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JBH
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You don't tell us the nature of the apocalypse, so let's assume the majority of buildings and infrasctructure are in place

Oil lasts almost forever. Conventional oil does separate with time, but give it a good shake and you're back in business. It also coagulates with enough time... but that's a very long time. The number of Walmarts, hardware stores, automotive stores, etc. that exist are so many that you may have several lifetime's worth of supply. Honestly, you'll have oil long after you have gasoline, which decays with time.

Ditto for brake and power steering fluid.

Radiators really only need water unless you're traveling in very cold climates. Obviously, radiator fluid helps in really hot climates, but you can just carry more water. But, in the cold, water freezes, which can lock up your engine 'till spring. As I recall, some trucking companies in the far north will run their motors for weeks or months because restarting them is a grade-A pain in the tuckus.

And this all assumes that you don't make use of refineries, which exist in a number of locations throughout the U.S.

In many U.S. locations, survivors might have more trouble finding water than they would oil simply because you need so much more of it. An individual may need a gallon of drinking water a day and more for cleanliness... but a car in good condition may only need two quarts of oil a year.

The real problem is whether or not your survivors across the land figured out that they can burn motor oil like heating fuel. If they did, you might find yourself stuck in warmer climates.

How fast oil survives the need for heat depends on the number of survivors, where they are, and whether or not there's anything more convenient around... like firewood or those big, honking propane tanks at regional distribution centers. But, people tend to think along the lines of simplest-solution-to-success, so they may disassemble their vacant neighbor's house before they lug propane tanks from miles away.

And yet, if you think about it, if enough of the population died fast enough, there would be an enormous amount of a variety of fuels for a very long time. A "Mad Max" style of apocalypse requires destruction of buildings and infrastructure, which you didn't describe in your question. If you update your question, my answer may need to change.

EDIT: Anticipated Answer: All of the fluids your vehicle needs save gasoline are available in such enormous quantities all over the U.S. that they will NEVER be your limiting factor unless your story has provided a reason for their consumption at a faster rate (e.g., used as heating oil). Under the conditions you've stated, they will last long beyond your vehicle's access to gasoline.

If you want a mathematical analysis, you will need to provide the consumption rates for all these fluids. Of course, unless your Tacoma is a beater, the consuption rates for all these fluids will be so low that you can stockpile everything you need for a lifetime in a day — unless there's something else demanding the resource, which you have not specified.

You don't tell us the nature of the apocalypse, so let's assume the majority of buildings and infrasctructure are in place

Oil lasts almost forever. Conventional oil does separate with time, but give it a good shake and you're back in business. It also coagulates with enough time... but that's a very long time. The number of Walmarts, hardware stores, automotive stores, etc. that exist are so many that you may have several lifetime's worth of supply. Honestly, you'll have oil long after you have gasoline, which decays with time.

Ditto for brake and power steering fluid.

Radiators really only need water unless you're traveling in very cold climates. Obviously, radiator fluid helps in really hot climates, but you can just carry more water. But, in the cold, water freezes, which can lock up your engine 'till spring. As I recall, some trucking companies in the far north will run their motors for weeks or months because restarting them is a grade-A pain in the tuckus.

And this all assumes that you don't make use of refineries, which exist in a number of locations throughout the U.S.

In many U.S. locations, survivors might have more trouble finding water than they would oil simply because you need so much more of it. An individual may need a gallon of drinking water a day and more for cleanliness... but a car in good condition may only need two quarts of oil a year.

The real problem is whether or not your survivors across the land figured out that they can burn motor oil like heating fuel. If they did, you might find yourself stuck in warmer climates.

How fast oil survives the need for heat depends on the number of survivors, where they are, and whether or not there's anything more convenient around... like firewood or those big, honking propane tanks at regional distribution centers. But, people tend to think along the lines of simplest-solution-to-success, so they may disassemble their vacant neighbor's house before they lug propane tanks from miles away.

And yet, if you think about it, if enough of the population died fast enough, there would be an enormous amount of a variety of fuels for a very long time. A "Mad Max" style of apocalypse requires destruction of buildings and infrastructure, which you didn't describe in your question. If you update your question, my answer may need to change.

