Start up after sitting
#16
I believe this is a solution looking for a problem. There is a difference between bringing a car out of storage (a year or longer) and starting your car after it’s been sitting for a week or two. Modern synthetic oils have additives that allow the oils to “cling” to metal surfaces that reduce / eliminate wear at start up.
Equally important is that modern engines are built to tolerances that were unheard of years ago. These close tolerances have resulted in cars routinely using zero-20 oils. Close tolerances also means that oil no longer “drains” away from engine bearings, but retains a thin film of oil protection even after the engine has been inoperative for several months.
Using the starter to prime or pressure an existing engine after that car has been sitting in your garage for a week or two, in my opinion, is not only unnecessary but could do more harm than good.
If you are pressuring the engine’s oiling system with the starter because you believe that oil has drained away from engine crank and or connecting rod bearings, then the starter motor is turning the engine over (under some load, plugs are in) with no oil protection at these critical areas until the oiling system become pressurized. So potentially you could damage (or shorten the life) of not only the starter motor but those same bearings you were trying to protect.
If you believe (as I do) that modern synthetic oils cling to metal surfaces after shutdown and a thin film of oil remains between the bearings and the critical wear surfaces of the engine, then cranking with the starter to pressurize the oiling system after the car has not been started in a week or so makes no sense.
I would only use the starter to pressurize the oiling system if my car was sitting for 3 to 4 months. Using the starter regularly for a car sitting a week or a month in my opinion, is unnecessary, and potentially could do more harm than good.
This system seems best suited for those cars that are “put away” during the winter months for various reasons. For those cars it makes sense to use the starter motor to pressurize the oiling system before that first startup.
On the other hand, priming the oil pump to pressurize the engine’s oiling system before starting an engine is absolutely essential when starting a new or rebuilt engine for the first time. In these instances it’s always recommended that, if possible, a drill (or substitute) is used to activate the oil pump. If the engine is in the car and a drill cannot be used I recommend removing the plugs to reduce the loading on the bearings.
Apologize for the long post.
My 2 cents
Equally important is that modern engines are built to tolerances that were unheard of years ago. These close tolerances have resulted in cars routinely using zero-20 oils. Close tolerances also means that oil no longer “drains” away from engine bearings, but retains a thin film of oil protection even after the engine has been inoperative for several months.
Using the starter to prime or pressure an existing engine after that car has been sitting in your garage for a week or two, in my opinion, is not only unnecessary but could do more harm than good.
If you are pressuring the engine’s oiling system with the starter because you believe that oil has drained away from engine crank and or connecting rod bearings, then the starter motor is turning the engine over (under some load, plugs are in) with no oil protection at these critical areas until the oiling system become pressurized. So potentially you could damage (or shorten the life) of not only the starter motor but those same bearings you were trying to protect.
If you believe (as I do) that modern synthetic oils cling to metal surfaces after shutdown and a thin film of oil remains between the bearings and the critical wear surfaces of the engine, then cranking with the starter to pressurize the oiling system after the car has not been started in a week or so makes no sense.
I would only use the starter to pressurize the oiling system if my car was sitting for 3 to 4 months. Using the starter regularly for a car sitting a week or a month in my opinion, is unnecessary, and potentially could do more harm than good.
This system seems best suited for those cars that are “put away” during the winter months for various reasons. For those cars it makes sense to use the starter motor to pressurize the oiling system before that first startup.
On the other hand, priming the oil pump to pressurize the engine’s oiling system before starting an engine is absolutely essential when starting a new or rebuilt engine for the first time. In these instances it’s always recommended that, if possible, a drill (or substitute) is used to activate the oil pump. If the engine is in the car and a drill cannot be used I recommend removing the plugs to reduce the loading on the bearings.
Apologize for the long post.
My 2 cents
#18
For those of us in cold climates who have an ounce of mechanical sympathy and store our V12 cars over the winter, the omission of this feature on Bosch ECU'd models is worthy of a good cringe every spring. As good as synthetic oils are, I can't imagine much of a film is left on the internals after 5 or 6 months of storage.
#19
For those of us in cold climates who have an ounce of mechanical sympathy and store our V12 cars over the winter, the omission of this feature on Bosch ECU'd models is worthy of a good cringe every spring. As good as synthetic oils are, I can't imagine much of a film is left on the internals after 5 or 6 months of storage.
#20
Yep, if more than three weeks to a month depending on temperature (winter/summer). There are not many good reasons to leave the car sit inside that long unless trapped inside by a snowbank! A couple of guys on here get deployed from time to time- Thank you for your service - and yes, that's an good reason to let it sit, OR get some mods as one has member has underway.
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