Winter Oil Change Question?
 

With colder weather approaching, and summer over, many will be driving their Corvette less or storing them for winter. That brings me to a good question.

Should I change my oil and filter before I store it for the winter or should I leave it and change it in the spring before I start driving it again? Which is best for protecting the car?

All tips, information and reasons why will be helpful to many of us. When you reply, also tell me why one is better than the other, also, should I use any additives or anything different for the change. Keep in mind, if I change the oil before or after I store it, I will be running the oil next year also. So I will not be changing it again orior to the driving season.

Thanks in advance to all helpful replies.

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Is the engine due for an oil change? Makes no difference on the seasons. If it is due, do it, if not, don't and wait till it is due.

No magic potions in a bottle needed. :thumbs: These magic potions are nothing but thoughts put into peoples heads to lighten their wallets and fatten the wallets of these potion companies.

I never get enough mileage annually so I just change before winter storage. I prefer to remove contaminated oil as to leave until spring.

This debate never stops. Acid, contamination, moisture...vs. change in spring so you have fresh oil...vs cheap insurance vs waste of money...

I am like you SAPLUMR, I am in the same boat. I do not get enough mileage to say it is "Time" to change it based on miles, but they also say to change it every so many months and or so many miles. So as far as miles, no it is not time, as far as time, yes it would be time. I usually change it once or twice a year based mainly on the time that has passed because I do not put maybe 1000 to 2000 miles if that a year. It may be closer to 500 miles to be honest. Sadly my insurance is still the same as my daily car, both are at the lowest mileage but I do not even drive that much.

I agree with the comment about the water and contaminants from driving it over the warmer weather and all that sitting in the engine. Any moisture or condensation from driving and cooling in the oil can damage it especially as it sits for a period of time.

Then again, if the engine attracts moisture during the storage time or from starting it and letting it cool during storage to keep it lubricated can also cause a problem if you start it up at the beginning of the season and you do not change it again.

I guess the best answer is both, change it prior to storage and change it prior to driving season but financially that seems a bit much. I may ask Mobil 1 and see what they suggest, I will pass it along to you guys also.

But as I said, any tips, advice and suggestions are appreciated.

:thumbs:

if one believes they should change oil just because old man winter is coming then change all fluids for the same reason.. otherwise change it when it is due. :yesnod::yesnod:

I've typically been changing oil and filter before storage after having put between 4-6k miles annually during summer driving. I may reverse my strategy this year having just put 2k miles on it this summer due to having total knee replacement surgery the end of July.

While I've got good range of motion back in that knee I'm not ready to get down on the ground with my Race Ramps to do an oil change. I don't think it will matter as the Mobil 1 hasn't had too many miles on it. I'll do the oil change in the spring when I wake it up from it's long winter nap.

The rule on oil change is mileage or annually depending. When is a personal preference. You don't change other fluids annually.

:iagree: If you are putting 1000 or so miles per year on your car & are using Mobil 1 oil, that oil has lots of life left in it, change it in the spring or do it now if you are that worried about it. For you OCD candidates, send a sample to Blackstone for a oil analysis to put your mind at ease

In an attempt to get a more accurate answer from the oil industry, I sent the same email to what I consider the top (3) three oil manufactures asking the same questions. That way I can hopefully get a good answer and explanations as to why they say what they say.

The big question here to me is when it is "DUE"?

This may vary based on the model and year of your Corvette, I looked this up in my Owners Manual and this is what it says. I did find it interesting that the system in the car decides when an oil change is necessary based on several factors including how you drive, engine temperature, miles and other factors. This is what the owners manual says about WHEN to change the oil specifically in MY 2005 Corvette.

"Engine Oil Life System
When to Change Engine Oil
Your vehicle has a computer that lets you know when to
change your engine oil and filter. This is based on
engine revolutions and engine temperature, and not on
mileage. Based on driving conditions, the mileage at
which an oil change will be indicated can vary
considerably. For the oil life system to work properly,
you must reset the system every time the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has been
diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is necessary.
A CHANGE OIL SOON message will come on. Change
your oil as soon as possible within the next 600 miles
(1 000 km). It is possible that, if you are driving under the
best conditions, the oil life system may not indicate that
an oil change is necessary for over a year. However, your
engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year
and at this time the system must be reset. Your dealer
has GM-trained service people who will perform this work
using genuine GM parts and reset the system. It is also
important to check your oil regularly and keep it at the
proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must
change your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your
last oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system
whenever the oil is changed."

So there we go, but like I said, I will see what the oil manufacturers say also, they may have a different answer or more often or less often, I will post what they say when I get the replies.

What do you guys think about the GM suggestions in the Owners Manual here that I posted?

:thumbs:

May be a stupid question but do they charge for this and if so how much and how long does the results take?

:iagree: Like I said above -- when IT is DUE!

The two big elephants in the room are: 1) change oil according to recommended interval and oil type, and 2) if you are going to store your car and/or not drive it for a long time, make sure that before your last shutdown, the oil temp is higher than 170F. Coolant temp is irrelevant. Oil temp matters because there’s lots of water vapor in exhaust gas, exhaust gas contacts the oil via piston blowby, water vapor can condense into liquid water when oil isn’t hot, and liquid water allows formation of carboxylic and even stronger organic acids in the oil. The third most important item after those two is trivial, so don’t worry about it. And to answer a potential question in advance, the third most important item is so insignificant that nobody could say with any confidence what it is. Maybe it’s change oil before winter. Maybe it’s who knows what else. But since it doesn’t matter anyway, who cares?

It's due at least once per year so some of us change in the fall before storage. It's really not that difficult to understand..or at least I didn't think so.

I am so happy you agree with me -- Thought for a moment you were making a science project out of a simple decision flow chart. :cheers:

In the south we drive yearound, storage... the a/c garage during a heat wave... :ack:

Light blue....medium blue....dark blue or just blue?

Since this subject comes up every Fall, I decided to do an approximate 2 year test of what the worst case would be for contaminants that might be a problem. I'm only nearing the end of the first test year, so I have no data to offer other than visual. At my last oil change, I put several pieces of different alloys of aluminum including piston parts, oil pan pieces, and parts of an engine block, into a 20 oz glass jar. Then I poured in about 10 oz of the used oil and topped it off with about 8 oz of water. The water and oil separated almost immediately. It's been on a shelf in the garage and subjected to temperatures ranging from 30 to 130 degrees. So far, i visually detect no corrosion. I'll be repeating this in another jar at my next oil change coming soon. Then sending the oil samples for testing at the end of the second year (0 - 3% OLM) along with a sample from the then current oil change. This should have the equivalent of no storage, a 1 year storage, and a 2 year storage all on oil that has reached the end of it's useful life.

I last changed oil at 140140 miles on 11/27/16 and am currently at 150371 with 8% remaining on the OLM. The OLM is a far more accurate indicator of oil breakdown than miles driven, because it includes factors such as temperature and engine revolutions. The OM only mentions the once a year oil change requirement for warranty purposes to cover their butt for the person who's engine seizes at 90K miles due to never changing oil. It's a time that people can remember, since buying a car is a major purchase and doesn't relate to miles driven.

People talk about contaminants and such as if they will grow and get worse if you let your car sit for a few months. People. This is oil. Synthetic oil. Contaminants don't just come out of nowhere. Our cars sit WAY more than they are running, so why would anyone think it matters if it's a few weeks or a few months? Good grief. These debates never cease to amaze me. Synthetic oil doesn't go bad after a few weeks. Or months. Change it whenever the heck you want, it literally makes zero difference.