Engine starts over winter storage, timing belt

Good question. Back in the winter of '88-'89 in Denver, we had a two week stretch of daily high temperatures of -20 to -25 F. My car at the time was parked outside 24/7 and it had a timing chain, not a belt. Nevertheless, when attempting to start the car one morning after a particularly cold night, the chain was so brittle from the cold that it broke as soon as the engine started to turn over. It was an interference engine so it had to be rebuilt.

A super cold belt would be something I'd lose sleep over, but if the car is garaged and it doesn't get too cold in there, you should be alright. Maybe wait for a warmer day if it bothers you. As for me, I don't bother to start the car just to keep things moving. I'll let it sit still over the 2-3 colder months (Jan-Mar), and take an occasional drive in the other months when temperatures break above 40 F or so. My belief is that starting a car when it's stone cold and all the oil is in the pan does more harm than letting the moving parts stay in one place for a couple of months.

 

I live in the northeast (eastern PA) and used to start mine every 2 weeks and run it for 15-20 minutes, running the A/C for 5 minutes or so to keep the seals lubed, maybe also rolling it in and out of the garage. But now I do exactly what Dave B does. Many of my friends do not touch theirs over the winter (other than filling the tank and adding stabilizer when putting away). I'm now concerned (probably unjustly) about stiff timing belts, plus my limited slip diff becomes a "locker" in below freezing temps (I use MTL by the way).

 

My Ferrari is a chain car, so timing belt are not a worry of mine. It’s sitting in its own garage at 65 degrees (F) with a full tank of stabilized/ethanol freeI fuel. I need to start it to put the car on its flat stoppers after that it will not be touched until the dealer picks it up for service. If I can I would like to bring it down to the main garage for a wash.

I do not subscribe to the thought that idling the car is putting the engine through its paces the way driving it does. I personally feel it’s best to just leave it be as opposed to dry starting a stored engine and listening to it idle. On a direct injection car, like mine I would also argue that extended idling will foul the valves out with carbon deposits much faster than a properly used cars engine, be it for your Ferrari or Kia.

 

Unless your belt is around 10+ years old, I would have zero concern that it will break. That being said , I wouldn't start the car unless you intend to drive it for about 30 minutes.

 

I never "warm up" my cars in cold weather by letting them idle. There are other moving parts that also need to warmed up, such as the transmission, suspension and tires. I just drive off but do so easily until everything gets up to operating temperature.

 

I warm up my cars in the cold. I just like to get into a warm car..

 

I'm not sure where you are Tom, but from your location I'm guessing it is not just cold, it's brutally cold.

 

It's obvious to me that cold engines get warm by running unless the temp gauges are lying. Even the sound of an engine changes as it is warmed properly. Doesn't matter what brand it is.