous.
 
I change it every 3 months regardles of milage since i rarely go over 3000. The FSM clearly states every 3 months or 3000miles, wich ever comes first.

i use conventional oil, no issues so far.

0F464860-C823-413A-B4FD-C499713ACFEB.png

Edit: just read you have a 2.4, the manual i posted its for the 4.0, not sure if its the same for the 2.4. Regardless of that you should do what the manual states, they built the vehicle.
 
Last edited:
Since my only see's about 2k miles per year it gets changed every spring. I have done it sooner when I have spent a extended amount time on dusty trails
 
When I had my Ford six rebuilt the shop that did it, which is famous for flatheads, told me specifically modern oils do not need to be changed at regular intervals. He said pay attention to mileage and nothing else. This guy rebuilds engines from million dollar cars all day long that aren't exactly the cleanest running things on the planet. I'm not suggesting you ignore the factory or any good advice other people give you about acid build up and additive packages but I personally follow this guys advice. He has clients that would be fairly pissed if their flatheads took a crap after a few years running the same oil just running to the car show every few months. On my Ford I use VR1 so I definitely follow his advice because that stuff ain't cheap. On the Jeep I use whatever is cheapest so I guess it doesn't really matter but I don't even keep track of the time interval at all anymore.
 
I change mine once a year. I only drive about it about 2-3k a year, so I use time rather than mileage. Doing it every 3 months wouldn't make any sense.