Winter storage?

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If I change my oil in my Mustang before I put it away for the winter do I need to dump that oil when it comes out of storage or can I run it for a normal change interval when it comes out?
 
Depends on who you ask. I never have changed the oil before storing and keep my vehicles in a cold Michigan garage. One UOA performed had oil in the sump 18 months and 12k miles and all was good.
 
I have an 88 5.0 LX and I only change the oil in the spring along with the filter. I only put ~700 miles during the summer. I'm seriously thinking of changing the filter every other year based on the little mileage I put on the car.

If you plan on changing the oil in the fall, you're safe to use it the following year.
 
winter.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Camprunner
If I change my oil in my Mustang before I put it away for the winter do I need to dump that oil when it comes out of storage or can I run it for a normal change interval when it comes out?

It's funny how many otherwise intelligent motor heads think the oil will deteriorate just sitting in the sump over winter.

Anyway as has been alluded, the engine has to be running for the oil to degrade. If you only drive the car in the summer you could probably go a few years before the oil actually needs to be changed depending on how many miles you rack up.
 
Originally Posted By: Camprunner
If I change my oil in my Mustang before I put it away for the winter do I need to dump that oil when it comes out of storage or can I run it for a normal change interval when it comes out?


After you changed the oil take it for a last rinse out and leave some fresh sets of 1's around your neighbourhood then stick it in your garage and repeat in spring!
wink.gif


I don't/wouldn't change the oil before I store it personally, the old add pack is nicely attached to the engine so I just turn it off until spring and change the oil then, nothing bad will happen to the engine.
 
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I like to have reasonably fresh oil in the sump for the winter, like with maybe a couple of thousand miles of use.
In the spring, just get the car out and take it for a long drive.
Change it when you feel like it.
It's not urgently needed.
Now, the OM of my old BMW recommends that the oil and filter be changed both prior to and after storage.
Seems a bit of a waste and I can't imagine that very many owners actually did this.
 
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Camprunner
If I change my oil in my Mustang before I put it away for the winter do I need to dump that oil when it comes out of storage or can I run it for a normal change interval when it comes out?

It's funny how many otherwise intelligent motor heads think the oil will deteriorate just sitting in the sump over winter.

Anyway as has been alluded, the engine has to be running for the oil to degrade. If you only drive the car in the summer you could probably go a few years before the oil actually needs to be changed depending on how many miles you rack up.


Hasn't oil got a shelf life when it's in a sealed container?
 
Practically speaking, the shelf life of motor oil seems to be longer than you're likely to have any sitting around.
Some makers say five years, but we have members here who've run oils much older than that without any problems.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Practically speaking, the shelf life of motor oil seems to be longer than you're likely to have any sitting around.
Some makers say five years, but we have members here who've run oils much older than that without any problems.


Yup! I'm using oil from 2006 in the Acura and oil from 2007 in the Firebird right now. No issues to report. After about 3,000 miles on each fill, they haven't sludged or caused any issues. In fact, the oil still looks fairly golden on the dipstick and hasn't darkened all that much.
 
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