Cold pre-oiling w/o fuel injector fuse?

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So in cold weather do you think it would make much of a difference if I pulled the fuse for the fuel injection and turned over the engine a few times? Waste of time, may do more damage, or good idea?

On really cold (-30C) days the sounds coming from most engines for the first rev or two never sounds good.
 
You can do that if you want the Check Engine Light to come on everytime you want to start the car. If you are really concerned about the one start or two starts a day, which appearantly you are, use a synthetic oil. I have yet to see an engine, without 200K+ miles, that has failed due to too much wear that didn't have come kind of oil pump failue, not changing the oil, or such, it just doesn't happen. Change the oil regularly and enjoy your car/truck and take what you read here "grain of salt" It is almost brainwashing in some cases on how worried people are if they went one mile over on an oil change based on unsatifactoty UOA. I've read people that ask if they should drain out company X's oil because of one UOA and is their engine ruined because they've had it in there for 3001 miles. Removing a Fuel Injection fuse with each cold start is along the lines of a brainwashed question. Start the car and drive and take it easy until it warms up a bit, that's it.

[ April 09, 2003, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: dagmando ]
 
If you do a search, there are companies that sell "pre-lubers" made so you can have oil pressure before starting. The systems are not cheap. I have read some of the diesels use them also for keeping the oil flowing after shutdown until the turbo bearing cool down. The website mentions comparing lab results on your oil before and after installation. Would be interesting, anyone installed and tested before?
 
I'm not sure why cranking the engine w/o fire in the hole is preferable to just starting it up. Either way the rotating assembly will be spinning with minimal lube, and oil pressure will build faster with the engine running.

Cheers, 3MP
 
I have an old 304 which has had a startup bottom end knock for a while now. Lasts for about 2 seconds on startup until oil pressure rises. I took it to my mechanic and he confirmed that it was probably bottom-end. The damage was done by the idiotic previous lazy owner

The engine still works fine once oil pressure is up ands so I have decided to keep running it and if it dies, just recondition it.

The interesting thing is, I have started cranking the engine for about 5 sec before starting it (Easy to do with the old automatic choke which needs the pedal to be flat to the floor to activate).

This greatly reduces the startup knock.

Just an observation.
 
asenna,

I moved to MT after living in the south for 25 years a little over a year ago. I noticed the hard starting and grinding in both my wife's vehicle and mine the first time we hit -40C. The next oil change on my truck was to Mobil Synthetic Blend 10-30 in both vehicles, and it stopped it. Since then, I've gone to Mobil 1 in my truck since it sits outside. I've noticed a slight difference at start up, but not much. Anyways, neither vehicle grings now nor pings at start up. That alone has sold me on synthetics.

Hudge
 
If that below -30 weather is often, just get an oil pan heater. They sell magnetic heaters, through dipstick heaters, and replacement drain plug heaters.
Or, just use a synthetic and don't worry about it too much.
 
Just hold the gas pedal down before and while cranking. The car won't start until the pedal is lifted as the PCM will have turned off the FIs.
 
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