Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
StingrayL82 wrote:
Nothing will kill an engine quicker than sitting.
One thing will save an engine that's been in storage for a long time. Changing the oil immediately before it's put in storage, even just for over the winter.
The hydrocarbons in combustion byproducts combine with moisture and turn into acids. These acids, in the engine's oil, are what eats away at engine parts while in storage. Changing oil removes the acids from the engine.
So, before putting the vehicle in storage, change the oil and oil filter. Run the engine for 3-5 minutes to completely circulate the fresh oil.
If you think the vehicle might be in storage for several years or more, change the oil and filter a second time and run the engine again for 3-5 minutes.
The first oil change will pick up some of the acids remaining in oil passage. The second oil change will remove the little remaining acids.
Or, if you know it's going to be in storage for years, drain the oil completely and fill the engine up, all the way to the valve covers, with diesel. It has enough oil in it to keep the internals from rusting, but not enough to gum up.
A guy in my basic training bought a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge in 1990 from his elderly neighbor. Her son, a mechanic at the Pontiac dealership in Austin, TX., bought it in September of 1969. He drove it home (7 miles). The next day he received his draft notice. He died a month after going to Viet Nam. Before he shipped out, he thoroughly prepped the car, and filling it with diesel was one of the things he did.
When my buddy brought the car out of its slumber, it fired up with no issues.
