H2NO

I know this topic has been discussed on Pelican as it relates to 3.2. I'm sure it's here somewhere too - I just haven't found it.

What is better for the car: Let it sit for 2-3 months or start it every few weeks and let it run in the driveway until warm? I know idling a car isn't the best practice so I'm planning on buying a battery tender and letting it sit - at least until the roads are clear of salt.

ilko

I warm up my car by driving it.

g_murray

During these cold New Yawk winter months... I personally keep her on a trickle-charger and then once a week, pull off the cover and start her up. I let her idle until the temp gauge is, at least, registering some 'heat' -- which sometimes takes 15 mins. or so. I also sit in the driver's seat and, with clutch IN (of course!), 'row' thru' the gearbox for a minute or so.

I've no problem taking her out during the winter (and normally do so) but I draw the line when the guyz have put tons of sand and rock-salt everywhere. One look at that 'layer of whitish crap' that you see adhering to cars n' trucks - as you walk around the place - is a good indicator of what's on the road surfaces. Since I normally take her out at the weekends, I actually 'look forward' to some rain on a Thurs. or Fri. - which tends to wash the roads a smidge. Then, so long as no more snow falls, you can be pretty much guaranteed that if you take her out on main roads, at the weekend, that she _won't_ come back covered in crapola. For those of us with our engine trays off (and, ummm, isn't that everybody?), being able to drive on NON-crudded roads is even more important.

My $0.02,
Gerry

95C4VanIsle

Most of the references I have seen on the subject say to start the car, drive it til it gets to operating temperature on the oil guage and then drive it farther to get the engine up to operating temperature. I don't think it is good on the car to let it sit and idle till the oil guage reaches operating temperature. I'm sure others with more experience will contribute more information here. What I have posted is what I do during the winter.

Rinty

My home city is high (3,500' ASL) and dry, and my car is in heated storage. I don't start mine over the winter, because I've been told not to worry about rust rings forming in the cylinders. I do not like to idle an engine for more than half a minute or so, before getting it under load.

But I believe there are differing opinions on this.

JasonF

As a general rule, I won't take the car out until I'm reasonably certain that the oil will get hot enough to open the oil cooler.

2Many Cars

The main reason to start an engine in storage is to give the various seals a workout so they don't get too dry and hard. Driving is preferrable because then you work all the seals, including the brakes, shocks, etc. (I hope everyone remembers to run the A/C on these warm-up trips too). Merely idling in place only gets part of the job done. The downside is more cold starts where the oil coverage is at it's worst. After years of discussion and experience (especially with leaky old English cars) I have found that fewer starts but longer runs are highly preferrable. Once a month is plenty but I ALWAYS make sure I get the oil up to full temp to boil off any moisture that creeps in through condensation. If you can't run it enough it get the oil temp up and get the majority of moving parts moving, you're far better off just letting it sit a few more weeks until you can.

Bull

It is better to prepare the car for extended sitting and then let it sit while on a battery maintainer than it is to put the wear on the engine of starting it and letting it idle.

If you are going to drive it as I do once every month or so, drive it for 20 - 30 mins and get everything well up to operating temps, blowing out all condensation from the exhaust system, etc.

andrew911

Let it sit for 2-3 months with trickle charger/ porsche Charge-o-mat plugged into the cigarette lighter. Try to avoid starting the car unless you are going to drive it to operating temperature (i.e. temp the thermostat opens). This doesn't include starting it and letting it idle for 30 minutes to get it to operating temperature- your far better just letting the car sit for 2-3 months than doing anything else unless you're going to drive it, and if you don't want to take it in the salt as many of us don't, well it gives something to look forward too in the spring

H2NO

Thanks. As I thought, it appears that the consensus is "either drive it till it's warm, or don't drive it at all". Hopefully the salt will be gone soon, though it's snowing again as I write this!

Can anyone recommend a good trickle charger?

Bull

http://www.lectriclimited.com/batter...loat%20Charger

Flying Finn

If for only 2-3 months and you can't drive it, let it sit.

Starts, and especially the cold starts are the worst thing you can do to an engine (of course excluding running without oil, over-revving etc.). In minus temperatures, one start equals ~500 kilometers of driving.

95C4VanIsle

I have the Porsche tickle charger, purchased at Sunset Porsche in Beaverton, Oregon. It works through the cigarette lighter. Simple to use. Very happy with it.

Mike J

I just leave it be. Short runs and idling are hard on the engine.

Another hint though....before you start up your engine that has been still for quite a while, pull the DME, crank the engine over until you get oil pressure (you will see the gauge move), put the DME back, and then start it. That will make sure you have lots of oil on the key spots in the engine.

I do this routine whenever the car sits for more than one week. I also do it on each oil change, DME out, crank until oil pressure (which means the oil filters are now full), DME in, and start!

Hey, its cheap insurance!

Cheers,

Mike

andrew911

I highly recommend the porsche charge-o-mat- gives a slow charge through the cigarette lighter than keeps the battery fully charged. Porsche sells it (and either manufactured it or approved it), so no worries there...A great product- plug it and forget it. This is the item- I think they are typically about $45-50 (and there is a newer version called charge-o-mat 2 or something- this version works just fine for me though). The red light stays on when I first plug it in and doesn't go out for a day or so. Then as soon as I open the door and the dome light goes one, the red light goes on- so it's basically topping off the battery with a nice slow charge, then only comes one when the battery has a draw or enough of a slight draw over time from the computers to make it automatically go on until battery is topped off again...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...Q5fAccessories