Truck Maintenance Question

[brett13]

I'm curious what you guys think. We are now a 3 vehicle household- two regular drivers and the 07 Tundra dedicated to the camper. The camper will stay on full-time, but of course we don't use it that much. I've been making sure to drive the truck at least once per week. Usually just to run errands, maybe hop the highway for a few miles, but that's about it. My question is, do you think that's enough to keep it running ok? I'm wondering about your experiences with mostly 'idle' vehicles are?

 

[dorocks]

I have the same situation going. I have a 2005 Dodge Ram Diesel that sits with the camper on it full-time. I drive an old Tundra to work. And I have a 2006 Wrangler Rubicon. I rotate all three. Drive the old Tundra most. I drive the Jeep and Diesel at least once a week. They run fine. No dead batteries yet. Over time I am not sure if the tires will get the RV lack of tire use syndrome. But so far no checking on the tires.

 

[EdoHart]

I'm with Brett and Dorocks in that I usually only drive my truck which carries the FWC once a week. Whenever I drive it, I maked a point of filling up the fuel tank before parking the truck for another week. Whether you have a gasoline or diesel powered truck, keeping the fuel tank full will help to prevent rust, and/or algee build up in the fuel tank because both need air to propogate.

 

[Desert Rancher]

I run mine once a month. A very important consideration is to drive far enough to completely heat soak the engine and drive train. The seals need to soften up.

Keep the fluids and the battery up.

 

[rotti]

My Harley is laid up during the winter.......a battery tender once or twice a month, a full tank of gas and Stabil gas treatment.
Never had an issue with three different bikes.

 

[brett13]

I run mine once a month. A very important consideration is to drive far enough to completely heat soak the engine and drive train. The seals need to soften up.

Keep the fluids and the battery up.

Good point. Any idea how much is "enough"? Engine seems to come up to full temp in 5 min or so. But once/wk errands accumulate anywhere from 20-60 minutes of mixed driving, but not continuous. You know, go to the store, park and shop for 20 minutes. Then drive to somewhere else. I'm guessing this is ok, but any thoughts?

 

[rotti]

My link

Check out the link above. It mentions 30 minutes.
If I get a nice winter day I try to run the bike on the highway for at least 45 minutes, no stop and go.

"The best thing to do for a stored car is to visit it once a month and take it for a short drive. This keeps everything in good shape, preventing things from getting corroded and seals drying out. At the very least have some one start it up periodically."

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

This (type of) stuff is de rigueur with modern gasoline in small and large engines that don't see regular use.

I don't start my lawnmower all winter.

 

[mitch h]

I use the blue marine stabil in my boat. I wonder if it would help with some cheap gas we have sometimes?

 

[MarkBC]

This (type of) stuff is de rigueur with modern gasoline in small and large engines that don't see regular use.

This looks good. I think I'll get some and put it in my truck tank when parked long-term.
I only drive my truck when I go camping (and when we have deep snow in town, which is rare). My truck sits unstarted/un-run for weeks at a time. I'm very impressed with the battery, as it never fails to start and it's not new.
I sure don't know if stuff like this is necessary (I'm not anything remotely like an engine expert)...but seems like a good idea and not too expensive. I'm sold.

 

[Desert Rancher]

Good point. Any idea how much is "enough"? Engine seems to come up to full temp in 5 min or so. But once/wk errands accumulate anywhere from 20-60 minutes of mixed driving, but not continuous. You know, go to the store, park and shop for 20 minutes. Then drive to somewhere else. I'm guessing this is ok, but any thoughts?


Dear LoveCock,

I would think that the engine and trans oil s/b brought up to operating temp. I believe engine oil should be around 200-220 and the auto trans s/b 170-190.

Also, I open the heater temp control so that coolant flows thru the heater core. This helps prevent sediment from building up. And yes, Stabil is a must for any gas stored more that 4-6 months. I put it in everything except "Diesel", which gets Diesel Kleen to prevent algae.

DR