Engine Oil Expiry Date?

[BrianC]

Hey all, My EK civic sits in the garage alot and is barely used, it usually does less then 5,000kms a year. My question is about the oil that i have in the engine atm. It was last serviced mid-2004! Because i only drove it 3,000kms since then, should i still be changing the oil every 6-12 months or something? Does it "expire" in the engine? or change? In other words: Is my engine less protected because the oil is 1.5 years old? :confused:

Brian

[destrukshn]

oil should be changed every 6 months or 10000kms.

i highly recommend you change your oil.

[BrianC]

Ok, Consider it done. Just got the car from my uncle tho and he only clocks up an insanely minimal amount of k's per year.

Im just curious about what happens to the oil tho? Is it damaging my engine? The oil is still honey coloured.

[Slow96GSR]

Well I haven't heard of the oil hurting anything if it just sits there. The additives can separate from the oil but I think it would take longer than 4-5 months and once the motor starts it will remix them in anyways. The only thing I would worry about is how dry the valve train is. I would pop off the valve cover and pour some oil directly on the cams and the rockers then start it. That way it doesn't start dry. It only takes a few days to a week to dry up where there is no oil where it's needed.

[BrianC]

Oh ok. Well its driven at least every second day.. So does that mean i can still drive it today and tomorrow 'till i change the oil. Or should i leave it in the garage until the oil is changed (most probably change it on friday coz tomorrow's Australia Day)?

[tRipitaka]

change it yourself ?

[BrianC]

Gotta buy the oil, everythings closed tomorrow

[aaronng]

Oh ok. Well its driven at least every second day.. So does that mean i can still drive it today and tomorrow 'till i change the oil. Or should i leave it in the garage until the oil is changed (most probably change it on friday coz tomorrow's Australia Day)?
2 days should be fine. Check if the Honda dealers are open tomorrow. Some of them open and might even have Australia day sales.

If you want to reduce cost, you can use Honda FEO oil. It's less than $30 from the dealer's parts department. That way, changing oil twice a year still costs less than using Mobil1 once a year. Since you drive very little, you might be able to get away with using the oil filter for 1 year (which is what's on the service schedules of new Honda vehicles) since you shouldn't have that much metal shavings.

If you don't mind using other brands, super cheap auto is open tomorrow.

[BrianC]

Yeh, thats a good idea about the Hondo FEO oil twice a year.

But can someone explain to me how oil can go bad in an engine thats barely driven? Oil sits on the shelf in the container for years? Changing the oil every 6 months seems like overkill, especially when it would probably only have travelled 1000kms since its last change.

Brian

[aaronng]

There is condensation from the air, and maybe even from the combustion process. If you drive short journeys, the oil does not get hot enough to cause the water to boil off. So you get some water in the oil. Fuel contains a very small amount of sulphur. Over time, it accumulates in the engine oil from the combustion process in the form of SO3 (inevitable). When you have water + the SO3, you get H2SO4, or sulphuric acid. So you actually have to change your oil more often if you keep driving short journeys because of the water. It is good to drive further once in a while.

[EuroDude]

It is good to drive further once in a while.

Or simply leave it idling for half an hour ;)

...erm, with the garage door open if its in a garage lol

[aaronng]

Or simply leave it idling for half an hour ;)

...erm, with the garage door open if its in a garage lol
You can... but it takes much more than idling for the engine oil to exceed 100 ºC, and you use petrol and in the end not go anywhere. :D

[jaffa_cree]

I just bought some Honda FEO and there is an expiry date on it, that has elapsed. I never realised engine oil has used by dates?

Is it detrimental to the engine to use this oil still?

[ECU-MAN]

I have no proof, but I was tought at trade school that oil will brake down over time, even if you dont drive it much.

I have also been flamed for the above coments but I still stand by it as no one has shown any proof of it not braking down. :)

[aaronng]

I just bought some Honda FEO and there is an expiry date on it, that has elapsed. I never realised engine oil has used by dates?

Is it detrimental to the engine to use this oil still?
Are you sure it is the expiry date and not the manufacture date? Usually engine oils have a shelf life of 3 years.

If it is expiry, then just get it exchanged at the place where you bought it.

[bennjamin]

in this situation its more than safe to say - if your oil is over 6 months or 10,000kms old , $25 and half an hour of your time is more than worth it for piece of mind dont u think ? :)

[majic777]

i personally think oil doesn't age or expire.. if i owned a ferrari and drove 1000km's a year i'd prob change oil every 6 months... but not in a normal car