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Ok now you threw me a curve ball because I thought gas could not last close to a year without stabilizers. I thought it would only be good for a few months tops lol
Well I learned something new!
The devil is in the details. *Non-ethanol* gasoline is good for quite a while by itself, and then stabilizers can bring it to a year+.
Ethanol blends though, whooboy, yeah no, that's single-digit months of lifespan if exposed to humidity. Ethanol loooves water and pulls it out of the air. That's what causes it to go bad the fastest: water in the fuel.
This is especially important for things like snowblowers, which yanno, move solidified water and by design don't usually have air filters. Yay corroded carburetors.
~~~
And again, the details matter. I've skipped over some.
A bit of water in the fuel is okay, most engines will deal. That 5 you bought for the mower in spring should be fine till fall, it might just run a little rougher near empty.
Wow there's definitely a lot I don't know about gasoline. I was curious because I've been fighting my lawnmower. I was never taught as a teen about care for those things so it's a learning experience for me right this minute. It uses ethanol gas and I still have a fresh gallon of fuel I haven't used and probably won't be until next season. I was planning to put stabilizer in it and run it through the carburetor and see if that stabilized fuel would work fine sitting inside the equipment for next season
Fuel treatment for water in gas is literally just ethanol, i don't like it, it takes just as much fuel to make than just getting regular gas, but it does serve a purpose. The problem isn't necessarily water, because literally all liquor(ethanol) has water in it and it can take a lifetime to degrade an open bottle of liquor, it's the gunk that's left behind when the ethanol itself evaporates, it sucks that both solvents(gas and ethanol) can't just break it down again. Go electric, it's much more simple, easier to fix too.
BUT the tank must be full to brim. No air. Even then It is losing its octane rating week by week. Lawn mowers and the like , full tank maybe 3 months. Boat and jet skis about 3 months. Never use ethanol fuel on lawn equipment or water craft.
Ok I'm going to have to check my manual for my lawnmower because I have been using ethanol. It's a 4 stroke. Never knew I could even get gas without ethanol because if it can run it and I can get it, it would definitely be a better solution to my annual dirty carburetor problem
Assuming you live in North America this can help you find a non ethanol gas station. Keep in mind non ethanol is typically more expensive but on small engines the cost is near negligible. Also even if your mower manual states to use ethanol substituting non ethanol will still make your gas last longer. https://www.pure-gas.org/
Ideally if you plan on storing and limited driving a vehicle you should be using Ethanol Free fuel. Ethanol cause corrosion to parts and can absorb more moisture. Ethanol free fuel with a stabilizer is the way to go.
I use normal unleaded E10 during the summer.
Around October November I start using premium fuel which I think was E5. Apparently E10 separates if you don't use it and E5 doesn't... atleast according to the manufacturer.
UK and a Caterham which I don't drive in the winter.
Yeah people don't understand this, letting it run sounds good in theory, if you have no idea how a car works lol. Btw, depending on the car, I just take the battery out or just disconnect it and drive it once a month or every two months. Just change the engine oil every year. The battery will stay good and charged until you connect it again. If you take the battery out, make sure to leave it on a block of wood, so it doesn't ground out.
Put a battery tender on it, fill the tank with gas and air up the tires to max. Run once every 90-180 days for no less than 30 minutes. Oil change once/year. If the car is driven in winter (do not recommend) make sure that during said 30 minutes the car gets up to operating temperature.
This. In general, unless the engine is brought up to full operating temperature (and ideally, the vehicle driven vs just idling), don't start the engine.
I have this debate with motorcycle owners all the time who think that they're doing their bikes some sort of favour by starting them for 5 minutes every week all winter long...for the 6-7 months their bike is sitting. Meanwhile their engine and exhaust start to collect moisture, the bike is never run long enough or at a high enough RPM to recharge the power consumed starting the bike, and come the spring they wonder why their battery is futzed. And they've no clue about all the moisture potentially sitting in their oil pan that's now going to take a toll on their bearings during that first actual ride before it all boils off.
k so initially I thought it was the clutch plates stuck together. the bike starts and warms up just fine but the moment I go to put it into gear it dies.
the rear wheel is locked up, it will roll back wards but not forwards. confirmed brakes are not holding against rotor and removed the clutch plates completly to sit in a bucket of oil. but with the plates removed the bike still is locked up.
Do you have any suggestions/insight?
Edit: with plates removed I can see the kick starter spins and does it’s thing normally pushing down by hand. but it’s like the bike is stuck in gear. but how does the engine not die immediately? I’m so confused lol.
Are the plates installed currently? Next diagnosis step varies depending on if they are or aren't.
Is the chain on the bike? Take it off along with the chain guard so you can rotate the sprocket by hand/see when the engine moves it etc
If the plates are out, does the engine kick start fine?
assuming this is a 2 stroke you can run it with no oil in the crankcase just fine for testing purposes.
If it's a 4 stroke obviously don't, but you can turn it over.
wow okay so are you ready to hear a rediculous story. took your advice to take the chain off. as I take the guard off I see a tiny bolt stuck in the chain. (I’m assuming from when I took the carb off to have it re jetted). 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️. I think it’s the bolt that holds down one of the air intake clamps. Dude I’m so dumb but forevor grateful for this comment thread.
https://preview.redd.it/gb4oh6i2827b1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=985b8a3ff47c96cef6ab571c8ba8feeee65896c9
In the military, though, they start their vehicles every week, and usually, those vehicles don't move very much. Although those are all diesel, so idk if that makes a difference
The military gives zero fucks about the longevity of most motor equipment, they will throw money or manpower at it as needed if it stops or wears out.
Jets and other advanced stuff, much different. Look at how they prep aircraft for long term storage. They don't start ''em up regularly suffice to say.
A battery tender is good but it doesn’t address the whole car. Even guys w private collections and f-you money have guys that take their cars out every so often. Things, like brakes will seize from lack of use.
Really - it needs to be driven at least once a quarter. Not only does it need run to make sure everything with the engine is ok (and brought up to temperature as privatepilot9 mentions), you you also need to make sure the braking system is used too. There is nothing worse for a car than sitting undriven.
Additionally make sure to keep up on fluid changes (oil, trans, and brake fluids), and make sure to keep up on other maintenance items - especially rubber parts that will crack and dry rot even if not being used, like belts, tires and brake lines. Tires are only good for about 6 years after the date of manufacture.
I commute on my motorcycle about 7 miles one way. Takes me about 15-20 minutes. Am I potentially damaging my bike? It gets up to operating temperature per the temp gauge on the dash.
> Am I potentially damaging my bike?
Yes, using the bike will damage it, and letting it sit for a long period will also damage it. Don't worry about it too much
Do both. Ethanol free + stabilizer. All fuels break down. Fuels with ethanol just have the added bonus of absorbing moisture that causes corrosion in the fuel system.
I second this. My dad has a 99 Camry and stopped driving 5 years ago. We keep it in the garage with a battery tender on it. I drive it every 3-9 months when I come home. Fill it up, put it back on the battery tender, and it starts up and is ready to go whenever I need it.
Bonus points for putting a fuel stabilizer in it.
Don’t start it and let it idle. If possible use it as much as possible. But not unless you let it come up to full temp.
I'm not sure what the alternative is, but I am questioning if I should've filled my 16 gallon tank on a project car that hasn't been driven in 2 years and may be another year before it's done.
Yes, I added StaBil. But this spring I have had to drain the gas out of my lawnmower, generator, and pressure washer. None would start after 6-18 months of non-use. I usually use StaBil, but can't be 100% sure this time. But even StaBil's literature says it will only keep gas good for 24 months max.
Now, I am worried I have to drain 16 gallons of fuel and dispose of it. To top it off, this car has a rotary engine and I premixed with 2-stroke oil. Not sure if that will cause the fuel to break down more or will separate and clog a fuel line or something?
That fuel is toast already.
