Winter Storage: How long do you warm up your engine?

+1. Same in Chicago.

 

I voted for 10+ minuites. BUT, I'm with the camp that either you drive it long & hard enough to get the oil & exhaust up to temperature, or else don't abuse your engine by just idling long enough to dump gas into the oil & condensation into the exhaust.

It's hard to get an adequate run up here in NE during salt season unless you get lucky & there's a good rain to wash the salt off, then a couple of dry days to dry the road. I have no concern about driving in cold weather as long as it's a good brisk run that heats everything up. Preferably at least 15-20 minuites at highway cruise speeds. Since I'm 20 min. from a highway, that translates to about an hour run.

 

I have a 308 carbed car. I warm it up until I get the water temp up to the first notch, about 140. Then I keep it under 5000 RPM until the oil temp gets up to 160, then I can let it rip. I usually drive it pretty normal, that it I tend to float with the traffic until I get out in the country then I turn up the wick a litttle. I don't drive it hard though. It's just too nice a car to tear it up slammin' gears and throwing it into hard corners with heavy braking and then rolling the tires sideways.

Bob Wassam

 

A proper "winterizing" would also include fogging oil/spray in the cylinders....running the engine would wash this off everytime you started it.

As such I never start the cars for 6 months. And as said before 6 months really isn't that long.

95% full tank
Stabil
No tire mats
Battery out (unheated garage)
Occasionally those moisture absorbing packs (moisture is not really a problem in the dry winters of MN)

I agree with those who have said starting is doing more damage.

Unless you can bring everything, trans fluid, exhuast, engine oil, coolant.....up to temp and boil the moisture out of each and or it's fluids, theres really no point.

Thanks for the post about the Ethanol blended fuels..informative.