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Old 8th Jun 2011, 00:51
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Old Akro
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Melbourne
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You could run it with some upper cylinder lubricant to give the top end a bit of a coating with oil.

Phil Irving's advice for starting new engines is not to let them idle, but run them at maybe 2,000 rpm and no load (ie car at standstill) to create oil splash lubrication. If you are going to run the car at intermediate periods, then you must run it until the oil temperature gets above 100 degC so any water condensate is boiled off. And the engine & exhaust should get hot enough so that when its shut down there isn't water condensate in the exhaust.

If its an alloy block it would be worth changing the coolant after you start driving it again and you should also (at least partly) replace the brake fluid. Its hygroscopic and will absorb moisture while its sitting.

Other than that there should be no issue. I wouldn't worry about putting it on blocks for 3-4 months, but raising the tyre pressure might be good. If the car has no "key off" battery load, the battery will be OK for 3 months. One of my old Alfa's has a clock that will drain the battery in about 3 weeks. So, you either need a trickle charger, or disconnect the battery or face up to putting a new battery in it later. Once a battery has been really flat, it will never come back again.
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