Topaz330ci

Just crossed my mind and wanted to know what you guys have to say about starting an engine after storage...

I made the mistake of not storing it in fully heated garage. The garage is attached to the house and is insulated but it's not heated... I was wondering if there is anyway to disable the fuel pump without getting any lights to go off on the dash. Ideally I would like to give it a few clicks to get the oil up/distributed. Or would it be easier to somehow disable the ignition in order to prime things up...

Once spring time comes, I am def expecting some smoke out the tail, the only issue that concerns me is the few seconds after it fires up.

Sneaky Pete

I wouldn't worry about a thing.....except a dead battery.

Topaz330ci

I got the battery tender on, and check it occasionally. I am just wondering about that first start up, and the fact that I didn't store it in a heated place. The way the weather fluctuates here is crazy.

2300cc

I just fired up my 996 for the first time since mid November this past weekend. I keep the Porsche battery maintainer on it and it fired up without an issue.

Topaz330ci

I'm not just going to fire it up and let it idle for a few minutes. Once I fire it up, i'll be driving gently till the highway and then go for a long run so it could reach it's proper driving temp.

No need to just start it once in a while for kicks...

2300cc

I still wouldn't worry about priming the motor..

Macster

There's some debate about the need to dry crank the engine after a long period of inactivity. Unless the engine has been apart or unless the car/engine has sat for too long (too long? I spotted a 993 Turbo S the other day that had sat unused for around 3 years and it required new fuel pump, fuel lines, injectors and some other attention so the engine would crank and start and run -- that's *too* long) there's no real need but you can if you want.

Remove the fuel pump fuse and you should be able to turn the key to on and start and crank the engine some and it won't fire. Don't crank too long: 10 seconds or so -- just my WAG -- and then wait a while to let the starter cool before you crank the engine again.

OTOH, you could just start the engine. The engine oil pump will put out plenty of oil from the outset -- gear pumps are like that -- and the oil flows immediately. There is some residual oil on the various oil passages, bearing interfaces so it is not like the engine's oiling system is dry as it would be had the engine been apart for some work.

But it is your call. There is no real harm in pulling the fuse and dry cranking the engine and if you feel better after having done it, well, that's worth something.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Topaz330ci

Thank you Macster for this reply. You are dead on in what I was trying to point out.

When I remove the fuse, would this trigger any ECU indicators which in turn would involve any CEL's? Or you think disabling the ignition would be a better option? Those split seconds after start up literally shave engine life off!

Macster

Well, I don't quite think we are in agreement on the severity of the issue. Given reasonable time span of inactivity, non-use -- and my WAG is that non-use during the winter season is a reasonable span of inactivity -- the engine still has plently of oil at the various critical points and there is no wear at startup. It doesn't take much oil to meet the needs of a cold engine at startup. Much is made of the time (second or two) for the oil pressure gage to react/show full cold oil pressure of 4 to 5 bar but oil pressure and oil flow are not the same thing. Oil flows right now as soon as that gear pump starts to turn. The oil pressure sensor is my Porsche techs tell me located quite a distance away from the pump about as far away as it can be, so it will lag a bit in showing/registering oil pressure since oil flow has to expel any air that got into the oil lines and goes to refill any zero lash injectors that bled down over time. Besides as I have mentioned oil remains most everywhere and this residual oil is enough to form a suitable hydrodynamic bearing oil film at cranking speed and to sustain this film for the time it takes fresh pumped oil to reach the bearings.

But as I said earlier it is up to the owner to do what he feels he needs to do and if you want to remove the fuel pump fuse and dry crank the engine once or several times after a long period of inactivity before starting the engine the first time I see no harm in this.

I do not believe the check engine light will come on. Since the engine doesn't start/run and the DME of course can't enter closed loop mode emissions are not even being monitored yet, let alone affected, and the DME generally only records an error code in the case emissions are negatively affected.

But of course you are on your own. Should the check engine light come on, well, I was wrong.

Also, remember during cranking the DME will still trigger fuel injector openings and raw fuel will be sprayed into the engine combustion chambers.

This operation of the injectors with the fuel pump disabled will of course empty the fuel lines and the injectors will operate 'dry'. I do not think this short time exposure to operating dry will have any substantial impact on their life but no guarantees.

Also, this raw fuel will tend to remain in the cylinders cause there is no combustion to help vaporize this fuel so it gets carried out with the exhaust gases, and this liquid fuel will tend wash away cylinder wall lubrication though again though I think the short time exposure, the very few times the pistons run up and down the cylinders, that there'll be any substantial impact on cylinder wall/piston/ring life.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Torontoworker

I had a little bit of smoke on start up in late March last year after the car sat from Mid Nov. No worries - smoke went away in less then a minute. Can't see where the wear would be worse then what I put throught it on a track day!

Macster

Most likely a major factor of the smoke was the stale gas or just some residual oil from the AOS draining down the intake runner walls into one or more cylinders over time. The oil aint' going anywhere until the engine starts anyhow.

Also, these engines can smoke a bit upon a startup after sitting overnight after last being used. A bit of start up smoke after sitting some months is nothing to worry about, unless of course it doesn't stop or appears after the 1st start at subsequent starts, or is accompanied by noises, or other signs of engine distress.

There is negligible wear from the track use. I have yet to see any significant numbers (make that any) owners who track these cars reporting the engine is knackered after some track time. Sure some engines suffer from some mechanical failure from the higher stresses finding the weakest link in the engine, so to speak, but worn out? I have read of any reports.

And there is negligible wear from the first cold start after the car has sat a while. Again I have yet to see any reports from any owners reporting the engine has bearing knocks, oil pressure issues, flat camshaft lobes, none of the usual symptoms of wear at any of the possible wear points when these longer term storage cars are brought out at the beginning of the season. Doesn't happen.

All I can remember reading about are problems associated with the lack of use: dead battery; stale gas; leaking RMS or perhaps from some other area; and once in a while rodent damage.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Pac996

Yah the old gas and oil is what I'd worry about. Disappearing into the desert for a year I like to change the oil and do a fill up on gas with a 2 year dose of fuel stabilizer. Then upon returning its easy to burn a tank of gas in no time flat then fill the tank with injector and fuel system cleaner.

The fuel sitting in the fuel rails and injectors is what I'd worry about getting gummy then gumming up or plugging injectors. There's some product called sea foam or something like that guys praise as being great. I don't know where to get it. Anyway with the fuel in the rails and such I've figured the whole rail dried up or drained and got laquered when returning after a year since the first start I'd hear the fuel pumps having to pump the system full of fuel again taking much longer than usual.

ltusler

Up here in the North country, it is 11 below zero right now, we just consider it long term parking. To put them away, I just up the tire pressuer, fill with gas to the top to prevent condensation, put in a can of Sea Foam, wash, dry, wax, disconnect the battery and say goodnight. We have 450 club members in the Minneapoils area and no reports of long term problems. We prefer to just put them away and leave them alone. Fire them up in the spring once the salt is washed off the roads, get some heat in the engine and drive it like you stole it!

ivangene

I like that answer ^^^^^

Topaz330ci

I concur with pretty much everything you said. But one of my questions still has not been answered about an error code appearing. Either way I think i'll pull the fuse out.

The only thing I do not agree with you is this comment "raw fuel will be sprayed into the engine combustion chambers" I think that no fuel should be sprayed if the fuel pump is not energized. By not being energized it cannot build up to the adequate specified fuel pressure specs in order for the injectors to spray fuel.

I know this isn't a severe case, but I have a pretty new engine and want to maintain it as best as possible.