Vent: a guy at the Lebanon show asked if I run the engine every week, and his answer changed my winter ritual | Classic Car Storage - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Vent: a guy at the Lebanon show asked if I run the engine every week, and his answer changed my winter ritual
I used to fire up my 65 Galaxie every Saturday all winter just to hear it run for 10 minutes. He pointed out that a short idle never gets the oil hot enough to burn off moisture, so I switched to a full 20 minute drive on dry salt-free days, maybe twice a month. Now I pull the plugs and fog the cylinders for the long sits, but I'm still not sure about the whole battery tender vs. pulling the battery debate, what do you all do?
Ran a tender on my 66 for years and thought it was the smart move. Then a guy on the Ford forum pointed out that a tender keeps the charge up but does nothing for the plates sitting there, and I finally just started pulling the battery and keeping it in the basement on a shelf. Costs nothing, no cords running across the garage floor, and the battery has lasted longer than any of the ones I left in the car. Fogging the cylinders is smart too, I do the same on mine. The short idle thing got me because I did that exact Saturday routine for two winters before someone set me straight. A cold engine just makes more condensation than it burns off, so the drive is the only thing that really helps.