Hey guys,

My truck is in storage now and I plan to drive it on a 3000 mile round trip during last week of Nov 2007. Before I put the truck in storage, I had changed the oil and the new oil(Rotella Synthetic) has a max of 200 miles on it. The truck has been in storage since March 2007. Do you think I should change the oil before driving or is it ok since it was just sitting?

Ho, while in storage it was started every once in a while...but not regularly.

Thanks,

 

I would recommend changing the oil.

 

If you are planing a 3000 mile trip change the oil.

Also starting and idling the truck while it is in storage is not a good idea. The worst time for storing a vehicle is starting it after it has been sitting and all the oil has drained into the oil pan. If you start it once a month you are just increasing the number of times that the engine is started bone dry.

Before starting a dry engine you should crank the starter with the fuel pump disconnected that will allow the oil pump to rase some oil up to the cams before the engine really starts. Just crank the starter for 30 seconds and let it sit for five minuets. Do that twice then connect the fuel pump and start it normally.

 

Hopefully you dumped some kind of additive into the fuel system that keeps the fuel from going bad from bacteria and fungi.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...el+Microbicide

One example of many on the market.

I would pull it out, drive it to warm it up, then change the oil and filter.

 

I has been started only twice until now...I had added Diesel Kleen before putting it into storage, that should help to take off any bacteria or fungi growth

 

I would do the road trip first, then change the oil. 200 miles previous and two short startups don't wave the severe service flag to me. Really, how is the oil more depleted sitting in your engine than it would be sitting in a jug on the shelf of the garage?

 

that was my thinking too or does oil degrade over time of 8 to 9 months?

 

No, time doesn't degrade it. What would warrant changing it would be if you had driven it daily short trips over the same time period.

Short trips with insufficient time for engine warmup and humid conditions bring moist air into the crankcase. Sulfur dioxide, a byproduct of the combustion process and moisture combine to create sulfuric acid. Base additives in the oil neutralize the acid and render it harmless. But that does deplete the base additive.

ULSD fuels decrease the amount of SOX in the combustion.

 

get in it and start it up. i would check the air in the tires. absolutly no need to dump new exxpensive synthetic oil. my god,,where does this analness end. run it for a while and look for leaks,,everything looks good? go.

 

i should say that i never use my 350s unless i absolutly have to. i have had my 05 350 psd sit from mid nov to mid april with nothing done to it. i would unlock it,,it started,,,i drove it. simple as that.

 

Yes, oil does degrade over time. This is why your recommended oil change ihtervals are mileage/time based.

6000 miles OR 6 months.

 

Modern high quality oil has the shelf life of a twinky. It will not degrade over time. Time based oil change intervals are based on the assumption that the motor the oil is in has been running on a regular basis, and simply did not get enough miles on it to meet the mileage minimum, ie many many short trips, which as noted above is very hard on oil. Boys and girls, the storage of the oil in your crank case might not be quite as air tight as the jug on the shelf, but it should be close. No new air or contaminates is introduced while the truck is setting so the oil is basically in storage like it would be in bulk containers. We buy Rotella in 200 gallon lots and depending on the year, it will sometimes be 10 or 12 months old before it gets used, and that is in an open vent bulk system. That oil is perfect, don't dump it.

 

Regardless of whether or not it degrades, it does gain moisture from condensation on the oil pan walls, just like gas tanks or anything else that sweats (if the storage location is not a temperature controlled environment). This condensation occurs in all vehicles, but driving it regularly causes it to be evaporated each time it is brought up to operating temperature for an extended period of time. This is one cause of engine sludge in vehicles that are always driven on very short trips. If the storage location isn't temperature controlled, it should be changed again when taken out of storage.

 

Modern oil does have the shelf life of a TwinkieŽ if it remains in the original container.

Once it is explosed to air and to your engine, it starts degrading.

 

Any other oil brand recommendations other than Rotella 5W-40 synthetic from Wal-mart?