Just curious as to the general feeling or threshold of when would you do a non-start engine turn-over to build up oil pressure prior to starting?
Is it sitting for two weeks, three, a month...

 

Mine sits from November until spring here in Canada…so I always do the oil pressure build up before starting…actually did mine yesterday…all good so far..lol

 

Anything over 10 days for me (4.7 Vantage)

 

Thanks, that sounds like a good reasonable target.

 

OK - sorta obvious question - what means 'oil pressure build up' ?

 

There is a not start procedure you can use to turn the engine over and prime the oil pump and passages without starting the engine.
Foot on the brake, other foot with the gas pedal flat to the floor, key in and press like your starting it. Do this until the oil light goes out. Maybe a few 6 second goes.

 

Very nice - but I have a 6 speed manual - thoughts?

 

Unfortunately I have no knowledge on the manual, and I don't know when this procedure was added to the V12.

 

ok thnx

 

Works for my V8 Vantage manual. Clutch and gas to floor (I'm in neutral w/emergency brake on too). Push key in and let the engine crank until the red oil can icon (9 o'clock on the left cluster) goes out. Release key and you are done. Now start like normal.
One caveat - do not let up on either pedal while cranking (pushing the key in) during the "oil pressurization" process. Your car will start with a surge of high RPMs in that case...the opposite effect of what you are trying to accomplish.

 

NOT trying to be a contrarian here but a review of my AM OM discloses nothing about this technique......wondering where the procedure came from...anyone have an idea?

 

I'm struggle to understand the need to do this (I'm being sincere - trying to learn). It seems to me (simple mind) that whether there is combustion or not the parts of the car are moving and pressure is building. Does it have to do with how fast the parts move with combustion vs just cranking?

 

When the car sits the oil film between the main bearings in the car is extruded. Therefore, on startup when combustion forces occur there can be metal on metal contact increasing the rate of bearing wear and, almost more importantly for some engines, adding increased rotation forces to the bearing shell causing it to start rotating in its pocket (aka spun bearing). Spun bearings are death to an engine (some BMW M3s were notorious for this for instance prior to a design update).
Turning an engine over on the starter primes the oil pump and pressurizes the bearings with minimal stress on the bearings.
All of the above is theory, mixed with anecdotes, mixed with genuine design deficiencies in some engines mixed with historical problems with older oils then did not leave a residual oil film upon sitting.
It is unclear in robust modern engines with fresh clean high quality oil what difference it makes. Still, other than hammering the starter and battery, it is unclear that a priming procedure after sitting is a bad things and so people do it. Ask 5 petrol heads about this and you will get 6 opinions. Ask the internet and then run away.

 

I believe this is outlined in my owners manual (2011 V12V).

No expert or mechanic, but it probably has to do with the amount of force on all the major moving parts, but especially main bearings from simply turning with electric starter motor vs cylinders firing?

I do this after winter storage for sure, and would probably do it again if it sat for more than a couple weeks (which it rarely if ever does during driving season).

 

Haha, @Phil_rae looks like we both responded at the exact same time. Yours was much more informative!