so do you guys think this is harmful

by alive 75 Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:36 pm

my monte sits in the garage for the winter, about every week or two i go out there and fire it up, i let it sit and idle for about 15 to 20 minutes, then turn it off, it has a full tank of fuel with some fuel stabilizer mixed in, the oil is up to level and it has 20psi of oil pressure at idle,, the antifreeze has been changed with a 50/50 mixture using distilled water, i also have a battery tender on it, my question is just letting it idle for that long causing any harm, thanks Danny
p.s. plus its been -30 with the wind chill lately so its cold out there. What a Face

by thatfnthing Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:54 pm

Whenever mine has been runnable over a winter, my maintenance routine was similar, with the exception of the distilled water. I've had no issues. I also run a bottle of injector cleaner through it when spring rolls around.

by dynchel Mon Jan 06, 2014 7:17 pm

I accually am really bad at this. I usually park my '74 in December And don't even attempt to start it until spring (or at least March). I have been told at least driving it to the end of the driveway and back is better than just letting it idle. I doubt you will "hurt" anything except maybe carbon it up a little.

by Mcarlo77 Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:05 pm

From what I've heard, 15-20 mins idling is sufficient to burn off any moisture and/or fuel vapors that mix with the oil if you're going to start the car periodically. Suppose you could gently rev the engine to help prevent carbon buildup while pretending you're cruising the winding back roads. Otherwise, let it sleep until weather warms up in the Spring.

by bitterfitter Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:05 pm

As long as she is getting up to operating temperature, you are good. That keeps the moisture out of the oil and engine.

by dragons_lair59 Tue Jan 07, 2014 5:35 am

It also keeps seals and gaskets lubed up

by Joe73 Tue Jan 07, 2014 8:23 am

If gas in your area.has.ethanol in it I'd make sure your stabilizer treats ethanol.

by bitterfitter Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:18 am

Yeah, that ethanol is causing problems here in WNY. I have had to do alot of repairs because of it. Een small emgines. My fathers lawn mower has died twice because of it. It actaully ate through the rubber float needle tip, flooded the engine, filled the cylinder and leaked by the rings. It then flooded the crankcase oil with gas. Glad it didn't try to start as it would have wiped the bearings clean...

by Joe73 Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:06 pm

I have a bass boat that I tournament fish in. I also frequent bassboatcentral.com Ethanol is creating havoc on bass boats both 2 and 4 stroke. Ethanol approved fuel lines are changing all the time and they seem to need to be replaced about every 3-5 years. What people have been running (including myself) to fight ethanol problems, clean your fuel system, and stabilize your fuel is the "cocktail".

It consists of
1 oz. Sta-bil ETHANOL fuel stabilizer (blue/green stuff NOT THE RED)
and
1 oz. Sea Foam
to every 5 gallons of gas.

So basically an ounce of each to every 5 gallons of gas. Some people use other additives instead of the sea foam like yamaha ring free or quick kleen.

I've been using the above "cocktail" in my chevelle, boat, quads, lawn tractors, generators, weed wackers and chain saws for years and have yet to have a fuel related problem or need a carb rebuild.

Sea foam is available at walmart, napa, auto zone, etc. Even tractor supply and they carry the gallon containers of it as well. Have to shop around for the best price.

Some people complain that sea foam has alcohol in it as well and that it could add to the problem, but the consensus is that it does more good than harm. Sea foal is a petroleum based product as well.

Just my 2 cents as to what has worked for me in all my gas powered toys.

by magic marouke Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:23 pm

After starting it up I would be so tempted to take it out and stretch it's legs and blow the cobwebs off .

by bitterfitter Tue Jan 07, 2014 5:55 pm

Thanks for the "cocktail". I will keep it in mind next time I am at the store.

by pila Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:04 pm

Key words are "operating temp"....
As far as winter storage is concerned, I use avgas in my Malibu, and that stuff doesn't have the problems of auto gas, with or without ethanol, for over the winter.

by bracketchev1221 Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:29 pm

I would let it sit. We had motors at the machine shop that sat on the shelf for years without an issue. You can fog the motor when you put it away and start it in the spring. Idling is the worst thing you can do for an engine, especially with a flat tappet cam that gets oiled by splash off the crank. I would let it sit, and then in the spring drain the oil and refill it. Let the oil run down over the cam and the crank to oil it up and fire it up. I would however make sure it doesn't freeze. That IS important.

by pila Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:59 pm

Fogging it is a good idea......I have to do that with my boat engine each fall, just before haul out. There's aerosol cans of fogging oils at marine stores. With the engine idling, the oil gets sprayed in until it kills the engine, which is supposed to cover the combustion chamber & cylinder walls. A hand operated pre-oiler is what I use in spring, pumping a pint oil through the gauge port, to fill the system.

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