Start or don’t start in winter? Pros cons

[Silveradoss573]

Originally Posted by weSS1LEy

So ideally drive it. It seems like people have been ok on either side of this debate though. Starting vs not starting. Say if mine is in a heated garage then the condensation wouldn’t be as much of an issue if started?

At the end of the day, do what works for you. Do you need to start it once a month.... absolutely not. I mean cars sit on dealership lots on months on end and they don't get touched. I was just saying if you feel the need then once a month is more than enough. Yes driving them is the best option but if you can't or don't want to get it out and you do start it, then run it for awhile to get the engine temps up. Don't just let it run for a minute or so and shut it off as that would do way more harm then good.

[Sinister10]

Well, this answers my question too.

[Juiced1]

I say start them and maybe take them around the block at least once a month. Wipe it down when you get it back in the garage. Everything I put on a trickle charger seems to have a shorty battery life span.

[Moto-Mojo]

Originally Posted by Rons1le

I always turn the engine over a few times before I start it to get the oil moving. Press gas pedal to the floor then turn the key, it will turn over but will not start. This is do avoid a dry start.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Press gas pedal to the floor...Interesting. Is this some built in feature designed for this purpose?

[Greenhornet2]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

Press gas pedal to the floor...Interesting. Is this some built in feature designed for this purpose?

Yes, had to do it at the dealership a lot when cars would be started and idled for a short time they would build up fuel and eventually flood. pedal to the floor cuts the fuel off.

[myold88]

Let it sit unless you are going to DRIVE IT at least 5-10 miles. An old time mechanic
told me years ago "The worst thing you can do to an internal combustion engine is
to start it up". All the collector cars I've owned over the years just sat until Spring
and I never had a problem when I lived in the North East.

[drew peacock]

i start mine just for about 20 seconds..i like to think the valve springs can move about a bit.
a compressed spring for 5 months cant be good.

[GK_2012_SS]

I start mine at least once every two weeks and idle for a while at temp. I cannot go all winter without driving my car. There are a few nice days here and there where the sun is out and there's no salt on the road, so I hop and take her for a spin. I never fill the tank, so I put fresh 93 in as required.

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

We don’t have to worry much about salt here so mine gets out of the shop about 1 time a week. After a week or so I start having withdraws is really what it comes down too.

[Tony Camaro]

Aren't you supposed to run the cold AC for a few minutes at least once a month to lubricate the parts?

[ChibiBlackSheep]

I think a lot of it comes down to WHERE you have the car sit. If it's in a garage and not as prone to constant temperature fluctuations and weather, then I'm in the camp of just let it sit and leave it alone.

If it's outside and constantly in the elements and prone to constant weather changes where condensation and moisture could be an issue, then perhaps it is good to fire it up here and there.

With that said, I have 2 cars stored every year from Nov-April and I just pull the battery out, put stabil in, air up the tires, cover them and leave them alone. Both in a garage.

[Cheap Guy]

Everyone keeps mentioning Stabil. I’ll NEVER put that stuff in anything I have with a motor. Whether it was my power tools or vehicles, it always caused me issues in the past. Now I just fill the tank up with quality gas and that’s it. Is it really necessary with today’s gas to use fuel stabilizers if you’re just storing a car for a few months?

[Greenhornet2]

I use stabil or star tron in everything I own when it is stored. There were issues when the ethanol fuels first came out with stabil I believe which is why a lot have negative things to say. I have been using it for 6 years in small engines motorcycles cars trucks jet skis boat engines side by side and have not had to clean out the fuel system yet. Main thing is you have to make sure you run it after you put it in the tank so it gets into the carb/injectors. With modern fuel injection you probably don't need it if you are only storing it for a couple months but mine gets stored for 5 months so I use it. I also fill the tank I do not keep small amounts of fuel in things when they are stored.

[pyroguy]

I'm on team let it sit. As others have said, the condensation from starting an engine and letting it idle or starting and running it a couple miles and putting it back away before it gets up to temp is just plain bad on the car. So far I'm yet to put a battery tender on the car and I got 9 years out of my first battery before I decided to replace it. I did stabil one year and I haven't done it since because it didn't seem to make any difference. I've had a little bit of a flat spot on the tires at the end of winter for the first mile or two, but they rounded back out quickly. I have 7 years and 30k+ on the tires currently.