Storage Oil Change

Joined
Jan 25, 2003
Messages
5,348
Location
Decatur AL USA
What is your opinion on storage oil changes?

I've always been of the opinion as long as the vehicle was taken for a long highway drive before being stored (to burn off any moisture and fuel) it was fine.

I have friends that change the oil before they store for the winter and won't take it out for long drives on nice days because everytime they do they have to change the oil again before parking it.

How do you feel about this?
 
I always change the oil before storage. That said if I did take it out for a few drives in the winter I wouldn't worry about changing it again.
 
I have been winter storing my classic cars for the winter for the past 15 years. I usually change before storage to get any bad stuff out-BUT- the last couple years if I have only put less than 2000 miles on them I wait another summer season before changing. Of course during the season, and before storing it gets a good hot run. If I do (rarely) take it out during storage time, I try to warm it up good, and don't worry about it.
 
The oil's ability to neutralize acid is only affected by the products of combustion. If the oil does not have a depleted TBN then it's not going to degrade just sitting there.

Oil does age and begins breaking down, the amount of time all depends on storage conditions.
A unopened bottle stored out of direct sunlight and at room temperature, ~2 years.
Opened, a year.
Sitting in direct sunlight, it breaks down quicker, opened or not.

Sitting in a crankcase it is going to collect condensation, it is open to air and should be changed once a year for partial year storage or soon after coming out of storage for a engine stored a year or more.
 
Oil does age and begins breaking down, the amount of time all depends on storage conditions.
A unopened bottle stored out of direct sunlight and at room temperature, ~2 years.
Opened, a year.
Sitting in direct sunlight, it breaks down quicker, opened or not.

Sitting in a crankcase it is going to collect condensation, it is open to air and should be changed once a year for partial year storage or soon after coming out of storage for a engine stored a year or more.
Oil does not break down. There have been reports on here of additives settling out but that is not the same as decomposition or some other degenerative and irreversible change. The short chain hydrocarbons in oil do not decompose anywhere near room temperature.

And condensation is not really relevant without the mixed sulfur oxides from combustion. Anyway it is minimal from temperature changes in a sealed crankcase.

If it's two years I wonder why ExxonMobil states a 5-year shelf life?
 
Oil does not break down. There have been reports on here of additives settling out but that is not the same as decomposition or some other degenerative and irreversible change. The short chain hydrocarbons in oil do not decompose anywhere near room temperature.

And condensation is not really relevant without the mixed sulfur oxides from combustion. Anyway it is minimal from temperature changes in a sealed crankcase.

If it's two years I wonder why ExxonMobil states a 5-year shelf life?
ExxonMobil is a bit strange. In one place they say shelf life is five years. Yet in their warranty they state its good on any oil used within 5 years of date of purchase. That could easily add up to 7 or 8 years from date of manufacture to oil drain.
 
Oil does age and begins breaking down, the amount of time all depends on storage conditions.
A unopened bottle stored out of direct sunlight and at room temperature, ~2 years.
Opened, a year.
Sitting in direct sunlight, it breaks down quicker, opened or not.

Sitting in a crankcase it is going to collect condensation, it is open to air and should be changed once a year for partial year storage or soon after coming out of storage for a engine stored a year or more.
Umm, where is the proof of this?
There have been oil analysis of 20 year old oil and it showed the oil to be the exact same as when it was made.
Oil in a bottle does not go bad. An opened bottle of oil does not go bad. No idea on the sunlight part, since I have never heard of anyone analyzing oil that has sat out in sunlight (I mean why would they).

Just sitting in a crankcase will not cause oil to collect condensation. There may be condensation that forms on the inside of the engine from severe/sudden temperature changes (not often in vehicles that are stored).

Nothing in your post contains any facts, just stuff somebody made up.

As mentioned above, Mobil says oil is "good" for 5 years.
Pennzoil says 4 years.
Valvoline says their oils do not have documented expiration date, to go by the API on the bottle.
 
Umm, where is the proof of this?
There have been oil analysis of 20 year old oil and it showed the oil to be the exact same as when it was made.
Oil in a bottle does not go bad. An opened bottle of oil does not go bad. No idea on the sunlight part, since I have never heard of anyone analyzing oil that has sat out in sunlight (I mean why would they).

