Storing car for winter, oil change now or spring?

[Kramerica]

Putting my car away tomorrow and it's due for an oil change, I'm curious whether its better to change the oil now or wait till I get it out again or if there is no advantage of one over the other? I've already bought the oil and to be honest it's going to be sitting in the car's trunk all winter anyways.

[jaylo]

Drain old oil, then fill with fresh oil before driving next year.

You can also perform oil change now, then one next year.

Please keep the bottles of new oil in room temperature

[max_boost]

Interesting. I have two cars that are due for oil changes and I was gonna change them but my buddies just told me to wait until next spring. Both cars are on high performance summer tires so I don't feel like driving them around in this weather either.

[Mibz]

I just went through this when storing my bike.

At first I figured it would be best to do it in spring. That way as much of the old oil as possible had drained to the bottom -and- it would mean that I'm starting a cold engine with some oil up top.

Then I was convinced to do the change now because old oil is more likely to have water moisture, causing it to become slightly corrosive. So letting it sit with fresh stuff is healthier.

I still don't firmly believe either side to be right or wrong, but I had the oil so I thought "Fuck it, this way I can hop on and ride as soon as it's nice out".

Doing it before and after storage is just a waste of money :P

[EK 2.0]

My car sits drained of oil all winter...with the oil cap in a box with the keys and other things I pull out from the car when i store it...

Just reminds me to fill it with fresh oil in the spring....I also subscribe to the school that once the car is in storage and parked that you don't start it until next spring...

[Mibz]

Leaving the bike drained would be an option, but I don't think I could leave a car drained just in case I had to move it.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by Mibz
Leaving the bike drained would be an option, but I don't think I could leave a car drained just in case I had to move it.


With my storage though...the battery and other items come inside...so to even "prep" it to move is a hassle...haha...so once hollie is parked she is parked...worst case if I needed to I could roll her out of the garage and push her back in...

[Kramerica]

Never thought about the water moisture thing, good point. I always thought draining it is the best option, but its not really viable for where I store the car. really should remove the battery and store it somewhere warmer but I'm too lazy.

[DeleriousZ]

You guys aren't worried about internal parts rusting if they're drained? I know there's still probably a film of oil over most parts, but that still makes me kind of wary.

I tend to run my cars over winter every couple weeks. Let the water and oil temp get up to operating temperatures, and drive the car around the block if possible. (oil needs to get hot enough to burn off the water trapped in it.)

[jaylo]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
You guys aren't worried about internal parts rusting if they're drained? I know there's still probably a film of oil over most parts, but that still makes me kind of wary.

I tend to run my cars over winter every couple weeks. Let the water and oil temp get up to operating temperatures, and drive the car around the block if possible. (oil needs to get hot enough to burn off the water trapped in it.)

Not enough moisture in the air to produce rust inside the engine and yes, a thin film of oil is present on the internals.

You guys worry too much about your vehicles!

[shutterbug_art8]

Just leave everything as is. On a warm day let the motor warm up and go for a drive. Rev that motor often.

The key is to drive with vigor to get that shit out of your motor.

[89s1]

Mine is on jack stands with no motor in it since about 2 weeks ago. :(



I take the engine out and disassemble it so that the weight of the crankshaft doesn't cause flat spots to develop on the main bearings.


















j/k. :devil:

[Thaco]

i if had a car i cared about, for the winter, I'd probably drive it :D

[ddduke]

I don't store cars over the winter but for bikes I'll just leave them and change the oil before the first ride.

Or put them in the living room:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g67/polish_stylez/bike1.jpg

[BokCh0y]

When I had my SW20, I would change the oil before storing it, then fire it up every 3 weeks just to run it to keep the seals moist and then when it was time to start driving her, i would change the oil again so it was fresh.

I'd rather not have old oil sitting in the car for the winter, especially for reasons like moisture. But i also didn't want to run the car come spring with a clean pan full of oil...that's been sitting for 6 months. Oil breaks down....so yeah, that's waht i did. Changed before i stored it, and changed after the winter.

[Cooked Rice]

I do a fresh change and leave it and drop a small capful of oil down the spark plug holes. Don't start and run it unless you absolutely have to move it or something. There is no need for you just to start it up and run it, unless you are going to go out for a long drive. If you start it up and just let it idle, and rev it around in the garage the oil and engine will not get hot enough to vaporize the moisture inside. You will have condensation occur and when you go to drain your oil in the spring you will wonder why your oil is all milky. This is why short drives kill your engine.

[Ven]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
I do a fresh change and leave it and drop a small capful of oil down the spark plug holes. Don't start and run it unless you absolutely have to move it or something. There is no need for you just to start it up and run it, unless you are going to go out for a long drive. If you start it up and just let it idle, and rev it around in the garage the oil and engine will not get hot enough to vaporize the moisture inside. You will have condensation occur and when you go to drain your oil in the spring you will wonder why your oil is all milky. This is why short drives kill your engine.

This. If you store a vehicle do it with fresh oil that is uncontaminated and do not start it. Combustion byproducts are acidic, there is also a percentage of fuel dilution, and moisture, in addition to wear particulates.

The idea if you start the motor every few weeks stems from days when cork and rope seals were commonly used, and if they didn't have constant oil contact they would shrink and the engine would leak. Neoprene and polymer based seals don't change shape or state from anything but wear. Cold starting motors for only a few minutes every few weeks guarantees heavy moisture build up and fuel contamination. Doing this with old oil just stacks the problem. Doing this with new oil just ruins the oil andstill puts the engine at risk.

In both cases you expose your engine to internal corrosion, surface pitting, varnishing, and bearing and ring stiction.

