I've not started the car since we've had bit of snow, 2weeks or so now.

Will it be ok just to start it and run as normal??

07 hawk sti type uk.

Thanks

 

depends, if you have a tracker or similar fitted I doubt it.

 

it will be ok to start it as normal if your battery is up to it. take it easy on the gas until it is warmed up though.

 

I've not run my hawk much lately and due to pressure of work and so on the car has had a couple of 10 day stints sitting in the minus degree temps and covered in a foot or so of snow with no problems, starts first time every time. All I do is fire the car up and leave it running on tick-over outside for 15-20 mins before driving it.

Tim

 

Ofcourse its ok to start why wouldnt it be unless you have been on holiday just start it every other day then you wouldnt worry about it

 

Might be worth dry cranking it if your worried, all the oil where its been sat for a while may have fully drained down

 

Jump in, start up, seatbelt on, radio on, drive off.
There is no need to dry crank or leave running for 15 mins, just ensure you dab those brakes a few times to clean any rust off.

Tony

 

......thought i'd wandered onto a thread about an F1 car or sommat.
Stick key in - turn - pull away!!!

 

+1

 

me too or some sort of engineering presision tool

ive left my scooby for 6 months,,, jump started it on a jump pack and drove to MOT then parked it back up for a few months till 2 weeks before i went to the ring

the only thing i would worry about using after 2 weeks is milk in the fridge


do some people realise that cars can sit in compounds for months before they are even sold and driven to dealerships on trade plates

 

I don't suppose I'm the only owner on this site who warms their car engine before driving it and also allowing it to idle a little before killing the engine. I guess it's personal preference, which in my case as I have a very tidy example with no mechanical issues which I'm planning on owning for a few years, I probably treat it with more respect than need be. My reasoning for the warm up is I don't know the exact manner in which I might need to drive the car once rolling. It's a pretty subjective point which probably is down to each individual owner, I've fancied owning an Impreza for a while and now I have one it seems reasonable to treat it with a little respect. LOL

 

Some cars are there for YEARS! lol

Dont think ANY car manufacturer/engineer recommends "warming the car engine before driving off",takes a hell of a lot longer for the engine to get up to temperature unless you rev it,in which case your defeating the object of warming the engine before driving it,also reving an engine in neutral does'nt do the engine any favours either.You dont need to let it idle when you park up,just dont drive hard for the last few miles of your journey. (unless your called Starsky..... or Hutch!)

 

Thanks all..

I may not have the most powerful or desirable scoob on here but I do wish to look after it correctly.
I've got no problem turning my 10 year old v6 vectra over after a month or so, but just wanted to check with the knowledge fountain of SN first.

Thanks.



Thanks for that

 

You don't do cars any favours by starting and then leaving them runing at idle for 15 minutes.

The most wear occurs at start up and low running temperatures so it is much bettter to start the car and drive off.

 

Have a nose around the engine bay and make sure the pipes etc aren't frozen.. The intercooler isn't frozen/iced etc

 

Mickeymouse, apologies in advance for my responding to other members who've replied to your thread. I just wanted to say I found the info useful too. Although I don't think I'll ever simply turn the key and go whilst the car has been idle for a week or so and has a foot of frozen snow covering the whole vehicle, as per my original reply to your post, as not being able to see where I'm going would be a little inconvenient. Chiselling the ice off the screen doesn't particularly fill me with joy in case there is grit in amongst the icy covering. It's certainly not my usual practice when the weather is warmer to run the car beyond the amount of time it takes to lock my front door and wait for the other occupants to buckle up. It's a pretty small town where I live and the car would still be pretty much frozen by time I get where I'm going this time of year unless I simply drive the car for a purpose free jaunt around the county. Thanks guys, I've found this thread very informative.

 

leaving a car to idle on the drive "to warm up" does more harm than starting up and driving off with low rpms untill warm.
By leaving it idling on the drive you are leaving the engine in the cold phase for much longer which increases wear. best to drive off and get the engien upto temp (with low revs and off boost) as quick as possible.

 

I hold my hands up i left mine running for 20mins before i drove off when it was covered in snow, i thought it was a good thing

 

My cars only get driven every two weeks, if that!

I simply warm them up, take caution with the brakes, then drive until everything has had chance to warm up/lubricate.

H

 

leaving it to idle will not damage it significantly, it just is no benefit. The old adage the 'most wear occurs during startup' is just that, when it is started up, as there is no splash lubrication, the oil is very thick. the 'most wear' in any modern engine with a 5w synth would be negligable.

Also it is worth bearing in mind that the ideal flow rate is ~10centistokes, a sae40 doesn't reach this until it is 110deg, it is ~14 at 100deg, which is ok.

Even a 5w oil is an incredible ~800centistokes at 0deg, and even though the oil pump will still pump the oil to all bearings with no issues at this viscosity, cavitation can occur making the oil foamy and full of air bubbles = not good. So keep the revs down until the oil is hot.

So even if the oil is cold, it warms up very quickly at first, and the warming tapers off if the revs are kept at idle.

The only thing i would be aware of during idling for long periods when warming up is the oil can get contaminated with fuel as it will be running very rich and unburnt fuel can get past the rings and diluting the oil, this would only be an issue if the car was not driven afterwards, or driven for a short runs repeatedly

Also a warmed engine can give you a false security and it is easy to forget your gearbox is cold, so if you've warmed your engine, remeber give your gearbox time to warm before giving it some.

I only let my car idle on start up if it is icy, otherwise, i drive it and try to keep it below 2000rpm until it is up to temp, the gearbox is usually warm by this time (well it feels looser anyway).

 

ive left a transit to idle for 20 mins to get the heaters to work when its cold,,,,,, and it didnt work belive it or not but just driving it a few hundred meters and water was up to temp ( remember water warms up quicker than oil too when first driving)

in the words of rhianna,,,,,,,,,,,, shut up and drive !