GOBOGIE

How I quickly forget how awesome the feel of sitting in my car. I went out to do the start and let it run thing, needless to say I turned on the radio and was jamming and the wife eventually came out and said "What in the world are you doing out here". Busted.

I said, "just remembering how much I love this car". She rolled her eyes and walked back inside. They just don't get it do they...

nickhance

I go through a similar routine whenever I go home (be it for a weekend, break, or whatever). Since I don't have my car here at school, it's the first place I go when I get back (3 hr drive).

The last time I went home, I ended up back at the house at 6:30AM. Needless to say, I took a nap.. but the first thing I did when I woke up, even before getting something to eat, was go out to the car and take it out for a nice long 2-3 hour drive (with no where to go!). (I always get hunnnnnnnngry on those trips ;-) )

These cars are amazing.. I'll think about the car at least once a day (and I've been doing that for over 2 years now![Even though I got the car in april ;-) ])

adrial

Whoa, unless you took the car for a drive you defintely do NOT want to be starting the car, letting it idle for a bit and then shutting it down.

It would be better off just sitting.

*Michael.*

I thought if you let it idle long enough to get the oil temp completely up and burn out all of the condensation you were ok..??

Thaddeus

I start and idle my car about every 3 weeks if I haven't been able to drive it. I let it warm completely up to its ordinary operating temperature, run it at various RPMs, and make sure there's no moisture leaving the exhaust before I shut it down.

Hans

[quote] Michael: I thought if you let it idle long enough to...
Thaddeus: I start and idle my car about every 3... <hr></blockquote>
I am with Adriel: do not start the engine unless you have to.

For this I have 2 main reasons:
- During start of an engine, you will have liquid petrol (condensed to the cylinder wall) entering the sump and mixing with the oil. This will change the configuration of the oil, allow forming of acid and reduce effectiveness of the dopes in the oil, in fact will kill them real fast.
- During the time the engine is still "cold" (not on operating temperature) everything wears faster.
The longer it takes to get to the operating temperature, the more wear.
(Rumor from a garage / workshop:
Rule of thumb: 1 winter start equals 1000 mls of driving with warm engine)
So: I dont start the engine unless I have to.

But: if you have / want to then get the engine on operating temperature real fast, thus by driving it.
(with moderate RPM please, dont exceed 4500 and stay above 2500).
Then drive it long enough to get the oil on temperature and keep it on temperature to get the petrol vaporised out.
This takes some 30 miles in the environment I live in at 10 deg C below freezing point.
The exhaust will be dry already for a long time when this stage is reached, so it can not realy be used as indicator.
TakeCare

Z-man

If you are going to start the car in the winter, make sure you DRIVE it for at least 1/2 hour. Idling the car for that long won't work.

Also: it's enough to drive it once every 2 weeks in the winter.

-Z.

PS: There was a PCA NNJR tech session on winterizing your Porsche last month, and that was the recommended procedure for 'not' storing your car in the winter.

GOBOGIE

Thanks for the advice, although I am aware that you should not start it unless you have to (I even edit the title of my post, to calm everybody down:-) but it's been sitting outside and I have yet to move it inside. The whole point was to unthaw the cover from it. I didn't want to rip the cover off of it while it was frozen to it so I squeezed inside of it to let it run and produce enough heat to unmelt the cover from it and then moved it inside. You get the idea!

We got snow in my neck of the woods a whole lot sooner than we normally do and it caught me before I could put her away for the winter. So much for that last drive before putting her away.