Spring Start-Up tips

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Nice, Gordon. A few more tips:

- If there's a musty smell in the car when you zip open the tonneau cover, check for forgotten sandwiches and snacks in the back seat. Discard these — don't try to reuse.

- Any cats in the engine bay should leave with some prodding, but don't attempt to start the engine if they don't.

- If you forgot to disengage the e-brake when you parked it for the season (how were you supposed to know it would be your last drive of the year), don't try to free it up now. Just list the car on BaT with a note that 'Buyer is responsible for shipping'.

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Triple AAA renewal ~

@Gordon Nichols posted:

This is one of those "Speedster Public Service" threads that bears repeating every Spring for both new and old members.  I'll start with an oil pressure tip, and any others of you can add what you feel is a good Spring Start-Up tip.

If you car has been hibernating over the winter and you have not been starting it up every month, then here is the proper way to wake your sleeping beauty's engine the first time in the Spring without causing undo wear on the bearings:

1. Open the engine cover and remove the center (coil) wire from the distributor.
   Just move the end off to the side, safely away from the distributor and wrap a rag around the end.
2. Get in the car and turn the ignition on - Both red lights should light at the bottom of the Tachometer.
3. Turn the key to "Start" and hold it there to let the engine crank.
4. After a few seconds, the oil light will go out (the alternator light will remain red) - This may take as much as 15+ seconds or so of cranking (mine usually takes 11 secs) and shows that you have adequate oil pressure.  Doing this will insure oil has been pushed into the crankshaft bearings, preparing them for a normal start.
5. When the oil light goes out, stop cranking the engine.
6. Replace the center coil wire in the distributor cap.  Push it on firmly.
   
   You can now start the engine without fear of wearing the bearings, but just get it running well enough to idle on it's own and let it do that for five minutes, at least, as it begins to warm up.  Once it gets warm you can go for a relaxed drive or put it back in the garage and change the oil for the season - Stuff like that.  Remember that, if you're changing the oil, it's also a good time to check the valve clearance for the season, but that's a whole other tip.

Maybe others on here have their own "Spring Start-Up" Tips to share.

With the Spyder I just pull the switch to the right of the fuel pump switch. That activates the AccuSump, sending pressurized the oil at 40 psi to all those engine parts desiring it.

It would be good I imagine to simply put an on/off on  the fuel pump relay so you can crank away for 30 secs till the oil pressure builds at the beginning of spring then turn in on and start it.   Wouldn’t that be easier than pulling a coil cable if you have one or something else ?

i think I should install this.

i guess you could pull the fuel pump fuse too.

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VS models of a certain age offered the option of an ignition 'cut out', marketed mainly as a theft deterrent. In practice, this better serves to fill empty carburetor float bowls before lighting up (with a mechanical fuel pump) or to pre-oil a long dormant engine.

It functions by disconnecting the coil wire from the ignition via a hidden toggle switch under the dash. This may or may not deter theft, but it certainly helps to further confuse mechanics already trying to make sense of a mass of randomly-colored wires stuffed deep into hard to reach places. (There are some recesses of this car that I know very well by feel, but which I have never actually seen.)

The $50 option was fashioned from a seven-cent switch, so I guess you were paying mostly for the labor involved in making two crimp connections.

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For me, turning the key activates the Accusump. Then, I wait a moment before I crank it.  Also, I have a button I can push to run the fuel pump for a bit before I crank it.

This is why I love the Suby engine, start and go.

@Joe Fortino posted:

This is why I love the Suby engine, start and go.

If you leave a Suby sit for 6 months, you don’t think there is a need to crank for oil pressure before firing it up?

@LI-Rick posted:

If you leave a Suby sit for 6 months, you don’t think there is a need to crank for oil pressure before firing it up?

My thoughts exactly

Edit - Yes I turn the key without firing engine to get oil pressure/have the fuel pump run, which I do on every start regardless of sitting  for 6 months.  It's just easier (for me) than the 6 point process Gordon so eloquently laid out.  

