Posted: 9/16/2010 8:20:18 PM EDT
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Any tips for long term (1 year) storage of a car?
Already know of fuel stabilizer. Full tank, half tank, 1/4 tank? Jack stands or not. Pull the battery? Leave one terminal connected? which one? |
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Pull that battery if a newer car. Small things like radio/clock and ECM will drain it over a year. Or even better get one of those small Shumacher Battery trickle chargers/battery tenders if you have 110V available in storage.
yes, jack stands are also a good thing to keep the tires round. I vote for a full tank of gas. Anything less can invite moisture to condensate above the fuel line and cause rust. had this happen to a car I bought that sat for several years. I fought rust in the tank for months. |
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Run that tank as dry as you can and then fill it full at a station that has NO ETHANOL in the gas. Look around, they are still out there. then run the car some more to get the ethanol crap out of the fuel system and re-fill at same station.
Ethanol sitting in your car for a year will kill a lot of expensive parts. |
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inside or outside storage?
Change the oil. acids form in the oil as you drive. Most times the oil package will take care of it, but you should really change it before long term storage. make sure your anti freeze is still 50/50. Full gas tank. Disconnect the battery. Neg is the recommended now. If it is a newer car, make sure you have the radio code before you do it. For a year, I would not bother with the trickle charger. New radial tires do not flat spot in a year. I would not bother with the jack stands unless you have some super soft compound, sticky race tires on it. Stabile now makes something you spray into the spark plug holes. Never used it before, but hear good things. Depends on how hard it is to get to the plugs. Outside, becareful of car covers. I had one wind whip a spot to bare metal. If it is outside I would put in screens inside to cover the dash. Ex-navy stored cars outside for west pac a few times. 6 or 7 months at a time. always did the above and stored a wrench in the car to reconnect the battery. |
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Army only provides an empty lot, where you lock it and hope it is still there when you get back. So I'm looking for inside storage. Newer car, hopefully removing the battery should suffice.
Washington state mandated Ethanol back in 2008...no real gas to be found |
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that is going to be expensive.
at least the navy lot was on base, so it was not likely to be molested while we were gone. don't know about army. if it is on base, then don't sweat it. Cover from the inside like I said and just unhook the battery. If you can afford the 100 bucks a month for inside storage, then call around and see who has 10 by 20 storage rooms availble. and you can back it in there and climb out the window. |
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Marine Formula STA-BIL® is designed to work with ethanol fuels.
Here's how we prepped our military vehicles for long term warehouse storage: Change all fluids and filters. Lube all grease points and hinge/pivot points. Check coolant for proper freeze protection and pH level. Clean vehicle inside and out, treat any rust spots/scratches in the paint. Fill fuel tanks but don't over fill (allow room for expansion) treat fuel with the appropriate fuel stabilizer. Inflate all tires to proper psi. Clean battery and mounting tray/battery box. Disconnect the batteries, and seal the battery posts and cable ends with electrical tape. Use plastic bags and tape to seal the exhaust and intake. These vehicles would be stored in this condition for 12 months, get checked over once a year and then placed back into storage. Sometimes it would be years before they would be placed into regular service. To prevent rodents from making a home in the vehicle place moth balls in the engine and passenger compartment they will keep them out. |
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This is my routine for storing my camaro for the winter. Fill the tank, add fuel stabilizer and run the car for 15-20 minutes. Shut it off, remove the battery and place in the furnace room inside on a piece of plywood. I put a trickle charger on it once every 2 months. I leave the windows down about 2 inches for air circulation and cover it with a car cover. I store it in an unheated garage on a cement floor. I used to put it on jackstands to take the weight off the suspension but stopped doing that last year. I'd rather have to replace springs some day and be able to push it out of the garage in an emergency. |