olympic

Looking at a '03 Vette with LS6 motor that has just 6000 miles on the car. Car was rarely driven. I'm told engine oil was only changed once and that happened at 4000 miles. The oil in the motor is synthetic. Motor was supposedly started regularly (not certain of frequency) and car stored in a heated garage.

My question is whether their are any concerns with the motor only having one oil change in 12 years. Granted it's synthetic oil and was in a heated garage which would help a bit and it was started regularly.

The motor seems to run great. I'm just a bit leery of only the single oil change over all those years but need some advice as to whether it should be okay or if there are likely some issues to consider with premature wear.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and Happy New Year!
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96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Not ideal but IMO with so few miles damage is unlikely. Started regularly is not necessarily a good thing, probably accomplished little more than polluting the oil with fuel. Again though with few miles I think the likelihood of damage low.

madmike9396

iTrader: (29)

it will be fine. I run the oil in my DD 10k no issues at all. 200k + miles and still kicking

3k is a bunch of bull imo

Taxman20

iTrader: (11)

Don't worry about it. Oil does not go bad, there is no shelf life on it. Oil gets worse with driving. Jump on it if its the right deal for you. I would.

vettenuts

iTrader: (4)

Here is some food for thought. This response was from someone on another forum who worked on the Oil Life Monitor for the C5 at GM. I had shot him a private message about the GM requirement for annual oil changes independent of actual driven mileage. IMO, the fact the car was started and not driven is not a good thing but rather a bad thing. You can use it to help with your decision to buy or not. If you buy, maybe it will help lower the price. If you do buy, I would ask for an oil sample from the crankcase and send it in for analysis to ensure the TBN is still high. This will provide a good indication that the oil is still protecting the motor.

On a side note, if you ever watch shows like Chasing Classic Cars, they find cars that have sat for years and get them running then auction them for lots of money.

Here is the quote: "Absolutely... the reason , as I have stated many times here, as part of the team that developed the 200,000 mile bench mark for the LSX engine design. As you may know from many of my posts that Dave Hill wanted to have the first bench marked 200,000 mile engine design in the world. which was achieved and certified for the C5 launch in 1997. Part of this qualifier, was the implimentatio0n of a revised oil system design and an Oil life monitor, that would certify, that the qualities of the oil and the oil additive package would be robust enough to sustain lubricity through 200,000 miles. The C5 oil spec was specifically designed for the higher oil temp designed into the engine. Oil is critical to longevity. The Oil life monitor works very well, and in fact when we designed it, we set the algorithms to be conservative ( meaning: even with a 10% safety factor, the original algorithms were tighter then they had to be to insure good oil life and effective change cycle... In 2000 we changed the base line in the OLM from 10,000 miles to 15,000 miles )( this is the baseline to which all discriminators are subtracted. The OLM was " that " good. This may be TMI, considering you only asked about a specific scenario.
Oil shelf life is extremely long,, but when carbon is introduced to the oil, it creates a condition of metamorphosis. Carbon acts like a catalyst to turn neutral oil into an acidic anhydride. As the acidity of the oil increases, it attacks the additive package that protects your engine. The reason we tell you to change the oil every year, is not because it magically goes bad at exactly 365 days. It doesn't matter if you only drive the car a little, once the oil is introduced to carbon, the metamorphosis begins.. its like a two mark epoxy, one part being the catalyst.. IN this case Carbon is the catalyst to start the acidic process.. The time to refresh the oil and get rid of the acid in the system has been set to one year, as a means to make it easier to remember.. Many people have bought into the notion that 15,000 mile oil last for 15,000 miles.. which isn't the case.
I have many many member tell me that they have changed their oil changing habits to what I have been preaching here for 13 years, and they are thrilled that they are driving a car with 300,000 plus miles with no internal problems.. I even have a dozen or so guys with 400K + following the procedures we put in place to ensure good engine life. People get into a lot of trouble with their car, tying to maintain it as if this was 1960. Back in 1960 automotive engine design was benchmarked to 60,000 miles... In the 80's engine design went to 100,000 miles, and thanks to Dave Hill, you are driving a car with an optimal engine design. Change the oil when the OLM says so, or 1 year, which ever comes first.. Acidity effects, the additive package and attacks gaskets and bearing surfaces.
I would rather give more information then less..
we developed this procedure based on destructive and non destructive testing and also field testing over time ( e.g. ) baseline change in 2000 for the OLM. "