You don't tell us the nature of the apocalypse, so let's assume the majority of buildings and infrasctructure are in place

Oil lasts almost forever. Conventional oil does separate with time, but give it a good shake and you're back in business. It also coagulates with enough time... but that's a very long time. The number of Walmarts, hardware stores, automotive stores, etc. that exist are so many that you may have several lifetime's worth of supply. Honestly, you'll have oil long after you have gasoline, which decays with time.

Ditto for brake and power steering fluid.

Radiators really only need water unless you're traveling in very cold climates. Obviously, radiator fluid helps in really hot climates, but you can just carry more water. But, in the cold, water freezes, which can lock up your engine 'till spring. As I recall, some trucking companies in the far north will run their motors for weeks or months because restarting them is a grade-A pain in the tuckus.

And this all assumes that you don't make use of refineries, which exist in a number of locations throughout the U.S.

In many U.S. locations, survivors might have more trouble finding water than they would oil simply because you need so much more of it. An individual may need a gallon of drinking water a day and more for cleanliness... but a car in good condition may only need two quarts of oil a year.

The real problem is whether or not your survivors across the land figured out that they can burn motor oil like heating fuel. If they did, you might find yourself stuck in warmer climates.

How fast oil survives the need for heat depends on the number of survivors, where they are, and whether or not there's anything more convenient around... like firewood or those big, honking propane tanks at regional distribution centers. But, people tend to think along the lines of simplest-solution-to-success, so they may disassemble their vacant neighbor's house before they lug propane tanks from miles away.

And yet, if you think about it, if enough of the population died fast enough, there would be an enormous amount of a variety of fuels for a very long time. A "Mad Max" style of apocalypse requires destruction of buildings and infrastructure, which you didn't describe in your question. If you update your question, my answer may need to change.

EDIT: Anticipated Answer: All of the fluids your vehicle needs save gasoline are available in such enormous quantities all over the U.S. that they will NEVER be your limiting factor unless your story has provided a reason for their consumption at a faster rate (e.g., used as heating oil). Under the conditions you've stated, they will last long beyond your vehicle's access to gasoline.

If you want a mathematical analysis, you will need to provide the consumption rates for all these fluids. Of course, unless your Tacoma is a beater, the consuption rates for all these fluids will be so low that you can stockpile everything you need for a lifetime in a day — unless there's something else demanding the resource, which you have not specified.

Source Link
JBH
  • 132.1k
  • 23
  • 223
  • 565

You don't tell us the nature of the apocalypse, so let's assume the majority of buildings and infrasctructure are in place

Oil lasts almost forever. Conventional oil does separate with time, but give it a good shake and you're back in business. It also coagulates with enough time... but that's a very long time. The number of Walmarts, hardware stores, automotive stores, etc. that exist are so many that you may have several lifetime's worth of supply. Honestly, you'll have oil long after you have gasoline, which decays with time.

Ditto for brake and power steering fluid.

Radiators really only need water unless you're traveling in very cold climates. Obviously, radiator fluid helps in really hot climates, but you can just carry more water. But, in the cold, water freezes, which can lock up your engine 'till spring. As I recall, some trucking companies in the far north will run their motors for weeks or months because restarting them is a grade-A pain in the tuckus.

And this all assumes that you don't make use of refineries, which exist in a number of locations throughout the U.S.

In many U.S. locations, survivors might have more trouble finding water than they would oil simply because you need so much more of it. An individual may need a gallon of drinking water a day and more for cleanliness... but a car in good condition may only need two quarts of oil a year.

The real problem is whether or not your survivors across the land figured out that they can burn motor oil like heating fuel. If they did, you might find yourself stuck in warmer climates.

How fast oil survives the need for heat depends on the number of survivors, where they are, and whether or not there's anything more convenient around... like firewood or those big, honking propane tanks at regional distribution centers. But, people tend to think along the lines of simplest-solution-to-success, so they may disassemble their vacant neighbor's house before they lug propane tanks from miles away.

And yet, if you think about it, if enough of the population died fast enough, there would be an enormous amount of a variety of fuels for a very long time. A "Mad Max" style of apocalypse requires destruction of buildings and infrastructure, which you didn't describe in your question. If you update your question, my answer may need to change.