So do you stop it from starting?

@IaM-Ray posted:

So do you stop it from starting?

Ray I just edited my post. I turn the key without firing the engine. This gets the oil pressure and fuel pump to run.

@IaM-Ray what you do on your IM prior to driving for 1st time in the spring.

I believe the oil pump in a Subaru is also mechanical, so I cannot see how your technique primes the oil

@IaM-Ray posted:

I believe the oil pump in a Subaru is also mechanical, so I cannot see how your technique primes the oil

Yes you are correct Ray!

@Joe Fortino

My point simply is what the guys are using push a litre of oil in the engine then you can start it

Gordo explained cranking to build oil pressure for all mechanical oil pump engines essentially.

So I was just questioning myself actually as the Subaru is also for me a new engine and I usually start it multiple times per storage and runit for 20 mins but this year no.

I thought you had greater revelation from Carey .    So maybe we need to get a Fuel pump kill switch

@chines1 can you chime in on Suby 1st spring start up.

The start up procedure for any engine that has been sitting for a long time is the same.  You must in some way pressurize the oil system. Whether that is by cranking the engine, in a mechanical oil pump situation, or using an external device, such as Ed employs to build pressure. Suby’s are not exempt from this.

I remember running a big screwdriver bit on an electric drill down the distributer hole on a 350 I rebuilt. When the oil oozed through the rocker arms, it was ready.

That said, let's think this through, shall we?

Everyone agrees that pre-oiling a stone-cold engine is "good," right?

And, conversely, that not pre-oiling one is "bad."

But how many revolutions of the crank does it take to get the normal mechanical wet sump oil pump that's found in most of our engines going? Is it 20? 50? More than 50?

And, assuming these crankings of the crank are being done by the electric starter motor, on a relatively dry crank, how much wear and tear on the main and rod bearings & cylinder walls is really being saved via this method versus just starting the dang car?

In other words, what is the difference, in terms of stress and friction, between the starter cranking a dry engine for 20 seconds and the lit cylinders doing it for three?

@edsnova posted:

I remember running a big screwdriver bit on an electric drill down the distributer hole on a 350 I rebuilt. When the oil oozed through the rocker arms, it was ready.

That said, let's think this through, shall we?

Everyone agrees that pre-oiling a stone-cold engine is "good," right?

And, conversely, that not pre-oiling one is "bad."

But how many revolutions of the crank does it take to get the normal mechanical wet sump oil pump that's found in most of our engines going? Is it 20? 50? More than 50?

And, assuming these crankings of the crank are being done by the electric starter motor, on a relatively dry crank, how much wear and tear on the main and rod bearings & cylinder walls is really being saved via this method versus just starting the dang car?

In other words, what is the difference, in terms of stress and friction, between the starter cranking a dry engine for 20 seconds and the lit cylinders doing it for three?

I'm still not understanding it either Ed. A turning motor is a turning motor regardless of what is turning the motor.

But! BUT! Robert: The starter is gently turning the engine with only cylinder compression acting against it. Whereas the running motor is being turned by violent explosions of fuel in those cylinders. Also with heat. So I would predict the start-it method is more fiction-making than the crank-it-with-no-spark method. But I don't know!

Also: would the crank-with-starter-motor be better if one pulled out the spark plugs, so compression was taken out of the equation?

Also, would not pulling the disty and spinning the oil pump tang with a drill be the next best thing to running an accumulator? Maybe?

BUT ALSO does it matter at all, as these engines typically run only 10,000 miles in 20 years anyway?

Well says the guy with the accusump.   But probably not a real issue in the long run

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With the ancient type of oil we use in our A/C engines, there might be more need to pre-lube carefully than in a modern engine with ultra-thin multigrades.

But, this is another guess from another non-engineer with no data, no test results, and without even a YouTube influencer video to back me up.