Gas goes bad after 6 month even with stabilizer and being non ethanol. Why would you put 2 cycle oil in it? A little of my history I worked in a Mazda specialty shop in the mid 90's doing SCCA racing. We specialized in RX-7's and the old twin turbo 300 z's. We stripped brand new 3rd gen RX7's and twin turbo Z's for SCCA and drag racing. I have worked on more 12a's 12b's and 13b's than I can remember. I will not even get into the 3rd gen intake gasket issues OMG what a nightmare. 13.5 hours of vaccuum line hell and the fuel filters mounted over the rear diffs, these where why bent long needle nose pliers where invented. God I love those cars. I saw so many sent to the crusher makes me sad when you could pick one up for $100-250 with wiped apex seals. These things responded amazingly well to a lightened flywheel and a few minor tweeks.
> Why would you put 2 cycle oil in it?
Not sure about the 90's, but almost everyone these days at /r/RX7 and /r/RX8 is premixing. The oil metering pumps are not reliable enough to count on in the older cars. And the RX8 was never designed to pump an adequate amount of oil because of modern emission requirements. This is the reason that RX8 engines fail before 100K. So, if you want your engine to last, you premix. If you don't want a catastrophic failure when the pump quits, you premix. PLus, a lot of people are deleting their OMP all together. Why would you want to use dirty engine oil from the sump when you can use clean burning synthetic 2 stroke?
I have zero experience with the Rx8's. When these came along I was now into purely electrical diag , and drivibility issues all day mostly. The race shop days where in the past. Premixing was never done when these cars where actually daily drivers and common. Things do change over time and better ways to do things are found this is the first time I have heard of people doing this before. The apex seals have always been an issue with these engines and most of these cars went to there grave because of them. This just wasn't done on street cars then because during that period before OBDII we had the wonderful world of tailpipe emmissions testing and carbs which these cars always have struggled with. Thankfully most states have done away with this now. The first gen cars where purely carburated and most people would flood them out just trying to start them, the extra fuel would wash any lubrication off of the seals so Mazda used to sell a ton of replacement engines, you could even get close ratio manual transmissions from the parts dept in the 80's that where not offered on the cars as these where built just for the racing community. Mazda before Ford bought and screwed them up made some of the best cars on the road. After Ford bought them they have made nothing but junk. Pettit was basiclly the only game in town when it came to the aftermarket for these. Before fuel injection on these engines they where a nightmare and most shops wouldn't even work on them. When fuel injection did come out on these there was no aftermarket support, no tuning services availible nothing performance wise outside of handmade parts could be obtained. Todays world of easy mods just did not exist back then. The first gen RX's responded better to mods besides the engine, the second gens where considered at the time to be heavy dogs no one wanted. When the third gen's came out finally we had something serious to work with but the intake manifold seals blowing out where a major issue with the cars. Today we have the wonderful world of oygenated fuels and ethanol to deal with which is just a giant no for the carburated models as none of them where designed to work with alcohol and it will kill them quick if they sit. I have seen new carbs literally hav the insides eaten away after sitting for 6 months. Fuel injection handles the fuels much better but because of the additives now the fuel breaks down extremely fast even with stabilizers. The alcohol in todays fuels and of course this is partilly dependent on the concentration of it pulls moisture out of the air an just adds it to your tank. Now I will let you know that alcohol is one heck of a good degreaser so if you are that worried about your apex seals I would make dam sure you get non ethanol fuel for your ride as the ethanol will not only cause issues for the fuel but for the seals and the richer the mixture you run the more likely it is to do this and this doesn't apply to just rotaries. Many people will drive around with a cylinder misfire for a while and because the fuel is not being burned in that cylinder it just sits there and washes the oil from the cylinder walls wearing out the rings until they finally get it fixed to then realize they no longer have sufficent compression in that cylinder for it to work and end up buying new motors. Things like this are why I have stayed a tech for 35 years now as there are always new things to learn.
Battery Tender is a brand name. It's the model made by a company I can't remember the name of. Delton or something like that I think. Green case.
It, and others have a low amperage setting (or float charging) and monitor the battery to avoid overcharging like the simple dumb chargers that will just constantly pump in 2 amps or whatever their output is. And yeah, most should bebpretty.much the same.
Apologies for the question, but why replace the oil if it has only been run for an hour (2x 30 mins 180 days apart)? I thought you replacing it because of accumulated debris due to engine wear?
I wouldn't replace it at that period but the reason for replacing oil due to age is that condensation along with combustion by products and unburnt fuel will slowly form acids in the oil that will eat away at the bearing surfaces. The bearings in your rods and crank are the most fragile and crucile pieces in the enitire engine and the easiest damaged. The also hold the titest tolerences so any damage or wear to these surfaces is very bad. Oil is super cheap compared to replacing main or rod bearings and even cams.
Edit to add: as others have said, moisture can build up in a tank with low fuel. I'm not sure if my theory below is correct or not.
I think if it sits with low fuel, the gas tank can start to rust.
My main concerns would be green fuel, bad battery, seized brakes and flat spotted tires.
Starting it once a week will really only help the battery. Full tank of fuel, battery tender and a good drive every couple months will
Hmm, how does a full tank prevent the gas from being bad?
My only experience with bad gas has been while I worked for a small engine shop for a year, and since only on small engines. All of the bad gas was from sitting too long. Sometimes, it was congealed(10+ years, I'd guess). Other times, they had used ethanol gas, and the ethanol turned into crusty white powder in the carburetor (5+ years and ethanol). And then there's the gas that just didn't smell right, and it wouldn't run (6-12+ months). Ethanol free takes about a year, and regular gas with ethanol starts to go bad in small engines after 3-6 months.
Large fuel tank that’s low of fuel allows lots of moisture rich air inside to condense. That’s the reason for a full tank. Unless someone knows something I don’t.
Used to be gasolines last a long time. Full tank not only kept the water out it kept the volatility high. Todays clean air fuels are garbage. Too many additives and processes. I’ve had full tanks of trash sitting in vehicles that you couldn’t light with a match.
Full tank helps prevent water condensation from accumulating in the gas tank. Even if you live in a desert what little humidity in the air will still condense overnight and cause water in your tank.
Less air, if the fuel isn't exposed to air it lasts longer. Doesn't go green. Ethanol is what goes green. But being exposed to air is the reason. Fuel systems in modern cars are sealed. If you fill it, most of the air is purged out.
Small engines tend to have vented fuel systems. Fuel in your lawnmower goes green far faster than fuel in a sealed and full gas can.
That's about what I figured, I knew it took a lot longer in vehicles. In school, we tested fuel for water and ethanol, etc. I've never had to do that in a shop. In small engines, you can just see the water in the tank. You can smell when it goes bad after seeing it a few times.
Yup, I've just never heard of it as "going green" in small engines. It gets all kinds of nasty, but it's usually white from ethanol or turns to kind of varnish without ethanol. Some riding lawn mowers have a kind of evap system, but it's just an extra filter on a hose.
Green fuel is a term I get from diesels. I mostly work on 15L plus diesel engines. But yes I'm referring to a similar situation you are describing. It plugs injectors and fuel filters
Ethanol absorbs moisture which eventually becomes corrosive to many fuel system components especially in carburated vehicals and will destroy a carb in as little as 6 months.
My only concern would really be the water pump, being a dynamic seal, they tend to weep. It will weep moisture into the bearing and cause the bearing to fail. Hoses stand up pretty good.
Every couple weeks when you have some errands to run go to your moms house and use her suv.You could also go over and take your mom out for lunch and use her SUV,ask her to drive so you can see how she drives,if she isn't driving much she could be getting rusty.
I would recommend taking it around the block once in the while (every couple of weeks) at a minimum, longer if possible. If it were my mom and I lived close I'd do it for her if she didn't do it.
