Originally Posted by JonasM,Nov 6 2010, 11:07 AM

If you followed the steps listed at the start of this thread, then no oil change is necessary. Many of us believe that it's best to change the oil before winter so that the contaminants that are in used oil don't sit in the engine all winter. So, you should have nice, fresh oil already there in the spring.

As to procedure, I first undo all the things like stuffing rags into the exhaust, intake, etc. Charge the battery (if needed) and install it, turn on the radio & reset it if necessary. Locate all the mothballs/peppermint/whatever you used to keep mice away. Deflate the tires back to normal pressure.

Finally, I use a trick I heard on this board some years ago. Pull the fuse for the fuel pump (check your owner's manual), then crank the engine for 10-15 seconds. That will get the oil flowing without starting it. Then, put the fuse back in & fire her up. I let her idle for at least a minute or two to allow time for the oil to finish cuirculating and warm up at least a bit.

For the first few miles, drive gently, work the brakes, shift the gears, let the various rubber parts soften up.

Then let 'er rip! That will pu t a big grin on your face, and remind you why you bought this car in the first place.

Or, you can be a little less pedantic, and you cvan just do the first part, then drive.

JonasM

Originally Posted by Chazmo,Nov 8 2010, 06:28 PM

Oh, hey, random thought... GET YER SNOWIES ON (if you're driving through the winter). I nearly did a little off-roading the other day, and I assure you it was not intentional.