Still, going through some motions to try to get a little oil circulating in a cold engine is probably better than not - and it couldn't hurt.

Besides, it's my car.

If I want to yell, "Clear!" over the windscreen before hitting the start button, I'll do that, too.

I will note, though, that while Subaru says it's just fine to drive off in a stone cold Impreza as soon as it fires, they do include a blue "No Hooning!" light on the dash that stays on for quite a few minutes after a cold start.

They don't call it a 'No Hooning!" light in the Owners's Manual.

But that's what it is.

@Joe Fortino

On Subaru, the "overly concerned" answer I was once given: change the oil, pull the plugs and lightly fog the cylinders, hand turn the motor 2-3 revolutions to better coat the cylinder walls, disconnect ECU power and crank until oil pressure light turns off, reinstall plugs, reconnect ECU and start it.  Let it come up to full temperature and then shut it off letting it cool down completely, then restart and you're ready to drive.

Subaru ASE tech suggested to me: unplug the crank sensor which kills fuel and spark, turn it over until the oil light goes off, plug sensor back in and go.

What I do to my own Suby powered coupe after a long winter.  Hit the key and get out of my way...

I can't recommend the last one for liability reasons, but I can also rebuild my own motor if I destroy it.  To date, never an issue...

@chines1 posted:

@Joe Fortino

What I do to my own Suby powered coupe after a long winter.  Hit the key and get out of my way...

I can't recommend the last one for liability reasons, but I can also rebuild my own motor if I destroy it.  To date, never an issue...

Thank you @chines1that is what I plan on doing Sunday!

Well as Stan says you do you .  
Arm chair quarterbacks are not always right

@edsnova posted:

But! BUT! Robert: The starter is gently turning the engine with only cylinder compression acting against it. Whereas the running motor is being turned by violent explosions of fuel in those cylinders. Also with heat. So I would predict the start-it method is more fiction-making than the crank-it-with-no-spark method. But I don't know!

Also: would the crank-with-starter-motor be better if one pulled out the spark plugs, so compression was taken out of the equation?

Also, would not pulling the disty and spinning the oil pump tang with a drill be the next best thing to running an accumulator? Maybe?

BUT ALSO does it matter at all, as these engines typically run only 10,000 miles in 20 years anyway?

I honestly don't know which is better. You can't pull the distributor on either a VW or Subaru and spin the pump. The VW is driven directly off the camshaft. The Subaru oil pump is behind the plastic guards and is driven by either the timing belt or crank directly, I can't remember which.

In my Spyder, with the dry sump tank feeding the oil pump, it only takes a few seconds to get oil pressure. It takes longer to get the injection pressured up and spraying fuel honestly, so I crank and go. I do wait a bit longer and drive off slowly if it's really cold versus warm.

In the Vee, I crank plugs out and coil disconnected until pressure is built. Then add fuel and connect it all up. A 6v starter on 12v battery with no plugs in spins and builds pressure FAST.

Totally agree on Ed's last point. Does all this pontification on what to do really matter with the low mileage we do?

One serious caveat to my (somewhat) sarcastic post, i ALWAYS let my oil come up to temp before I get too froggy.

I will say again: pulling that AccuSump switch and watching the green light blink out almost immediately is almost—almost!—as satisfying as hearing the engine start.

The whole ritual: turning the key, seeing the needle on fuel gauge spring up and the generator and oil pressure lights come on, pulling the fuel pump switch and hearing the sound it makes, stabbing the gas pedal twice, hearing the fuel pump change key, then flicking out the preoiler switch, the green light going out, waiting three beats more and pressing the starter button and hearing the engine catch for the first time after a long winter's slumber, then tap dancing on the go pedal for 20 seconds to get the engine into its idle, is actual bliss.

Whatever your wakeup routine is, do savor it.

Start up tips from the pros. (After 15 years, reportedly).