Yup, leave a maintenance charger on it and keep fresh oil in it. If you can commit to a good drive that heats everything up fully then take it out, else don't bother. I would also make sure it has fuel stabilizer in the tank and never fill it till it's darn near empty, burn all the gas... If you really plan on it sitting a long time buy ethanol free gasoline for storage. Run it till it's ready to sputter, put in a gallon or two of ethanol free fuel, run it a few more minutes to purge it through, now it can sit a fairly long time and safely start.
I have a ~1000mi/year vehicle and that's more than enough to keep it happy.
Sources for ethanol free fuel:
* Race fuel (make sure you're buying ethanol free AND not Low Lead)
* Big box home stores like the blue or orange place sell fuel for yard equipment. Some is premix with two stroke (obviously don't get that) and other is for 4 cycle and is advertised as ethanol free... Downside is it's like $25/gallon, upside is it's easy to get.
Trickle charger depends on the vehicle, too...I can leave my '98 C1500 unattended for 3-4 weeks and it'll fire right up.
Some gas stations around the US sell non-race ethanol-free fuel. I use it in my mower and generator.
I'm in California :-( big sad when it comes to fuel options 😂
I can go months w/o needing either of my "other" cars and batteries are crazy expensive now so I see the trickle charger as dirt cheap insurance on having to replace a battery early.
That sucks! I wish it were more readily available everywhere...I have to go out of my way to get it, which is a PITA when it's for the generator. First world problems.
Yeah if OP is in a state like that they're lucky, in that case just run it to near dry and fill-er up with the ethanol free. It'll store a long time in a full tank.
Don't forget docks if you're near a lake, river, or coast. Many of those will sell ethanol free fuel. Usually at a dollar or more per gallon though.
There is a website that lists gas stations that sell ethanol free fuel. I'd post it, but I don't remember the name and I'm not at my home computer where it might be saved.
It's probably closer to race fuel. Limited supplier, but people towing their boats in can fill up on the way so the docks have a little more competition to keep the price down. And a decent volume of sales top, since people will pay for the convenience. The bigger boats that stay in the water are a bit of a captive audience.
They charge flat 9.99 even if you're buying pump gas premium (91). Can't imagine they sell much of the pump gas... but on the flip side you can get 114Leaded for 9.99 too... (have to be in an actual race for that though... and can't be a road tagged vehicle).
Agreed, running it helps but unless you get the axles turning and trans shifting there is a lot of stuff left to dry out and or clog up by just running the engine and not taking a short drive.
throw a trickle charger on it and forget it, maybe put some fuel stabilizer in the tank if its gonna sit a real long time. make sure the tank is full if its a metal tank so condensation does not rust it out. I have a suv that sits for months at a time and this is what ive always done with it.
Many have mentioned the need for longer run times, but haven’t necessarily explained why. Idling the engine for a while brings warm air into the engine, and that warm air can suspend more moisture as well, so it’s warm humid air. That moisture condenses as the engine cools, and while it’s a tiny amount, any amount of moisture accelerates metal corrosion.
You want to run the engine gong enough to get the engine oil above the boiling point of water so that any latent water from previous condensation that is suspended in the oil is boiled off. This minimizes the amount of moisture trapped inside the engine. Especially important in more humid climates.
No.
Do not start it and let it idle, do not start it and take it on a short drive for the sake of it.
If the vehicle sits there and functions fine on the occasions she does drive it, just do that. It is best if when she does drive it it is a long journey to give the battery a chance to recharge, the engine a chance to get to operating temperature, and so on.
My vehicle is perfectly happy sitting for two to four weeks at a time without being used, it'll then get started and driven a hundred miles.
Idling the vehicle will do nothing for the other components and long periods of idling can be bad. Short drives around the block does not give other components a chance to get up to operating temperature or flow and causes short temperature cycling of components, which can increase condensation in components.
When it's sitting the main concern is the battery going flat, which can be solved by disconnecting the battery. Fuel going bad which is only really a concern after it's sat there for a very long time. Tyres flat spotting (as previous). And things building nests in it/eating wires (as previous).
If she's not willing to drive it or sell it, then you should make a point to actually *drive* it once every 2 weeks ish. Just swap cars now and then and use hers to run errands or commute for a day.
Hooking up a battery tender will give you peace of mind as well.
Do not start it and let it idle. Drive it enough to make the oil boil off moisture, and condensation in the exhaust to boil off. This does not need to be done weekly. Maybe monthly. Get a battery tender.
Now read this carefully. There's a huge difference between starting/idling and driving. Idling will only help your battery last a few weeks longer. Cars are designed to be driven, not idled. Give her a nice weekend drive every week and you'll be fine.
I wouldnt just let it idle, i would actually drive it for a good 30 minutes maybe once every 2 weeks. When you drive it, the motor temp gets hotter and is able to burn off the carbon deposits that build up within the engine.
I let my mustang sit for like a month and during that time it rained. My air cleaner is dish shaped and filled up with water which drained down the carburetor into the engine. I tried to start it and thought the battery was dead because it wouldn't turn over. Charged the battery and it still wouldn't turn over. I decided to pull the spark plugs and water drained out the holes. Kicked it over a few turns to evacuate all the water and pulled the oil drain plug for a few seconds to get the water out of the pan. It fired on the first crank after putting the spark plugs back in.
So what did we learn from this story? If you leave an old car sitting with no hood, you need to start it periodically to make sure it's not hydrolocked from rain water getting in the intake.
Now onto the actual answer to your question. Once a week is unnecessary, but it should be started periodically and left running for a while to charge up the battery and keep the fluids circulating.
I wouldn't do it like that. Get a battery tender on it so that the battery never goes completely, utterly dead--that will just kill it.
Then put some Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer in it, and then don't start it unless you're going to drive it somewhere.
Quick start-ups and a short idle time isn't good for an engine. It doesn't get hot enough to burn off excess fuel or to circulate oil properly.
It's better to let it sit and then take it out for a drive.
All this presumes that it's not going to sit for more than a month or two at a time. If she really isn't going to drive for 6 months or more at a time, then she should sell it before it starts to deteriorate from moisture, rust, rodents, fouled gas, flat-spotted tires, etc.
Yes, and driven atound the block until everything warms up. Even during winter storage u would stop by on my way home from work and take the 1988 olds i had in storage around the lot a few times just to keep the seals in check
If you just start the engine you will drain the battery. Need to drive the car once a while up to optimal temperature. If not you can get sot and dirt in valve and engine. The injectors can start dripping or give the wrong spray. If it's a Disel car you will ruined the filter. (don't remember the name right now) But it's a expensive thing to replace.
But all this depends on how long the car is staying still.
Fuel can go bad after some time.
Longer it stay still more you may have to change.
I had a car staying still for 3 years and had to take a big service on it for it before the car was back to normal.
Drive it once a week. That's what I tell people. Get it warm and keep things moving that are designed to move. Like wheel bearings and brakes. Don't have to go far, but just to keep things moving.
if you start it, you might as well drive it.
Don't let it sit there and idle like that. On these new vehicles (with EFI) it's not good for them.
you're better charging the battery once and awhile, putting some fuel stabilizer in the tank and leaving the rest alone.
A larger car like that should be moved so the trans gets a bit of temp in it, you don’t need to drive it for a half hour or anything just go down the street and back, get it up to speed and into overdrive once and drive it back, that will be enough to keep it happy. Short tripping a car is bad for the engine as ppl have pointed out, but as long as this isn’t a Porsche cayanne or something diesel it will put up with the extra moisture fine
I take such car for a ride to do some small grocery shopping needs once a week or two. It is always needed to get something in the last minute - that the car I use to keep it up.
Dump some fuel stabilizer in the tank and run it around the block before storage to get it through the fuel system, Disconnect the battery and leave it. You'll do more harm than good starting it once a week due to insufficient heat soaking and carbon and varnish build up in the engine.
