Redstingray

I have a question on oil changes.
Basically two schools of thought
First change it before putting your car into storage so that all the chemicals
In the oil from combustion don’t do any harm.
Second change it in the spring before you start it because of any condensation
That might have occurred in storage.

What are everyone’s thoughts?

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :chevy

Tom73

Storage, what is that :confused: :confused: :confused:

GaryS

I have always changed the oil immediately before storing the car. New oil, filter, full tank of gas with a container of StaBil, etc.
Gary

8notenough

I use a different approach. While technically I do store my cars from around December through March, I use Stabil year round in my gas and simply change oil and filters when ever the oil starts to turn color. That is always well before recommended changes. Then, through the winter I start all of my cars once every three or four weeks to gas the criters out of the garage, (which seems to work as I haven't found any inside), this way nothing gets old or dry. On good days I may even move them back and forth or into the drive way to keep the brakes free and things lubricated.

SWCDuke

The clock does not run on fresh oil in the crankcase, but it does run on antifreeze and brake fluid while the car is in storage.

Condensation is usually not a problem if the car in stored inside - like a garage.
In the spring, just start the car and drive it until you store it again at which time you should change the oil and filter, again.

I've been storing cars for six months to a year for about ten years now. I never use a fuel stabilizer, but make sure the fuel tank is full during storage. The biggest problems I've had are rodents, so be sure to use traps and bait - under the car and in the engine room and interior.

Commercially available fuels have a shelf life of about one year, and the lower the temperature, the lower the rate of degradation, so winter storage is no big deal fuel-wise, but make sure the tank is full.

What most guys forget about is brake fluid and antifreeze. These should be changed every two years regardless of mileage and storage time counts. Cooling system and brake system corrosion is something that you are rarely aware of until the leaks begin. From there is gets real expensive.

As far as starting the car is concerned, take this into account. Over the years numerous studies of automotive engines have shown that about 80 percent of all wear occurs during cold start and warm-up, so starting the car during storage without driving it does nothing but create useless wear and fill the exhaust system with water vapor that will condense and corrode when you shut it down.

When you store it for the winter, let it hibernate until you're ready to drive again in the spring. Storing a car for a few months is really nothing at all. Like I said, the biggest problem can be critters, so take proper precautions and check for activity at least monthly.

The other items on the checklist are to either remove the battery, leave a battery tender connected, or slow charge it once a month. The battery self-discharge rate decreases with decreasing temperature, so a good battery will hold a charge pretty well during the winter, but if it has a high internal leak rate it could discharge and freeze in really cold weather, so know your battery. In any case, the battery should be disconnected to eliminate the small leak current to the alternator.

The other thing is to fill the tires to their maximum cold placarded pressure or about 35 psi if there is no maximum cold pressure listed on the sidewall. A well sealed tire loses about one to two psi per month. It's a good idea to check them monthly and top them off, but if you wait until spring it's probably okay. Just check and adjust to your correct driving pressure before you drive.

Of course, you should wash the car and keep it covered during storage, and don't use it as a storage shelf for "stuff".

Duke

Duke



[Modified by SWCDuke, 5:26 PM 10/1/2001]

JohnZ

Starting your engine during winter storage won't help it any; it won't get hot enough to let the oil heat up enough to boil off condensed moisture and the blow-by contaminants from starting it, rich mixure running with the choke on, etc. If you're going to start it during the winter, pick a dry day with the roads clear and dry, and drive it 10-15 miles so the engine (and the oil) can come fully up to normalized temperature and boil off the crud dissolved in the oil. Otherwise, starting it just adds more contaminants to the oil that sit there in the crankcase and make more acid for the rest of the winter.

RADMAN

Storage? Rodents? Condensation? Stabilizers? Criters? Hibernation? Placarded pressures?
What peculiar things thou doth speak of.... :jester :troll :hat

Ever considering living in a more habitable climate?

Redstingray

Thanks guys,
I usually store the car in an omni bag with desiccant in and around the car.
I have been very lucky up until last year as far as rodents are concerned.
All they did was move some sand around for a nest, never touched the vette.
I do change anti freeze every two years and I’m using silicone brake fluid for the last eight or ten years.
I agree starting the car without driving it does more harm than good. I always store it with a full tank of gas and Stabil., but always wondered about which was the best way to go as far as changing the oil. I guess I will change it before putting it away. Thanks for all the input..


