Old oil, LOW miles: The TRUTH please?!

[Revving2Redline]

The temperature and humidity present where they are stored matters, too. The truth depends on the circumstances. It’s not just a matter of age, or miles, it’s a matter of relative, humidity, of how well the engine is sealed, and how much moisture gets inside it. Clean, dry, climate controlled. Years.

Humid, big temperature swings - annually.

When the temperature changes a lot, the relative humidity in the air changes a lot. Causes condensation. Those big temperature swings move air in and out of the engine, couple air, moving in and out with condensation, and you’ll want to get rid of the oil sooner.

But if the car is in a climate controlled facility where the temperature doesn’t change much, and the relative humidity is low, and the oil is good for many years

Simply put: buy your car a recliner chair and keep the A/C on 67 during the summer and a heavy afghan blanket during the winter and everything will be fine.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Astro to Astro...

The temperature and humidity present where they are stored matters, too. The truth depends on the circumstances. It’s not just a matter of age, or miles, it’s a matter of relative, humidity, of how well the engine is sealed, and how much moisture gets inside it. Clean, dry, climate controlled. Years.

Note sure why this would matter if they take the cars out and drive them to full operating temperature each Spring. Am I missing something here?

 

[Astro14]

Astro to Astro...

Note sure why this would matter if they take the cars out and drive them to full operating temperature each Spring. Am I missing something here?

Because in one case - you get a lot of moisture in the crankcase. In the other, you don't get much.

Getting rid of the moisture in the spring by driving it off stops whatever negatives happened while it was in there, but there is a difference in how much moisture was in the oil, and for how long. That is what would concern me.

My Packard is stored in a climate controlled space.

My tools rust less quickly in that space than they do in my garage. Same zip code.

I'm not sure the oil is the same once the water is driven out of the engine. Doesn't the degradation depend on the degree of exposure?

 

[redhat]

Hello from south of Buffalo.

 

[Nesterenko]

If you care a lot about your cars, change it every year. Oil is cheap

If the oil sitting in the sump is good then it's good. In fact you may have laid down a tribofilm with it. So go ahead and change that low mileage oil for no particular reason except your need for the warm and fuzzies and strip that film. Doesn't make sense. Engine oil won't degrade by just sitting there.

 

[Dave9]

Because in one case - you get a lot of moisture in the crankcase. In the other, you don't get much.

Getting rid of the moisture in the spring by driving it off stops whatever negatives happened while it was in there, but there is a difference in how much moisture was in the oil, and for how long. That is what would concern me.

My Packard is stored in a climate controlled space.

My tools rust less quickly in that space than they do in my garage. Same zip code.

I'm not sure the oil is the same once the water is driven out of the engine. Doesn't the degradation depend on the degree of exposure?

The degradation of the engine increases with level of exposure, but the oil isn't going to be any different once moisture is driven off, than the perpetual small amount of blow by and PCV, EGR water cycling through it anyway with normal driving.

However I'm not all that convinced that the interior of the engine is going to age much differently based on ambient humidity, nor ambient temp fluctuations unless they are extreme. Crusty outside surface, particularly on aluminum castings, sure, but internally?

IMO, the greatest issue is short tripping it before storage. Get it up to temp to drive as much water out as possible before put into storage.

 

[bbhero]

I see this thread title with all caps TRUTH..

We need the video clip from A Few Good Men where Tom Cruises character says, “ I want the TRUTH and then Jack Nicholsons character yells, you can’t handle the TRUTH ! ! “

 

[Thermo1223]

I see this thread title with all caps TRUTH..

We need the video clip from A Few Good Men where Tom Cruises character says, “ I want the TRUTH and then Jack Nicholsons character yells, you can’t handle the TRUTH ! ! “

 

[cptbarkey]

Its been heavily discussed recently that oil, in general, is oil.
Hence, old oil, is also oil.

 

[Dave9]

IMO, the greatest issue is short tripping it before storage. Get it up to temp to drive as much water out as possible before put into storage.

I should have added that I only meant, if for some reason you choose not to replace the oil before storage. If you settle on an annual OCI, it is better to have it sitting with fresh oil rather than end of use, contaminated oil.