Summer storage

[ogre]

Is it better to fog engine or just start engine once a month or so?

Is it better to change oil before storage? Is you do change oil before storage do you need to change it again before riding next winter?

 

[LazyBastard]

Fog: sure. Start frequently: no.
Oil change BEFORE storage, why would you want to change it again after storage??

 

[ogre]

The only reason I would change it again after storage is because of the time factor. Some say that oil should be change again after a certain amount of time regardless of mileage.

 

[LazyBastard]

That oil is millions of years old already. How much affect do you think a few months will have on it?

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

How long did it sit on the shelf at the dealer or in a warehouse? As long as you don't start it once a month during the off season, and not warming it fully to remove all moisture from engine/oil you are ok. Get the suspend impurites out of the crankcase in spring and let sit with fresh oil. Then when that first 1 inch snowfall that you want to ride in October because you can't wait any longer you are ready to rip up the sod, lol.

03 RX1 ER LE 3k miles, Mine
03 RX1 ER LE 12k mi, Son's
03 RX1 ER Red 5500k Wifes aka boss

 

[horny red devil]

I thought I read somewhere that oil looses its viscosity after a certain amount of time and remember I read this alongggg time ago and it stund me to read to change it after the season has ended due to higher rpms in engine.

 

[RedRocket]

I change my oil at the beginning of the season and not the end. What most people here like to do is forget that our engines have a DRY SUMP oil system. That means the oil does not stay in the engine, it stays in the tank. There is no harm to leaving old oil in the tank and no benefit to having new oil in it either sitting all summer.

The additives break down over time even with no use at all and the oil will lose its viscosity. I would never run oil older than 3-4 months in any engine.

Change it at the beginning of every season and half way through it depending on mileage and you will be good.

 

[horny red devil]

Hey! maybe my memory isn't going south as I get older? I think I read that atleast ten years ago But oil is amazing nowadays. I do like the dry sump theory and it does make sense to me.

 

[Gone Blue]

I change my oil at the beginning of the season and not the end. What most people here like to do is forget that our engines have a DRY SUMP oil system. That means the oil does not stay in the engine, it stays in the tank. There is no harm to leaving old oil in the tank and no benefit to having new oil in it either sitting all summer.

The additives break down over time even with no use at all and the oil will lose its viscosity. I would never run oil older than 3-4 months in any engine.

Change it at the beginning of every season and half way through it depending on mileage and you will be good.

You always want to change the oil before you store it. During use, there is some gasoline that gets mixed into the oil which can be corrosive to bearings over time. I have never head any concern with using new oil that is is 3 - 4 months old. G.B.

 

[RedRocket]

During use, there is some gasoline that gets mixed into the oil which can be corrosive to bearings over time.

You have been riding 2-strokes for too long.

Gasoline is not going to mix with the oil unless you got bad rings. Then gas in your oil is the least amount of your worries.

Also, read the back of any quart of oil and the typical change interval is 3,000 miles or 3 months, unless you use a synthetic or multi-blend. The additives do break down...

 

[RaWarrior]

I just start the motor once a month in the off season, let it fully warm up to burn off any moisture, and kill it again.

Fogging just makes things hard to start in the fall. It doesn't hurt anything, but I can't see any benefit to it either. Some people act like if you don't do some specific procedure to a motor it won't run in a few months.

The motor(Suzuki 450) in the bike I bought recently hadn't been started in over 20 years, being stored in a shed after a minor crash. No fogging, no storage procedure, no gas stabilizer. Within 5 minutes I had it running again. All it needed was a new battery. It ran just fine on 20 year old gas. It ran a bit rough at first, but after about 10 miles of riding it cleared up, now it runs like a top. Didn't touch the carbs. Didn't touch the plugs.
But then again, the inline air-cooled GS series engines will run for eternity anyway, and so do these Genesis motors.

If that started after 20 years of storage with no problems, I don't think storing your sled motor for 6 months will pose a problem.

Oil change? When it gets dirty. I've got like 1200 miles on this oil and it's barely darker than the new brown color. Castrol 0-30 Syntec full synthetic oil. I guess you can do it every season if you want.

 

[SLEDSTART]

I change my oil at the beginning of the season and not the end. What most people here like to do is forget that our engines have a DRY SUMP oil system. That means the oil does not stay in the engine, it stays in the tank. There is no harm to leaving old oil in the tank and no benefit to having new oil in it either sitting all summer.

The additives break down over time even with no use at all and the oil will lose its viscosity. I would never run oil older than 3-4 months in any engine.

Change it at the beginning of every season and half way through it depending on mileage and you will be good.

That motor DOES have oil sitting in the pan. A good quart.
Personally I would not be letting that old oil sit in there all summer.

I dump mine in the fall, fog the motor, Stabil the fuel, drain the carbs, clean it and cover motor/skid in WD40. Mine sits in the trailer inside a building.

 

[yammi]

Bottle of Ring Free for the first ride after some fresh gas to blow out all the old gas/stabil and then go through the whole sled once again including some fresh Klotz or Amsoil. Thing is, as with many of you I'm sure, the machine is constantly maintained/lubed throughout the season as you ride so it's not like it's sitting there all summer a mess. Just my .02, so far so good. Only thing I've had to do is clean the pilots once and occasionally sync the carbs in 9,000 miles. Good luck to all either way and have a great summer on the rest of your toys!