Jeff 97 Formula

I haven't driven my Formula or GTO since almost a month now (due to all this snow), and am wondering if I need to worry. I know there are several opinions out there (ranging from "start it once a week", while others say "better to leave it and not start unless you are going to drive it", and also heard "start it but allow it to reach operating temps").

Might be worrying about nothing, but this is actually the longest I've ever gone without at least taking them for a quick ride around town to "keep the juices flowing". I have been putting the charger on it once a week.

Thanks!

Z28 6spd

iTrader: (3)

A month is nothing to worry about. You're probably better off not running it, because no matter how long it runs, there is no load on it to build oil temp. Also takes a quite a while for exhaust condensation to burn off. Like you said, a lot of opinions on this. Keep the battery charged and add a fuel stabilizer and you will be fine.

hardbones

X2, it can sit for well over a year this way without any issues.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

This is exactly correct.

My '98 has sat for 4-6 months straight almost every year for the last 16 years, and it's absolutely fine. At this point it hasn't been run since October of '13, and it will fire up just fine in March or April for the first drive, just like every other year.

On a more extreme note, I had a '76 Eldorado that sat for about seven years without being started. Some fresh fuel and oil was all it took to get running again without issues. One month is really nothing at all, except that the battery might be dead if it was old/weak or if you have a drain somewhere.

Keep in mind, cold starts are where a typical street engine sees most of it's wear. In addition to the reasons listed above, there is no reason to add a bunch of extra cold weather cold starts to the engine when you have no plans to drive the car.

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

Gotcha beat. My formula sat for two years under covered parking un touched with a blown trans. I took the battery out immediately, two years later started up fine. Washed it 3 times a year, you could actually see the change of seasons on the car, fall was orange dirt, spring was yellow with pollen, and summer was green

When the gas starts to turn you will notice the car is requiring more turns of the starter than usual. I thought it was the battery at first but it's really just bad gas.

Now my wife's trans am on the other hand sat un covered for 4 or so years. The seals dry rotted on nearly all the engine, every pulley squeaked, clutch fluid was black and gooey. It was even to the point where moss was growing on the coolant dipstick. Sat in front of the original owners house all that time because he was elderly and had leg problems. only had 53k on it when we bought it two years ago. Interior was immaculate though

Here's the bird btw

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Depends on the condition of the car/engine BEFORE its starts to sit.......

If your engine has a very tight cooling system with no air in it, very clean oil with no moisture in it, and the interior of the car is pretty tight with no moisture left in it.

Moisture in the oil will allow surface rust to form inside the entire engine. You ever see someone tear an engine down and the pistons, cylinder walls, bearings, rods, etc.....have surface rust all over them. That happens if you let a car sit too long without running it. Nothing you can do will keep surface rust from forming....except to run it every week or so and let the oil and parts work........ People just don't think that rust is in their engine after months of sitting, but it is there.

Gravity and time does take oil off the rod, cam and crank bearings over time......nothing you can do about that unless you do want to start it every week or so to let it run and coat the bearings. Is it gonna kill the bearings to start it after 3-4 months of sitting....NO.....but it's definitely not the greatest thing to do to dry bearings either......or almost dry bearings. All of the oil won't run off the bearings, just a lot of it will.

Like mentioned.....extended periods doesn't give a death sentence to a car, but its not a GOOD thing.

There's a video, I think maybe by HRE of tearing down an engine that was sitting for like 6 months........it has surface rust everywhere. They did nothing to it.......put the heads back on and everything else and started it up with fresh oil in the pan. It started up and ran, but there is no doubt the cylinder walls got scored to a certain degree and the bearings took a hit. No question about it. Until that surface rust was worked off the parts it was acting like sand running through everything. Absolutely a bad thing......as compared to running it every week for 15 minutes and NEVER having surface rust inside the engine. That cannot be argued with.

I'm in the Middle East right now....been here almost two months already. My car is started every week and runs for 15 minutes. It gets to operating temp in about that time, then its turned off. I like a well oiled engine. That's how you get max life, max compression and max oil pressure from smooth bearings.

