I don't remember how long ago I had an oil change. Usually I keep track but my dad changed it without telling me when he took my car to get new tires. I explained to him about the gas and he says, %26quot;it's an old car what do you expect.%26quot; F.Y.I. I have an 89 honda civic. It may be OLD but I know my CAR when it's acting different. Wouldn't you?If the gas in my car finishes sooner than usual do I need an oil change?Probably needs a tune up.If the gas in my car finishes sooner than usual do I need an oil change?You may need more maintenance then just an oil change.
A lot of different things can cause your MPG to go down and an oil change may or may not be part of it..
But you should start with the standard maintenance and check it off until you find what is causing the loss:
Your dad is right in that you need to consider how much extra you are paying for gas versus how much extra you want to throw into repairs on your car that is otherwise working fine and how long you intend to keep your 21year old car.
Your regular maintenance should take a look at
Oil Change, Air Filters, PCV Valve, Tire Pressure, check the level and quality of all other fluids, clean MAF and throttle body, perhaps throw in fuel injector cleaner additive (Gumout or Redline or Amsoil)
Then after that things may start getting more expensive if you want to start inspecting and/or replacing
Alignment/Brakes, SparkPlugs, other sensors.If the gas in my car finishes sooner than usual do I need an oil change?to answer your question: NO, But keep your oil changed, everyone has their own opinion of how often, but I go 3000 or not more than 4000 between oil %26amp; filter changeIf the gas in my car finishes sooner than usual do I need an oil change?check all: tire air pressure, air filter, change oil, any leaking, fuel line are over the center of the vavle cover(usually), hard skinny piped lines, anchored down, smell around for gas?
change spark wires and plugs, get additive for gas to burn deposts, that stick in valve galleries, causes seeps, during normal driving
best i can doIf the gas in my car finishes sooner than usual do I need an oil change?Oil changes have nothing to do with gas mileage (oil weight will have some effect on it however). You could need a new air filter or a tune up. The thermostat could not be opening correctly causing the computer to feed more gas to the engine thinking that the engine is not at operating temperature.
