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Q: Arm chair mechanics are always telling me that my car , parked outside, and not being used, should be turned over from time to time. Should I really run the motor every day?
Fred: All cars have some drain on the battery, even when the engine is not running; the amount of this drain depends on the type of car and the accessories that the car has. But all cars should be able to sit idle for at least a week and most for two, before the battery would be run down enough to affect starting the engine. Running the car for a few minutes can present problems of its own. When an engine is run, moisture develops in the system. When an engine is run at operating temperatures for at least 1/2 hour to an hour, this moisture evaporates, but when an engine is warmed up for only a few minutes, the moisture then condenses and forms water droplets, which is harmful to the oiling system of the car. So my recommendation is as follows: 1- have your arm chair mechanics stay in their chairs and away from your car. 2- take the car out at least once every two weeks for a good drive, preferably on the highway. If this is not possible, consider disconnecting the battery when the car is idle for more than two weeks. People who only do short trips and do develop a heavier than normal condensation situation should change the oil more often.
Q: Which is better for the vehicle when it is frigid outside? To warm up the vehicle first, or to start it and just drive off?
Fred: You can just drive off, as long as you do it gently. With today's computerized, fuel injected automobiles it is no longer necessary to warm the vehicle up for any length of time. Start up the car, let the engine stabilize for about 30 seconds so that the oil can circulate, and drive off normally. Avoid hard acceleration until the vehicle has reached operating temperature, about 5 to 8 minutes. In real cold below zero weather, you would want to use a light grade (5w-30) oil so that circulation would be easier.
Q: I own a 1993 Chevrolet Corsica. Do I really have to tune it up every 15,000 miles as my mechanic recommends?
Fred: Your mechanic is probably still sending his kids to college. No it is not necessary to tune your car every 15,000 miles. The word tune means to adjust, and since your car is a fuel injected computerized automobile that does not even have a distributor, there are no adjustments that can be made to that engine, hence no need for a tune-up. This is true for most cars manufactured in the 90's. Just follow the manufacturer's recommendations, which are found in the owner's manual, as to filter and spark plug replacements. The important thing is frequent oil and oil filter replacement, about every 3,000 miles. The rest will probably go to 30,000 mile intervals.
Do you have a question for Fred? While Fred cannot answer all inquiries, he will select some of the most common and interesting topics and deal with them here each week. Plese try to keep your question brief and to the point and indicate the year, make, model and engine type of the vehicle you are asking about.
