caslmenow

its kinda a stupid qustion but how long should I let my civic run when its freezing outside till i move her...also im going to park my civic in my parents backyard cause im to lazy to put the stock shocks/springs back on (and drive my DSM) and when it snows in chicago the snow turns into ice and i just know ill destroy her if i drive it..so my second ? is how often should i start it.? ok thanks...

Kalokohan

I usually give my car 15 mins. in the winter, by then, your temp needle should be 1/4 up and that's pretty much normal operating temp.

Evs-One

start her up at least once a week and be sure to fill the tank up with fuel stabalizer. Keep it covered as well, and wash it before covering it.

HotHB

what fuel stabalizer do you recomend?

Tomek

same here I just let her run for a good 10-15 minutes before I leave the house.
If you are not driving the civic make sure you throw it up on jackstands because if the springs sit so long while being compressed like that Ive heard it can weaken them.
Wishes he could store his civic this winter, instead drives with a shovel in the trunk to dig himself out.

ryu12341

I've never used any cause I've never stored a car before, but go to your local store and see what they recommend. Make sure your tank is almost empty, add in the proper amount of stabalizer, and then fill the tank with 87 or 89 octane. The higher the octane, the faster it will go bad, so it all depends on how long it will be sitting.

Cynical 1

I let mine run about 25-30 minutes every morning before I leave. (I live in Indiana). That way, you know it is good and warm, and the oil temp comes up, not just water.

I've had good luck using Sta-Bil stablizer. It smells funny when you run it, but I've never had any problems with the cars I've stored using it. And, it's fairly cheap and a bottle lasts a while.

Evs-One

there is no need to let your car run for 30 minutes before driving. Cause after you start driving, you're still going to have to take it easy to warm up your tranny. This thread isn't about warm up periods, it's about how often should you start up a stored car. I say no more than 3 minutes, then easy driving till the temp gauge is warm. It will warm up 10x faster when you're driving also.

nsxmatt

Yes because your putting a load on the motor and reving it up to 4-5k rpm. In the winter your oil is alot thicker than in the summer months. Starting your car and just taking off is bad since there is no oil on all the moving parts yet. Letting the car warm up at 900 rpm will ensure the least amount of damage. True 3-5 minutes should do alright but just don't jump on the throttle until it's good and warmed up.

I always warm up my car even in the summer. I just hate people like the guy who lives next door. He'll start his car, back up and floor it down the road. The engine has almost no oil on the moving parts and he's at 7k rpm on a cold engine

caslmenow

good info thanks for your posts!!
=vince

-Whitey-

let it idle for about 10-15 minutes then it will be warm and fill up the gas tank and use stabalizer and run it like 2-3 times a week.

you fill up the tank and use stabalizer so the inside of the gas tank wont rust out