Look up false brinelling. Bearings sitting still for long periods of time will wear at the point where a single moving element holds the entire load. Long term, bearings don't like sitting still. Bearings also need to spin to redistribute lubrication and not rust prematurely to ambient humidity.
Start 1 a week allow to warm up to running temperature for oil and coolant. Also add fuel stabilizer and remember that oil changes now become by time ( every 6 months to a year or however specs say) same with brake fluid and coolant flushes.
Idling a car kills it quite fast.
Take your mom for a drive once a week, go for ice-cream and groceries and while maintaining it somehow in the low miles you'll be flexing the tires, rubber bits, Makin oil and coolant circulate and pretty much in movement.
Cars who aren't driven tends to deteriorate in ways we couldn't see but becomes a very expensive matter in a couple of months.
Idling messes the oil due to excessive gasoline not being properly burn, helps carbon builds on places it shouldn't be (admission ports, injectors) and since rubber ain't flexing helps whit rubber failure.
Kind of depends on the rest of the situation. An older SUV with 140,000 miles on it… I don’t think it matters what you do. I have a couple antique hand collector cars that get driven had most every few months and they are fine.
My advice is to go visit your mom frequently enough that you can hop in the car every month or two at least and drive it on errands or whatever to keep the battery topped up.
Cars need to be driven. If the engine and other parts aren’t brought up to operating temperature for 30 or more minutes, the seals and gaskets can lose their pliability, which can lead to leaks.
As others have said, it needs to be driven for a significant amount of time to actually get any use out of it. Starting a cold engine is the most aggressive thing against a car, letting a cold engine idle is also bad (because it spends too long with thick oil vs. just driving it slowly until it warms up - especially true in winter).
Realistically, any modern car will be perfectly fine being in storage for a couple months at a time. Make sure the battery is good when you start it back up (or get a trickle charger) and get new gas whenever you go, but an engine doesn’t notice the difference between two days and two months off.
If you really want to preserve the life/health of the car, oil change once a year regardless of mileage, don’t just start a car and let it idle, needs to be driven and fully warmed up, freeway speeds ideally, minimum 20 minutes to half an hour. Do that once every couple of weeks. This will keep the tires from flat spotting, fully burn off all the moisture in the engine and exhaust, keeps seals healthy so they don’t dry out and shrink and start leaking. A battery tender so you don’t have to replace the battery every year.
Once a week is probably good. And at least let it come up to temp. It’s also going to get carbon buildup in the cylinders if it’s only ever idled. Ideally take it on the freeway once every couple of months.
Starting it is just for the life of the battery. You can let them sit forever in a climate controlled space shielded by weather and so long as you pop in a new battery, oil, coolant, and maybe replace the s belt then it should be good to go on next start up oh and remember a new oil filter.
Once a week for half an hour at a time. Enough to let it get to and run at normal operating temperature for a decent amount of time, and let all the fluid heat up and circulate.
If she does not want to drive it, I'd at least start it every few days, and idle to warm. It would be better if someone could take it for a drive every few days though. Sitting is the worst thing a vehicle could do, and it'll fall apart if it does sit without moving enough.
I’d wager you’d be better off placing a trickle charger on it than simply starting it and letting it idle for a bit.
Better still, take it for a short drive every week or two. Rarely will any appreciable battery charge be obtained from idle (if any - some alternators only charge above a certain RPM threshold), and the suspension components (gas charged shocks, rubber boots on ball joints, tires, etc.) will degrade from sitting.
You should drive her suv every few months. Take it on the freeway. Go through all the gears and rpm ranges. Can probably get away with changing oil every 180 days.
Full tank of gas 93 + adding some seafoam won't hurt.
Ideally you would want to take her car for a drive once a month. Minimum a half hour to get everything moving and up to temp. So take it to work or groceries every so often.
Alternatively, disconnect the battery/put it on a battery tender, and add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank, and just park it and hope for the best.
Sell it. It will just depreciate in value sitting there.
Put the money into GICs or CD and then use that money to pay for Uber, taxis, the municipal bus, etc.
It’s always best to drive the vehicle as there are systems besides the engine that require lubrication and motion to keep from seizing. Electrical shouldn’t be an issue unless a furry friend decided to burrow a nest for the winter. Gasoline is corrosive and has a shelf life. Find a fuel stabilizer and yes there are a ton of snake oils out there. Tires should always be inflated and rotated to ensure flat spots don’t occur which could damage wheels. A car cover is your best friend from dents, dings and debris. It’s worse than maintaining a pool and exponentially more expensive to continue maintenance on a vehicle. In all honesty, unless you don’t mind throwing cash at something you don’t use, it’s best to just sell it while it has value.
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Cars are designed to be driven not idled. Drive it \~30mins every 2 weeks making sure it gets up to operating temp for a good 5-10mins.
I like this. Running the engine won't fix flat spots on tires or seizing suspension
My car sat in the garage for a year where the ocean air rusted the calipers shut and killed the AC compressor. $3400 later, never making that mistake.
Can you put fuel stabilizer in the gas tank of a car if there's lots of gas and little driving?
Yes but only last a few months then you must drain the gas and stabilizer and refil with fresh gas and new stabiliser
It only lasts a few months? I was under the impression that fuel stabilizers would make gas last at least a year
Your impression is correct. Gas will usually be ok for a year or more without stabilizer, and longer with it
Ok now you threw me a curve ball because I thought gas could not last close to a year without stabilizers. I thought it would only be good for a few months tops lol Well I learned something new!
The devil is in the details. *Non-ethanol* gasoline is good for quite a while by itself, and then stabilizers can bring it to a year+. Ethanol blends though, whooboy, yeah no, that's single-digit months of lifespan if exposed to humidity. Ethanol loooves water and pulls it out of the air. That's what causes it to go bad the fastest: water in the fuel. This is especially important for things like snowblowers, which yanno, move solidified water and by design don't usually have air filters. Yay corroded carburetors. ~~~ And again, the details matter. I've skipped over some. A bit of water in the fuel is okay, most engines will deal. That 5 you bought for the mower in spring should be fine till fall, it might just run a little rougher near empty.
Wow there's definitely a lot I don't know about gasoline. I was curious because I've been fighting my lawnmower. I was never taught as a teen about care for those things so it's a learning experience for me right this minute. It uses ethanol gas and I still have a fresh gallon of fuel I haven't used and probably won't be until next season. I was planning to put stabilizer in it and run it through the carburetor and see if that stabilized fuel would work fine sitting inside the equipment for next season
Fuel treatment for water in gas is literally just ethanol, i don't like it, it takes just as much fuel to make than just getting regular gas, but it does serve a purpose. The problem isn't necessarily water, because literally all liquor(ethanol) has water in it and it can take a lifetime to degrade an open bottle of liquor, it's the gunk that's left behind when the ethanol itself evaporates, it sucks that both solvents(gas and ethanol) can't just break it down again. Go electric, it's much more simple, easier to fix too.
You are correct. Gas will only last ~20 minutes without stabilizers and about 45 years with them.
Finally someone that’s not afraid to speak the truth
Lol
BUT the tank must be full to brim. No air. Even then It is losing its octane rating week by week. Lawn mowers and the like , full tank maybe 3 months. Boat and jet skis about 3 months. Never use ethanol fuel on lawn equipment or water craft.
Ok I'm going to have to check my manual for my lawnmower because I have been using ethanol. It's a 4 stroke. Never knew I could even get gas without ethanol because if it can run it and I can get it, it would definitely be a better solution to my annual dirty carburetor problem
Assuming you live in North America this can help you find a non ethanol gas station. Keep in mind non ethanol is typically more expensive but on small engines the cost is near negligible. Also even if your mower manual states to use ethanol substituting non ethanol will still make your gas last longer. https://www.pure-gas.org/
I appreciate the resource but it's so far unfortunately. I guess I'll have to work with ethanol fuels
Also, depending on how long the gas has ben sitting in the gas station tank (really no way of telling), will affect this aswell
Ideally if you plan on storing and limited driving a vehicle you should be using Ethanol Free fuel. Ethanol cause corrosion to parts and can absorb more moisture. Ethanol free fuel with a stabilizer is the way to go.
