now that i have 3 cars i seldom use my 1998 f150 4.6 ,its been about 3 months now and i only put like 500 short trip miles.should i change it or leave it?my other ques. this truck sits outside all the time and with winter coming should i crank-it some times or just let it sit all winter ,couse i hear that most of the wear is at start-up. comments please!!

 

My truck situation is similar to yours. My oil change interval is every six months and I try to drive at least twenty miles once per week. If you can't drive it at least run the engine occasionally. Just my opinion.

 

Dont start the engine unless you are going to drive far enough to warm it up completely, ten miles or so. If the oil temp, not coolant temp, never gets above 180F, you will just build up more moisture in the oil instead of boiling it off.

Jim

 

Thanks for joining us in the Oil and Lubrication forum, aztec12! If you update your profile so we can see your "Location", we might have a better idea of what kind of winter you're talking about. Winter in SoCal is a lot different than Michigan. So they tell me!

 

I have a '95 Caravan that has been driven about 2000 miles in the past 3 years. It sits outside, too. Sometimes it'll sit for 5 or 6 months before it's started and driven. Often times when it does get driven, it'll be for 15 to 20 miles (to the store!) and then get shut down again for a few months. I change oil and filter once a year regardless of miles driven. I would not start it in the winter unless you were going to drive it, then again, I should follow my own advice. I start it sometimes in the dead of winter to move it so I can clear the parking space of snow and ice and then move it back. You're looking at 5 minutes of run-time maybe twice a winter, that CAN'T be good...

 

I have two oldy moldys that aren't driven, just moved around. A 78 & a 85.

I run them at least once monthly on the warmest days & for at least 30 minutes, at a fast idle, to bring the engine & oil up to temp & recharge the battery.

If it's been more than 30 days, I'll do a overnight, low (2 amp setting), trickle charge on the battery, remove the spark plugs & squirt a little Marvel Oil into the cylinders, kill the fuel pump & crank it to spread the Marvel Oil in the cylinders & build oil pressure enough to turn off the warning light. Then replace the spark plugs & start it up for a full warm up period.

Oil & filter change yearly. Marvel Oil, or Stabil at the double dose, in the gas. Has worked fo me here in SW Va, over the years.

Just some thoughts to ponder.