How often do you cange oil if little us

Moral of story, with light use it is a WISE investment to change your motor oil every year since it will attract moisture over time.

So are you really trying to say that your tractor "attracted" so much water in the oil that the hydraulics would not work? :R

Used outdoors in snow, rain and sunshine..

If I was the tech on the job I would think this is a far more plausible thing to happen if I found water in the sump of your tractor.

I know I can pull the sump plug on my Case and Deere or many other pieces of equipment I have around here after they sat over winter and not even a drop of water comes out.

What about the oil filter. Does it break down at all just sitting there?

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
For those of you that just change your oil out just for something to do. Have you ever done an oil analysis to see if it really needs changing?
It's a rhetorical question because if you did you would learn that you oil is fine.

But it's your money, your time, do what you want. :)

While you could, I have never done so.. But I will tell you an story that just may change your mind about leaving old used oil in a vehicle or machine..

I have a tractor with hydro stat transmission and hydraulics that "share" the same fluid.

Tractor is 6 yrs old, 120 hrs total time on the clock been kept in an enclosed building. Used outdoors in snow, rain and sunshine..

This winter I started having issues with the plow not lifting or no power to even push the plow down but the hydro stat was still working..

Tractor shop suggested that there was WATER in the hydraulic fluid.. Changed the fluid and filters and no more problems..

Recommended change is 300 CLOCK hrs with NO TIME in years..

Moral of story, with light use it is a WISE investment to change your motor oil every year since it will attract moisture over time.

A sealed bottle of oil has an indefinite shelf life, but once it has been dumped into an open container (your crankcase is not exactly totally sealed) and been run all bets are off..

For those of you that just change your oil out just for something to do. Have you ever done an oil analysis to see if it really needs changing?
It's a rhetorical question because if you did you would learn that you oil is fine.

But it's your money, your time, do what you want. :)

One of the purposes of oil is to catch and suspend impurities and acids formed during the combustion process. Thus, I don't allow it to sit in my vehicles that are not used for 5 months over the winter. Thus I change it every fall, regardless of miles.

I've always heard change it every 6 months or 3000 miles then with synthetic every 5000 miles or 6 months. I've never had a problem with not racking up enough miles to change oil in any of my vehicles even when I have two personal and a company vehicle On another site I have read where people only change the oil when the analysis says it's time.

So my question is why does the oil have to get changed every 6 months or a year if it' does not have miles on it. Does oil have a shelf life? If it does sit can you send the oil off for analysis and see if it's still good?.

Cobra21 wrote:

ScottG wrote:
I do it by mileage and not time - so if it takes me 2 years to get to the interval then that's when its changed. Oil last for many years in storage or just sitting in your engine. I suspect the yearly thing is just a marketing thing to make money.

I can see the 2 years but the thing that bothers me is the amount
of condensation that might be in the pan or filter.

Brian

Mininmal condensation IF you put it away hot every time,no short distances.

ScottG wrote:
I do it by mileage and not time - so if it takes me 2 years to get to the interval then that's when its changed. Oil last for many years in storage or just sitting in your engine. I suspect the yearly thing is just a marketing thing to make money.

I can see the 2 years but the thing that bothers me is the amount
of condensation that might be in the pan or filter.

Brian

I do it by mileage and not time - so if it takes me 2 years to get to the interval then that's when its changed. Oil last for many years in storage or just sitting in your engine. I suspect the yearly thing is just a marketing thing to make money.

My manual goes by MPG , no expiry date on any container of oil I ever saw so 2 years so far.