Thanks for the help, folks! It took a few tries to figure out what I
was doing, but I pressed the pedal three times WITHIN 5 seconds of
putting the key into the "on" position, and then the light blinked,
and it went off with the rest of the instrument panel lights when I
started the vehicle. Keith, I'm just using the regular 5W-30, which
the vehicle recommends. I used to be very conscientious about
changing every 5,000 miles, but the light is on there for a reason. I
bought the vehicle with 17,000 miles on it, and oil changed every
3,000 miles. Now, it has a little over 25,000 miles on it. I'm going
to continue changing when the light comes on. My dad and brother have
been relying on their vehicles to tell them when to change the oil;
about 8000-9000 miles seems normal. I'll let you all know how it
goes.
My belief is the "change every 3,000 miles" is an oil company
scheme. I've read about a lot of people, mostly cheap guys with pick-
up trucks, who have over 100,000 and many over 200,000 miles on their
vehicles. Some don't "change" the oil; they check the oil level and
add oil when it needs it. When the oil pressure drops, as indicated
on the dash board gage (I wouldn't wait for the idiot light to come
on), then they change the filter. I'm not recommending this practice,
but I do believe we can go a lot further than 3,000 miles between oil
changes. You may be risking the factory warranty on the engine, but
those have mileage limitations, too.
Good luck out there, folks. Drive safely, and, again, thanks for
the help!
