Hi. What is the correct process for putting my car away for the winter as far as the oil goes? I use castro syntec 5/50 in my car. Up until now I change the oil in the spring. I use my car 3000-4000 miles per season. Is it better to change the oil before putting it away or to wait until spring? My concern is leaving dirty oil in the car over the winter. My car is a 2006 gt. I will be changing my oil now and will in the fall if that is better. Thanks

 

First of all, the 4.6L's call for 5W20 but you can get by with a 30 weight. Why are you using 50?

For winter storage (back before I lived in the god forsaken north where you had to store the car), I would change the oil as close to the date that I'd be storing the car to limit the amount of acid accumulation due to any moisture buildup. But there are other things as important such as ensuring that there is fuel stabilizer in the tank, the tank is full and that the treated fuel has circulated thru the fuel system before storage. Also, the battery should be placed on a trickle charger. Battery Tender's are my 1st choice. Then, depending on how long the car will sit, some folks recommend placing carpet or cardboard between the tires and concrete/blacktop. If you have rodent problems, plug your exhaust pipe(s) with steel wool. You may also want to seal off your intake. A dryer sheet or 2 inside the cabin will help keep some of the musty odors at bay.

 

Thanks I do all of the above except for the steel wool . My mechanic suggested the 5/50 and said to wait to spring to change the oil but I agree with you to change in the fall.

 

I also think you need a new mechanic.

 

I'd get that 5/50 out of there and refill with Ford recommended 5W20, and then as Nuke suggested, change it just before you put it away in the fall. I have an '85 Mustang GT and a '68 Camaro and that's what I have always done with them over winter. I don't want dirty oil with acid build up sitting there for several months.

 

....and be sure to have put at least 20-30 miles on the car immediately prior to pulling it into it's winter resting spot. This will insure that you've driven off whatever moisture was in the crankcase when you've turned off the key. Of course, as the engine cools, some condensation will occur but that's how chit goes. I never worried much about it except maybe doing the next oil change after coming out of storage at 6k miles or so instead of 10k miles just for peace-of-mind.