A lot of good advice on this forum, as usual. The question of idling an engine is a good debate.
I am a believer of letting the coach 'sleep' during the winter months if it cannot be driven to come up to normal operating temperatures, including engine, transmission, exhaust system, etc.
It's always advisable to be able to run the coach and drive it to exercise all the systems, including suspension, tires, and more, bringing it up to normal operating temperatures. This means driving it for about 20+ minutes.
Petro had some sage advise which I subscribe to: Never drive the coach in an environment you might get salt on it without being able to thoroughly clean the undercarriage, as you WILL get rust. Once it starts, it's ugly.
I look for days where it's warmed up above freezing, followed by rain to wash all the road salt off. Then, maybe I'll take the coach for a run. Otherwise, it will sleep for the winter.
In the case of the OP who wants to exercise the engine, generator, charge the batteries, without moving the coach, use your best judgment. Everything is a tradeoff. Keeping the batteries charged is a good thing. Driving the coach and exercising everything is better (but NO SALT PLEASE).
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Don
'07 Winnebago Journey 34H - CAT C7, Koni's, MCU's, SS Bell Crank, Safe-T-Plus
'07 HHR Toad, SMI AFO, Blue OX
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