Left Full Synthetic oil in Car for 2 1/2 yeays, and 7000 miles!?

Question

Car used no oil (had 37,000 on engine), but noticed that suddenly at the 2 year mark, it needed 1/3 of a quart.

Was the engine harmed (no leaks, so what happened to the oil?)??

Car is a 2002 grand Prix.

PS- now been 1500 miles since last oil/filter change (w. full synthetic), & NO oil has been used (dipstick at full,...+ 1/6 above actually=where it was a change).

But WHY did it use oil during the last 5 months of those 2 1/2 years??

Answer 1

Is ok, no harm done. I had a motorcycle that I changed the oil in 3 years and 4000 miles... Still running without smoking a single bit. The most important part is, where did you stored the car? If it was on a dry place will be ok. The oil preserved most of the engine with a coat from running those 7000 miles. Just change it and drive on. Most of the damages from leaving an engine that way is internal corrosion from moisture trapped in the engine. An occasional crank will be fine. DO not race the engine, let it warm up on its own so the piston rings and other things gets lubricated.

Answer 2

well, 2 1/2 years is a long time to go without an oil change, but on the other hand, if you only put 7000 miles on it in that time, you are not over mileage for the oil change with synthetic oil. I average 7000 mile between changes with mobil one ( that;s what they recomend at mobil). My guess is that unless you have some really bad weather conditions, like all desert driving, or all winter driving, your oil synthetic would not break down. BUt, it is still a good idea to change that oil every 4-5 months with synthetic just to be safe. Using 1/3 qt of oil is not a serious amount, I'd get a fresh synthetic oil change with a good filter and then monitor the oil level for a while to see if something is going on before I got worried, Remember a car can be run up to a quart low before adding more without damage.

Answer 3

First, oil should be replaced every 5000 miles or more. Stop spending money. Since you asked, here are the benefits of synthetic: With synthetic you can do oil changes every 10000 miles or more, which offsets the price of the synthetic oil, this is because synthetic does not break down as fast as conventional oil. It might also help fuel economy, and in addition you can expect reduced engine wear and less gunk build up between oil changes. Depending on what type of person you are, you can also find comfort in the fact that synthetic oil reduces dependency on foreign oil and helps the environment. Personally I use the regular stuff in my 1968 mustang with a 302 and change it every 7000 miles. Just drive the car and don't worry about little things like these.

Answer 4

Why in the world would you leave oil in a car for over 2 years?
Oil needs to be changed by time, even if it is synthetic. Engines build up condensation inside them, and the oil gets contaminated. Using 1/3 quart after 2 years is totally fine.

Most manufactures say that an engine that uses 1 quart every 1000-1500 miles is normal.

Engine's will always use some oil, they have to, the oil is used to lubricate the piston walls, which in turn is burned during combustion.

Answer 5

My bet is that you seldom drive long distances. All cars will burn some oil, The oil wiper rings leave some oil on the cylinders for lubrication purposes. If you don't totally warm the engine up when driving you will not evaporate the water(condensation) out of the oil. The first long drive you take the engine warms up evaporating the water(condensation) out of the oil and your 1/2 quart low....

Answer 6

Fully synthetic oil is good, but it is probably best NOT to test how good it is on YOUR OWN ENGINE!!!!!!

The oil you lost will have been burnt, wear has occurred in the engine allowing it to escape to the combustion chamber and be burnt with the fuel. WEAR HAS OCCURRED!!!

Regardless of how good you think your oil is.....change it regularly along with the filter. Good synthetic oils allow you to miss the old interim services, but not the annual services. Change the oil every year....regardless of mileage.

Answer 7

Change your oil and filter ASAP with new full synthetic oil and be happy that you were smart enough to put synthetic in it the first time around.

Answer 8

you didnt hurt ,there probably was no harm at all done to it,if this had been regular oil it could have hurt the engine,but with synthetic oil you,ll be ok,and its normal for one to use a small amount in that length of time,good luck with it.

Answer 9

the oil is in your oil pan get an oil change it doesnt just disappear