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Oil Change before storage

Started by gkhashem, November 03, 2019, 04:05:55 PM

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gkhashem

Hagerty put out a email to a link stating an oil change before storage is a must or whatever term they used.

They claim fresh oil helps prevent internal damage during storage.

I have so many cars but 3 of them have gone 200 miles or less since the last oil change in 2018. I usually change it every year but I think I will wait until spring.

Is this oil change before storage a bit overstated on hardly used oil? Seems like a total waste of money, now can I afford it , but is this needed?

The newest car I got had not had an oil change in about 200 miles, but the last change was May 1996! It looked clean. I changed that one, and the car runs fine. This car had 9450 miles on it. It had been in storage about 23 1/2 years it did need a new fuel tank and pump.

Any thoughts.
1959 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Sports Sedan
1960 Cadillac Coupe Deville (CLC Sr #72)
1964 Oldsmobile 98 Town Sedan (OCA 1st)
1970 GMC C1500
1977 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Coupe
1978 Cadillac Coupe Deville (CLC Sr Crown #959)*
1992 Oldsmobile 98 (OCA 1st)
1996 Oldsmobile 98
*CLC Past President's Preservation

Past Cadillacs
1959 Coupe Deville
1966 Coupe Deville (Sr #861)*
1991 Eldorado Biarritz (Sr #838)

Jon S

 I for one think it’s a bunch of bunk.   It’s always nice to have fresh oil in the car prior to storage but I got to tell you most of my cars go under 100 miles a year and I haven’t change the oil in over 10 years and have had zero problems with any of my cars.   I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to change the oil but I think it’s a bit of overkill on cars that have not gone very far.   As long as you take your car for a good run to Bronner off any acid in the oil prior to storage I think you’ll be fine..  Again, JMHO
Jon

1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville
1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe
1981 Corvette
2004 Mustang GT

wrench

The recommendation is because combustion products and moisture can cause corrosion inside the engine.

So if you have low mileage oil you should be good. However, if the calendar age of the oil is high (3 years for example) then moisture content can be a factor. Such as indoor vs outdoor storage, extreme temp environments, high humidity or locations along the coastline.

I change the oil every year, but not specifically in the context of storage, it is a function of time or mileage.
1951 Series 62 Sedan
1969 Eldorado
1970 Eldorado (Triple Black w/power roof)
1958 Apache 3/4 ton 4x4
2005 F250
2014 FLHP
2014 SRX

Mike Josephic CLC #3877

In former times, I used to change the oil in my collector
cars every year before storage.  I stopped doing that
about 5 years ago, it's really overkill.

However, I have a climate controlled garages so the
chances of condensation build up are nil.  That's one
issue.  The other issue, contaminants in the oil, is
also not really a factor if you drive that car only a
few hundred miles on an oil change.  There are
enough additives in the oil to handle that.

IMHO, you can easily change that interval to every
two years without a worry.

Mike
1955 Cadillac Eldorado
1973 Cadillac Eldorado
1995 Cadillac Seville
2004 Escalade
1997 GMC Suburban 4X4, 454 engine, 3/4 ton
custom built by Santa Fe in Evansville, IN
2011 Buick Lucerne CX
-------------------------------------
CLCMRC Museum Benefactor #38
Past: VP International Affiliates, Museum Board Director, President / Director Pittsburgh Region

Bobby B

Quote from: gkhashem on November 03, 2019, 04:05:55 PM
Hagerty put out a email to a link stating an oil change before storage is a must or whatever term they used.

They must have stock invested in oil companies.....First off, Oil is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be. If it were detrimental to the life of the engine, there would be no argument whatsoever as far as being penny-wise dollar-foolish. Their logic is not making sense to me because I change mine AFTER the storage period is over. If they claim moisture forms in the oil during storage, why would you put fresh oil in there and contaminate it? I'm sorry, but if I'm dumping $40.00 worth of oil (plus a filter), it's going to be oil that's been used.
                                                                                                 Bobby
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe
1968 Mustang Convertible
1973 Mustang Convertible
1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
1971 Datsun 240Z
1979 H-D FLH

Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373

#5
Like everything, take it with a grain of salt. Our 70 at for a long time before we got it. You can actually see pitting on the dipstick from where it was submerged in the oil. The main bearings had pitting too. Our 55 sat for 20-25 years and doesn't have any signs of pitting. I can only assume the 70 had old oil. I would say if you are not going to change it, at least take it out for a good run and get it up to temp before you tuck it away for the winter.
The plane has a quick drain. I always warm it before changing but 1 year I didn't. With the quick drain it was easy to see what came out at 1st. I had about 1/3rd of a shot glass of water in the bottom of the sump. I realize it is a different engine and different oil so, take that for what it is worth.
Jeff

Edit-- Here is a picture of one of the main bearings we pulled from the 70. I think you can see the pitting in the picture.
Jeff Rosansky
CLC #28373
1970 Coupe DeVille (Big Red)
1955 Series 62 (Baby Blue)
Dad's new 1979 Coupe DeVille