I just realized that I haven't tested my generator in a while, so I drug it out and hooked it up to the gas line for a good test run under load. After the test run, the oil level was up to the full mark, and looked like it had been freshly changed.
I got to thinking about all those manufacturer recommendations regarding oil change intervals, particularly about changing your oil after so many hours of operation or so many months. It has been well over a year since the oil was changed, more likely two years, and in that time, the genny hasn't been run more than a couple of hours.
It's clear that oil needs to be changed based on engine runtime. That will contaminate and break it down. However, I don't see much difference between oil sitting in its original container and it sitting inside an engine crankcase for two years when the engine is not run. As long as I don't see any evidence of water condensation or contamination, I'm not inclined to change it, except maybe for some possibly unfounded peace of mind.
What's the consensus here? Convince me I'm wrong.
