I need a few more opinions in an argument I'm having with a friend of mine.


He says that letting my car sit for 3months will cause the main bearings to warp, and cause a knock.


I say BS. After any time my car has sat for more than a month, I change the oil, coolant, plugs/wires/cap/dist (general tune up stuff), and then prime the oil pump prior to starting it.


Is there any validity to his argument? I fail to see how an engine sitting will warp the bearings....


Thanks

 

Bearings....no way.

Knock....maybe. The engine oil will be really drained out after 3 months and you might hear some knocks (most likely lifters). But a short drive will cure that right away.

As always, a tune up after a lenghty park is good preventative maintenance.

RB

 

My 355 sat on an engine stand for at least six months before I bought it. There was only a hint of noise from the lifters, but it was gone in seconds. We have many cars at the dealership i work at, so some tend to set for a long time without being started. I've never had to rebuild a single one yet because it sat.

 

I would have to say it is BS also!

 

I must be doing something wrong. I let several vehicles sit in storage every winter. I try to start and warm them about once a month, but sometiimes don't get that done for almost two months. That 60# of hot idle oil pressure must be a gauge mistake....

Go to your local factory. Look in their holding lots. Some of those cars and trucks sit there for 60 days or longer, and the factory still warrants them. I live near a GM light/medium truck and bus plant, and a Dodge Peon assembly plant. I see Peons sitting there in droves (just as they should be) for what looks like months at a time. The trucks are harder to tell, but I know that they can't all be started every week just for grins.

I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

 

How long does he think brand-new motors might sit on the shelf at the factory before they go into a car? Or has he even thought about logical things like that?

Nod approvingly, say "Uh-huh", and go your own way. People like that aren't worth arguing with. Don't bother starting an argument.

"Never argue with an idiot... they will drag you down to their level, and beat you with their greater experience"

 

Now if you have a roller bearing engine, there might be some validity to the claim. Roller bearings in an assembly (such as an electric motor, turbo, etcetera), will brinell over time from the weight of the assembly they are supporting and minute terranean vibrations.

On some of the most expensive replacement motors I used to stock as spares (like 200HP oil-field duty or large servo/spindle motors), I would rotate the shafts in storage every couple of months just for that reason. And you thought I wasn't ****-retentive?

 

I guess if that's the case, I would be needing to put a new engine in my tractors after sitting all winter!!! They only motor I have that recommends periodic starting is the electric vacuum motor on the feed silo, but that's rare, they say about every two months(mainly to keep it clear of critters)

 

vader lives near belvidere (sp?)

time to stalk the TGO nerd.