Preferred oil for long periods of rest?

[Red_Brick_Volvo]

Hi - I'm seeking input on the best oil for a somewhat unique vehicle situation. The vehicle is described below and sits for 1-2 weeks at a time with no use. Currently, it has about a 5-mo old G-OIL 5w-30 fill and a Fram Ultraguard filter. 1. What kind of vehicle you have My dad has a 2000 Dodge Ram Van with the 3.9L pushrod V-6 (3/4ths of the 318 V8) and 3-speed auto (yes they still made those in 2000) he picked up from a friend for next to nothing. The van has 105,000 miles and appears to be reasonably well maintained. 2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well Manual recommends 10w-30. This engine went into a lot of Dodge vehicles at the time. 3. Where you live Northern Indiana - full range of climate conditions from sub-zero to searing heat. Van is generally garaged. 4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?) Generally the van is driven in a sane manner - its a slow van with a wet noodle for a steering wheel. 5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?) Most trips are either very short, with a 10-mile round trip to town on 55 mph highway every 2-3 weeks. Occasionally, the van goes on a 55 mile highway trip to a larger city. The van sits idle for 1-2 weeks at a time in the garage, which is my reason for posting - what oil would work best here? 6. Whether your car has any known problems. Nothing specific to the engine. Looking forward to your input.

 

[gfh77665]

I have the almost exact same situation as you do. My 2006 Honda Odyssey sits 2-3 weeks, but then drives 200+ miles. As far as oil, there is no reason to use anything special. The driving habits for your van is not severe. Any quality 10-30 is fine. The OC interval is <5000 miles, use conventional. If >5000 miles, use synthetic.

 

[Zaedock]

I change the oil in my trail Jeep every two years based on UOA results. It goes from sitting to severe use every other month. IMO, the van would be fine running a conventional oil to a year interval.

 

[Red_Brick_Volvo]

Thanks guys - my local Walmart had a jug of Pennzoil Ultra 10w-30 marked down to $21 with a $10 rebate - would that be OK here, or am I risking leaks?

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: Red_Brick_Volvo

TPennzoil Ultra 10w-30 marked down to $21 with a $10 rebate - would that be OK here, or am I risking leaks?

Thats more than "OK", thats a steal! And it would be perfect for your van.

 

[Clevy]

I'd use whatever 5w-30 is on sale at the time of oil change and before it gets stored for those intervals take the vehicle on a 20-30 minute drive on the highway to eliminate any possible condensation/fuel in the oil. Perhaps a high mileage variety is a good idea to maintain seal integrity although if it isn't consuming any oil I wouldn't pay extra for it. Any of today's conventional 5w-30s at 5000 mile intervals are more than adequate in your application. I've had 318's with over 1/2 million miles on them with nothing done but oil changes so if that engine is a 318 with just 2 cylinders cut off(think chev 4.3l is a 350 minus 2 cylinders) then just simple maintenance should be all you need to do to have last most of your lifetime.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: Red_Brick_Volvo

Thanks guys - my local Walmart had a jug of Pennzoil Ultra 10w-30 marked down to $21 with a $10 rebate - would that be OK here, or am I risking leaks?

Yes thats fine but check that rebate for expiration!

 

[147_Grain]

^ Well said!

 

[Zaedock]

I currently run Quaker State Q-Horsepower in my Jeep. No leaks at all. $11 is an awesome deal.

 

[LeakySeals]

Also I use M1 HM in the old Camry in my sig. Its the only "full syn" I can use until I replace all the gaskets on that engine. The way its going now, I may never have to.

 

[Red_Brick_Volvo]

Originally Posted By: Clevy

I've had 318's with over 1/2 million miles on them with nothing done but oil changes so if that engine is a 318 with just 2 cylinders cut off(think chev 4.3l is a 350 minus 2 cylinders) then just simple maintenance should be all you need to do to have last most of your lifetime.

Hopefully it will be around for a while. The Dodge 3.9L v6 is an "LA-series" engine and a close relative of the 318 (http://www.allpar.com/mopar/39.html). The only real problem with the van is rust, which he manages with some sprays of corrosion-X and a very small (not measurable) leak from the transmission.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

My 1999 Dodge 2500 with a 318 sits anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months at a time-I put perhaps 2000 miles a year on it. When it is used it's used to haul something or pull a trailer with 2 tractors on it to a tractor show. I run whatever name brand conventional 5W-30 is on sale, change it once a year (every fall), and don't think twice about it.

 

[440Magnum]

this is the cycle my Ram 1500 has been in for several years. Run long and hard for a few days or weeks (hauling, towing, family camping vacation, etc), then parked for many weeks at a time. In my opinion, the very last thing you do with the vehicle RIGHT BEFORE it sits matters far more than the oil you actually have in the sump. In other words, if its about to sit, park it in its final sitting spot IMMEDIATELY after having it fully warmed up and driven for a while. If its parked after a good highway run, it doesn't matter if it sits overnight or 4 months, the oil is as low on water, fuel, and combustion by-product contamination as possible. But if you park it, let it cool off, and then run it briefly move it inside the garage or to a better parking spot... that DOES matter. If you sit it overnight after a brief, cold run that's not a big deal- running it the next day will drive out the water, fuel, and combustion byproducts and prevent nasties from forming. But if you give it that short cold run and then let it sit a month, the fuel, combustion products, and water have a long time to do bad things. So my simple rule is that if I know I'm going to park a car for a while, I arrange my schedule to do that right after a full warm-up cycle, preferably ending with a highway run. Can't always do a highway run, but I can at least always park it with the oil fully heated to max operating temp.

 

[Red_Brick_Volvo]

Excellent advice - thanks!