# oil change and storing a vehicle... before or after?



## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

okay, when storing a vehicle that is due for an oil change for say 6 months, should you...

a) change the oil right before you put it away

b) change the oil after you take it out


arguments for,

a) keeps fresh oil in the pan, no way to forget in the spring, ready to roll

b) fresh oil in the spring

arguments against

a) oil has a few months to break down

b) all the contaminents in the oil get 6 months to sit and turn acidic and corrode your moving parts...

remember, the vehicle will need it either right before or right after storage, the oil is going to be pretty spent..
opinions?


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Change your oil before you put it away. Don't let your motor sit in a bath contaminated with corrosive agents (acids).

New motor oil does not break down sitting in a sump. And, any moisture that accumulates during the off season will evaporate off the next time the engine is up to temp (assuming the PCV system is working properly).

I've seen UOAs which prove this. Oil does not 'go bad' or 'break down' during storage. 

However, it is actually BAD to occasionally start the car for 15-20 minutes once each month, etc ... idling fuel-fouls the oil and it often doesn't properly get up to temp to flash that stuff off.


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

Bror Jace said:


> Change your oil before you put it away. Don't let your motor sit in a bath contaminated with corrosive agents (acids).
> 
> New motor oil does not break down sitting in a sump. And, any moisture that accumulates during the off season will evaporate off the next time the engine is up to temp (assuming the PCV system is working properly).
> 
> ...



its actually for my bike... its a 2004, the PCV should be quite alright on it  IF it gets started over the winter, it wont be for 15 min at a time, it will be to go out on a warm minter day for a few good hard hours...

that was the road iwas leaning towards, i just wanted some reassurance...


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Cool. :thumbup:

Fortunately, storage time for bikes is a ways away. Tonawanda is nice beginning in June. I used to have a sales route that took me out your way almost once per month. :thumbup:

Your bike has carbs? I'd 'fog it' before final shut-down if you really want to be anal about caring for it. You get a spray (aerosol can) from most automotive (or marine!) supply shops. Pennzoil fogging spray is pretty common around here.

It'll coat the throat of the carbs and the passageways with a fine mist of oil ensuring that nothing sticks, nothing corrodes while it hibernates.

It'll smoke a bit more on start-up, but that's OK as you know why. It's just burning off that protective film of oil.

And being anal about care and feeding of your two wheeled beastie is no sin. 

More on bikes and oil:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=9


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## Blank (Aug 21, 2003)

Bror Jace said:


> Cool. :thumbup:
> 
> Fortunately, storage time for bikes is a ways away. Tonawanda is nice beginning in June. I used to have a sales route that took me out your way almost once per month. :thumbup:
> 
> ...


not carbed, its EFI...


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## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

since we are on subject here. i have a snow blower and a generater that do alot of sitting. whats up with that "sta-bil" fuel stabalizer? would that be a good thing to add to the tanks of the motors? or is it all just hype?


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## astreamk1 (Apr 16, 2004)

pete? said:


> since we are on subject here. i have a snow blower and a generater that do alot of sitting. whats up with that "sta-bil" fuel stabalizer? would that be a good thing to add to the tanks of the motors? or is it all just hype?


as far as your snowblower goes, if it has a Tecumseh engine, I'd run it dry. Their carbs feed from the bottom and I have had problems using stabil. I leave them sit dry in the shed and have no problems the next season. If your snow blower is a 2 cycle, look for oil that has a built in stabilizer and burns very clean (ashless). Lawnboy's oil is great for this. I run it in all my 2 stroke lawn equip. never needs drained, never have a problem getting gummed up. :thumbup:


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## Petrovich (May 13, 2005)

pete? said:


> since we are on subject here. i have a snow blower and a generater that do alot of sitting. whats up with that "sta-bil" fuel stabalizer? would that be a good thing to add to the tanks of the motors? or is it all just hype?


Hm, not sure, but I poured a bottle of some fuel stabilizer into my cycle's tank AFTER it refused to start (previous owner kept it for 3 months in a garage and failed to get it to run, so $300 later it became mine). It still wouldn't start. Then, after 3 weeks of sitting at my friend's place and 5 miles of dragging (ugh) it to my house it started right up, as if nothing was wrong. What a treacherous, sadistic piece of machinery 
Anyway, that thing plus a bottle of techron made it run like new. Weird thing is, the bike turned out to have less than a gallon of fuel in it, so concentration of additives was quite high


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

I use StaBil ... but it doesn't seem as effective as it was, say, a decade or more ago. I blame the instability of the multitude of today's eco-friendly fuels. 

I like *astreamk1's* advice when it comes to Tecumseh engines ... at least the older ones. I had one on a homemade wood splitter, the gas tank had leaked dry and the machine had at outside, in the elements for well over a year. We added a little gas and it started right up ... first pull. I still can't believe it. 

However, for machines I store for 6 months or less, I always leave a little gas and a healthy dose of StaBil in them. Works well enough.

I've heard the Briggs & Stratton fuel stabilizer works better than StaBil ... but that's just hearsay to me so far.

I change the oil in air-cooled equipment every 25-50 hours, depending, depending. Seems like overkill (these engines will often have long lives despite neglect) but I run mine hard and want them to run like new as well as last a long time.

I am especially sure to change the gear oil in those little auger differentials on snow blowers at least once every 2-3 years. 

I'm pretty impressed with our new Ariens 28105 (28" cut, 10.5hp engine) pretty well-made machine even if it wasn't set-up properly at the factory.


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## 510Mods (Feb 21, 2005)

Sitting that long, I would just drain everything.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

Unless it's YEARS that go by, that's simply a waste. 

I saw a UOA from a Toyota Celica that was in storage for over a year. Oil had lots of TBN (total base number) left which is a measure of the oils ability to fight corrosion.


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