You should also run fuel stabilizer, and have either a completely full tank, or a completely dry vented tank (warm dry controlled storage). Fuel degrades extremely fast, so if you run regular in your car it's not a bad idea to fill up with premium for storage. In 3 months it will test worse than fresh regular. Keep your battery on a trickle charger too.

Come spring your engine will start and run like always, and it'll be ready to ride/drive right away.

[jaylo]

Originally posted by Ven


This. If you store a vehicle do it with fresh oil that is uncontaminated and do not start it. Combustion byproducts are acidic, there is also a percentage of fuel dilution, and moisture, in addition to wear particulates.

The idea if you start the motor every few weeks stems from days when cork and rope seals were commonly used, and if they didn't have constant oil contact they would shrink and the engine would leak. Neoprene and polymer based seals don't change shape or state from anything but wear. Cold starting motors for only a few minutes every few weeks guarantees heavy moisture build up and fuel contamination. Doing this with old oil just stacks the problem. Doing this with new oil just ruins the oil andstill puts the engine at risk.

In both cases you expose your engine to internal corrosion, surface pitting, varnishing, and bearing and ring stiction.

You should also run fuel stabilizer, and have either a completely full tank, or a completely dry vented tank (warm dry controlled storage). Fuel degrades extremely fast, so if you run regular in your car it's not a bad idea to fill up with premium for storage. In 3 months it will test worse than fresh regular. Keep your battery on a trickle charger too.

Come spring your engine will start and run like always, and it'll be ready to ride/drive right away.

^^^THIS

I am amazed how people worry so much about their vehicles that they have to start the car once in a while, which actually fouls up the engine oil and internals.

[revelations]

^^^ X 1000

Definitely DO NOT start the vehicle once its stored. Stable temps are the key to longevity and proper storage.

If youre going to store the vehicle for YEARS (eg while doing a restoration project) then I would definitely consider changing the oil and running it through the engine properly prior to starting as the acids dissolved in the old oil can cause issues.

[revelations]

Originally posted by BokCh0y
Oil breaks down....so yeah, that's waht i did. Changed before i stored it, and changed after the winter.

BRAND NEW oil does NOT break down over the course of winter.

IF the oil is severely contaminated, then this can happen.

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by revelations


BRAND NEW oil does NOT break down over the course of winter.

IF the oil is severely contaminated, then this can happen.

oil has a shelf life, this is under the impression you leave the oil in it's factory sealed container, shelf life is bout 5 years.

so although it doesn't break down as fast when it's sitting around over the winter, none the less it still does break down if not sealed in the factory container anymore. hence why when you have your oil changed, they leave the next service interval at between 6-8k km or a date, date is regardless how many miles you put on the vehicle.

[SkiBum5.0]

Hey,

Found this article and thought it answered a lot of questions I had:

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

When storing my bike I:

- get engine oil changed
- compelete inspection of forks, seals etc
- top up all fluids
- Add fuel stabilizer to full tank of premium
- wash and wax bike
- clean and lube chain
- attach trickle charger to battery
- cover in garage

This allows for quick riding in spring when we get the first nice day.

[M.alex]

C'mon guys, you're not leaving the car for 4years sitting, you're leaving it for like 4months. just fill it with gas and park it. Disconnect the battery if you've got a car that likes to eat them Even stuff like parking on wooden boards to prevent flat spots isn't needed for short periods of sitting.


Originally posted by BokCh0y


oil has a shelf life, this is under the impression you leave the oil in it's factory sealed container, shelf life is bout 5 years.


This - i was looking at buying a gallon drum of Mobil 1 and found that if oil is left sealed from the factory, it's about 5yrs. As soon as it's been exposed to air, it's 2yrs. (this is directly from the manufacturer)

[max_boost]

Forgot about the fuel stabilizer. It's <$10 so will go buy some. Other than that, full tank of gas and trickle charger on. Never bothered with a car cover. :dunno:

[M.alex]

Originally posted by max_boost
Forgot about the fuel stabilizer. It's &lt;$10 so will go buy some. Other than that, full tank of gas and trickle charger on. Never bothered with a car cover. :dunno:

Car cover will do more harm than good - i'd much rather have a layer of dust that I can wash off than a cover marring against the surface of the vehicle

You don't need fuel stabilizer - i fill my JD tractor w/ Shell 91 in October usually and don't fire it up until May and I've never had a problem with it starting. Might be a different story if you use some gas with ethanol in it though

[HiSpec]

What about remove the wheels and put the car on jacks so it takes the load off the suspension?

[Kramerica]

Originally posted by HiSpec
What about remove the wheels and put the car on jacks so it takes the load off the suspension?

Used to do this, its a pain in the ass to do if you're just storing it for 4-5 months of the year. I figured the car basically has a similar load on it year round regardless of whether its beening driven or not, ended up just throwing on some worn out tires and rims to prevent flatspotting.

[94boosted]

Originally posted by Kramerica

ended up just throwing on some worn out tires and rims to prevent flatspotting.

That or you could just bump up the tire pressure by ~5psi. Should prevent a flat spot.

[jutes]

I remove the battery, throw on the winter tires and leave it parked outside until spring. Come April I do an oil change and it fires right up like nothing has happened. Never had an issue doing this in the last 3 years. Not complicated.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by M.alex


You don't need fuel stabilizer - i fill my JD tractor w/ Shell 91 in October usually and don't fire it up until May and I've never had a problem with it starting. Might be a different story if you use some gas with ethanol in it though

+1. I've never threw in any fuel stabilizer in my S2000 and it fired right up in the spring with Shell 91.

I usually unhook the battery, loosen up the clips on the top, do an oil change, spray some silicon lube on the CV boots (REALLY important IMHO... dont want these spitting if they dry out), and make sure I roll the car a few feet every month or two so I dont flat spot the tires.