Engines hate not doing the thing engines do, the oil gunks up and the seals harden and it's all bad. I'd start it a couple times a month and go for a 30 mile drive every two months. Not a scientific calculation, it's just what makes sense to me.
On Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 5:02:36 PM UTC-7 Patrick Moore wrote: > Thanks, Robert. I should have added that I am somewhat less concerned > about the battery draining, since this is an older (2006) car, and again, > has a new battery -- I've left it, with the old battery, for a month and > the car started right up. And I have a better AAA contract, and am wholly > willing to make them work for my annual fee. > > I ought to have aked, "How often at minimum must you drive, and for how > far, to keep the gaskets pliable and the inner bits lubricated?" > > No mice in my garage, thank God! > > On Tue, Oct 6, 2020 at 5:54 PM Robert Tilley <rlti...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> My camper van sits months at a time without use. I do have solar panels >> on it which keeps all batteries topped off so that's not an issue for me. >> Without that I'd be taking it out once every week or two to keep that >> batteries charged. Working from home and not driving much did mean I had >> to jump my wife's car after it sat for a week or so unused. It had only >> been driven for short trips at that time so it likely never achieved a full >> charge from the alternator. My Jeep gets little use these days since I use >> a bike for about everything but it has had no battery issues yet. >> >> I haven't noticed any issues from letting my van sit but I do worry about >> gaskets that could dry out if oil isn't moving across them regularly. My >> van is 4x4 so I would think the front & rear differential gaskets and maybe >> the transmission. >> >> I did have mice build a nice house under the hood once so I do check >> there before starting the motor. They left all electrical wiring alone and >> I'm thankful for that. >> >> Robert Tilley >> San Diego, CA >> >> Sent from my BlackBerry - the most secure mobile device >> *From:* bert...@gmail.com >> *Sent:* October 6, 2020 4:40 PM >> *To:* rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com >> *Reply-to:* rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com >> *Subject:* [RBW] Rivendell car question >> >> Train of thought: I drove =/< 200 miles between my 1/13/20 oil change and >> the 6/15/20 garage visit for various electrical maladies. (My daughter >> returned in March and added 900 miles before she departed mid-September; >> total between us of ~1,060 miles in 9 months.) The main reason for such >> small mileage is that I ride my bikes for errands. My bikes are all either >> Rivendells or built upon Rivendell models. QED. >> >> Question is: how often ought one to drive a car to keep the battery >> charged and the fluids minimally circulating? The car had been sitting for >> 3 weeks since Catie left, and it was only today that I took it out and >> drove small detours to the nearby bike shop to get a bike box -- total out >> 'n' back of under 7 miles. >> >> All worked well; new battery and new alternator. >> >> Online expert advice ranges from weekly to every few months, and "let it >> idle for 5 minutes" to "get it out in traffic and really drive it for some >> miles." >> >> I know some of you know cars; what's the best minimum practice, and I >> emphasize "minimum"? >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtn-DZbz%3Dj5PZewSoX70OVGWxFfAYzMvRFMsyVL-CHh3A%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtn-DZbz%3Dj5PZewSoX70OVGWxFfAYzMvRFMsyVL-CHh3A%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> > To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/49rnu60s8lavil3q0aiidjt3.1602028471507%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/49rnu60s8lavil3q0aiidjt3.1602028471507%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0afa37eb-ff70-4a47-9777-1f9508bcd898n%40googlegroups.com.
