Winter Storage: How long do you warm up your engine?

We had this discussion at a tech session at FOW last Saturday. Their answer allow the car to warm up to the point of the fans kicking in and then shut her down. This also allows for a rise in the coolant temp as well. That should be about 10 minutes every 2 weeks or even once a month as their recommendation. They also highly suggested tire supports to keep the tires from getting flat spots.
Oh and don't forget the trickle charge attached to the battery. You also want to fill the tank up, allowing as little moisture in the fuel tank as possible. You should aslo get fresh fluids for the winter storage, ie oil change, gear fluid, blah blah blah.

Robert

 

I agree with E60 except that letting it idle until the fans come on will not get the oil very warm and therefore accumulate moisture. I think the car really needs a run, or just leave it alone.

Dave

 

Agree with Hardtop I run mine about 15 mins and they sit on Tirecradles as discussed in another thread.

 

Agreed. You need to both warm up the car AND drive it around. Just idling does not curculate gearbox/trans fluid and it does not give your brakes a workout. Keeps CVs moving and all of the other linkages that gum up with no use.

You can drive your Ferrari in the winter time. As long as it is dry and you keep your head on about cold tires. It's not going to hurt the car. You just have to be careful.

On older (read carb ) cars it is necessary at startup to hold idle at 1500 for 2 minutes to begin/force oil circulation and then drive the car until the oil is HOT. If you don't you are continually dumping HUGE amounts of fuel into the oil and that will lead to cylinder and piston problems as well as fouled plugs and other running issues. Start it, warm it, and then drive it.

Injected cars are no different. The amount of fuel dumped into a cold engine is staggering. If things don't come up to temperature and burn off, you're going to have fouled plugs and your car will run like crap.

Remember, Ferrari engines are "breathing" life forms. Their metals and seals dramatically increase and decrease with temperature and need to be HOT before spirited driving. The dipsh!ts who only start and rev their cars in the garage will have 10X the problems that a true driver will.

Take the time to let it warm up, check your fluids, and then go drive the living crap out of the thing. That's what it was built for. Shine it up when you get home later. Or don't. I respect a dirty Ferrari just as much (sometimes more) than one that is too clean.

 

The new fuel blends make storing cars/boats a bit problematic. The older cars especially don't like the ethanol sitting around in the fuel system. Best to drive the thing on dry days. Short trips just fill the exuast system with condensation. Warm up at least enough to get the exhaust hot. Short trips aren't good either.

 

This is from an article in a boating magazine regarding the newer fuel blends with 10 or 15 % etoh:

No big deal? How can E-10, which attracts moisture and can fall apart, be expected to survive the winter? With any fuel that will be sitting for a long time, it is important to add stabilizer--an antioxidant--to extend the life of the fuel. What a stabilizer won't do, however, is prevent phase separation.

Several sources, including one prominent engine manufacturer, recommend running the tank down to almost empty and then adding stabilizer. The following spring, the tank can be refilled with fresh gasoline. Lew Gibbs, a senior engineering consultant at Chevron, worries that leaving a few gallons of gasoline might attract enough condensation to cause phase separation. If that were to happen, the highly corrosive ethanol/water mixture would settle to the bottom of the tank and would remain there even after the fresh fuel was added in the spring.

Gibbs said his first choice would be to completely empty the tank when the boat is laid up and then refill it the following spring with fresh gasoline. Unfortunately, completely emptying a built-in tank safely is nearly impossible. His next choice, one that's more practical, is to top off the tank to 95% full (to allow for expansion). A tank that's almost full reduces the flow of air into and out of the vent, which reduces condensation on tank walls. Any condensation that does form will be absorbed by the gasoline. (Note that the National Fire Protection Association [NFPA] also calls for tanks to be topped off to minimize explosive vapors.)

Gibbs said the worst choice, which was confirmed by marina owners in the Midwest, is to leave the tank half-full over the winter. Jerry Metzger, the general manager of Chicago Harbor's nine marinas, said phase separation problems typically occurred when boats had been stored over the winter with tanks that were a quarter- to half- full. The tanks breathe more and attract larger amounts of moisture. Metzger says boaters in the area have learned to fill the tanks before the boat is laid up for the winter.

Note, however, that phase separation can occur anytime E-10 sits for a long time. On Long Island Sound, which has been using ethanol-enhanced gasoline for the past couple of seasons, Mitch Kramer of TowBoatU.S. Oyster Bay said they haven't had any problems with their own boats, which are used every day. Kramer says the problems now on Long Island Sound seem to be with boats that are used infrequently. Half-empty tanks that sit for long periods are more likely to attract moisture, which causes phase separation. The key: Use your boat!

 

For anyone that wants the whole article:

Storing ethanol-enhanced gasoline
Boat/US Magazine, Sept, 2007 by Bob Adriance

 

If you can't drive the car in the winter due to conditions or salt, don't even start it. Store it properly and after a few months it should start and run just fine.

