How often do you run your car if not driving it?

I have my 72 sitting in my garage but don't drive it due the 15 inches of salt on the roads to take care of one inch of snow we get here and there. If you are letting you car sit for a few months how often do you start it and let it run (for how long). I do have my battery on a battery tender.

 

Let it sleep until spring....
Many do more harm than good running in winter....

 

If the salt is gone I'd think a drive here and there monthly can't hurt it?

 

Let it sleep all winter.. if you cant drive it... Drive means get it up to full operating temp....

If possible with a socket & ratchet not the STARTER ....... roll the motor 1 rotation. once a month ish .

 

Well we will get a good rain sooner than later, I should be able to get it out and drive it.

 

A single winter inside a garage isn't going to do anything if the vehicle was sorted to begin with and the garage is somewhat insulated from humidity

Before storing I put fresh oil in, and then let the carb run out of gas. Full gas tank with some stabilizer. You'll be fine.

Like Bob said, if you really want to keep it "moving" turn it over with a wrench every now and then. That's not going to pump fuel up anywhere though.

 

Once it's parked, I don't touch it until spring. If you're going to drive it, that's fine. But I would not do the start up up once a month thing. Better to let it sit untouched.

I would say do not turn it by hand either. It's extremely unlikely anything is going to seize up over one winter season. Also you're turning the engine with minimal oil on the components and no oil pressure. Yes turning by hand is slow, but any oil film will be at a minimum. I personally wouldn't take the chance.

 

I agree with not turning motor over but it wouldn’t hurt to build oil pressure up before starting next spring.

 

I see some owners here HATE their springs and lifters.......... But thats Fine with me....... Ask a REAL engine builder.. Not a keyboard operator...

 

Here in Southern Alberta we are lucky in that we get Chinooks, where the temperature will rise from -20 to +10 (-4 F to 34 F) in a few hours. A day of this and all of our snow will dissappear in a matter of hours. This is the longest I haven't driven my Wildcat this winter, about 6 days so far. Come on Chinook!

 

Leave it till spring, then come spring fire it up and push it to the floor

 

I don't drive mine much
But this year maybe a bit different my case is moving things around to get to them early in the morning... But this week I am driving my pops car to work

 

Here in fla any time i can get off work .. hell its not even Close to being finished yet I still take it out for a spin

 

They sleep in the garage from Nov thru March!

 

I don't start mine unless they are going to get driven. I put a battery tender on them and leave them until it is fit to drive again. Sometimes that is November to March, some years it is December to February. I've had good years where I have been able to drive in them around New Year's Day for a few days. I store mine in a heated/cooled garage so I don't even change the oil before storage.

I don't worry about the valve springs over one winter any more than I worry about the springs in my 1911 mags. They take barn finds that haven't run in 30 years, put a battery in them and drive them off on dry-rotted tires!

 

Myself I take mine out for a spin when it's not raining..Even if its just to top off the tank. Last month Doesn't really snow here in the lower elevation. No salt here... County does put this spray on the icy spots but that stuff in gone after the rain within the next couple days from the rain...Last month I think we got 12+ inches...

10% chance of rain with a high of 38degs. Looks like a great drive day today....

 

It's the opposite here, we get them out in the winter and park them in the summer when it gets over 100. Going to be in 70's here today but when that big arctic cold front gets here from up north it will be high 40's and rain.

 

The spring argument is valid, when we are talking about big lift, high load solid camshaft deals. All hydraulic valvetrains will eventually bleed down to some extent, reducing spring pressures.

And racers with high load solid valvetrains, who store their cars in the winter months, loosen up the rocker shafts, which is far more effective at spring preservation, than turning the engine over periodically.

Or at least they should.. I am sure many here don't, and still don't have issues.

I would not spend a lot of time worrying about the valvesprings in the normal street/strip GS.

JW