Should you always do an oil change...
Discussion
...after cylinder head removal? Most people I speak to seem to think so, but the car isn't worth much and £30 for an oil change is probably 180 miles of petrol for this snotter. The oil was changed 2,000 miles before the gasket went 
People cite ingress of coolant and gasket dirt into the sump as an explanation, and also that since the engine has overheated the oil will have gotten too hot.
I'm hoping the answer is no, don't bother- I did the job myself and I'm unconvinced by the claims that the oil is fit only for the waste tank.
ETA: the gasket blew due to a thermostat failure and the car overheated once and was not continually used in this condition. Very little, if any, coolant was lost.
People cite ingress of coolant and gasket dirt into the sump as an explanation, and also that since the engine has overheated the oil will have gotten too hot.
I'm hoping the answer is no, don't bother- I did the job myself and I'm unconvinced by the claims that the oil is fit only for the waste tank.
ETA: the gasket blew due to a thermostat failure and the car overheated once and was not continually used in this condition. Very little, if any, coolant was lost.
Edited by Classic Grad 98 on Thursday 5th January 14:35
thiscocks said:
surley if you have done a whole head change then an oil change isnt much bother?
The car belongs to an old friend who I have known for most of my life, so I did the work at no cost and he just paid parts. Came to £110. He is not well off so I'm having a hard time convincing him that a £30 oil change is worthwhile, after all I replaced the oil 10 weeks before the gasket went!I had a feeling this would be the case. If it was my own car and my own money I'd do it for sure.
Also I've just remembered that my local 'Asda' had four litres of Castrol GTX at £10 a couple of weeks ago... worth a re-visit I reckon...
Special K said:
What engine is it on OP ? Also if it went 2k miles after being done I would say you didn't rectify the cause of it going in the first place or something else is a miss with it. Should last a lot longer than that 
1993 1043cc Polo. To clarify- the gasket hasn't failed twice, I was just saying I had done an oil change 2K miles previously...
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