S650 Engine Oil Annually?

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GTransport

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Jan 10, 2021
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I have a 2012 S650 that I use on my acreage. Put on about 50 hours a year max. Is it really necessary to change the engine oil and filter annually regardless of putting very little hours on? My heavy mechanic friend says he would not change oil annually if it did not appear contaminated in any way and go by engine hours. What do you guys think?
 

Wayne440

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Consider this- friend or not, a mechanic's time and engine parts will cost much more than 3 gallons of oil and a filter. A decent condition machine is easily worth the cost of a yearly oil change.
 
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GTransport

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Consider this- friend or not, a mechanic's time and engine parts will cost much more than 3 gallons of oil and a filter. A decent condition machine is easily worth the cost of a yearly oil change.
While I dont disagree, I have to wonder if going by that logic why stop there. 6 month oil change, bi weekly oil change and so on. Oil isnt breaking down sitting in a oil pan is it? Any condensation in the engine will burn off once the oil comes up to temp I would think. Doing it by engine hours makes sense to me as oil breaks down through use. He says its no different then the oil sitting in the jug on the shelf and he does not do any work for me so he has no motivation to sway me in that regard. Does anyone else do it strictly by the hours and go say 1.5-2 years?
 

foton

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While I dont disagree, I have to wonder if going by that logic why stop there. 6 month oil change, bi weekly oil change and so on. Oil isnt breaking down sitting in a oil pan is it? Any condensation in the engine will burn off once the oil comes up to temp I would think. Doing it by engine hours makes sense to me as oil breaks down through use. He says its no different then the oil sitting in the jug on the shelf and he does not do any work for me so he has no motivation to sway me in that regard. Does anyone else do it strictly by the hours and go say 1.5-2 years?
If it takes you 2 years to get 100 hours of running time do it every 2 years, 100 hours is nothing on most machines for oil changes. just make sure your oils stay uncontaminated by fuel or water and dirt, try to keep machine under a roof, a lack of extended no running time also lets rats , mice chew up things so try to move it around often.
 

Wayne440

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If it takes you 2 years to get 100 hours of running time do it every 2 years, 100 hours is nothing on most machines for oil changes. just make sure your oils stay uncontaminated by fuel or water and dirt, try to keep machine under a roof, a lack of extended no running time also lets rats , mice chew up things so try to move it around often.
According to Chevron, an unopened container of Delo 400 SDE SAE 15W-40 oil has a 5 year shelf life. Since your engine is not a sealed container, I venture a guess that the oil begins to deteriorate in some way as soon as it is opened. I cannot find a manufacturer's reference to how long "opened" motor oil lasts. Waiting 2 years probably won't hurt anything, but you will (or at least I would) wonder about it if some possibly oil related trouble developed.
 
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GTransport

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According to Chevron, an unopened container of Delo 400 SDE SAE 15W-40 oil has a 5 year shelf life. Since your engine is not a sealed container, I venture a guess that the oil begins to deteriorate in some way as soon as it is opened. I cannot find a manufacturer's reference to how long "opened" motor oil lasts. Waiting 2 years probably won't hurt anything, but you will (or at least I would) wonder about it if some possibly oil related trouble developed.
Unit is stored in a heated garage year round, and brought up to full temp at least once a month.
 
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GTransport

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Unit is stored in a heated garage year round, and brought up to full temp at least once a month.
Im at the 12 month mark since last oil change and I just looked Ive actually only put 25 hours on since last service. Just seems like a waste of $100 to me??
 
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