[dataway]

Car has been sitting for about two months now without starting, it's on it's second fill of oil since first start on a fresh motor. Typically I like to warm up the engine before changing oil .. always figured it got everything into suspension so it would be carried out with the old oil.

Now I'm thinking I don't really want the particles that may have settled into the pan being dispersed into the engine after having two months to settle out. So I was thinking of just warming up the pan and oil with a light bulb or something over a day or two and then draining without starting first, and hoping the warm oil carries out anything that settled in the pan.

What do you guys think?

[Dragncar]

Dump it cold, fill with fresh whatever is on sale cheap oil, old filter. Start it up and let it get up to full operating temp.
Change with your preferred brand oil and filter.

[b-man]

You’re overthinking it.

Just do it however you see fit.

[dataway]

What me? Over think something?

[Sirrotica]

I agree with Bart, it's not that critical if the oil is warm or cold, the full flow filter only catches the large stuff, a real oil filter catches all of it.....

[242177P]

Thought #1: Vintage motor oils needed to be warm to drain properly. I've only seen a couple of Bob The Oil Guy pour tests, but they all seem to bear this out. And if it's multi-viscosity, aren't you making it thicker by heating it?

Thought #2: After sitting for some time, all the oil you want to drain is down in the pan versus clinging to all the internals. If a contaminant isn't actually suspended in the oil, it's the filter's job?

A mechanic I worked with would have me move a couple of vehicles around after his day was over. The car he would be working on next would sit in his bay overnight, while other mechanics left cars outside. Eventually it dawned on me (and he confirmed it) that he just didn't like working on cold (or wet) cars. I suspect a lot of folks in Northern states simply wanted some heat to make working on a cold driveway just a little more bearable.

[PunchT37]

Drain it cold. Leave the plug out longer than usual. If ya got headers, ain’t it nice not to have em hot?

[Steve C.]

The topic gets so "HOT' they lock down threads !

Change Engine Oil Hot … Or Not?

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...&highlight=oil


.

[ta man]

Originally Posted by Steve C.

The topic gets so "HOT' they lock down threads !

Change Engine Oil Hot … Or Not?

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...&highlight=oil


.

The picture of Smokey warming up the oil is classic!

[Steve C.]

Sorry, old link.

Here:

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/ch...t's%20cold.


.

[lust4speed]

I would think that whatever settled out to the bottom of the pan over a prolonged period will stay on the bottom of the pan until you fire the engine again. There will be very little ability of the oil to move any particles laying in the boundary layer.

The filter should catch particles, and I'd rather have those in the old filter being discarded than the freshly installed one.

[Formulajones]

I'm moving what ever vehicle I'm changing oil in over to the lift anyway :shrug:

[dataway]

I asked, but it certainly isn't a huge deal for me, done it both ways many times, depending on how likely I am to burn myself on any particular vehicle.

The ONLY reason I asked in this case is because it's a fresh engine still clearing out some of the breakin debri. If I was super concerned I'd pump some kerosene down the dipstick tube after the oil drained.

Appreciate the input, don't want this to rise to the level of an "oil thread", or "filter thread" or any other kind of thread you have to put in quotes

[78w72]

regarding the "hot" oil change & being worried about burning yourself... its common sense to let the headers or ex manifolds/pipes cool down for 20-30 minutes so they arent hot enough to burn you.

i agree with those saying doing it "hot" or within an hour or so of running is the best way to get rid of debris that are suspended in the oil still vs cold when they have settled, especially after weeks of sitting. it's better to start the engine one more time & let it run for awhile than just draining cold & allowing all the settled particles to get in the new oil.

either way will work & cold is better than not changing old or break in oil but i would rather do it shortly after running when warm.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by 242177P

if it's multi-viscosity, aren't you making it thicker by heating it?

???

[dataway]

Hehehe ... you heat it enough and it turns into a solid block

The old 10W-Solid oil.

2421 ... just QUICK explanation. 10w-30w ... in very simple terms, SHOULD behave like 10w oil in lower temperature ranges, and behave like 30w at higher temperature ranges. But at elevated temps it's still going to be way thinner than 10W would be when cold.

This is where I exit

[68 Firebird]

I have perfected the oil change procedure.
First take her out for a nice ride early morning and grab bagels on the way home.
Pull her in garage and up on wooden ramps, that were set before leaving.
Slide under there and drop drain plug and then go have breakafast and coffee.

Some time that day or next, replace filter, install drain plug and fresh oil!!!

Gerry

[77 TRASHCAN]

Maybe...screw a new filter on (filled with new oil) leave old oil in engine. Get to operating temp (as in hot), drain oil, of course change filter when installing new oil.

I'd swish a strong magnet through, just to see how bad much "carnage" is in the oil...

If it were mine.....might be tempted to pull the intake and valley pan off and "rinse off" all of the lifter Valley area with a pump up sprayer with a solution of diesel and some ATF.
When draining this "cleaning solution" out of the pan, check it with a magnet...

[dataway]

The filter has had four niobium bar magnets stuck to it since the last oil change, as did the previous filter. I leave them on until after I cut the filter open to see what they have gathered.

They gather and hold particles extremely well.

And like you suggest ... I usually stick one on a scrap of metal and stir the old oil with it.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by dataway

Hehehe ... you heat it enough and it turns into a solid block