scottmhr1

Hi all,
For oild changes on a car not driven all that much what would you recommend? My 8 is almost 6 months old havent yet hit 1800 miles. So well under the 3000 miles limit but over the 3 months. Anyone have a car they have in a similar circumstance? Yea, I do have a beater I drive most times. just like keeping the 8 special

Spok

One of the best things you can do for an engine, piston or rotary, is change oil and filter regularly and often. For the price of an oil change, even at a dealer, I'd recommend you have it done/do it. You'll eliminate any possibility of damaging combustion byproducts lurking in your oil, eating your engine, and you'll buy some piece of mind. Have the oil and filter changed.

scottmhr1

Oh course that is correct Spok. I just wanted to know what others were doing that drove their cars not too frequently and had very low miles compared to the recommended maintenance.

OBryanRX8

i change my oil every 1500-2000 miles because i hate the fact the car holds as much oil as it does but you cant drain it all out so i try to keep my oil very fresh

Go48

My '8 has 3K miles on it and I have had it for about 6 months also. I changed the oil the first time at just under 1K miles to get rid of the "break-in oil", whatever it might have been. Then I changed it again at about 2K, and will probably be changing it again at the 4K mark. (Yeah, I'm ****. So what? )

As OBryan says, when you drain the oil from the pan, you are leaving 2 or more qts. in the oil coolers/oil lines due to the design of the system. A dry fill is about 7 qts., and you will drain about 4 qts. from the oil pan unless you raise the drivers side of the car while draining to get a little more of the old oil out. So an oil "change" is actually a replacement of 70% (best case) of the old oil resulting in a dilution of the new oil with the old. Short of disassembling the oil cooler system and draining it, a more frequent change is the best you can do.

Nubo

I've got just over 5000 miles in the year I've had it. I try to drive it at least once a week, even when I'm not using it for anything else. Just like a person, a car has got to move once in awhile or things start going wrong.

2ROTORZ

I am pretty much the same with my 8. Mostly because of the winter weather here, had to buy a second car. I bought my 8 in August and only have 1200 miles on it. I changed the oil at 1000 miles in December and haven't had the car out of storage since. I plan on taking the car out for more frequent use in March/April and definitely plan on getting an oil change at that time, even though there have only been 200 miles put on the car since the last one. Certainly couldn't hurt I feel...

BTW, Does anyone have any other suggestions as to any things to check or have addressed after the car is taken out of storage? Only in storage in a driveway under a cover, and for only 4 months, not sure if there is any precautions I should want to take to better preserve the life of my car/engine..
Dave

Go48

After 4 months your battery will be dead unless you have made an effort to keep it charged. Make sure you charge the battery to full charge before attempting to start the car. BTW, a battery that has been discharged for a long period may give you trouble in the future, so watch for that.

It would have been a good idea in this case to take the battery out of the car and to periodically charge it. Or to have kept a trickle/maintenance charger connected to it while in the car to keep it fully charged.

crossbow

If your putting low miles on the car...make sure to get it out on the highway at least once a month. Short drives and low miles are hell on the oil. It takes roughly 10-15 minutes for all the fluids in the vehicle to reach operating temp and to burn off moisture and byproducts from warmup combustion (when the fuel ratio is extremely rich).

The most beatup engines are the ones that have extremely low miles, driven short commutes, or sat in a garage for a long period of time. The best engines are relatively decent mileage vehicles that saw a good chunk of highway driving.

Umbra

I'm in the same situation with shinka so idea's on how to store it and maintain it would be great. I assume that I should put it up on block to get the weight off the wheels if it's going to be sitting for very long to prevent them from developing flat spots?

Should I just disconnect the battery and stick it somewhere in the house?

What about the other fluids and cold temperature storage?

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

You don't need to take the weight off the suspension to prevent flat spots. That was when tires were the old bias ply. The steel belts in the new tires will keep the shape while in storage. Some people say to add a few psi to the tires, but personally I don't.

Yes, you should disconnect the battery and store it inside and off the floor.

Umbra

Thanks! Any other tips for storage? Do I need to drain fluids or anything like that? Maybe plug the tail pipes to keep rodents out?

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

Other tips. Don't start it during storage. It'll create premature wear.
Leave the fluids in the car as they prevent corrosion (sp?). Make sure you change the oil before storage, and give the car a good cleaning and a wax job then cover it up.

AC8

I drive my 8 on the weekend too......the tires will have a lumpy feel for a few miles. It's not that cold here in Atlanta, but the tires flat spot each and every week. Yours don't?

rx8cited

I drive mine every week day, but usually not on the weekends. Prior to putting on my snow tires for the season, I've felt the "square tire syndrome" on my summer tires from the car sitting over the weekends when it's cold (30's) outside.

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

Ilet mine sit for 3months the first year I got it and never had flat spotting. What PSI are you running the tires at?

rx8cited

32 PSI cold for my stock summer tires, 36 PSI cold for my snow tires.

AC8

Same for me 32psi cold.
It's not flat spotting like...lock the brakes to miss a deer or a bunny rabbit with a horns...more lumpy, untill the tires warm up.
I've ran them up to 36 psi on Thursday, it sure is nice to have your own on-board compressor, just to see if it would make a diff. on Saturday. No it did not, still lumpy on Sat. with weather temp's in the 50's