Lerxst

What is the recommendation on changing the oil after I bring my new 427 out of storage in say April/May next year? When I put her away a couple of weeks ago she had approx. 450 miles on her.
Worthwhile of waste of money?
Thanks.
S -

Sunset-C6

No need to change oil with 450 miles.

TTZ06VETTE

Probably no need but I always do. Hate the thought of it accumulating moisture for 6-7 months of storage.

Gearhead Jim

Some people, including Blackstone Labs, recommend doing the first couple of oil changes much sooner than the OLI tells you. The LS engines throw a lot of metal into the oil when new, and that may produce unnecessary wear. Based on that, Spring would be a nice time to do the first change and maybe do the next one at 5,000 miles.

Other knowledgeable people say that's a waste, just run the OLI down to near 0 every time.

Certainly the engine will give good service until past the warranty (5yrs/100k miles). If GM has tested beyond that in ordinary driving, we don't know.
There is a lady here with 250,000 miles on her 2008 LS3, no engine work, and she runs the OLI down to 0 every time with ordinary Mobil1 5W-30. Her car started as a Hertz rental, I suppose perhaps they did some early oil changes based on a time program for other cars but certainly not guaranteed.

funz06

From reading on the forum and in different places over the years, it sounds like we are fine as long as we change it every year. Some in our club insist on doing it before they put the car to bed for the winter, and then again in the Spring; others just do it either in the Fall or in the Spring. For years I have just done it every Spring......a dealer in NH has his annual corvette fling in May and I make an appointment to have the oil changed that day while I eat and look at the corvettes. I typically just put between 3k and 5k miles on the car each year. I can't see changing the oil in the fall and letting it sit there for the most part while I only get the chance to drive the car 1-2 days a month from December to April. I like to start the Spring off with fresh oil, and this is what I will continue to do with my 427. For new cars I was told by old time mechanics that it is a good idea to change the oil after the 1st 800 to 1,200 miles or so just to get any metal flakes etc. from a new engine out of the system---I did this with my 427 for the 1st time.

Red08

I always change the oil & filter prior to it's winter nap. I am a DIY'er, so what's it cost...~$40.00 or so? Come spring, its got fresh, clean oil, a new filter and it's ready to go!

dvilin

Waste of money.

Mad*Max

do it - I would feel a lot better - good thing is that you have 6 months to make a decision

96GS#007

But if you're going to do it, here are a few pointers....

- Surgical scrubs, gloves, and mask to eliminate any potential contaminates
- Garage door closed to prevent potential theft of security secrets
- Thick padded silk covers over all tools that will come in contact with the car in order to prevent scratching of the extremely delicate steel frame rails or aluminum lift points
- 100% oxygen atmosphere to improve crankcase environment during oil fill

80atez

I change mine once a year now and do OA. Never my TBN close to 1, meaning, the oil is not acidic and likely not hurting anything sitting there over winter. Any water in the oil from storage will evaporate during a nice long spring ride.

I usually wait in the spring to change my oil until right before my first track day.

Probably makes more sense to change it before storage, but I don't think it actually matters.

If you have 450 total miles on your car:

1) drive it more ; )

2) I'd change the oil at 1K miles or so, then 3K, then whatever interval you want, including 1 yr or 0 on the meter depending on how you drive.

My 2c, worth about 1.

HOXXOH

Quit worrying.
I have an oil pan from a 2010 LS3 with about a 1/2 quart of oil in it, that has been sitting in my garage for 3 years. So far, there is no evidence of any corrosion on the pan, nor any moisture. The oil has 10K of use and I'll send you a sample if you'll send it to Blackstone and post the results to help you and others feel more comfortable about winter storage.

bpGx

Waste of money oils won't go bad in couple months

08C6

Goona get different opinions here !!! after storage for what it costs I'm getting it done...It's what you think !!!It's what you want to do !!! To each his own I guess ...

ghoust

Save your money for fuel because with 450 miles, I would just get her out of hibernation and drive her.

Black 03 Z06

I always change my oil and filter after the cars winter storage. I typically put on 1000 to 1500 miles a year on mine so the oil is still fairly new when the car goes into hibernation. I change it more to eliminate any moisture in the oil as my garage is not heated and the temperature can fluctuate a fair bit which I believe leads to moisture.

It would not bother me in the least however to make an oil change at 450 miles after storage and the engine being new. For less than $50 it is peace of mind for the owner.

BSE1956

Take it for a drive, heat it up and change the oil & filter now.
Wish I had taken pics, but you'd be really surprised what came out of my LS3 after changes at 500, 1500 and 3,000 miles. Little metal particles on the magnetic plug that eventually showed up in later oil changes as a grey metallic paste. Later changes did not have the particles/paste. They are gone now.
Aside from that, leaving the acids and other pollutants in the oil over the winter is supposedly not good. Change it to fresh and you'll get a new start in the spring.
Waste of money? Maybe. IMHO it's just a matter of peace of mind.

Cherokee Nation

Now (IF) i lived in the North & had to put my Baby down for a few months,i would start it up at least once a week & let it get the temp up then shut it down.Why Not??

OnPoint

Since it's the first change (which I usually do early anyway), I'd probably warm the engine up to op temp on a nice drive, change the oil and have her ready to go for spring.

Black 03 Z06

Could be wrong but I have heard that doing that promotes condensation inside the motor and exhaust. I have been parking mine the same way for ten years now and to date no issues. It is not uncommon to go from minus 20 or 30 to above freezing in a short period of time so the temperature is tough on stored vehicles.

Gearhead Jim

The part in bold is important, that's what I do every week during our 2 month winter "storage"; I also drive it up and down our 50 yard driveway a several times each week times but stay off the salted road.

When I do the next oil change and send a sample to Blackstone Labs, there is nothing wrong with the oil and the results are the same as what I get after a summer-only oil change; so this is certainly no hurting anything. Whether it actually helps, is hard to judge. I especially like exercising all the other systems- steering, brakes, transmission, etc.