RockinWs6

Seriously if it was in a heated garage I'm sure its ok. The problem with letting used oil in the crankcase is the moisture that collects from condensation. This only happens sitting outside so I doubt you will have any issues if it was a garage queen.

Taxman20

iTrader: (11)

Well I wont dispute this info due to a lack of knowledge of the testing. I know carbon is the issue in engine oil though.

But I can tell you from over 30 years of engine experience, the only bad thing mechanically about a sitting engine is the valve springs. Its not good for them to sit long periods without being heat cycled. They also need to be started regularly so the bearings keep oil on them.

Again, I personally wouldn't worry about if you trust the guy started it and let it heat up regularly. You can find faults in anything if you dig deep enough. If you continue to dig deep enough you would never buy anything due to fear. There are engines all over the world that have sat for long periods of time. And most of them are just fine if started and allowed to run every now and then. My point is again, dig deeper into the foods you eat and you will starve trying to avoid the bad stuff. Nothing is perfect.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

With so little driving I doubt the engine would have been damaged by even oil that was in poor condition.

That said the car will likely develope a LOT of other issues if you start driving it, sitting is hell on a car, the engine is one of the least affected parts, the valve spring thing brought up by another poster is good but I would attribute it to half of them sitting compressed long term rather than lack of heat cycles.
Steering, suspension, and brake components, as well as electrical connections are all likely to be troublesome.
Since I am into the 90s b-body I saw a LOT of guys buy low mile Impala SS' and have nothing but trouble 100k mile cars were more reliable than 10yo cars with under 15k. There were/are a lot of low mile Impala SS cars out there because idiots thought they could make them an "investment" so many tried it that today if you want a sub-5000mile 94-96 Impala they aren't hard to find and they don't even command original sticker, though people try.

Taxman20

iTrader: (11)

That's why I mentioned cycling the springs. They don't like to sit compressed. I just said it in a different way.

As for the oil separating, that would probably take years of sitting on a shelf. I have some 20w50 Torco race oil that's been on my shelf for about 10 years. I would bet cash money its fine and no separation. Also with this engine being run it wouldn't have time to separate.

I do agree about the other items sitting. Fuel tank would have to be flushed I am sure. And the electrical components may not like it either. Like engine sensors.

olympic

Lots of good info, thanks for the prompt replies.

There was a comment about the bigger worry might be other components. That is also something that is in the back of my mind. I know worst case it got a few miles every couple years because it was emission checked every other year. Not sure if that is enough to keep seals and such from drying out but it doesn't sound like it could have sat more than about two years at a time without getting a few miles.

Would probably just have a pre purchase buyer inspection done at a dealer then to see if they can detect any issues or leaks.

Thanks again everyone!

hardbones

Don't sweat it, my car was 14 years old with only 560 miles when I bought it, owner had only changed the oil once in that time. 2 times a year he fired it up, drove it about 20 miles and put it back into a climate controlled garage. The car sat untouched or started for the last 3 years before I bought it.
I changed all the fluids after I brought her home and have put over 3,000 miles on the car in the last year and half. No problems, nothing leaks, I have changed the oil 3 times since then and sent a sample of the last change off to be inspected, passed with flying colors.
Buy it and enjoy it!

tmoney82

I'll probably change the oil as soon as I hand over the check.......like in his drive way and drive away with it! Then again a couple of hundred of miles afterwards for a piece of mind!On top of that, I'll bleed/change out all the other fluids (brakes,steering and radiator) and check hoses and belts! Then drive around with a grin on my face like a possum!