MK1 1.6 - Engine Oil Change Frequency - How Often is Best?

  1. My model of MX-5 is: __ 1993 MK1
  2. I’m based near: __ South West
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __ Engine OIl Change Frequency

Recommended Oil Change interval is every 6000 miles. In the 6 years I’ve owned the car, I’ve done the oil and filter every 3000 miles. I do this because quite early on, I seem to recall reading somewhere that the car likes oil changes at 3000.

What do you recommend ?

PS I never buy expensive oils. I always use 10w40 semi-synthetic. Typically Asda, on ‘Rollback Price’ at around £16. Or other value brand at £16-£18.
I always use Mazda genuine filters on the MX5.

If the car isn’t being used for significant periods, winter, it has a tendency for the valve lifter taps. These quieten down once the car is properly warmed up. Nevertheless, it’s irritating, and I address that by doing an engine oil flush ( Wynns ) before I do an oil change. That works for a couple of thousand miles.

Only my thoughts…

I reckon most cars are around 10k miles oil change intervals, MX-5’s nothing different. When I had my Mk1 it got changed every 5k miles though which I thought was adequate. I used Castrol 10w 40 semi synthetic, mine was the 1.8 though.
I see no problems in using any brand of oil so long as it meets the spec required, I have always used a brand such as Castrol or currently Mobil for my MK3.
Interesting that you now have the tap on start up. My 1.8 had a very faint one for a second or two. Soon after using a flushing oil for the first time ever (Wynns) mine got worse. It must have loosened all the crud in the lifters. Anyways it ran ok after that but I didn’t keep it long and bought a Mk2.

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I have always believed that oil changes are cheap insurance for your engine. Owned my mk1 over 7 years, and change the oil annually, 2 or 3,000 /miles per year. Like you I use Genuine Filter, 10w40 semi synthetic, but No engine flush, I think regular oil changes do this anyway. It is normal for hydraulic lifters to rattle after been laid up, should be quiet when car is in regular use.

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If I may ask please on this one. What time of year would be best for the oil change, when the car is mostly garaged for the winter?

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My preference, Once back on road after winter, so March / April. Done this for years on my old VW, and same for the mk1 for the 7 years I have owned it.

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Both my cars, the MX5 and the daily, a 2006 Yaris 1.0 live outside. I bought the previous daily, an old Golf TDI on a day in December. A few mornings later, after I had bought the oil and oil, air, and cabin filters, I ventured outside. As I stood there, with the wind blasting up the driveway, and a wind chill of -8 degrees, I thought bllcks to this, the garage can do it. On that one occasion, I was more than happy to pay the £30, half an hours labour.

So, generally I do oil changes around early/mid April’ish, or September time, as I did yesterday on the MX5.

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A good quality fully synthetic ’0’w oil should be ok for 10k miles/one year, unless you do track days, drive exceptionally hard or do lots of short journeys and cold starts, in which case halve the mileage.
Always use genuine OE filters - the cost difference is small and I have had a non genuine one internally break up on me.
I don’t use ‘flushing’ oil or additives, whoever thought it is a good idea to put effectively paraffin in your sump? The part that’s vulnerable to blocking/carbonising is the oil pump pick up strainer, and the only way to clean it is take the sump off, or minimise the chance of it getting blocked by doing regular oil changes as above.
Following this regime I’ve run plenty of cars to 100k plus, end never had any issues bar one turbo seal failure, but that was on a 3 year old modified engine approaching 150k…
I also change the oil and filter after 2/3k miles on new cars, irrespective of what manufacturers say. They’re really only interested in getting it through the warranty period after all. I maybe wasting my money, I’m not a metallurgist or lube oil specialist but it makes me feel better.
As mentioned, I also look on it as cheap insurance.

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