Redstingray
:cheers: :chevy :flag

Tom/99

I knew there was another reason I moved South. :chevy

Alwyn678

I am not sure if Vegas is very hospitable :confused:

LT1driver

I hear you Tom 73, winter.....nah. :D

Ron04,02,96,64

Simply put, if you gotta store it, change the oil and filter at the beginning.

One correction to a prior comment: gasoline actually has an indefinite shelf life when in a relatively sealed container as a car's gas tank. Only problem with very long storage isn't the gas, it's moisture condensation.

SWCDuke

"One correction to a prior comment: gasoline actually has an indefinite shelf life when in a relatively sealed container as a car's gas tank. Only problem with very long storage isn't the gas, it's moisture condensation."

If you're "correcting" my earlier comment about shelf life, I beg to differ. Gasoline will eventually react to form gum and varnish, especially when exposed to oxygen, and as with all chemical reaction rates, will increase exponentially with temperature, so storing a car over the winter in cool/cold temperatures with the fuel tank full is not big deal as far as the gasoline is concerned and is why I don't bother to use stabilizers for less than one year storage.

Storing with the tank full minimizes the oxygen in contact with the fuel and minimizes the vapor dome volume available for moisture condensation.

The one year gasoline shelf life is an oil industry "standard" that is conservative, so two or even three years in a benign environment might be okay for gasoline, but not five or ten years. If you're going to put a car up "indefinitely", then the fuel system should be drained and coated with a preservative such as WD-40.

Older Corvette fuel system "breath" via the tank vent and can both loose gasoline due to evaporation, or pull in moisture from the air when the ambient pressure drops. In summer storage in Arizona, I've found that even modern cars with vapor recovery systems, and plus or minus one to two psi pressure/vacuum caps will lose about 10 percent of the tank's contents during summer (inside) storage due to evaporization in the hot temperatures.

Duke

yooperod

I'm sure modern gas is different. But 5 years ago I removed a 275 gal tank that was buried in a hill next to a garage . the previous owner of the property sealed the vent before he moved in 1969 .I know for a fact that the 150 gallons left in the tank was at least 25 years old. and I was pleasantly suprised that it was still good.
rod

Ron04,02,96,64

Duke, don't disagree with your analysis per se - all correct/good information. And no, I sure would not put a car on blocks for a number of years without draining the tank (and doing other things). But, as I said, it can have an indefinite shelf life in a relatively sealed container. There are thousands and thousands of examples where gasoline is used after a 2-5 year storage and more with no ill effects on anything. One example I've personally run into is emergency generators that have sat where the fuel has sat stored for years and will still fire the engine easily without any harm. Would I store fuel for that long on purpose, probably not, but it happens. The government/military also stores gasoline for national emergencies for long periods usually without any stabilizers. So maybe "correction" was not a good word, but...

SWCDuke

Oil industry people have told me that the shelf life of gasoline is about a year, but this is probably pretty conservative. I'm sure that gasoline stored in a sealed underground tank would be stable for a longer time because it is protected from high temperatures.

On the other hand, I've seen, or I should say "smelled" gasoline that has sat in old cars for years and it was pretty bad. Of course, these tanks were usually vented without any pressure or vacuum relief system, so they usually had a good deal of water/corrosion in them, too, but some were more modern cars with pressure/vacuum caps and vapor recovery systems.

I think the issue in this thread was winter storage. In that case I believe we all agree that when storing a car for the winter, or say a year or less, the tank should be full and the gasoline can be used when the car is brought out of storage.

Over a year it becomes a gray area as to whether you should store the car with the tank full or drain it. In a lot of cases, storing a car for more than the winter season can sometimes turn into "indefinite" storage. In such cases I would recommend draining the fuel system and treating it with a preservative. I've seen a lot of projects that were supposed to take a few weeks or months turn into fifteen years and that two or three gallons of gasoline in the tank turned into several pounds of rust and varnish.

Duke

Ron04,02,96,64

Agree, especially with the last paragraph.

NOW - we're even - strange that we both now as of this moment in time, have each 1230 posts - of course I had to post this to get us there. :cheers:

SWCDuke

Touche!!!

Duke