GOR1LA

iTrader: (1)

My car will be sitting for about 4 months with about 1500 miles on the oil and will be started and warmed for about 45 minutes every few weeks. Should i change the oil before storage or after (Mobil 1)? I know there is condensation that will build up. And all of the forms about storage never really say for sure about this. I know the best way is to change it before and after but i don't have stock in the oil companies so whats the verdict on this?

Or should i just leave her sit till spring with fresh oil in her?

It will be stored in Michigan. SO IT GETS FREAKIN' COLD!!

Black 99 Bird

iTrader: (31)

Change the oil, pull the battery and put some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank. If you can, suspend the car on jack stands with the weight on the suspension and, if not park the car on some 1" x 12" boards to avoid tire damage. If the car is staying out side and you are keeping it on stands try to atleast move the rims and tires indoors and buy a nice car cover for the car. Come spring time you are all set.

DevilDougWS6

iTrader: (8)

yeah definitally change the oil. you dont want it to be all gunky after sitting. depending on the temperature i think it may become gelatinous.

also DEFINITALLY add some stabil to the fuel, i think they make an oil additive as well. gasoline 'technically' goes bad after 60 days from when it gets pumped. also put a GOOD cover on it but remove it every so often to let it breathe. put the car on jackstands and let the air out of your wheels and make sure they are secured.

one thing to think about: starting it is a good thing because when the motor is off, you are going to have pressure on a few valve springs, and they will fatigue over time, so what you are doing is right.

jsteele90

iTrader: (13)

i recommend not putting it on jackstands its bad for the shocks. modern tires arent gonna flat spot as bad as older tires back in the day. mine sat in storage through a 7 month deployment and my tires were fine. i just covered it, new oil,stabil,disconnect battery, and some baking soda boxes in the car to absorb odor and moisture

Black 99 Bird

iTrader: (31)

That is why you put the stands under the rearend and a-arms. I do not like the idea of starting the car every couple of weeks though. I feel starting the car will put release contaminates (sp) into the oil that will not be burned off, and will build up in the engine. I guess the ideal thing would be to turn the engine by hand, but we know no one will go through the trouble to do that.

GOR1LA

iTrader: (1)

hey guys i know about everything else im just not sure about the oil if i just let the car sit and change oils in the spring will it be fine? or should i start the car every few weeks and get things moving? my thinking is if i start it every few weeks with the oil thats in it now and change it during the spring ill be fresh for driving for 3k. but if i change it in the fall and have all winter to collect water and junk then in the spring it will be ****.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Change it in the Spring with fresh oil. Running the engine periodically is up to you. Some do it and some don't.......and every car runs normally after storage.....which means it DOES NOT make a difference.

I personally choose to run the engine.....I have someone run it for 20 minutes every 2 weeks or so. I do it so gaskets and rubber hoses don't dry out...and they can....shortening their life span. And 20 minutes is plenty long to burn off all moisture that might be in there...the temps will reach 190*F. If you run it every 2 weeks there's not enough contaminants that can possibly build up over a 12 month storage period.

Oil does get old and it does break down over time....and it does not protect parts as good....so idling it only is all I would do. When you come back and do the fresh oil change.....just don't drive it. Change the oil first.....

And flat spots can still happen on tires......get some 3-4 inch thick foam seat cushion type material to park the 4 tires on top of so the tires are not touching the flat ground.

.

farmington

iTrader: (14)

I had my front tires go bad (pulled to one side) from sitting in a Michigan garage. Bought a set of roller wheels and tires to keep on it over the winter. You can find a decent set that hold air for $150. Don't start the car over the winter. Put a battery tender on the battery, you can leave it connected in the car or remove the battery, no difference. As far as Stabil goes, I have never used it in cars or lawn equipment and have NEVER had a problem starting them in the spring. I change my oil in the spring before I start driving, but get the car good and warm at least once to get everything into the oil, then change it.

McGinnis

If your oil is fresh, you can go about a year without changing it in storage. I wouldn't let dirty oil sit in car for more then 3 months cause acid and moisture can start to damage the engine after prolonged periods of storage. I would be more concerned abut making sure rodents don't make your car a home for themselves

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

In south FL, you are most likely correct about this. But here in the upper midwest and Great Lakes region, 20 minutes of idling in our typical winter temps isn't going to get the oil up to full operating temp (oil takes longer than coolant to reach these temps). Keep in mind that we have some months that don't even go above freezing; this last February the daily temperature averaged 14°F for the entire month, with some dips to as low as -16°F the month prior. This is why many of us in the north just leave them sit for the winter while in storage. It's hard on an engine to do unnecessary cold starts in general, even more so at these extreme cold temps, and you won't get the oil warm enough just idling for 20 minutes unless your garage is heated.

Point being, I think climate needs to be taken into account when these threads pop up. Also, I do realize this thread is many years old but several old threads were bumped today thanks to someone trying to quickly build post count for classifieds access....his posts have been removed but since these threads are active again might as well contribute.

NightHawwk

iTrader: (2)

I didn't use fuel stabilizer this past winter, and was sitting with 3/4 to 7/8 full tank for ~3 months. The gas was pretty much **** as I only got 160 miles out of the rest of the tank (which is about 2/3 what it should have gone with that level of gas). A typical tank normally goes about 325 miles for me.

hardbones

fresh oil and dont waste your time starting the car while in storage, does more harm than good...