Storing Car for Prolonged Period...

[imported_Luster1]

My car has been parked in the garage for a month....



In about 4 or 5 more weeks, I am planning to take it out and do a little sping cleaning and driving.



Is there anything I should do in the way of engine maintenance or anything else now?



(My wife drives this car because she only drives 1 mile per day each way...I drive 50 miles per day, so I drive the beater. She had surgery a month ago.....so the car is sitting).

 

[DA53]

It looks like you'll have a total of two months of sitting, I'd change the oil & filter, check the tire pressure, check the fluids and that's about it.



Al

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

yup, do the oil and filter, top off all other fluids, fill the gas tank and maybe add stabil just for good measure... other than that no big deal.



Another thing about tires is to maybe overfill them by about 5 PSI so you don't get any flatspotting (granted this isnt likely with todays tires but still better safe than sorry)

 

[imported_Luster1]

It looks like you'll have a total of two months of sitting, I'd change the oil & filter, check the tire pressure, check the fluids and that's about it.



Al

Do I need to start it and let it run at all?



(I guess cars sit on dealer's lots for much longer than 2 months without being started)...

 

[DA53]

If you start it up you'll want to let it idle for about 15 minutes, that way the engine will build up enough heat to burn off most of the moister in the engine and exhaust.. give it a couple of good raps before you turn it off. When it comes time to take it out, drive it for about ten miles before changing the oil. That way the engine has come up to temp and the oil will drain better.

 

[imported_chr9s]

Another good thing about starting the car every so often when the car is in storage is that it maintains the condition of the battery plates. If a car is in storage for a long time w/o starting, the battery plates tend to crystallize, thus leading to a lower expected life of the battery. On idling it for 15 minutes, it would depend on the weather. If it's cold, I guess this would be ok. Otherwise, IMO it's a waste of gas. 3-5 minutes should suffice. Again, the objective of this is to condition the battery, not really for anything else.



On another note, rather than overfilling the tires, if you're really OC about storage, you can put the whole car up on jackstands. This is on the assumption that you won't be using it for an extended period of time, and you have a spare car in case of an emergency. Otherwise, it's going to be a hassle if you're in a rush and having to put down the car from jackstands.



Other than that, I agree with the other suggestions of topping up the fluids, etc.

 

[imported_memnuts]

Nothing really to add except next time you plan on storing your vehicle for an extended amount of time that you top off the fluids and change the oil and filter prior to storing. there are many combustion acids suspended in the oil that will now be in contact with surfaces for an extended period. Not good. Also the point about starting and rolling ( changing tire patch area) is very important. This is no big deal if a car is only sitting for 1-2 months.

I do not believe in allowing an engine to just idle. I perfer to drive gently until gauges denote that all systems are at operating temperatures ( H2O temp increases and Oil Pressure comes down to normal ). Idling only warms up the engine fluids but have zero effect on driveline components ( transmission and rear fluids). These fluids also need to be warmed up properly. I daily go though these warmup procedure (year round) even on my daily drivers. The Z28 never see over 2500 rpms until the gauges denote normal operating temps.

I also disconnect the batteries during storage if for nothing else to prevent an accidental fire secondary to a short-circuit. Especially if car is stored in an attached garage or in my case a basement detailing garage.:wavey

 

[imported_Luster1]

I'm changing the oil this weekend and all other fluids have already been topped off.



Thanks everyone for the good tips....

 

[tj98cobra]

Only 2 minor thing to add. I store the cobra during the winter.



1. To prevent moisture builid up in the carpets and to prevent a mildewy stench I get a box of Baking Soda and put some one a solo plate. I put one plate in the front, and one the back. Change it every month when i fire it up. Also i take out all the floor mats and keep them in the house.



2. My car sits for a long time so i put it up on stands sometimes too. Or cut a piece of ply wood about 1 foot square. Position all 4 tires on a piece. In cold climates it absorbs some of the chill of the concrete.



Hope your wife is doing well after surgery!!

TJ

 

[imported_stormsearch]

a few things to mention...



Depending on how long the car sits...



If you have 2.5" + pipes on the car, you may consider pushing a bit of newspaper in them to avoid a nasty squirrel/mouse smell in a few months. A few guys in the Corvette Forum learned the engines heat up way before mice can crawl out of the exhaust.



even if you don't remove the tires, consider putting it on jack-stands. If you have nice tires and you leave the car sitting for months, they can develop flat spots which make a nice "blub blub blub" sound for the first couple weeks after driving again.

 

[imported_Luster1]

avoid a nasty squirrel/mouse smell

Thanks anyway, but I love the smell of mouse. (I like cat even better.)

Hope your wife is doing well after surgery!!

Doing great, thanks! Pretty serious though.......a ruptured disc in her neck.....Great Neuro-surgeon. He said "Good as new!".....



She's recovering nicely.

 

[imported_Mobile detail]

If you're gonna put your car up on jack stands, try to put them under the suspension. I say this cause if you put the jack stands under the frame/body, then the suspension is fully extended and in an unnatural state. Doing this exposes the full bore of the shock and rust can start on the shock, if this happens when the shock is used again the rust will rub on the seals within itself and you will get premature shock failure. Trust me.... I know, I helped a buddy put his truck up on jackstands for the winter last year and his shocks rusted cause they were fully extended. He wound up having to buy new shocks on all corners. Just my .02

 

[Accumulator]

What yyc_tbird_sc said :up . Or, if you put the stands under the frame, find some way to gently support the suspension (taking the wheels off will make this easier). IMO, unloaded is an unnatural state for the suspension- not good for a number of reasons.