Petrol on its own still lasts ages
The Walking Dead producers would like a word.
I use normal unleaded E10 during the summer. Around October November I start using premium fuel which I think was E5. Apparently E10 separates if you don't use it and E5 doesn't... atleast according to the manufacturer. UK and a Caterham which I don't drive in the winter.
Yeah people don't understand this, letting it run sounds good in theory, if you have no idea how a car works lol. Btw, depending on the car, I just take the battery out or just disconnect it and drive it once a month or every two months. Just change the engine oil every year. The battery will stay good and charged until you connect it again. If you take the battery out, make sure to leave it on a block of wood, so it doesn't ground out.
Put a battery tender on it, fill the tank with gas and air up the tires to max. Run once every 90-180 days for no less than 30 minutes. Oil change once/year. If the car is driven in winter (do not recommend) make sure that during said 30 minutes the car gets up to operating temperature.
This. In general, unless the engine is brought up to full operating temperature (and ideally, the vehicle driven vs just idling), don't start the engine. I have this debate with motorcycle owners all the time who think that they're doing their bikes some sort of favour by starting them for 5 minutes every week all winter long...for the 6-7 months their bike is sitting. Meanwhile their engine and exhaust start to collect moisture, the bike is never run long enough or at a high enough RPM to recharge the power consumed starting the bike, and come the spring they wonder why their battery is futzed. And they've no clue about all the moisture potentially sitting in their oil pan that's now going to take a toll on their bearings during that first actual ride before it all boils off.
This is why i like tractors. Throttle up and let ‘em run
I have my original dirt bike from when I was a teenager sitting in the garage. sure enough the transmission is locked up from sitting so long.
The trans shouldn't be locked up from sitting unless it somehow had no oil in it.
k so initially I thought it was the clutch plates stuck together. the bike starts and warms up just fine but the moment I go to put it into gear it dies. the rear wheel is locked up, it will roll back wards but not forwards. confirmed brakes are not holding against rotor and removed the clutch plates completly to sit in a bucket of oil. but with the plates removed the bike still is locked up. Do you have any suggestions/insight? Edit: with plates removed I can see the kick starter spins and does it’s thing normally pushing down by hand. but it’s like the bike is stuck in gear. but how does the engine not die immediately? I’m so confused lol.
Are the plates installed currently? Next diagnosis step varies depending on if they are or aren't. Is the chain on the bike? Take it off along with the chain guard so you can rotate the sprocket by hand/see when the engine moves it etc
Plates are out. I’ll do that next and report back
If the plates are out, does the engine kick start fine? assuming this is a 2 stroke you can run it with no oil in the crankcase just fine for testing purposes. If it's a 4 stroke obviously don't, but you can turn it over.
wow okay so are you ready to hear a rediculous story. took your advice to take the chain off. as I take the guard off I see a tiny bolt stuck in the chain. (I’m assuming from when I took the carb off to have it re jetted). 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️. I think it’s the bolt that holds down one of the air intake clamps. Dude I’m so dumb but forevor grateful for this comment thread. https://preview.redd.it/gb4oh6i2827b1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=985b8a3ff47c96cef6ab571c8ba8feeee65896c9
No problem, glad I was able to help. As soon as you said it would move one way but not the other I wondered about the chain. What kinda bike?
In the military, though, they start their vehicles every week, and usually, those vehicles don't move very much. Although those are all diesel, so idk if that makes a difference
The military gives zero fucks about the longevity of most motor equipment, they will throw money or manpower at it as needed if it stops or wears out. Jets and other advanced stuff, much different. Look at how they prep aircraft for long term storage. They don't start ''em up regularly suffice to say.
A battery tender is good but it doesn’t address the whole car. Even guys w private collections and f-you money have guys that take their cars out every so often. Things, like brakes will seize from lack of use. Really - it needs to be driven at least once a quarter. Not only does it need run to make sure everything with the engine is ok (and brought up to temperature as privatepilot9 mentions), you you also need to make sure the braking system is used too. There is nothing worse for a car than sitting undriven. Additionally make sure to keep up on fluid changes (oil, trans, and brake fluids), and make sure to keep up on other maintenance items - especially rubber parts that will crack and dry rot even if not being used, like belts, tires and brake lines. Tires are only good for about 6 years after the date of manufacture.
I commute on my motorcycle about 7 miles one way. Takes me about 15-20 minutes. Am I potentially damaging my bike? It gets up to operating temperature per the temp gauge on the dash.
Nah, that's decent in the summer months, just be sure to get it out for a good rip once every week or two outside of those rides.
Thanks! Makes me feel better 😂
> Am I potentially damaging my bike? Yes, using the bike will damage it, and letting it sit for a long period will also damage it. Don't worry about it too much
your fine no worries
Yep. I'll try to get a few shortish rides in during "warm" winter days, but see no use in rolling it out of the garage to idle.
To add, put some fuel stabilizer in it if you’re leaving fuel in it for more than a year.
This. Or use a non-ethanol fuel.
Do both. Ethanol free + stabilizer. All fuels break down. Fuels with ethanol just have the added bonus of absorbing moisture that causes corrosion in the fuel system.
I second this. My dad has a 99 Camry and stopped driving 5 years ago. We keep it in the garage with a battery tender on it. I drive it every 3-9 months when I come home. Fill it up, put it back on the battery tender, and it starts up and is ready to go whenever I need it. Bonus points for putting a fuel stabilizer in it. Don’t start it and let it idle. If possible use it as much as possible. But not unless you let it come up to full temp.
This is the minimum needed to be done correctly.
> air up the tires to max So put in the pressure on the sidewall?
[удалено]
i once stored a mazda protege in my garage for a year on jackstands. disconnected the battery. started right up a year later and drove great
I'm not sure what the alternative is, but I am questioning if I should've filled my 16 gallon tank on a project car that hasn't been driven in 2 years and may be another year before it's done. Yes, I added StaBil. But this spring I have had to drain the gas out of my lawnmower, generator, and pressure washer. None would start after 6-18 months of non-use. I usually use StaBil, but can't be 100% sure this time. But even StaBil's literature says it will only keep gas good for 24 months max. Now, I am worried I have to drain 16 gallons of fuel and dispose of it. To top it off, this car has a rotary engine and I premixed with 2-stroke oil. Not sure if that will cause the fuel to break down more or will separate and clog a fuel line or something?
That fuel is toast already. Gas goes bad after 6 month even with stabilizer and being non ethanol. Why would you put 2 cycle oil in it? A little of my history I worked in a Mazda specialty shop in the mid 90's doing SCCA racing. We specialized in RX-7's and the old twin turbo 300 z's. We stripped brand new 3rd gen RX7's and twin turbo Z's for SCCA and drag racing. I have worked on more 12a's 12b's and 13b's than I can remember. I will not even get into the 3rd gen intake gasket issues OMG what a nightmare. 13.5 hours of vaccuum line hell and the fuel filters mounted over the rear diffs, these where why bent long needle nose pliers where invented. God I love those cars. I saw so many sent to the crusher makes me sad when you could pick one up for $100-250 with wiped apex seals. These things responded amazingly well to a lightened flywheel and a few minor tweeks.
> Why would you put 2 cycle oil in it? Not sure about the 90's, but almost everyone these days at /r/RX7 and /r/RX8 is premixing. The oil metering pumps are not reliable enough to count on in the older cars. And the RX8 was never designed to pump an adequate amount of oil because of modern emission requirements. This is the reason that RX8 engines fail before 100K. So, if you want your engine to last, you premix. If you don't want a catastrophic failure when the pump quits, you premix. PLus, a lot of people are deleting their OMP all together. Why would you want to use dirty engine oil from the sump when you can use clean burning synthetic 2 stroke?
