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Now that winter is here and snow is on the ground and salt on the roads I have parked my 65 coupe for the winter. Am I doing more harm than good if I start it every 7-10 days and let it get up to operating temp and then turn it off?
This topic has been covered 10,000 times. Hard to say. Me, I don't like to put mine away for winter. If we get snow and salt I wait for a dry day where it has rained to wash streets down and drive them. Had both mine out Saturday for good hot drives.
Do you get any times where temps get up in the 30-40* range where streets are clear? H e l l, doesn't matter how cold it is as long as streets are clear and dry.
I'll take mine out anytime during the winter if the roads are dry and free of salt. I never start it w/o taking a ride. I'll fill the gas tank to full and attach a battery tender and thats it for the winterizing.
Condensation is the big problem. Short drives in the winter allows condensation to sit in the exhaust system and rot them quickly. Also make sure you top the fuel tank up and adding HEAT. (a product sold to "eat" condensation or water in fuel supplies)
Bringing the engine up to temp and shutting down is fine for the engine but what about the rest of the car. All the cars mechanical components need occasional operation to keep the seals from taking a set, lube coating the parts, brakes from locking up and exhaust from rusting out. Like us cars need some exercise to stay in operating condition. Does your car sit looking at the tool box for extended periods. Don't let your car become a garage potato.
Bringing the engine up to temp and shutting down is fine for the engine but what about the rest of the car. All the cars mechanical components need occasional operation to keep the seals from taking a set, lube coating the parts, brakes from locking up and exhaust from rusting out. Like us cars need some exercise to stay in operating condition. Does your car sit looking at the tool box for extended periods. Don't let your car become a garage potato.
Sit in the car and pump your breaks if that makes you feel any better. There is no need to. How many thousands of cars sit on new and used car lots at months at a time and never moved. It’s just a old Chevy. Not some pricesless antique
Mine cranks and idles better if I crank it once a week in the winter and drive it around the neighborhood on a dry day. If not a dry day, it get a weekly crank in the garage.
Now that winter is here and snow is on the ground and salt on the roads I have parked my 65 coupe for the winter. Am I doing more harm than good if I start it every 7-10 days and let it get up to operating temp and then turn it off?
While this has been discussed many times before, I see that you're a relatively new member, so you might have missed those discussions. As you'll see, there are many opinions, mostly divided. I can tell you in my case tho, I've started up my old cars every month in the winters, once a month, and don't take them out if the roads had residual salt film on them. I've done this for over 30 years with four different old cars, and there has never been a problem.
I've been storing cars for six to eighteen months for the last 25 years. Before storage they get a wash and detail, fresh oil, maximum cold tire pressure placarded on the sidewall, a full tank of fresh fuel, and I remove the batteries to use on other cars.
The "modern" EFI cars with a freshly charged battery start within about three cranks. On carburetor cars, use a syringe to fill the fuel bowls just to the point where you see fuel dibble out the venturi nozzles, then go through the normal cold start procedure, and it should start right up.
Inside storage, even uninsulated, will not cause any harm to the engine, so let it sit unless it's nice enough to take it out for a drive that allows everything to fully warm up - say at least 30 minutes of operation.
Even my "in service" cars may sit for three weeks between drives, so I charge the battery before driving. Two cars share the same battery since one is always swapped with the other. The current forty dollar Johnson Controls 26R battery is now over 16 years old and still okay despite the fact that I have killed it stone dead twice since new.
I attribute its longevity to my mild climate, vehicle mounting that protects the battery from engine heat, and the fact that I always fully charge the battery before cranking if it has sat for more than a few days.
Yes, you are doing much more harm than good. If you start it at all, drive it at least 10 miles. If not, much better to let it just sit. Much less wear and tear on the engine that way.
Starting and warming up the engine in the garage for ten minutes, or whatever, during non-driving winter months when road conditions are too poor to take the car for a ride does no good, but various studies over the years show that about 80 percent of wear over the life of a typical car engine occurs during cold start and warm-up.
Winter time
Condensation is the big problem. Short drives in the winter allows condensation to sit in the exhaust system and rot them quickly. Also make sure you top the fuel tank up and adding HEAT. (a product sold to "eat" condensation or water in fuel supplies)
