Oil for Winter Storage

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I know for flat tappet engines a high zinc oil is mandatory. This site has many recommendations from which to choose. However, what about long-term/winter storage of cars that need the high zinc oil? For instance, those of us who own muscle cars and 1960's era cars in the upper mid-west need to have them out of the snow and cold for 2 to 5 months. So to prevent bearing wear upon start-up in the spring after months of storage: 1. Is it better to have a 0w, 5w or 10w oil, or a "heavier" 15w to 20w oil in the engine upon start-up? 2. Is synthetic oil or conventional Dino oil preferred in this situation? Thanks!
 
In cold situations one would never want the oil any thicker than it already is, so as low a "W" number as you can get is desirable. Oil is immensely more thick at low temperatures compared to operating temperature. Remember that the "W" rating is a cold cranking specification not a viscosity, so there are no situations where a 10W, a 5W or a 0W oil is ever too thin per that rating. It is the other number that would make the oil too thin at operating temperature.

And a question, I thought flat tappet engines only required high ZDDP for break-in, not for continued operation?
 
Originally Posted By: redbone3
Use an oil appropriate to the temperature you expect on removal from storage.

This is correct, I apologize I didn't read the OP's question correctly where the car is just sitting for the winter and not being started. As long as it is above freezing it isn't going to make much difference at all what the W rating is.
 
Thanks for the several quick replies. Maybe I confused the question by talking about the cold. The temperatures will always be above freezing during storage and during start-up and initial use in the spring. What I am most concerned about is bearing wear and getting oil to the main bearings so that they are not starved for oil upon initial staring after 2-5 months of sitting idle. Any suggestions on oil or starting procedures would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
The first couple of years after I bought the M3, I would put fresh dino oil (5w30 or 10w30) for winter storage and I do not start the engine until spring. Only then I would drain the storage oil and put the 10w60 (synthectic) back.

Over the year I have become more lazy. Right now I would just leave the same oil I have in the summer until the next spring and put fresh oil in.
 
Originally Posted By: Building3
Thanks for the several quick replies. Maybe I confused the question by talking about the cold. The temperatures will always be above freezing during storage and during start-up and initial use in the spring. What I am most concerned about is bearing wear and getting oil to the main bearings so that they are not starved for oil upon initial staring after 2-5 months of sitting idle. Any suggestions on oil or starting procedures would be appreciated. Thanks!


I think its been discussed here before that a car that has sat for years, maybe even decades, still had oil on the components when the engines were opened.

What I do with my car that gets garaged for longer periods of time is cycle the engine without it starting. In modern manual cars you can depress the gas pedal fully when turning the ignition and it wont fire. This cycles the engine at cranking speeds to hopefully move some oil around prior to firing. I guess on an older car removing spark or fuel would essentially do the same thing.
 
Originally Posted By: HemiHawk
Originally Posted By: Building3
Thanks for the several quick replies. Maybe I confused the question by talking about the cold. The temperatures will always be above freezing during storage and during start-up and initial use in the spring. What I am most concerned about is bearing wear and getting oil to the main bearings so that they are not starved for oil upon initial staring after 2-5 months of sitting idle. Any suggestions on oil or starting procedures would be appreciated. Thanks!


I think its been discussed here before that a car that has sat for years, maybe even decades, still had oil on the components when the engines were opened.

What I do with my car that gets garaged for longer periods of time is cycle the engine without it starting. In modern manual cars you can depress the gas pedal fully when turning the ignition and it wont fire. This cycles the engine at cranking speeds to hopefully move some oil around prior to firing. I guess on an older car removing spark or fuel would essentially do the same thing.



That's interesting. I have heard people manual cranking the engine while the car is in storage to keep most of the moving parts lubricated.

You mention depressing the gas pedal fully when turning the ignition and the engine won't fire. Do you mean depressing the clutch?

I always wonder how important it is to crank the engine during winter storage. I have heard both sides of the argument and I'm at the point where I don't even know which side to take.
 
Originally Posted By: newbe46
You mention depressing the gas pedal fully when turning the ignition and the engine won't fire. Do you mean depressing the clutch?

No, the engine won't crank unless the clutch is fully depressed.

I'll have to try the accelerator pedal thing on my ECHO and see if it prevents it from igniting.
 
