Storing a Car for the Winter

[BurneroftheRice]

Hi guys, I couldnt find this topic in the search feature and am suprised that it hasn't been discussed.

I am wondering what you do to a car when you store it for the winter. I am considering buying a 3.1 5speed beretta for the winter and also to learn how to drive standard. Hopefully my Z will be my summer car and ill have the ability to work on it while its off the road. What should i do for it? any ideas?

If i dont buy the beretta i would aways like something to reference to if i ever get a winter car.

Thankx everybody

[Euro]

It kinda depends on where you store it. I think the site http://www.mothers.com, the site that makes car waxes, has a list of tips. Use a car cover either way, inside or out. also, it might be good to keep the fluids good by starting once a week or so.

[BurneroftheRice]

I was kinda wondering if there were any ways i could store it but not have to always go out and start it

[ThunderBat]

I only know of one guy personally that has a car that he stores for the winter. granted, the winters here in VA aren't that severe to begin with, but when you own a classic its worth it. This friend of mine has a 56 Chevy BelAir that he puts up for about four months at a time. He fills the gas tank (to minimize condensation)...places a block under each corner of the car (to prevent the tires from flat spots)...and removes the battery altogether...upon removal in the spring, it gets a coolant flush and immediate oil change (I don't know if he does the coolant flush every season or not) I have also heard that if you pop for one of those Optima batteries that they wont go dead from sitting extended periods...don't know for sure, I've never bought one.

http://www.sema.org has a list of 10 winter storage tips, check 'em out and take care of the baby!

[95 3-4]

Possibly put sta-bil in the gas tank to keep it from spoiling, and uh maybe use engine fogging oil, which is usually used to store outboard and marine engines for the winter, you just shoot it in the intake maybe while turning it over or even kill it off with the fog, but it basically just jogs everything from the valve stems to the exhaust with a thing layer of rust preventing oil..........marine stores and im sure it has instructions on how to do it properly, "I've never used it"

 

Also could put a few drop of oil down each spark plug hole and turn it over a few times, which would spread the oil around and prevent rust

[IL_pilot]

Whatever you do DON'T start it and just idle every week or so. That is about the worst thing you can do to an engine in storage. The condensation that gathers in the oil and engine won't boil off unless you run it up to operating temp for a while. Driving around 20 miles or so would do it.

 

Do a google groups search on rec.autos.tech, this get's bantered around alot there. Some things to watch out for though-

 

Rodents, bugs and other vermin. I had a car that sit outside for around a month and a mouse managed to make a nest under the hood. Right near a relay center. He chewed up the wiring harness over there something fierce.

 

Here's a good discussion to start with:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?R21213707

Granted, it's a little dated, but a lot of good info mentioned

 

General pointers-

Get the wheels off the ground

Pull the battery and either charge it once a month or put it in another car

Put fresh coolant and oil in before storage, and change all filters (fuel, oil, air)

Wrap mothballs in a stocking and set on newspaper inside the cabin and trunk along with some desicants

Wash and wax before putting into storage

The oil in the upper cylinders was mentioned (just don't forget to crank the engine with all the plugs out to get that oil OUT in the spring, hydraulic lock SUCKS big time)

 

One thing we used to do with the airplanes when they were done for the season and went into winter stoarage (Nov - April) was to fill the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil (don't ask me why- the boss told me to and he'd been doing this for 50 years), plug the exauhst stacks with rags, rub the stacks and prop with vasoline.

 

In the spring, we'd pull the bottem plugs and turn the motor over 10x, clean and regap the spark plugs (hey, aircraft plugs are $50 each. Each 4 cylinder engine takes 8, we want to get as much service out of them as possible.) then run 'em for 10 minutes, change the oil, and go fly for an hour.

 

Hope some of this helps