Quote:
Originally Posted by rojoracing53
6 Miles? I can cover 6 miles on my bicycle before you even get your gear on. I'll add a vote for don't worry about it but one longer full temp ride a week will do your motor good. Also with short trips like that I'd change my oil on the shorter side of the recommended interval.
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Right. Most people just think of oil changes in terms of miles, but really you need to factor-in the ambient temp, amount of cold starts, and length of run time - all of which are more important factors than the miles. In cold temps and short trips you will build up significantly larger amounts of moisture and contaminants than in warm conditions and longer run times.
Also, when you are talking warm-up, the water temp gauge isn't the best way to know when the engine is up to operating temp. The water in the engine warms up quickly because the thermostat is closed, but a normal reading on the gauge doesn't mean you are up to operating temp. It takes additional time for the oil and the entire engine to come up to temp before the engine is completely at operating temp (200F+).
The oil is the critical part, but unfortunately it's not easy to know for sure what the oil temp is. Generally, if you touch the clutch cover and can't comfortably leave you hand on it for a few seconds you are getting close. Reading the temp off of the cover with an infrared thermometer would give you a more accurate reading.