Turning on “winter stored” vehicle.

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Here’s a good New Years Eve Day over-analyzed topic.

Say you had to move and turn on a vehicle that was stored in a garage for the winter. (Move out of the way, turn off. Wait a day, move back.) Do you let it idle until mid temp, full temp, or just move and turn off?

The best choice obviously is to put in neutral and push out, but for conversation sake, let’s say that isn’t an option.
 
Weather permitting drive it for about 25-30 minutes on the second day, if not and it has to be moved start it and move it, twice. Condensation will remain in the oil and the exhaust if it isn't driven long enough to boil it off. If it has to be moved and not driven, then the next opportunity you get that allows you to give it that 25-20 minute drive, drive it.
 
Crank with the key off for five seconds to build oil pressure. Wait 30 seconds for starter to cool. Full choke, crack throttle open, crank with key on. When engine fires, push choke in half way. As idle smooths out, reduce throttle, push choke fully in. Move car.
 
I'll make two assumptions-- the car in question is a classic or at least a "good car." And the wintry weather outside includes salty roads. Maybe a third assumption-- the car is uninsured or otherwise legally in-op.

I would start it, pull it into the driveway or wherever I need on the property, and shut it off. Then repeat to put it back. No full warming up, no driving around the block (in the salt.)

All I would do differently is two-foot drive it to use the opportunity to scrape some rust off the brakes. If it turned over slowly and was an emergent situation I might idle it to charge the battery, but in normal times I have a charger I can put on afterwards.

It's bad for the engine and exhaust but the body/ chassis is the first thing to go for me.
 
Crank with the key off for five seconds to build oil pressure. Wait 30 seconds for starter to cool. Full choke, crack throttle open, crank with key on. When engine fires, push choke in half way. As idle smooths out, reduce throttle, push choke fully in. Move car.
Sounds like instructions on moving a WW2 era bomber. 😂
 
Weather permitting drive it for about 25-30 minutes on the second day, if not and it has to be moved start it and move it, twice. Condensation will remain in the oil and the exhaust if it isn't driven long enough to boil it off. If it has to be moved and not driven, then the next opportunity you get that allows you to give it that 25-20 minute drive, drive it.
Ideally yes driving it would be the best choice.

For conversation sake, I’m going to assume weather/ salt wise it won’t be ideal.
 
Ideally yes driving it would be the best choice.

For conversation sake, I’m going to assume weather/ salt wise it won’t be ideal.
Which is why I used the word, opportunity. LOL I took for granted the vehicle was a garage queen, this is Bitog so garage queens don't driven in snow or salty roads.
 
Most of the running cars I have stored I will start every 2-3 months and let them run a few minutes. Objective its to keep the fuel pump and alternator from seizing or getting corrosion on the contacts/brushes as well as to keep hydraulic lifters full of oil and the seals throughout the engine lubricated.
 
Back when I’d store cars for the winter, first thing is I’d put them where I could just leave them alone.

I did all kinds of stuff, like fogging cylinders and the like. I never started them because I had battery maintainers and all of the preservative chemicals in it. Dryer sheets for rodent control. It was a lot of work.

Now I throw Sta-Bil in the gas, a maintainer on the battery and rodent control. If you must start it, run it for half an hour and get it up to temp to burn off any moisture. But I’d avoid driving it. The winter might seem long, but the car will be ok in that span of time.
 
Crank with the key off for five seconds to build oil pressure. Wait 30 seconds for starter to cool. Full choke, crack throttle open, crank with key on. When engine fires, push choke in half way. As idle smooths out, reduce throttle, push choke fully in. Move car.
Rotate the engine by hand one complete revolution to make sure the engine isn't hydro locked.
 
Rotate the engine by hand one complete revolution to make sure the engine isn't hydro locked.
Hydrolock is a real concern in radial engines. Oil drains down to the bottom cylinder as it sits and can cause all sorts of problems. Hand propping it through is recommended. I've never flown anything with a radial, but I love talking to guys at airshows and museums that fly those old warbirds and vintage aircraft.

However, hydrolock is not really an issue in a straight eight with an updraft carburetor. Nothing above the cylinders that can drain.
 
Don't, the heaviest wear that an engine sees is during start ups.

If the car is sitting for over six months or more maybe do a start up until everything "heats" up.

I park my 97 Volvo 960 every year in December with fresh oil, a full tank of gasoline, all fluids topped off, throw a cover over it and a battery tender on until April. She has 136K miles on her and has had zero drive train issues ever, other than having to replace a leaking transmission pan gasket last year. Being that modern cars emission systems include a sealed gas tank I've never needed to add Sta-Bil to the fuel. I've had nine month old gas in the car with zero issues.
 
Here’s a good New Years Eve Day over-analyzed topic.

Say you had to move and turn on a vehicle that was stored in a garage for the winter. (Move out of the way, turn off. Wait a day, move back.) Do you let it idle until mid temp, full temp, or just move and turn off?

The best choice obviously is to put in neutral and push out, but for conversation sake, let’s say that isn’t an option.
Id start it and shut it off as fast as possible. Idling is doing it no favors in that situation - more fuel and moisture loading, too long to get to true temperature, if ever. No good...

Ideally if I was doing this, Id turn it on, use it for about 30-50 miles including a decent stint on the highway, and then park it again. But if there's salt on the roads in the area thats a non starter...
 
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