starting a car in the cold

blankpro · 01-23-04, 09:22

a little offtopic, but:

Is it better to start a car that is sitting for a while in cold weather (it's 12 degrees now) or wait until it's in the upper 20s? Should I idle it once a week - and when?

Sorry for the offtopic, but you guys are around cars all the time and would know this . I have 3 cars, one daily driver, the others under car covers. How do I keep them ok in this subfreezing weather?**********:smilie('

')

tom p. · 01-23-04, 09:35

an automatic battery charge is a great place to start.

I also can suggest driving the vehicles to get them fully warmed up, when the roads are clear/clean, of course.

I suspect you cause more damage by starting them and just having them idle...it's just not good for the car and you end up causing much more condensation in key areas of the vehicle.

Flat-spotted tires are also a concern when the weather is so cold.

kgb · 01-23-04, 09:37

Don't start them at all. Throw some Stabil in the tank, pull the battery, fill the tires and let it sit until you are ready to drive it.

That is my helpful tip

emobob · 01-23-04, 11:41

yes, do either two of those. Don't just idle them: carbon build up, condensation, etc etc.

If you choose to run them, idle for about 15 seconds and then drive while keeping your foot light on the gas and low on the revs until the engine warms up. Drive it around for a good 15 minutes. I don't really know how often this should be done, so I won't try to guess.

If you leave them there, take all of the normal precautions that people take when winterizing a vehicle, and next year do it before winter actually hits

Lynn · 01-23-04, 03:38

Since you've set-up your profile not to accept PMs, I couldn't notify you personally of this, but .... I moved this thread. The Meguiar's forum (where you posted) is for discussion of Meguiar's products, so I moved this into Car & Driver for you.

Nikon · 01-23-04, 05:58

Quote:

Originally posted by 2001civicex
Don't start them at all. Throw some Stabil in the tank, pull the battery, fill the tires and let it sit until you are ready to drive it.

From my point of view this is the best advice. I know of some folks who will also plug the tail pipe and intake. The reasoning here is that it prevents moisture from migrating in through either of these paths and into a cylinder via an open exhaust or intake valve. These same folks also have a system to pre-lube the engine before starting it in the spring. On older vehicles this was fairly easy but I have no idea how to accomplish this on newer cars.