Just sitting in a crankcase will not cause oil to collect condensation. There may be condensation that forms on the inside of the engine from severe/sudden temperature changes (not often in vehicles that are stored).

Nothing in your post contains any facts, just stuff somebody made up.

As mentioned above, Mobil says oil is "good" for 5 years.
Pennzoil says 4 years.
Valvoline says their oils do not have documented expiration date, to go by the API on the bottle.

When I worked for the largest oil recycler in the nation, I had to take a 2 day 12 hour course on motor oil and everything that has to do with motor oil.
In class we were told that motor oil has a shelf life of 2 years. Opened, 1 year.

As for the water in the crank case, condensation forms from temp changes, humidity in the air, etc.
There is water in the air, that’s why rotors rust from just sitting.
Unless the engine is being stored in a climate controlled environment.
 
The Camaro has pretty much sat since 2007 (won't pass emissions). I changed the oil and filter (PP 5w-30) in 2008. It's been driven 201 miles since then.

The PP has been in the engine for 14 years. I just bought an oil filter thinking I'll change it.....someday.
 
So run the engine with the 2008 oil and then after it’s warmed up, change it and the filter. You will want clean oil to deal with the emissions issue. You might have to change it again after that’s resolved.
 
So run the engine with the 2008 oil and then after it’s warmed up, change it and the filter. You will want clean oil to deal with the emissions issue. You might have to change it again after that’s resolved.
Point of my post is that the oil in the engine has little mileage but has been in the engine for a relatively long time.

Thanks, but not passing emissions testing is not an oil issue. It's an issue with the state reducing the limit of NOx in order to pass. The car will not pass in its existing state of tune (which is the way it came from the factory).
 
Last edited:
When I worked for the largest oil recycler in the nation, I had to take a 2 day 12 hour course on motor oil and everything that has to do with motor oil.
In class we were told that motor oil has a shelf life of 2 years. Opened, 1 year.

As for the water in the crank case, condensation forms from temp changes, humidity in the air, etc.
There is water in the air, that’s why rotors rust from just sitting.
Unless the engine is being stored in a climate controlled environment.
Is that also the class where someone told you that a spectrographic analysis can be used to make a comparative quantity determination between different oils?
 
Regardless of what the oil manufacturers say motor oil doesn't have that short of shelf life if any at all. I've been using 15-25 year old oil in all my cars for at least the past 10 years and my cars don't know the difference. I think the last time the oil was changed in one of my cars was 2017 and has been about 2K miles since including a 1K mile road trip. Most of the time when it's driven it's brought to full operating temperature. The car is a '97 model with 42K miles and has had 12 oil changes since new.
 
Oil does age and begins breaking down, the amount of time all depends on storage conditions.
A unopened bottle stored out of direct sunlight and at room temperature, ~2 years.
Opened, a year.
Sitting in direct sunlight, it breaks down quicker, opened or not.

Sitting in a crankcase it is going to collect condensation, it is open to air and should be changed once a year for partial year storage or soon after coming out of storage for a engine stored a year or more.
totally not correct
 
When I worked for the largest oil recycler in the nation, I had to take a 2 day 12 hour course on motor oil and everything that has to do with motor oil.
In class we were told that motor oil has a shelf life of 2 years. Opened, 1 year.

As for the water in the crank case, condensation forms from temp changes, humidity in the air, etc.
There is water in the air, that’s why rotors rust from just sitting.
Unless the engine is being stored in a climate controlled environment.
Glad your class knows more than Mobil, Valvoline, Pennzoil, Castrol, and pretty much every other oil manufacturer out there.

If that class can't get that right, wonder what else they got wrong (or was it just the good old boy instructor saying this?).
Again, what proof do you have of this being true.

My Proof with links from a post I made a while back.

And I mentioned the condensation that forms from temp changes.
Again, it is minima (if even measurable at all)l, and will not be mixed in with the oil. Modern oils should coat the inside of the engine well enough for this to not be an issue with rusting over a winter season (or 2). Rotors are directly exposed and not coated in anything, that is why they rust.
 
Storage for the whole winter? I would change the oil and filter before storage (along with a few other precautions, of course). Changing the oil after taking the car out one time, when it already has clean oil... that is silly. Short trips are only a problem when they become regular. One or two short trips here and there generally will not cause problems with crankcase moisture, so long as the other trips get the oil to full temp and keep it there for a little while at least.
 
Back
Top