.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Doesn't seem that way. Looks like yours were only 2 and 4 years. Like I mentioned, I had one go for seven years once.

It is also not great to be cold starting the engine every week, in cold northern winter weather, without driving it and putting it under load. Cold starts in general are were a street engine sees most of it's wear. Starting and idling it regularly in the cold weather is not going to be any better for it than leaving it sit. Rust does not spread as quickly in the cold, dry winter weather here in the north as what you might be used to in the damp, warm south.

Again, 16 years of 4-6 month winter storage on mine, and the engine is fine. The oil is always in good condition when the car is put away for the winter.

patSS/00

iTrader: (6)

Mine only gets run every 2-3 weeks. But I go at least 10 miles whenever it's started. Just running the engine until coolant is up to temp is not good enough, it takes actual driving for the oil to heat up and condensation to burn off.

I rigged a kill switch that turns off the fuel pump and ignition, but not the starter. If the car's been sitting a long time, I run the starter with switch turned off for 8-10 seconds, to get the oil circulating. The switch is hidden, so it's also an anti-theft device.

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

the worst thing you can do is start it up in cold weather just for the sake of starting it, because then you put blow by into the oil on start up killing the oil which eventually turns it acidic and now the oil isn't keeping the metal inside the engine rust and corrosion free. and every time you start an engine especially in colder weather that's when the most wear occurs.

the best thing you can do is immediately prior to long term storage with engine hot is change the oil then run the engine for 5 minutes then shut it down. store it like this indefinitely, at this point you should only be worried about a flood or water making it's way into the cylinders or crankcase. the fuel system is closed and has no vent so there is nothing to worry about there, use stabil if it makes you happy but i've seen with boats and carburetors over the years stabil is a waste of money. the best thing on a car is keep the gas tank near empty but sealed, gas with ethanol breaks down over time regardless. when done with storage put fresh fuel in the tank. but for one season of storage that's less than 8 months it probably doesn't matter, i'm talking 1-2 years on fuel sitting.

trans_am7935

iTrader: (15)

You can also spray WD-40 inside each spark plug hole before letting it sit, this will keep the water out of your cylinders for a while. I spray this in my exhaust pipes, my intake, and every cylinder via spark plug hole and mine stays rust free. I usually sit mine for 4-6 months every other year without starting it. I also change the oil when i get home before i start it, pop the valve covers off, spray oil down each push rod hole, on each rocker and on the cam through the valley cover. This is not all really necessary, but i plan to keep my car for a while and knowing there is oil on parts before i start it makes me a happy man

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I agree 100%.

I've seen good results with Stabil over the years, both on sealed EFI applications and non-sealed carb'ed applications. Lots of guys seem to have issues with E10 fuel and seasonal storage with their carb applications, but I have never had this problem. In fact, I just had the Holley apart to do some modifications last spring, and it was as clean as a whistle inside after many years of winter storage without disassembly or rebuild - and the bowls are vented so air has certainly had a chance to mix prior to the fuel evaporating.

I try to fill the tanks up as full as possible just prior to winter storage, to minimize air (and thus humitity/mositure) in the tank. I usually only put one or two tanks of fuel through the '98 per year. I've always used Stabil and never had any fuel related issues at any point in all these years; it fires up very quickly even after a whole winter of sitting, with a smooth idle and no misfires.

Cole Train

iTrader: (30)

I've been keeping cars stored over the winter for years. I fill up the tank and the park it. I run it sometimes to move it or just let it heatup for 15-20 minutes once or twice. I pull the battery if it's gonna be real cold(-10 or colder) but otherwise it's just on the battery tender. Right now mines just up on ramps/wheel cribs getting a 4L80 but that should be done Tuesday so it'll be back on the ground after that.

websdown

Let mine sit from OCT to around middle of May just have a battery tender on it. Push it out of garage first thing in spring change oil before any turn over. And go.