GT 350 OIL CHANGE AFTER SITTING FOR 5 MONTHS

[RedRaptorME]

Hi. Just wondering, actually for some advice, in regards to my GT 350 R sitting for 5 months and not being driven at all. I have had it covered up in the garage at 60 degrees. What I am wondering about is the engine oil. I put 1800 miles on it last summer and fall. Purchased in late august. I parked it in late October. I religiously checked the oil, and luckily did not have to add any oil last year. So one question I have is, should I change the engine oil immediately before I start heavy usage this spring ?

Next question I have is how often do you guys change the oil in your GT 350's. Mine is a 2019 , build number 377. delivered in early august. 1800 miles. No oil change yet.

Next has anybody heard of a motor oil by the name of " DRIVEN FR 50". I just heard about on a YouTube video from a GT 350 owner who states that this " DRIVEN FR 50" developed by Joe Gibbs racing, is a superior engine oil, especially for GT 350's that sit for long periods of time because it eliminates condensation build up. The guy goes onto really bad mouth motorcraft engine oil because he says it causes white foam build up, and it might contribute to premature engine failures, especially for GT 350's sitting idle for months. Next he went on to bad mouth amsoil, which is the engine oil he was previously using.

Is this " DRIVEN FR 50" worth trying ?

Thanks.

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[cdh027]

Hi. Just wondering, actually for some advice, in regards to my GT 350 R sitting for 5 months and not being driven at all. I have had it covered up in the garage at 60 degrees. What I am wondering about is the engine oil. I put 1800 miles on it last summer and fall. Purchased in late august. I parked it in late October. I religiously checked the oil, and luckily did not have to add any oil last year. So one question I have is, should I change the engine oil immediately before I start heavy usage this spring ?

Next question I have is how often do you guys change the oil in your GT 350's. Mine is a 2019 , build number 377. delivered in early august. 1800 miles. No oil change yet.

Next has anybody heard of a motor oil by the name of " DRIVEN FR 50". I just heard about on a YouTube video from a GT 350 owner who states that this " DRIVEN FR 50" developed by Joe Gibbs racing, is a superior engine oil, especially for GT 350's that sit for long periods of time because it eliminates condensation build up. The guy goes onto really bad mouth motorcraft engine oil because he says it causes white foam build up, and it might contribute to premature engine failures, especially for GT 350's sitting idle for months. Next he went on to bad mouth amsoil, which is the engine oil he was previously using.

Is this " DRIVEN FR 50" worth trying ?

Thanks.

You must be speaking of auto fanatic. He didn't actually bad mouth Amsoil though.

 

[RedRaptorME]

You must be speaking of auto fanatic. He didn't actually bad mouth Amsoil though.

True. But he didn't endorse them, and he certainly had his reasons for changing, which might be valid.

 

[Big Ernie McCracken]

I started mine a couple times over the winter so far. I have about 2800 miles on it and I will give it the first oil change close to April since that is a year since we got it new. I don’t really feel the need to get crazy with engine oil. I will use what is recommended and check the oil frequently and change when the car tells me or at least yearly.

 

[proeagles]

Change it yearly or when the car tells you to. It's synthetic oil, holds up really well.

 

[svttim]

I spoke to an oil engineer about this very thing. Too late for you but, He said always change oil before putting the car in storage. He explained in detail but he was over my head. Basically, the moisture builds when you drive the car. So, fresh oil for storage

 

[03reptile]

Not to be critical of anyone's opinion, but I think some folks go a bit overboard concerning oil brands to use in our GT350's. I've used Ford recommended oil for all my past Shelbys and other Ford products with absolutely no issues. Don't over-think this subject. I'd change the oil (Mototcraft) in the Spring and go enjoy your car!

 

[DCShelby]

Auto fanatic has some good content, but he's into making money on "products" too...so keep that in mind.

 

[Deleted member 35644]

If it were me.....I'd change the oil right before parking it. Since that ship has sailed, change it now, and use the best API certified oil you can afford. I personally would love to use Redline or Amsoil Signature in my car, but the lack of API certification means I won't be doing that until my warranty is up. I've never heard of Driven, and while I tend to shy away from oil that isn't a big, mainstream name, you may have more experience with it than I do. I would just hate for you to learn a hard lesson if you need warranty work. Oil-related engine failures are very rare, but I don't push my luck in that arena. If I end up with a stretched timing chain at 59,000 miles, I don't want to be in the position of providing a fistful of of oil change receipts for oil that isn't API certified. Ford would surely make that claim a pain in the ass.

Even more important is that you shouldn't start it while stored unless the oil is actually going to reach full operating temperature and remain there for a while. People who start it and run it just long enough to bring the coolant up to temp are actually doing more harm than good. Doing this multiple times in 5 months adds a lot of fuel and condensation to your oil.

You're better off letting it sit untouched the entire time it's in storage, and using a battery tender.

 

[03reptile]

Good points about warranty concerns. Look, the Ford engineers who designed our engines certainly know what oil is best for these, almost, race engines. They are also keenly aware that they don't want to put an oil in their pride and joy that won't hold up and preserve the longevity of these engines. Despite all the hoopla about replacing engines that are internally damaged or use too much oil, the vast majority of these cars have no engine issues, mine included. I think the Motorcraft oil is just fine for our engines and as accurately stated, there are few, if any, documented engine failures due solely to an inferior oil product all across the auto manufacturer boards. You could probably use the least expensive oil on the market and if changed regularly, it would still allow our engines to operate without any issues for the normal life of the car, whatever that is! I know that's a generalization, but with the quality of all oils produced in today's market, It's probably closer to the truth that many of us would care to admit. It's all about marketing by the different manufacturers to buy their product. Capitalism at it's best! Take that, Bernie!

 

[Faceme]

While i agree there may be too much hype over which oil is best, cheap brands are cheap for a reason. They use cheaper ingredients and do less R&D resulting in performing below par on tests. So.. they need to sell at a lower price to keep sales figures up. While more expensive brands can keep high prices because they perform better and people/racing teams will demand their product.

They was a synthtetic oil test by Bob the oil guy?? i think, which detailed the differences in protective strength, heat resistance, longivity of a bunch of the top brands. Big differences.

With that being said, i use Castrol...

 

[milner_7]

I follow the oil life monitor, I put new oil in it last Nov before storage. When I fired it up after 5 months the oil life was at 65%.

 

[FDHog]

I follow the oil life monitor, I put new oil in it last Nov before storage. When I fired it up after 5 months the oil life was at 65%.

So they tell you to change oil before storage, then it sits for 5 months, and when you start it up, the fresh oil never driven on is 35% done? I'd reset the oil life monitor to 100%. The reason to change at least once a year is to get the contaminants out.
Since you've never driven it, it's like a fresh oil change.

 

[RugbyRef]

I spoke to an oil engineer about this very thing. Too late for you but, He said always change oil before putting the car in storage. He explained in detail but he was over my head. Basically, the moisture builds when you drive the car. So, fresh oil for storage

^^^This! I did the very same thing...just reset the oil life monitor. All good!

 

[lateinthegame]

I spoke to an oil engineer about this very thing. Too late for you but, He said always change oil before putting the car in storage. He explained in detail but he was over my head. Basically, the moisture builds when you drive the car. So, fresh oil for storage

I have heard tell of for long term storage that there is method of over filling the crank case to the top, whatever that is, to remove air, prevent rust and moisture. Then before starting, drain to required level. Has anyone ever done this?

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