If you won't be starting it in sub freezing temperatures really even a 15W-40 will flow fine, i've started my 1975 Capri with 20W-50 in the sump at slightly below freezing with zero issues.
 
You could prime the oil pump with a drill in the spring.

Or add an oil accumulator... close the valve when you are putting it away, it'll hold pressure all winter. Open it so it pre-lubes the system before you start it.
 
Are you planning on changing the oil after storage? Supertech 20w50 will work if so.. (Somewhat wasteful IMO, but to each their own. ~$15-20 to sleep well at night is worth it. Don't let store brand conventional scare you. It'll hold up well with 1 hr and a few miles of use.
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If not, do yearly changes of Valvoline VR1. Run the car on the road until hot, change the oil when the filter is scorching your hands, get her hot one last time then park until Spring. Do not start it up during storage.

I bought a whole bunch of VR1 for $2 a quart for dad's 240z's for Christmas. I want to say Oreilly has it for $25 a jug, which I feel is a decent price for a yearly oil change on a toy.
 
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What about a cheapie magnetic stick on block heater that you can use for a few hours before startup, and keep the oil warm. You can also pull the fuse for the fuel pump, and crank the engine a decent amount to get the oil up.
 
I would go with a 10w30, but I don't think the viscosity matters.

To accomplish what I think you are going for... Fill the crankcase with oil on storage, and drain to correct level before starting. If you were careful, you could keep a container of clean, "storage" oil and reuse it every year. If you do this I would pick whatever you can get cheapest.

Please note that this would be ridiculous overkill and probably doesn't matter. There is residual oil on the parts. It doesn't evaporate or magically disappear in a closed crankcase.
 
Originally Posted By: newbe46


That's interesting. I have heard people manual cranking the engine while the car is in storage to keep most of the moving parts lubricated.

You mention depressing the gas pedal fully when turning the ignition and the engine won't fire. Do you mean depressing the clutch?

I always wonder how important it is to crank the engine during winter storage. I have heard both sides of the argument and I'm at the point where I don't even know which side to take.


Depressing the gas fully on an injected engine shuts off fuel, it's a "clear flood" mode built into the computer. You could also pull the fuel pump fuse. Doing it on a carb'd engine, well, anything can happen.
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It "should" hold the choke off but the car might still catch and then rev to the moon, which would be dramatic.

On spring resurrection of a classic car I would not touch the gas as it would not set the choke. (You could even throw a screwdriver down the carb throat to make sure it doesn't set.) Crank it until the oil light goes out. Then give it a couple pumps of the gas.

Don't crank sleeping beauty. Don't start it either unless you plan to warm it up and drive it. Some people like to put a wrench on the big bolt head at the end of the crank and turn the engine over just a smidgen so the rings don't stick in one spot.

If your car is a true classic it won't have a clutch interlock as those nannys came around in the 1980's. It's better for your crank thrust bearing if you aren't pushing on the clutch and crank/start in neutral. When you press on the clutch you press against springs which push all they way lengthwise down the crank up to the thrust bearing on the other end of things, and the first start you worry about might have this drier than any other time of the year.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. What I take from this is that the choice of oil really does not matter for storage of 2-5 months. It can be synthetic or conventional, 0w or 20w. The important thing is not to start the car just to start it and let it idle for a few minutes. As someone said "let sleeping beauty sleep." In the spring, crank the engine without starting so that the oil pump gets a chance to do its job. Then start. Maybe the easiest way to crank and not to start is just to disconnect the lead from the coil to the distributor so there is no electricity going to the plugs so they wont fire.
 
A few months is nothing, just start it, let it idle for a minute and go. If it sat for years, I'd pull the plugs and crank the starter to prime the oil pump - then go.
 
The little bit of startup "wear" from sitting for 2-5 months over winter is pretty negligible. I wouldn't even worry about it. The people that start their classic cars every few weeks at idle are the ones I worry about. That's causing a lot more wear than a single cold start after 6 months.

I had a number of 1960's muscle Mopars that sometimes sat for up to 2 months. I know of other car collectors who don't touch their 1998-2002 LS1 cars for 6 months every year. They crank over quickly on initial start in April/May. I never bothered to use a drill on the distributor shaft to turn the oil pump. But, it's a good practice if you have the time. I would imagine the amount of oil clinging to your engine's wear surfaces is nearly the same after its been sitting for a week or for 2-6 months.
 
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