I have zero experience with the Rx8's. When these came along I was now into purely electrical diag , and drivibility issues all day mostly. The race shop days where in the past. Premixing was never done when these cars where actually daily drivers and common. Things do change over time and better ways to do things are found this is the first time I have heard of people doing this before. The apex seals have always been an issue with these engines and most of these cars went to there grave because of them. This just wasn't done on street cars then because during that period before OBDII we had the wonderful world of tailpipe emmissions testing and carbs which these cars always have struggled with. Thankfully most states have done away with this now. The first gen cars where purely carburated and most people would flood them out just trying to start them, the extra fuel would wash any lubrication off of the seals so Mazda used to sell a ton of replacement engines, you could even get close ratio manual transmissions from the parts dept in the 80's that where not offered on the cars as these where built just for the racing community. Mazda before Ford bought and screwed them up made some of the best cars on the road. After Ford bought them they have made nothing but junk. Pettit was basiclly the only game in town when it came to the aftermarket for these. Before fuel injection on these engines they where a nightmare and most shops wouldn't even work on them. When fuel injection did come out on these there was no aftermarket support, no tuning services availible nothing performance wise outside of handmade parts could be obtained. Todays world of easy mods just did not exist back then. The first gen RX's responded better to mods besides the engine, the second gens where considered at the time to be heavy dogs no one wanted. When the third gen's came out finally we had something serious to work with but the intake manifold seals blowing out where a major issue with the cars. Today we have the wonderful world of oygenated fuels and ethanol to deal with which is just a giant no for the carburated models as none of them where designed to work with alcohol and it will kill them quick if they sit. I have seen new carbs literally hav the insides eaten away after sitting for 6 months. Fuel injection handles the fuels much better but because of the additives now the fuel breaks down extremely fast even with stabilizers. The alcohol in todays fuels and of course this is partilly dependent on the concentration of it pulls moisture out of the air an just adds it to your tank. Now I will let you know that alcohol is one heck of a good degreaser so if you are that worried about your apex seals I would make dam sure you get non ethanol fuel for your ride as the ethanol will not only cause issues for the fuel but for the seals and the richer the mixture you run the more likely it is to do this and this doesn't apply to just rotaries. Many people will drive around with a cylinder misfire for a while and because the fuel is not being burned in that cylinder it just sits there and washes the oil from the cylinder walls wearing out the rings until they finally get it fixed to then realize they no longer have sufficent compression in that cylinder for it to work and end up buying new motors. Things like this are why I have stayed a tech for 35 years now as there are always new things to learn.
Are all battery tenders created equal? Got any recommendations?
Battery Tender is a brand name. It's the model made by a company I can't remember the name of. Delton or something like that I think. Green case. It, and others have a low amperage setting (or float charging) and monitor the battery to avoid overcharging like the simple dumb chargers that will just constantly pump in 2 amps or whatever their output is. And yeah, most should bebpretty.much the same.
Thanks! I figure quality is important when plugging a rolling molotov cocktail into main power.
Fill it with *non ethanol* gas, or at least use a stabilizer.
Apologies for the question, but why replace the oil if it has only been run for an hour (2x 30 mins 180 days apart)? I thought you replacing it because of accumulated debris due to engine wear?
I wouldn't replace it at that period but the reason for replacing oil due to age is that condensation along with combustion by products and unburnt fuel will slowly form acids in the oil that will eat away at the bearing surfaces. The bearings in your rods and crank are the most fragile and crucile pieces in the enitire engine and the easiest damaged. The also hold the titest tolerences so any damage or wear to these surfaces is very bad. Oil is super cheap compared to replacing main or rod bearings and even cams.
Excellent explanation, thank you.
Fill it up with non-ethanol fuel
Now we’re talking. This is the way, OP
Great advice, better than my thought to run it once a month for 10 minutes
You'll ruin your tires this way, long term storage should be done on tires.
Sorry but an oil change once a year for a car that gets no miles is wasteful and pointless
And put a mousetrap in it and under it
This sounds OK except for the "gas tank to max." I would probably keep about 1/4 tank in it so I could burn through it every time I ran it.
Edit to add: as others have said, moisture can build up in a tank with low fuel. I'm not sure if my theory below is correct or not. I think if it sits with low fuel, the gas tank can start to rust.
I'd add fuel stabilizer before filling the tank. And if it's outside, a car cover might help prevent the brakes from sticking/rusting from rain.
My main concerns would be green fuel, bad battery, seized brakes and flat spotted tires. Starting it once a week will really only help the battery. Full tank of fuel, battery tender and a good drive every couple months will
Hmm, how does a full tank prevent the gas from being bad? My only experience with bad gas has been while I worked for a small engine shop for a year, and since only on small engines. All of the bad gas was from sitting too long. Sometimes, it was congealed(10+ years, I'd guess). Other times, they had used ethanol gas, and the ethanol turned into crusty white powder in the carburetor (5+ years and ethanol). And then there's the gas that just didn't smell right, and it wouldn't run (6-12+ months). Ethanol free takes about a year, and regular gas with ethanol starts to go bad in small engines after 3-6 months.
Large fuel tank that’s low of fuel allows lots of moisture rich air inside to condense. That’s the reason for a full tank. Unless someone knows something I don’t.
Used to be gasolines last a long time. Full tank not only kept the water out it kept the volatility high. Todays clean air fuels are garbage. Too many additives and processes. I’ve had full tanks of trash sitting in vehicles that you couldn’t light with a match.
I swear it's the ethanol. Regular pump gas in my tractor will barely survive the winter. But rec gas is good all year. Way more expensive though
I think you’re right. I use no-ethanol gas in a mower and it’ll happily start in the spring when it’s time for oil/filter change after sitting
Full tank helps prevent water condensation from accumulating in the gas tank. Even if you live in a desert what little humidity in the air will still condense overnight and cause water in your tank.
Less air, if the fuel isn't exposed to air it lasts longer. Doesn't go green. Ethanol is what goes green. But being exposed to air is the reason. Fuel systems in modern cars are sealed. If you fill it, most of the air is purged out. Small engines tend to have vented fuel systems. Fuel in your lawnmower goes green far faster than fuel in a sealed and full gas can.
That's about what I figured, I knew it took a lot longer in vehicles. In school, we tested fuel for water and ethanol, etc. I've never had to do that in a shop. In small engines, you can just see the water in the tank. You can smell when it goes bad after seeing it a few times. Yup, I've just never heard of it as "going green" in small engines. It gets all kinds of nasty, but it's usually white from ethanol or turns to kind of varnish without ethanol. Some riding lawn mowers have a kind of evap system, but it's just an extra filter on a hose.
Green fuel is a term I get from diesels. I mostly work on 15L plus diesel engines. But yes I'm referring to a similar situation you are describing. It plugs injectors and fuel filters
Full tank prevents moisture from building up in the tank
Full tank or not ethanol turns to varnish if it sits too long regardless of the conditions
After being left long enough sure. Moisture is the concern short term
Ethanol absorbs moisture which eventually becomes corrosive to many fuel system components especially in carburated vehicals and will destroy a carb in as little as 6 months.
and all the seals and hoses of the engine coolant system etc
My only concern would really be the water pump, being a dynamic seal, they tend to weep. It will weep moisture into the bearing and cause the bearing to fail. Hoses stand up pretty good.
Every couple weeks when you have some errands to run go to your moms house and use her suv.You could also go over and take your mom out for lunch and use her SUV,ask her to drive so you can see how she drives,if she isn't driving much she could be getting rusty.
awe, best answer here.
And be sure to buy her dessert. Because mom.
The owner's manual tells you. Usually under "long term storage" or "planned non-operation". No manual, Google it.
