Mogans

Hi,
I could have sworn I saw a post on Off Topic or maybe here from someone who said it's not good for the car to start it but not drive it. It's winter here, about 32 degrees F, and I was going to let it run for a little while just to warm it up, let it run for 15 minutes or half an hour. It's parked outside and has a bit of snow on it. Is that bad for the car?
thanks

m750rider

The problem with starting a car and letting it run for 15 minutes without driving is that the engine doesn't get hot enough to evaporate all the water that is a normal part of combustion. The result is over time the oil will have a small amount of water in it, usually showing up as a milky like sludge. The best thing to do is to start it, drive it till it is up to operating temperature and keep it there for 30 minutes or so, then put it away. That will eliminate the problem. If I can't do that, I usually just let it sit till I can.

jcorenman

It was a thread here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...the-thing.html

Cheers,

Mrmerlin

best thing to do is remove the snow so it wont find a way to leak into your car,
if you must run the engine then drive the car as outlined in the above posts.
Otherwise there isnt really any harm in letting it sit till your ready to drive it