Oil Change Frequency Question

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cash

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Curious about advice here on if I am doing anything wrong or need to make any changes to my maintenance schedule:

1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ with 4 cylinder engine with 203k miles.

Got this Jeep with around 200k in fall of 2018 from original owner who was a mechanic and said he maintained it well. Have no reason to not believe him. When I purchased it we changed all the fluids.

I now only drive about 1,000 to 1,500 miles a year on it and change the oil/filter myself every fall (2019, 2020, 2021). Conventional SAE 10W-30.

When I change the oil it is really dark, like almost black. Seems to run well, though. No leaks, burns a little bit and have to add some every now and then.

Should I be changing twice a year or more? I thought with the low mileage around 1k a year, it would be fine, but just trying to make it last a long as possible.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
 
With conventional oil, it can be run for 5k or more, depending on conditions. It is good to change it once a year in humid areas, like yours, because it can gain moisture from condensation. That is why it’s important to get your engine up to temp and run it to “burn out” the water to keep the oil ”clean” which can cause sludge (foaming under the fill cap is a noticeable sign of moisture not being burned out). If you run it often enough and up to operating temperature long enough, you could go 5k even in your area, just don’t let it sit for months in humid conditions.
 
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Blackstone labs can check your oil, it can save allot vs guessing when to change it. I got advice from a company that rebuilt an old Ford engine of mine, H&H Flatheads, and they said forget the old 1 year deal, just change based on mileage. They deal with engines that cost many times the value of our Jeeps. Do what you are comfortable with but I'd go with advice from a trusted source (maybe not me) or test the oil and eliminate all the guesswork. Don't just go with what some random internet survey says.
 
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Change it every 3,000-5,000 miles with conventional oil. No need to overthink it. When I sold my Jeep, the PO changed it once in the 2 years he owned it (1,400 miles). He was overthinking. :unsure:
 
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But one things for sure, everyone here changes it themselves 😂
 
You might try changing brands of oil filter if it looks that nasty with that little use. Wix,napa gold,carquest I believe is Wix as well. Cant speak for Mopar as Ive never used them. But...It depends on what kind of use it sees. It also could depend somewhat on what oil the PO used. Some brands and types like syn or "diesel rated"oils have more detergents and are cleaning internals better. Short tripping with no full warm ups to burn off condensation will deleate the addative package quicker also. Most of our vehicles get a 6 mo OC interval due to mileage use of 5K, the jeep dont get a lot of miles but more like whenever its nasty black looking as it see lots of slow dirty dusty use.
 
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Every 5k miles for me too. The only change I'd make, due to your engine's 203k miles, would be to the High Mileage version of the 10W-30 conventional engine oil you're using. That'll help keep your Rear Main Seal in good condition and help prevent it from starting to leak.
 
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Thanks, great advice here as always. I will see about changing filter brands, using high-mileage, and maybe even getting it tested. Guess I will stick with 1x per year for now if I stay around 1,000 or 1,500 miles a year. Thanks again, guys!
 
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Same yearly mileage as you...I change my oil every couple years. Once a year was like discarding clean/new oil. 138k on mine. I use Walmart synthetic high mileage.
 
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