Oil Change before Storage

[ct78barnes]

I Store my coach a Ford V10 every year at the Fair Grounds for the winter. I always change the oil in coach and gen set right before I drive it over to the fair grounds.This year I will only have a little over 1,000 miles on the coach oil. Would it be ok to store it for 5 months or would you change it. I do it my self so with filter the cost is a little over 30 dollars for me to do it. It is not the coast but it seems such a waist of good motor oil.

[holstein13]

You should consider changing the oil when you pull it out of storage and before the camping season, not before putting it in storage. That way, any water, rust, or other reaction will be flushed out and you'll be running your engine with fresh oil for the season.

[RayChez]

ct78barnes wrote:
Thanks for all the help I will have to make up my mind before oct 31st since I do it my self and only cost 30 dollars to change it would be cheep insurance . I have a extended service plan and I need to keep records of all the oil changes . so again thanks I will have to make up my mind. I have owned it since new and all ways changed the oil before the winter storage.

What I would worry more about then the oil is the gasoline. You need to add some Stabil, run the engine after you add it so that it gets through the small jets in the fuel system. Gasoline does have a tendency to jell up and years ago it would actually turn into a varnish in the carbuetors and plug up the jets. But even with fuel injection systems a person should add Sta-bil to the gasoline IF you are going to let it set for that long of a period.

[ct78barnes]

Thanks for all the help I will have to make up my mind before oct 31st since I do it my self and only cost 30 dollars to change it would be cheep insurance . I have a extended service plan and I need to keep records of all the oil changes . so again thanks I will have to make up my mind. I have owned it since new and all ways changed the oil before the winter storage.

[RayChez]

Leaving the oil in for six months is not going to hurt anything. All this acid BS is nothing but that. I leave it in my boat and it has not hurt anything in the past fourteen years. When I get ready to use it again I change it sometimes and go from there.

[xctraveler]

My understanding from reading manufacturers manuals is that time is an equal element to mileage for oil life. Thus on my former gasser I changed every three (? could have been 4) months regardless of mileage. If I changed before storage and it sat in storage for the lilfe of the oil, I changed it before going on the road. Oil, even a professional oil change, is CHEAP next to possible engine trouble.
On my present Freightliner/Cummins setup it is an annual oil change unless I should happen to run 15,000 miles first, seems unlikely.

[rgatijnet1]

Ductape wrote:
We do used oil analysis to determine when to change oil in some infrequently used industrial engines. Often go several years on the same oil. UOA is the only way to be sure, however at the stated mileage I personally would not change it or bother to spend money on the sampling.

The only problem with an oil analysis, on engines that are not used very often, is that it does not take in to account any moisture that is in the engine cavities that can be eroding away at the intake/exhaust valves, intake manifold, or any other area that may be affected by outside humidity.

[Ductape]

We do used oil analysis to determine when to change oil in some infrequently used industrial engines. Often go several years on the same oil. UOA is the only way to be sure, however at the stated mileage I personally would not change it or bother to spend money on the sampling.

[time2roll]

With modern oil I would (and do) change by mileage only. As long as you are not making very short trips once a week or similar. So leave the oil in. At that rate leave it in for several years.

Get the oil analyzed after three years and post what it says.

Of all the oil reports posted that I have read they all come back that the oil could go a little longer next time. Never elevated acids or moisture etc. that need to get the oil changed.

[DSDP_Don]

If you're uncomfortable, split the difference, change the oil and leave the filter on. If it were me, I would just leave it alone. Sometimes we go to extremes on things that really won't make a difference.

I think your program of changing oil every year, before storage, is a good idea, but not with so few miles.

[Sully2]

10forty2 wrote:
Unless you are in a controlled climate indoor storage facility, condensation is your enemy when it comes to stored vehicles. As the temps change during the day, the moisture that builds up will cause the engine to rust from the inside. Although oil and water don't mix, the oil WILL transport the condensate/water throughout the engine and if it doesn't come up to operating temp long enough to evaporate it, then you have moisture throughout the oil ports in the engine that sits and does its damage. That's why it's not a great idea to run the engine if you're not going to bring it completely up to temp. Lot's of motorcyclists like to go out to the shed to hear the engine run for a few minutes during the winter since they can't ride...thinking that they are doing good by "circulating" the oil. In reality, they are causing harm by circulating the water that has built up in the oil pan and other places from condensation inside the engine and not getting it hot enough to evaporate it.

It's a good idea to have fresh oil in the coach before putting it to bed for the winter, but with only 1K miles on the current oil, you'll be fine until you get it out in the Spring and take it up the road to get the engine up to temp! My $.02 worth....

Thats all hogwash and always has been

[10forty2]

fourmat wrote:

Effy wrote:
I am confused. Why is fresh oil better at eliminating the issues water and acid can cause than old oil? Does old oil somehow create more moisture? Even after it's up to operating temperature while transporting to storage? And if so how much? Explain to me how old oil creates more condensation than new oil. Unless a critical piece was left out that after you change it you don't start it creating heat and thereby moisture. But if you have to drive it to storage it seems like it makes no difference. Especially 5 months on oil that only has 1000 miles on it. Seems like a total waste of time, money and resources.

Old oil has higher acid content than new oil, caused by combustion. It doesn't absorb more condensation just higher acid content. This acid can etch bearings and corrode internals that said 1,000 miles on oil I would not be concerned

I wasn't trying to indicate that fresh oil absorbs less moisture than old oil.....BUT as pointed out, old oil already has more contaminants in it from the combustion/heating process and it's just a good practice to have fresh oil circulated through the machine before storing for a long time. As I said, if it's not in an indoor, climate controlled environment, then it's more likely to gather condensation inside the oil pan and engine block.

[Vulcan_Rider]

Effy wrote:
I am confused. Why is fresh oil better at eliminating the issues water and acid can cause than old oil?

It isn't. Your read more into those posts than was actually there.

[fourmat]

Effy wrote:
I am confused. Why is fresh oil better at eliminating the issues water and acid can cause than old oil? Does old oil somehow create more moisture? Even after it's up to operating temperature while transporting to storage? And if so how much? Explain to me how old oil creates more condensation than new oil. Unless a critical piece was left out that after you change it you don't start it creating heat and thereby moisture. But if you have to drive it to storage it seems like it makes no difference. Especially 5 months on oil that only has 1000 miles on it. Seems like a total waste of time, money and resources.

Old oil has higher acid content than new oil, caused by combustion. It doesn't absorb more condensation just higher acid content. This acid can etch bearings and corrode internals that said 1,000 miles on oil I would not be concerned

[Effy]

I am confused. Why is fresh oil better at eliminating the issues water and acid can cause than old oil? Does old oil somehow create more moisture? Even after it's up to operating temperature while transporting to storage? And if so how much? Explain to me how old oil creates more condensation than new oil. Unless a critical piece was left out that after you change it you don't start it creating heat and thereby moisture. But if you have to drive it to storage it seems like it makes no difference. Especially 5 months on oil that only has 1000 miles on it. Seems like a total waste of time, money and resources.