I had my best spring startup ever about three days ago. The oil system has a remote tank plus oil cooler all of which contain between 10 and 12 litres of oil. My method was to pull out the rotor, close the cap up and turn the engine over for about 15 seconds while pumping the gas pedal about 8 times. Replace the rotor and the motor started in about two seconds with more pumping. Very little smoke came out the exhaust pipe this time. I store the car inside a dry semi heated garage, with the gas tank about 3/4 full and no stabil etc. added. No trickle charger needed. 2332 Krewenshank motor with twin 38 Webers. We've put about 400 km on it in the last 3 days with very strange warm weather about 25 C.

We finally are able to drive. Eh David

@IaM-Ray posted:

We finally are able to drive. Eh David

Me too.

I would also add, if not already commented on, after checking under the engine for the amount (if any oil leakage for those having air-cooled engines and topping off as needed), checking under the front (gas tank outlet) and in the engine compartment for the condition of fuel lines.  Visual and physical inspection so there are no unwanted surprises when you start cranking.  I should really move to metal fuel lines in the engine compartment.

In my situation, my car has been in hibernation since Covid (2020), so my approach will be:  (1) replacing my dead 12-volt battery; (2) purging out all bad fuel from the fuel tank (from the engine compartment) by using my electric fuel pump to a 5-gallon container; (3) replacing the purged fuel with about a gallon of new fuel; (4)  visually and physically checking all fuel lines in the process for any surprises; (4) topping off my oil level; (5) cranking to get oil pressure up (problem is I don't remember whether I switched the under the dash theft deterrent on or off when I stored it 3 plus years ago, so will pull the coil wire);  and (6) then off to the races (coil wire in and likely playing with the toggle switch until I hear engine life).

Any suggestions on a suitable Group 42 or similar lead-acid 12-vo battery brand to go with?

All the best!

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Like almost everything about these cars, there are strong opinions about which battery is 'best'. And the newer technologies are, from a purely engineering standpoint, 'better' in most modern cars.

But my take is that our cars are, electrically, just about the simplest on the road today and the least demanding on a battery (assuming you haven't added some monster stereo or alarm system that makes special demands).

So, I've always had a very basic lead acid battery (like the one VS installed originally) and I've had zero battery problems. I changed out the original battery after five years just on principle and not because there were any issues.

I got a basic lead acid replacement from Batteries Plus and, another five years on, still no issues. It probably doesn't matter much where you get such a battery, as they're all sourced from only about two or three actual manufacturers now. My Batteries Plus battery says 'Duracell' on the label, but it might as well say 'Coca-Cola' or 'Crocs' for all that branding means anymore. It almost certainly rolled out of one of the 'big three' factories. And, I haven't been losing any sleep over that.

Our ignition systems are about as basic as it gets and we have a minimum of electrical accessories and no delicate computer systems to worry about, so as long as you keep a battery charged, either by driving regularly or on a battery 'maintainer' in the off season, life should be good. And this goes double if you live where winters are mild, as your profile shows.

There are bigger things to worry about, like how to keep your idle jets clean.

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I like my Odyssey PC680.  It is small and frees up a lot of space for things like a tool bag.

x2 on the Odyssey.  Weighs all of 14 pounds and can be installed in any position except inverted.  It releases no gasses no you can even put it in the cabin if you want.

Like Mitch, I am a fan of the simple lead acid battery.

The U-1 weighs only 16 or 17 pounds, and is available absolutely everywhere. It fits every lawn tractor ever made, and is reasonably priced. I bought one at Tractor Supply with over 400 CCA(cold cranking amps). The U-1 isn't much bigger than an Odyssey, and is probably a quarter of the price.

Mine is mounted about 2 feet from the starter, so the cables are short. I doubt I'd use one if it was mounted up front in the frunk.

Every 5 years or so, I'll take it out of the Spyder and purchase a new one. Then the former Spyder battery goes into the lawn tractor, and the lawn tractor battery gets recycled. Come to think of it, my Spyder battery is from 2017, so it's time again...