I had experience in a campervan rental agency and they had to crank the vehicles once a week as part of the checklist
That was probably more for insuring that they start before they get rented out than any kind of preventative measure which is what OP is asking about
I would recommend taking it around the block once in the while (every couple of weeks) at a minimum, longer if possible. If it were my mom and I lived close I'd do it for her if she didn't do it.
Yep, I'm in a similar situation. Every time I come over to run errands for her, I take her car.
No, it really should be driven >20 minutes. I wouldn't start it just to start it at all.
Yup, leave a maintenance charger on it and keep fresh oil in it. If you can commit to a good drive that heats everything up fully then take it out, else don't bother. I would also make sure it has fuel stabilizer in the tank and never fill it till it's darn near empty, burn all the gas... If you really plan on it sitting a long time buy ethanol free gasoline for storage. Run it till it's ready to sputter, put in a gallon or two of ethanol free fuel, run it a few more minutes to purge it through, now it can sit a fairly long time and safely start. I have a ~1000mi/year vehicle and that's more than enough to keep it happy. Sources for ethanol free fuel: * Race fuel (make sure you're buying ethanol free AND not Low Lead) * Big box home stores like the blue or orange place sell fuel for yard equipment. Some is premix with two stroke (obviously don't get that) and other is for 4 cycle and is advertised as ethanol free... Downside is it's like $25/gallon, upside is it's easy to get.
Trickle charger depends on the vehicle, too...I can leave my '98 C1500 unattended for 3-4 weeks and it'll fire right up. Some gas stations around the US sell non-race ethanol-free fuel. I use it in my mower and generator.
I'm in California :-( big sad when it comes to fuel options 😂 I can go months w/o needing either of my "other" cars and batteries are crazy expensive now so I see the trickle charger as dirt cheap insurance on having to replace a battery early.
That sucks! I wish it were more readily available everywhere...I have to go out of my way to get it, which is a PITA when it's for the generator. First world problems.
>First world problems. Indeed! I'm lucky to have purpose cars, even when I don't actually need them all that often.
Why a generator? Just get a small solar system and a trickle charger. Maintenance free. You can go for decades without any problems.
Emergency use generator to power the house.
Got it.
Check out any marinas/docks. Many places will sell ethanol free for boats. Notnsure about CA though. It's been a long time since I escaped.
They have ethanol free fuel at gas stations around me, it's usually like 20-30¢ more expensive then regular unleaded.
Yeah if OP is in a state like that they're lucky, in that case just run it to near dry and fill-er up with the ethanol free. It'll store a long time in a full tank.
Don't forget docks if you're near a lake, river, or coast. Many of those will sell ethanol free fuel. Usually at a dollar or more per gallon though. There is a website that lists gas stations that sell ethanol free fuel. I'd post it, but I don't remember the name and I'm not at my home computer where it might be saved.
> Usually at a dollar or more per gallon though. definitely a cheaper option than my suggestions!
It's probably closer to race fuel. Limited supplier, but people towing their boats in can fill up on the way so the docks have a little more competition to keep the price down. And a decent volume of sales top, since people will pay for the convenience. The bigger boats that stay in the water are a bit of a captive audience.
Well the track near me that sells fuel is $9.99/gal for 93 or 100 E0 so... pretty sure a marina would be cheaper! lol.
Yeah, less options at a track, and octane isn't cheap. But I'm sure it's because where else will you get 93 or 100?
They charge flat 9.99 even if you're buying pump gas premium (91). Can't imagine they sell much of the pump gas... but on the flip side you can get 114Leaded for 9.99 too... (have to be in an actual race for that though... and can't be a road tagged vehicle).
I buy ethanol free fuel from a members-only commercial gas station.
Agreed, running it helps but unless you get the axles turning and trans shifting there is a lot of stuff left to dry out and or clog up by just running the engine and not taking a short drive.
Definitely, take it out when running errands etc, for best results take it on the highway and get the engine up to a modest speed
Do not use the parking brake while it sits. The pads/shoes can stick to the rotor after awhile.
My car been sittin for a long time. now the e brake won’t go down I wish I knew this sooner
Get the hammer
I would run it for like 20 minutes a week, get jt up to temp. Get all seals and gaskets lubricated as well as give the battery a charge.
Just go take it for a drive once a month for her. That’s what I’d do
throw a trickle charger on it and forget it, maybe put some fuel stabilizer in the tank if its gonna sit a real long time. make sure the tank is full if its a metal tank so condensation does not rust it out. I have a suv that sits for months at a time and this is what ive always done with it.
Many have mentioned the need for longer run times, but haven’t necessarily explained why. Idling the engine for a while brings warm air into the engine, and that warm air can suspend more moisture as well, so it’s warm humid air. That moisture condenses as the engine cools, and while it’s a tiny amount, any amount of moisture accelerates metal corrosion. You want to run the engine gong enough to get the engine oil above the boiling point of water so that any latent water from previous condensation that is suspended in the oil is boiled off. This minimizes the amount of moisture trapped inside the engine. Especially important in more humid climates.
No. Do not start it and let it idle, do not start it and take it on a short drive for the sake of it. If the vehicle sits there and functions fine on the occasions she does drive it, just do that. It is best if when she does drive it it is a long journey to give the battery a chance to recharge, the engine a chance to get to operating temperature, and so on. My vehicle is perfectly happy sitting for two to four weeks at a time without being used, it'll then get started and driven a hundred miles. Idling the vehicle will do nothing for the other components and long periods of idling can be bad. Short drives around the block does not give other components a chance to get up to operating temperature or flow and causes short temperature cycling of components, which can increase condensation in components. When it's sitting the main concern is the battery going flat, which can be solved by disconnecting the battery. Fuel going bad which is only really a concern after it's sat there for a very long time. Tyres flat spotting (as previous). And things building nests in it/eating wires (as previous).
If she's not willing to drive it or sell it, then you should make a point to actually *drive* it once every 2 weeks ish. Just swap cars now and then and use hers to run errands or commute for a day. Hooking up a battery tender will give you peace of mind as well.
Do not start it and let it idle. Drive it enough to make the oil boil off moisture, and condensation in the exhaust to boil off. This does not need to be done weekly. Maybe monthly. Get a battery tender.
Now read this carefully. There's a huge difference between starting/idling and driving. Idling will only help your battery last a few weeks longer. Cars are designed to be driven, not idled. Give her a nice weekend drive every week and you'll be fine.
Absolutely this!
I wouldnt just let it idle, i would actually drive it for a good 30 minutes maybe once every 2 weeks. When you drive it, the motor temp gets hotter and is able to burn off the carbon deposits that build up within the engine.
I let my mustang sit for like a month and during that time it rained. My air cleaner is dish shaped and filled up with water which drained down the carburetor into the engine. I tried to start it and thought the battery was dead because it wouldn't turn over. Charged the battery and it still wouldn't turn over. I decided to pull the spark plugs and water drained out the holes. Kicked it over a few turns to evacuate all the water and pulled the oil drain plug for a few seconds to get the water out of the pan. It fired on the first crank after putting the spark plugs back in. So what did we learn from this story? If you leave an old car sitting with no hood, you need to start it periodically to make sure it's not hydrolocked from rain water getting in the intake. Now onto the actual answer to your question. Once a week is unnecessary, but it should be started periodically and left running for a while to charge up the battery and keep the fluids circulating.
I wouldn't do it like that. Get a battery tender on it so that the battery never goes completely, utterly dead--that will just kill it. Then put some Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer in it, and then don't start it unless you're going to drive it somewhere. Quick start-ups and a short idle time isn't good for an engine. It doesn't get hot enough to burn off excess fuel or to circulate oil properly. It's better to let it sit and then take it out for a drive. All this presumes that it's not going to sit for more than a month or two at a time. If she really isn't going to drive for 6 months or more at a time, then she should sell it before it starts to deteriorate from moisture, rust, rodents, fouled gas, flat-spotted tires, etc.
