How long is a good maximum limit for leaving engine oil in a car that has been stored? How about transmission and differential fluids as well?
I tend to automatically replace my brake fluid and coolant every other year. Is this about right?
There will probably be a large variation of opinions on this, but I am curious as to how often people replace the various auto fluids based on age alone when a car is stored for long periods of time.
Thanks!
For brake fluid, Honda specifies a three year replacement schedule.
pws wrote in news:hpb4cq$e6a$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
Classic-car publications recommend once-a-year for engine oil.
Honda trannies and diffs tend to share the same oil. If the car is rarely driven, you can leave the tranny oil for several years.
Sounds great to me. I do both every year, but then I drive 20-24K per year.
Your big issue is going to be seal damage in all the car's systems. Seals are lubricated by the fluids that they keep corralled. A car in storage will tend to suffer from dry seals, since the seals will not benefit from the constant bathing that seals in regular use will get (this includes the A/C). Dry seals eventually leak, sometimes a lot.
It would be best if it were possible to have the car taken for an hour's run every month or so, with the A/C operated during this time.
That was an issue on my 1995 Accord with 80,000 miles, the A/C was never run enough and the seals dried out.
Fortunately, almost everything in the A/C system was replaced less than a year before I received the car, at a cost of about $1200.00.
Thanks,
Pat
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