Oil in a car for TWO YEARS?

[buckeye396]

Hi, I just discovered this site. It looks like I'll find lots of valuable ino here. I have a question:

I may be about to buy a 2002 Corvette. The seller says the Mobil 1 synthetic oil has been in it for 2 years and 4,000 miles. It's about half a quart low. The oil life monitor shows 5% life left. Should this concern me? Could there be engine damage?

Thanks alot

 

[Max_Wander]

No engine damage at all, I wouldnt think, esp. since the OLM says 5%. Needless to say, though, that oil's gotta go

 

[simple_gifts]

Welcome, I wouldn't be too worried about that, but lack of documentation of any other oil changes would.

 

[buckeye396]

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[Pablo]

It'd be good to take a sample and do a used oil analysis. Probably OK, though. Best with 4K would be once a year, so you may want to see how he maintained the rest of the car unless it's already a screaming deal.

 

[buckeye396]

The seller gave me the lecture how synthetic oil can go 15,000 miles. It's not the 4,000 miles as much as the almost 2 years.

 

[Rickey]

Lots of short trips to get the OLM down to 5 percent in 4 thousand miles?
Yes get the oil changed ASAP if you buy it.
I agree that the engine is not damaged by the 2 year 4 thousand OCI.
May I suggest paying a mechanic that you trust to look it over?
Probably money well spent.
How many total miles?

Good luck Sir.

Rickey

 

[buckeye396]

The car has 26,500 miles. It being a sports car, it may have some hard miles on it.

 

[CaspianM]

I would be more concerned about how he has been doing the OCI prior to the existing oil!

 

[dave1251]

If he changed it twice before the current OCI I do not imagine there is anything wrong.

 

[Whimsey]

My BIL purchased a 99 Boxster with 5 year old FACTORY fill and 9,000 original miles on it. He had Terry do the used oil analysis and considering the age and mileage it did just fine. He did change oil however. The Boxster holds about 9 quarts and the previous owner used it as his "fun toy" and when he took it out he ran it as a Porsche should be run for pleasure.

As other's have said it's how he accumulated those 4,000 miles in 2 years that counts more. Did he use the car to go get milk a 1/2 mile down the road or take it out only occasionally and drove it like it was meant to be driven.

Whimsey

 

[Patman]

I go two years between changes on my mom's VW. She drives less than 4k per year, so on her last interval she only had 7600 miles. The UOA came back looking great!

With a rarely driven car like that Corvette, two years is totally safe. These LS1 engines are very durable too. Buy the car with confidence and enjoy it! (and please drive it more than the previous owner did!)

 

[oilyriser]

If he believes it can go 15,000 miles, then you know when he probably changed it - once at 7500 and once at 22500.

 

[ARB1977]

If i bought a car from some owner regardless the milage or time frame on the oil i would change it. Heck if your that concerned it would you auto rx that bad boy and have a fresh start.

 

[Gene K]

Mobil 1 should be fine for 2 years at that low mileage. It isnt really the time or mileage its the combination of the two.

If you are the conservative type you can change it 50% OLM or 1 year (Whichever is first) once the car is yours.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Buy two bottles of Auto-RX and follow instructions includeing the use of non-synthetic oil for the rinse phase! It is not a slovent based flush and is gentle on the seals,bearings etc...... If their is anysludge or buildup in the engine it will gently over the course of 1800 miles liquify it and allow the filter to catch it. You can use synthetic for the clean phase but not the rinse phase. The rinse phase is were the softened material release's into the oil and is really caught by the filter. The non-synthetic oil is important to create this effect it also revitilizes seals that might have been hardening. It does not soften them,bleach them or swell them like seal swelling agents do. If you use synthetics for the cleaning phase I belive you have to extend it a little past 1800 miles but the rinse says the same use conventional for 1800 miles. Go to the Auto-RX web site and read more about it!

I would use something like Rotella 10W30 or 15W40 wich is conventional and should hold it's viscosity well for both the clean and rinse. No sense makeing it hard for Auto-Rx to do it's job of gently cleaning this engine and revitalizeing the seals! You are only talking about the conventional oil being in for 1800 miles for each phase. Also buy two oil filters since you change the oil and filters ever 1800 miles for the clean and rinse phases. Summer is the perfect time to do this since it allows you to use a 15W40 diesel oil wich is going to have plenty of anti-wear additive and detergents plus they are cheap. No sense wasteing money on expensive oil when it is only going to be in the engine for 1800 miles!