old oil

August 11, 2008 7:44 AM

Oil Filter: I'm resurecting a bike that's sat for 5 years. Do I really need to replace the engine oil? Surely modern oils are pretty stable and won't have degraded significantly in 5 years?

I'll probably replace it anyway, but that was too good a pun to miss!

posted by BadMiker to technology (6 comments total)

Really, just change it. If the oil had any miles on it at all, it'll sludge up. What's 20 bucks vs the chance of deucin' your motor?
posted by notsnot at 7:51 AM on August 11, 2008

In any vehicle that hasn't been run in 5 years, moisture in the oil is a concern. depending on the conditions in storage, i'd be looking at a complete fluid change. bleed the brakes, empty the stale old gas out of the carbeurator bowl(s) and tank. Dunno what kinda bike, but it's always a good idea to inspect tires, hoses, cables, and chain.

Good luck and don't be a knucklehead in flipflops and a tshirt. Wear the gear.
posted by freq at 8:21 AM on August 11, 2008

Every vehicle I have ever had required the oil (and other fluids) to be changed on both time and mileage schedules. Often the owners manual will say something like "5000 miles or six months, whichever comes first."

So yeah, spend the $5 and change the oil — it's good for the engine and really cheap preventative maintenance.

If it has hydraulic brakes and/or clutch, change those fluids, too — they also degrade with time, and old brake fluid can be a safety issue.
posted by Forktine at 8:34 AM on August 11, 2008

If I were taking on this bike, I'd change all fluids right off the bat. Even using a top-of-the-line synthetic like Mobil 1 shouldn't cost you all that much. My last bike only held 3.5L of oil.

You're likely going to have some cracked or otherwise messed up gaskets from sitting w/o pressure on them for so long, your compression might be whacked too. I'd definitely want to find these problems with new, slippery, non-condensated oil than old narfy oil.
posted by TomMelee at 9:13 AM on August 11, 2008

You know the real issue is going to be the breakdown of the old gasoline and consequent plugged jets, etc in the fuel system, right? replacing the old oil is trivial compared to that.

1+ing Replacing *all* the fluids in the bike, particularly brake fluid. Make sure caliper pistons haven't rusted/frozen.
posted by mojohand at 12:11 PM on August 11, 2008

Replace all the fluids. What's an oil change on a bike cost, $10?
posted by gjc at 4:27 PM on August 11, 2008