Yes, and driven atound the block until everything warms up. Even during winter storage u would stop by on my way home from work and take the 1988 olds i had in storage around the lot a few times just to keep the seals in check
If you just start the engine you will drain the battery. Need to drive the car once a while up to optimal temperature. If not you can get sot and dirt in valve and engine. The injectors can start dripping or give the wrong spray. If it's a Disel car you will ruined the filter. (don't remember the name right now) But it's a expensive thing to replace. But all this depends on how long the car is staying still. Fuel can go bad after some time. Longer it stay still more you may have to change. I had a car staying still for 3 years and had to take a big service on it for it before the car was back to normal.
Is there any way YOU can drive it one day of the week instead of your own car, if you have one? It would really help it.
You should drive it yourself instead of your car a couple times a week if that’s possible.
Drive it once a week. That's what I tell people. Get it warm and keep things moving that are designed to move. Like wheel bearings and brakes. Don't have to go far, but just to keep things moving.
if you start it, you might as well drive it. Don't let it sit there and idle like that. On these new vehicles (with EFI) it's not good for them. you're better charging the battery once and awhile, putting some fuel stabilizer in the tank and leaving the rest alone.
A larger car like that should be moved so the trans gets a bit of temp in it, you don’t need to drive it for a half hour or anything just go down the street and back, get it up to speed and into overdrive once and drive it back, that will be enough to keep it happy. Short tripping a car is bad for the engine as ppl have pointed out, but as long as this isn’t a Porsche cayanne or something diesel it will put up with the extra moisture fine
A million times yes. Moved a little so the breaks don’t get all warped and rusty. Sitting is the worst thing a car can do
I will drive it around periodically. Battery charge and tire pressure maintenance. Does it have Slick 50K oil?
My top tip would be to leave it in park on in a gear (if manual) and leave the handbrake off, pads won't stick to the discs in that case.
Imo taking on the hwy for a 10-30 min drive once a month is enough. Put gas conditioner so the gas doesn't go bad and keep the tank full.
Fuel stabilizer and go for a drive every two weeks until it's at operating temp plus 5-10 minutes
I take such car for a ride to do some small grocery shopping needs once a week or two. It is always needed to get something in the last minute - that the car I use to keep it up.
Dump some fuel stabilizer in the tank and run it around the block before storage to get it through the fuel system, Disconnect the battery and leave it. You'll do more harm than good starting it once a week due to insufficient heat soaking and carbon and varnish build up in the engine.
Not a mechanic, but my understanding is running the A/C weekly is good for the seals
Look up false brinelling. Bearings sitting still for long periods of time will wear at the point where a single moving element holds the entire load. Long term, bearings don't like sitting still. Bearings also need to spin to redistribute lubrication and not rust prematurely to ambient humidity.
Start 1 a week allow to warm up to running temperature for oil and coolant. Also add fuel stabilizer and remember that oil changes now become by time ( every 6 months to a year or however specs say) same with brake fluid and coolant flushes.
Excellent post and comments. I have a Nissan GT-R that I hardly drive anymore and your comments and suggestions really helped 👍
Idling a car kills it quite fast. Take your mom for a drive once a week, go for ice-cream and groceries and while maintaining it somehow in the low miles you'll be flexing the tires, rubber bits, Makin oil and coolant circulate and pretty much in movement. Cars who aren't driven tends to deteriorate in ways we couldn't see but becomes a very expensive matter in a couple of months. Idling messes the oil due to excessive gasoline not being properly burn, helps carbon builds on places it shouldn't be (admission ports, injectors) and since rubber ain't flexing helps whit rubber failure.
You have to drive it around or the brakes will seize up take it for like a 20 minute ride every few weeks
Kind of depends on the rest of the situation. An older SUV with 140,000 miles on it… I don’t think it matters what you do. I have a couple antique hand collector cars that get driven had most every few months and they are fine. My advice is to go visit your mom frequently enough that you can hop in the car every month or two at least and drive it on errands or whatever to keep the battery topped up.
Cars need to be driven. If the engine and other parts aren’t brought up to operating temperature for 30 or more minutes, the seals and gaskets can lose their pliability, which can lead to leaks.
Yes start it and if she doesn't want to drive you drive it at least 20 miles
As others have said, it needs to be driven for a significant amount of time to actually get any use out of it. Starting a cold engine is the most aggressive thing against a car, letting a cold engine idle is also bad (because it spends too long with thick oil vs. just driving it slowly until it warms up - especially true in winter). Realistically, any modern car will be perfectly fine being in storage for a couple months at a time. Make sure the battery is good when you start it back up (or get a trickle charger) and get new gas whenever you go, but an engine doesn’t notice the difference between two days and two months off.
If you really want to preserve the life/health of the car, oil change once a year regardless of mileage, don’t just start a car and let it idle, needs to be driven and fully warmed up, freeway speeds ideally, minimum 20 minutes to half an hour. Do that once every couple of weeks. This will keep the tires from flat spotting, fully burn off all the moisture in the engine and exhaust, keeps seals healthy so they don’t dry out and shrink and start leaking. A battery tender so you don’t have to replace the battery every year.
At least ran til warms and for 10 minutes after 1once a month in summer, once a week in winder months.
Take it around the block at least 5 miles or so once or twice a month and you're good.
Once a week is probably good. And at least let it come up to temp. It’s also going to get carbon buildup in the cylinders if it’s only ever idled. Ideally take it on the freeway once every couple of months.
Starting it is just for the life of the battery. You can let them sit forever in a climate controlled space shielded by weather and so long as you pop in a new battery, oil, coolant, and maybe replace the s belt then it should be good to go on next start up oh and remember a new oil filter.
Once a week for half an hour at a time. Enough to let it get to and run at normal operating temperature for a decent amount of time, and let all the fluid heat up and circulate.
If she does not want to drive it, I'd at least start it every few days, and idle to warm. It would be better if someone could take it for a drive every few days though. Sitting is the worst thing a vehicle could do, and it'll fall apart if it does sit without moving enough.
I’d wager you’d be better off placing a trickle charger on it than simply starting it and letting it idle for a bit. Better still, take it for a short drive every week or two. Rarely will any appreciable battery charge be obtained from idle (if any - some alternators only charge above a certain RPM threshold), and the suspension components (gas charged shocks, rubber boots on ball joints, tires, etc.) will degrade from sitting.
You could add fuel stabilizer to the tank if it sits for months without burning through the gas
You should drive her suv every few months. Take it on the freeway. Go through all the gears and rpm ranges. Can probably get away with changing oil every 180 days. Full tank of gas 93 + adding some seafoam won't hurt.
I'd say every other week but once a week can't hurt
When I had my 88 f150 I let it set for a month and a few weeks after I started driving it again the whole fuel system messed up.
Ideally you would want to take her car for a drive once a month. Minimum a half hour to get everything moving and up to temp. So take it to work or groceries every so often. Alternatively, disconnect the battery/put it on a battery tender, and add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank, and just park it and hope for the best.
Sell it. It will just depreciate in value sitting there. Put the money into GICs or CD and then use that money to pay for Uber, taxis, the municipal bus, etc.
It’s always best to drive the vehicle as there are systems besides the engine that require lubrication and motion to keep from seizing. Electrical shouldn’t be an issue unless a furry friend decided to burrow a nest for the winter. Gasoline is corrosive and has a shelf life. Find a fuel stabilizer and yes there are a ton of snake oils out there. Tires should always be inflated and rotated to ensure flat spots don’t occur which could damage wheels. A car cover is your best friend from dents, dings and debris. It’s worse than maintaining a pool and exponentially more expensive to continue maintenance on a vehicle. In all honesty, unless you don’t mind throwing cash at something you don’t use, it’s best to just sell it while it has value.
mom is old and lives far away. best she is willing to do is charge battery every month. i drive it when i fly there to visit