Honda 1.5L, 5w-30, 10 years

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I just received the oil analyse regarding a sample of used oil from a civic 90 engine. The car is not driveable, but the engine is still in "good" condition. The civic was rotten in my neighbor's backyard for more than 10 years now. I was curious about the condition of the engine oil in this car, so I took a sample of this oil and send it to Black stone for analyse. When I received the oil analyse, I was surprised that the oil is still in good condition and the TBN is still high after 10 years. Any thought about this?

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I can't speak for the oil but there are all sorts of gremlins that can creep up in engines and vehicles that have sat that long. Internal surfaces rusting, seals drying out, corrosion. It could be a can of worms situation.
 
So... sitting for 10 years without being started?

Did you pull a sample without starting it as well, just to see what the condition is?
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I can't speak for the oil but there are all sorts of gremlins that can creep up in engines and vehicles that have sat that long. Internal surfaces rusting, seals drying out, corrosion. It could be a can of worms situation.


Can of worms in a bottle of oil! lol
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I agree with StevieC. A car is best being run. Like a house needs someone who lives in it. Let them sit long enough and things get bad.
 
Dino oil that's already a few million years old in the ground does not mind a few years in a car! LOL

I got a high TBN for oil in a garage queen that was driven 5,000 miles on the last OCI before being
parked inside and sat for 11 years and was started and run 3 times a year to take
outside for a wash, etc!
 
I’d just like to say Thanks! to ST2008 for doing something so cool as to put out the cash for a UOA on some nasty old oil. This kind of random stuff is fun to read about and does add to the collective knowledge here on BITOG.
 
Actually, I don't care about the engine. I was just curious about the engine oil condition. To make a story short, the car belonged to the deceased husband of my neighbor. Her husband didn't fixe the car because he was sick. When her husband passed away, she didn't send the car to the scrapyard because of sentimental reason. I asked her the permission and I pumped the engine oil from the dipstick tube.
 
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Originally Posted By: Onug
I’d just like to say Thanks! to ST2008 for doing something so cool as to put out the cash for a UOA on some nasty old oil. This kind of random stuff is fun to read about and does add to the collective knowledge here on BITOG.



I agree, this is truly Motor Oil Nerd level 99!
 
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud


Dino oil that's already a few million years old in the ground does not mind a few years in a car! LOL

I got a high TBN for oil in a garage queen that was driven 5,000 miles on the last OCI before being
parked inside and sat for 11 years and was started and run 3 times a year to take
outside for a wash, etc!


See, I would have changed the oil prior to storage and then again after x amount of years if the car was to be started.

But if it was me, I wouldn't store any car that isn't being used anyway. Not my thing to have it sit there and rot away. After 11 years it probably needs an overhaul to be driven on the road. Seems like a waste to me
 
Originally Posted By: Onug
I’d just like to say Thanks! to ST2008 for doing something so cool as to put out the cash for a UOA on some nasty old oil. This kind of random stuff is fun to read about and does add to the collective knowledge here on BITOG.



+1 Yes, thank you ST2008! Where are my manners.
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Indeed, according to my years of experience,In this case, there is generally no problem。
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BEIBEN TRUCK PARTS,TIEMA,
 
There are a couple of Stuart tanks parked near here that I could probably get an oil sample from. Doubt they've moved since about 1950, but I dunno what the oil was like when they parked, so it wouldn't prove much.
 
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud


Dino oil that's already a few million years old in the ground does not mind a few years in a car! LOL


Dino oil is not a few million years, more like a few hundred million
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Yet more proof that oil does not know how old it is.
This oil was likely not changed prior to sitting 10 years, and yet the lube itself is fine.

Yes - it's possible (probable?) that some amount of rust (Fe) may be present in the interior of the engine on some surfaces like cylinder walls, exposed cam lobes, etc. However, that wasn't really the quest here. ST2008 was wanting to know how the OIL was, not the engine.

Also, there's a UOA thread here that's from a few months back where a 10-year sitting period was experienced by an older truck, and the engine was started, and then the UOA was taken. And yet it was OK; indicating that not only was the oil OK, but also the engine.

Ryan Stark will tell us this is because engines over the last two decades are "sealed" much better than they used to be. The ingress of moisture ins't nearly as bad as many decades ago. Sealed PCV systems, tighter clamps, hoses more resistant to rot, etc, all contribute to an engine that can endure sitting idle (not to be confused with idling), for years and years. That and fuel/oil contributory issues like sulphur are much lower than decades ago also. It's not that one factor is the key; it's that all the small improvements add up to a more desirable result.
 
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Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud


Dino oil that's already a few million years old in the ground does not mind a few years in a car! LOL


Dino oil is not a few million years, more like a few hundred million
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Yeah, I have a habit of 'quiet' under-statement! LOL
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