Change Engine Oil Hot … Or Not?
 

I know this topic was recently discussed, but the thread is now locked. This posted for interest....

Change Engine Oil Hot … Or Not?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enth...ot/ar-BB18Npcz



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Everybody has their own theory on the subject. None have been proven to be incorrect just as long as you change it.

Me, I pull the plug and walk away for a few hours, sometimes overnight.

By the way, some topics naturally get locked. Anything to do with oil or filters is a gimme.

Have changed oil hot and cooled off.

Always fill oil filter.

Never a problem.

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Hot with a magnetic drain plug. And I pour some clean oil in to push out the debris.(1 quart) this subject has its own following so do what you like.

If you are going to leave it overnight, throw the keys in the drain pan. ;)

I don't have that much time on my hands to just leave it drain overnight and then hope I can get back to it the next day. When I do the job I need to get it done and move on to the next. If I don't I have plenty of other people eager to find things for me to do LOL

as a car guy, i love reading and thinking about things like the best way to change oil, the best type of oil and filter to use, how long of an OCI to use, things like bypass filters or optimum air filtration, etc. but the truth is i’ve never come close to wearing out an engine and i’m never going to. my daily driver gets traded in every few years on a new one, and my old stuff only gets like 2k miles per year.

so i tend to think this sort of thing gets exaggerated quite a bit because we are all obsessive hobbyists, and the truth is almost none of us would ever see any difference over time if we changed whether we drained our oil hot vs. cold.

Oil threads get LOTS of coverage on the Boards. So much so that some Forums just about laugh the person who starts the thread clear off the Website. It's common sense that hot oil is going to flow better than cold oil, so time is not on your side if you are looking for a quick oil change and try dropping the oil when it's 20 degrees outside. I typically don't put a lot of heat on the side of my shop where the lift is, so prefer the engine to be warmed up some for oil changes so I'm not waiting around very long for all the oil to drain out of it.

I had a good friend who rode Harley Davidson touring bikes with us for nearly 20 years and he laughed at the fact that everyone was buying "special" V-Twin oils designed for air cooled engines and most added Lucas or other "special" and expensive additives to them. He went to Walmart and bought the cheapest oil they sold, no additives at all, and his bikes went just as far and zero issues ever with any of the engines. Lucky or doesn't matter, he had enough money left over for a couple extra beers on a Poker Run and that's about it.

I use and prefer better oil and don't mind paying for it. It's not like it's putting me in the Welfare line and I sleep a little better at night knowing I'm doing the best I can for the engines I rely on in my life.......

^
well said

"On a hot engine, contaminants are more likely to remain suspended in the oil than when the oil is cold, increasing the chances they'll be expelled from the engine during the draining process."

I felt that was worth noting from the article. More so than time involved.


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We all imagine some sort of particulate- pepper spread on the oil pan floor, and varnish on every surface.

My reality is the Cars i drive have clean oil filter catridges, and cut-open inspections. The mower not so much. I'd change a mower when hot. And either way for the cars, yet mostly some level of "just been run" for warmth for oil flow, and chance of particulate in pan.


I'm real bad about changing oil filters anymore: has to be an epic rationale to remove a perfectly working filter.

cue the bypass filter lecture...

And then the thread lock🚫

I change mine hot and let it drain for a long time. On vehicles I personally own I doubt I've paid 3 times for someone else to change the oil. I tend to let it go for what many people would consider extended miles....the wife's Highlander has had an oil change every 10,000 miles whether it needed it or not.

The biggest thing is todays oils are miles ahead of oils just 30 years ago.

Contaminants also get circulated throughout the engine when you "warm" the oil.

My theory is that most of it settles to the bottom and comes out when the plug is pulled.

Someone mentioned dumping in a quart of fresh oil to flush out contaminants. I did that a couple of times only to find out I was wasting a quart of oil.

I hate to disappoint all the skeptics, but I'm not going to say a word about filters. If you haven't learned anything by this time, that's your loss.

Plenty of others have been curious enough to correspond about better filtration through PMs, because they don't want to incur the wrath shown on the forum when the subject is broached.......:rolleyes:

I've gotten some really nice PMs from others, thanking me for discussing the subject, and changing their mindset about filters, and actually switching their filters on "HOBBY CARS", as well as their daily drivers......;)

Carry on............:D

i hate to disappoint the bypass preacher but apparently he hasn't learned anything either... standard filters do exactly whats needed & millions & millions of vehicles go for just as many miles as a vehicle using a bypass filter. nobody has lost anything using standard filters.

& i have got PM's supporting what ive said & thanking me for posting logic & reason... there is no wrath. :rolleyes:

& dont forget that i have agreed on every thread & post that bypass filters are "better" but they are intended for fleet vehicles or OTR semi trucks that do millions of miles a year. ;)

carry on......... :D

After 50 years of making my living wrenching on all types of cars trucks and equipment, I've seen plenty of engines compromised, or ruined from inefficient filters, believe it, or not. Being in the repair business, I usually only saw failed, and problematic engines, not just zero problem ones.

There are 2 ways to keep an engine in good physical shape, keep changing and flushing the engine with new oil and OEM filters, or filter the oil clean with an efficient filter. Either will work.

It's just better, and cheaper, to remove all the harmful micro contaminants first pass, rather than let them recirculate until the oil is changed. The difference is the time frame the contaminants unable to be removed, do their damage.

I'm not going any further than this post, so you can say anything that comes to your mind.

As long as it’s changed who cares. Let’s stop beating a dead horse.