How often do you start up your cars in winter months..

[Turboomni]

And for how long and why? No wise cracks from guys down south LOL!!!

 

[cm23uoc]

Never. No Problems whatsoever in a quarter of a century.
They are in dry storage though.

 

[Fury440]

Mine is in heated storage but I still fire it up every couple of months to charge the battery and get the oil moving around. I run it until the engine temp reaches normal operating temp. If the weather and roads permit, I'll go for a little run around neighborhood.

 

[Dobalovr]

Mine is in heated storage

Me not so much..,.

 

[thrashingcows]

Got my wagon inside....but not really heated. I usually don't start it until spring when the roads are good to head out on. Then I will fire it up, drive around the neighbourhood, get it nice and warm, then change my oil and service the rest of the car.

 

[cantflip]

And for how long and why? No wise cracks from guys down south LOL!!!

For those with cold winters, you may have starting problems if you still have lower volatility summer blend fuel in the tank. It's best when you start it to put the engine under some load to generate heat and get the fluids all working, but if weather doesn't let you go for a drive... at least run it long enough to reach operating temperature and then a while longer.

Remember to give a spring time oil change to get rid of any nasties accumulated during these non driving months and be sure not to let her sit with ethanol fuel in the tank. Ethanol fuels only store well for a couple of months and the anti-corrosion additives in all of the drive line fluids don't really work very well until they have been heated. PCV on your car will draw blow by gasses out of the motor oil, but not do a very good job without plenty of heat.

BTW, the wise cracks don't usually come from the guys down south... they come from Florida... to get to "the south" from here you have to travel north. 80% or so of the folks I know here are from a northern state and Stan is living in "lower Canada" right now.

 

[shooter65]

Turboomni, thanks for starting this thread. This is a very good topic that I'm sure everyone can benefit from. First, M2C's, I used to start my cars in storage in the winter about once a month to get it up to operating temp and work through the gears. Over the past couple of years, I've heard many opinions that this isn't the best idea because it will likely cause condensation buildup. Best case, only in the exhaust, worst case, in the engine as well.

I no longer start my cars in winter, I've purchased battery tenders and plug the exhaust pipes and wash and detail the cars before covering and putting them away. I've heard horror stories of mice building nests in the mufflers over the winter. I don't know how likely that is but an ounce of prevention.

When I get them out in the spring, I first unplug the tailpipes, check the engine and underneath for any issues, warm them up to operating temp and work through the gears. I then change the oil and take them for a short drive with the radio off and windows down to listen and feel for any issues.

Since I've been doing this, I've not had any problems but don't feel I had any problems related to storage before either so I'm not sure if it makes much difference but this is what I'm comfortable with now.

I would certainly like to hear other opinions and things people do to store their cars. One thing in particular I'm curious about is if anyone has any experience with race ramps. I can't decide if this is bs or something that might be helpful/useful.
FlatStoppers® - Race Ramps

Thanks

 

[polara71]

My batteries are on the battery tender. The cars probably won't get started for a few months

 

[Big_John]

I never start them. Cold starts cause a lot of engine wear. I disconnect the battery and check the antifreeze and cover it up.

In the spring, I uncover it, push it outside if I can, check the fluids and tire pressure. Then I toss some fresh speedi dry on the trans fluid on the garage floor and I'm done.

 

[detmatt]

Yep, these are machines that don't know the difference between 2 weeks, 2 months or 10 years.

 

[max1196]

I start my collection 2 times a winter, on a chinook day, and drive around the yard a bit. I make sure the engine and exhaust gets good and hot so I tend the vehicle for a good hour. The main reason I like to make sure they run and drive is to do with the carb, I hate gummed up not working carbs, even with the use of Seafoam, I still want a clean running carb.

 

[RCB]

Once a month or two (I try to). This includes my tractors. I try to run them for 20 minutes and at least move them back and forth. I do this to move fluid and keep everything free. The gas vehicles I want to get fresh fuel to the carb, through the jets and keep the fuel pump semi lubed. Also helps (at least in my mind) to park the tires in slightly different spots to avoid flat spots on the tires. Keeps oil splashed around in the motor and keep seals wet. It just keeps everything moving.

 

[Mr C]

Mine never get started in winter. I unhook the batteries to prevent parasitic drain.

 

[Turboomni]

Very interesting. I changed my oil about 100 miles before putting my cars away with the idea of ridding them of any crankcase acids /water etc before storage.. Both are on battery tenders. Also I have equipped my garage to be a booby trapped mouse nightmare with many many traps ,ultra sonic sound generators, and sticky traps by each wheel. But I have not started either this winter. Those flat stoppers are interesting shooter. What are you guy's thoughts on cranking the engine till oil psi is up and then adding fuel when you do finally fire the beast up??

 

[Big_John]

IMHO, cranking the engine is just more unnecessary wear.

It used to be that bias ply tires would flat spot, but the modern tires aren't as likely to do that. If they do, a few miles driving makes them round again. You could inflate them to their max if you are concerned.

I'm not a fan of leaving batteries on chargers for extended time. It's not hurting the battery, I just have seen too many failures of chargers and the possibility of fire bothers me, especially with my attached garage.

 

[Turboomni]

IMHO, cranking the engine is just more unnecessary wear.

What I meant was when you do in the spring or whenever start her up for the first time after sitting a long time what do you all think of cranking the engine without fuel till oil psi is up and then starting up the engine ?

 

[Fury440]

I'm not a fan of leaving batteries on chargers for extended time. It's not hurting the battery, I just have seen too many failures of chargers and the possibility of fire bothers me, especially with my attached garage.

Ditto, trickle chargers are typically prone to the power line spikes and surges that happen during winter storms so leaving them unchecked over the winter is risky. While they probably won't catch fire, they can easily boil a battery dry.

In my earlier post I forgot to mention that I run the car long enough to heat the exhaust system enough to cook off any moisture that has collected in the plumbing. In days of old we used to drill small drain holes at low spots. That was in the days we used cheap crap muffler pipes that usually needed replacement every 3 or 4 years. Modern plumbing seems much more resistant to rust so I no long drill holes in it.

 

[Ironwolf]

Mine is buried securely in the garage just sleeping quietly ...

 

[cm23uoc]

If the battery is in order it'll last for the couple of months during storage, never had to even recharge them. The 6 Volts I have are really durable, they usually last about 10 years and I got one car started with a Little help of extra gas to the carb after a year without charging.

 

[65FuryPaceCar]

January and I'm still driving my cars with the tops down. Texas!!