 

Fortunately in my neck of the woods there always seems to be a time in the winter where the roads are dry and I am able to take the car out for a ride. Based on previous history I can get out maybe 2-3 times a week so I don't worry about the time to run the engine. I do block my oil cooler duct and cover part of the rad. but I have no need for a battery tender. Considering my fans don't or rarely turn on even in the summer it's not an issue in the winter. So I enjoy as much as possible the sunny weather.

 

Run a ferrari for a full 2 fan run...15 minutes may not be enough....Once a month is enough, pump the brakes as well , andif possible move it out of the garage, and then back in.....been doing it for 9 yrs like this, no iusses to date.

 

Once the LH fan starts running it time to go!!!

BTW I have a 355

 

Any car with rubber timing belts needs to be started about one a month and run upto full operating temperatures (10-15 minutes.....typically once the fans start).
If you do not start the vehicle the rubber timing belt can be damaged due to the 'standing' pressure on one spot.
The motor oil and filter should be changed prior to storage and all fluids checked for level only.
Stabyl is an option but if you start the car this regularly I'm not sure it is necessary unless the storage is going to be over 6 months.
Once in a while it is a good idea to drive the car and top up the fuel but if salt is an issue, this many not be practical.
Also you should either install a battery tender or use a charger once a month to top up the battery charge (if it is necessary- with the battery 'off' switch it may not be necessary....again depending on the age of the battery)

Now for those vehicles with steel cam chains, just change the motor oil and store it without starting. Adding stabyl as well is a good idea if you are not going to start the vehicle for 4-6 months.

 

Living in Vegas I don't have that problem anymore, but when I lived in Kansas City we discussed storage and how long to run the car if you did start it. One item discussed that no one has brought up is running the car long enough to heat up the exhaust system. An owner of a 275 GTB/4 brought this up since the exhaust systems were not available and starting the engine would send all of the moisture to settle in the low spots in the system and shorten the system's life.

 

Welcome to Alaska...October to April, it doesn't move, start, anything.

 

We had a big discussion about this at work. Because police cars are bought once a year and sometimes sit for long periods of times before being put into service. Not sure about other tire companies but Goodyear claims the tires should be fine parked in a static position with proper inflation for many months--no chance of flat spots...just thought I woul share that...Maybe Joe T can chime in here with his tire experience..

 

that blows for sure...

 

I have put 2k miles on my 308 in 16 years. The car has 21k on the odometer. I don't get to drive much. Start the car at least once a month. Drive the car at least a few miles. Start and operate all systems like wipers, antenna, cigarette lighter,windows,flashers etc. I have no engine issues but a noise in the gearbox. Go figure.

 

Yes, I've heard that with modern tires if they are properly inflated a car can sit for many months without developing flat spots. Good to know Goodyear specifically stands behind that claim since I have Goodyears on my car.

Best regards,
Dino

 

Yes, drives you nuts and you start collecting little replicas of cars all winter long....

On the tire issue, mine sits on dense rubber playground mat (like Race Deck, but $20 for 40 quare feet at Costco). The impressions from the tires do not even flatten the mat all the way, and it springs back to original shape. After sitting for 5-6 months, tires are still round without flat spots. I have been doing this for 5 years on the same tires. I mostly do it to keep the car off of the wet concrete in the garage in the winter.
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Our 1960 Pf coupe starts and runs fine in the winter if I put the trickle charger on the battery and apply the hand choke. I try to drive it and use the clutch, brakes, lights, wipers, etc about once a month, usually for about 10 minutes, at least long enough to get the oil temp gauge to its normal max. I keep the gas tank full to the filler neck. I have been doing this for 32 years. The tires are Pirellis and I must pump them up about once every two months. I suspect that the original Borannis leak a bit through the spokes or the valve stems. I just have to spot a sunny day and put this "chore" on the schedule.

 

Ya know gang, laying your car up for a few months out of the year is NOT long term storage! If you're not going to drive it, don't start it....period. You're doing more damage than not.

As far as tyres getting flat spots, that was a problem with nylon corded tyres. Flat spots on modern tyres quickly disappear after a short drive.

Fill the petrol tank, put on a battery maintainer and give it a good rest while it hibernates through the winter months. Anything more is a waste of time. Oh, you might want to change the oil too.

 

I don't store mine, I drive it. Even in the UK there are enough dry days to take the car for a blast round the block. The only exception is when there is salt or snow on the road.
Regards
Nick

 

At last, sense Decemeber to early March here I can't even open the garage door for snow and I have never had problems with any of my cars. I also don't leave a battery tender running. I just don't like the idea of anything plugged in when I'm not around for so long but that's just me. I just disconnect the battery.

One other thing though, don't leave the parking brake on. Leave the car in gear or with chocks under the wheels.