So, do to unforeseen circumstances, my truck has been sitting for 6 months and not started. I want to turn it over and just get the oil to circulate a bit and not start. On my 944/968 I just pull the DME relay and bob's your uncle.

Any advice on what to do here?

 

That won't work on the Cayenne because then the starter wont turn over.

 

Yeah I was thinking some security electronic crap would also prevent it. Thanks!

 

Pull the coil wires.

 

I'd pull fuel pump fuses. No need to inject fuel to cylinders if there is no means of burning it.

 

How about just taking it for a short drive.

 

Second this. I would not crank the engine just for getting oil to circulate. Leave it be (hopefully on a tender), and when you are ready to take it for a drive long enough to warm up all fluids, start it up and go.

 

I like this idea if the ECU allows it, Cranking with fuel could wash any residual oil off the cylinder walls, potentially making it worse. Seems that there should be a procedure. It's not like old OHV iron that you could shoot top oil into the plug holes. FWIW, when my vapor recovery hose cracked, the engine would crank for many seconds on WOT before firing, but that puts gas in the chamber.

 

Pulling fuel pump fuses will prevent fuel injection after the pressure drops, which may be after a second or two, or since it has been 6 months, maybe pressure is already zero and no fuel will be injected.

That is standard procedure for doing a compression test, BTW. And from doing a compression test on my 2004 S, I'll add that there is something in there that will kill the starter after about 10 seconds of continuous cranking with no start. That's a nice feature for doing a compression test, adding to the consistency of the test conditions. So don't be surprised when that happens.

But for me, certainly with every other car I own, would not think twice about starting it up after 6 months. I'd just do it. Due to the bore scoring concerns with these cars, I'd probably think a little, and then just start it up. Would you worry after one month? How different do you think things are after 6 months vs. one month?

 

In my experience the two best options for engines that sit a long time between use are:

1. Start it up and drive it long enough to get things fully up to temp periodically (I would not do this on a really cold day if your Cayenne has been sitting a while!!)
2. Use a little fogging oil if you think it will sit a really long time or corrosion could be an issue

 

...

 

6 months is not a long time for an engine to sit. I assure you there are lots and lots of cars at dealer lots that sit for much longer than that without issue. 2-3 years+ is where you start talking long time and bad gas issues and moisture forming inside the cylinders due to changing temperatures and humidity. Start it up and take it for an extended drive to make sure oil gets hot and any moisture and acidity evaporates through PCV like it is designed to do.

Also depends on how the vehicle was stored. A garage is a lot more friendly to an engine then being exposed to elements.

Finally, starting briefly and shutting down without having the oil warm up may be worse than not starting at all: you get moisture, gas enrichment making their way into the oil from a cold start, and that gets trapped in the oil making it more acidic. If one were to store an engine for an extended period of time, the recommendation is to put in fresh oil, start and warm up the engine, then shut off until the car is ready to be driven - no periodic starts "just to circulate the oil". It takes just a few seconds to circulate the oil all over the engine, and bearings will tolerate a brief run almost dry with no load at idle - like when you change the oil and there's a pause between a start and when fresh oil makes it's way through the dry filter.

 

Thanks all for the opinions. It has been garaged the whole time. Pretty much stays around 40f or higher in there.