The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Waking up your truck from winters slumber

Hey all,

I have a generic opinion question. When beginning the spring/summer/fall driving season, how do you address engine oil changes? It appears there are two general philosophies: change engine oil at the beginning of the driving season or change oil at end of the season.
My old truck never gets enough miles on it annually to change oil by mileage, but by the calendar, so I would like to hear what you all think.

i change the oil at the end of the season, then crank it over w/o ignition to circulate the fresh stuff. then let it sit for the winter and its ready to go in the spring. I don't think the oil deteriorates while in storage for a few months - fresh oil sitting in a dark oil pan isn't much different from fresh oil sitting in an opaque bottle in my opinion...

Why are you changing oil every year? I'm a mechanic and am really interested in the answer.

Paul, I do as tomctomc describes

LeeP, for cheap insurance that some impurities and possible acidity might be lessened/removed - maybe for a little longer engine/bearings life.

Mostly because it make me feel good and maybe gives good karma. "Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness."

This perhaps unnecessary but possibly helpful action/maintenance costs less than $20.

Oh.. I see. Well its always a good thing to keep clean oil in an engine. I have seen quite a few differing approaches to engine wear over the years.

Lee, it gives us an excuse to work on our trucks.

There's an old adage that pretty well sums it up- - - - - -"Oil is cheaper than engine parts!" We changed oil in the race engines once a week, and used the oil we drained out in our daily drivers. Of course, one of our sponsors was the local gasoline/oil/diesel fuel distributor and he dropped off a case of Valvoline racing oil about twice a month.
Jerry

I believe in changing the oil when I put my trucks and car away for winter storage.

Yeah my wife likes to change shoes that way.
I don't really don't have any comment or opinion on doing oil changes that often, But as said above gives an excuse to work on them.

I change my oil in the fall and in the spring but I use my '48 all winter long.

216/235/261 engine crankcases are oil contamination factories, especially if the rings have some age on them.
Blow-by past the rings. Unburned gas will thin the oil.
Condensation from short trips, preventing the condensation from being boiled off.
Anemic stock crankcase ventilation (compared to PCV setup).
It is probably a good idea to change the oil before you button it up for the winter to remove those contaminants while the engine is in storage.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I have been changing the oil first thing in the spring at the beginning of the driving season as my thought process was to have clean fresh oil in the crankcase for the trucks active season. The comments of the oil contaminants sitting in the oil all winter makes a compelling argument for the fall oil change. I was thinking more in the lines of introducing water condensation in the crankcase as the engine sits in the cold gulping up moist air during warm spells. Humidity is high most of the time here. My old precious iron sits under a pole shed, not in a fancy climate controlled garage. BTW, the truck does get started and yard driven every 2-3 weeks during the winter.

For 100% of the reasons 52Carl gave I do exactly what tomctomc does. It’s like giving your motor a bath after a long hot season of chores, then putting it to bed in nice clean sheets.

Okay, that’s a corny analogy, but you get the idea.

I also changed oil in fall, and do tune up in spring. Been doing that with the boat and small engines for many years and they are doing fine, some over 20 years old. Figured since seasonal usage for all same treatment.

What is this "Put it away for the winter" thing? Our trucks drive just fine in the winter. As a sorta test I cranked my 6 volt truck this past winter on an 18 degree morning and drove it 15 miles to the brothers house. Truth is it cranked slow, but the old 6 volt system was up to the job. The cab was toasty in a couple miles and all worked as it should.

You do need to have it up in driver condition, along the lines of what folks would have had in the 40/50/60's and I wouldn't drive on freshly salted roads but they do just fine on the proper rural roads. One just needs to be selective on when/where you drive. I don't think my dad had the luxury of parking our 49 1/2 ton just because winter had arrived.

I do recognize there are times when they need to stay parked, as with most regular 2 wheel drive vehicles.

RonR

Ditto Ron. I drive the ‘48 Burb 2-3 times during the winter but it is a modern drive train Streetrod. The ‘62 C-10 gets driven usually once a week unless there’s ice or snow.