PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

I've never had a vehicle that I've had to store for the winter before. Looking for some pointers/advice. I have a mouse free interior storage for the car with concrete floor. Some people say to put the car up on jack stands and others say that's undue stress to the suspension components having them hang. Looking for some tips

scarbucket

iTrader: (3)

You can disconnect the bat don't have to, start it a couple times a month, and put some stay bil in the fuel to keep it fresh thats all i can think of off the top of my head

89 350

iTrader: (1)

I would also like to know any tips, and best way to keep the tires from getting flat spots

Mad Myche

I use blocks under the control arms and jack stands under the rear axle; in theory this should appear the same as being on the tires. And no flat spots to boot

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Here's what I have done for years , nearly 20, when storing my car. I overinflate the tires by about 5lbs above their max pressure and park the car on pieces of carpeting doubled up, prevents flat spotting of the tires. I always throw in a generous amount of Stabill with fresh gas and make sure to have run the car or driven it to get it through the entire fuel system. I disconnect the battery and leave it in the car but put a battery tender on it to keep the battery fully charged and to keep it from sulfating. Disconnecting the battery keeps the electrolysis from eating away at the aluminum that you may have such as aluminum heads, radiator, water pumps and such, doesn't hurt to use some zinc anodes under radiator cap to neutralize that issue. I use some 1lb desiccant packs that I bought years ago that can be regenerated and throw them in the interior to keep dampness and moisture at bay and lastly, if you think you may have a potential rodent problem, buy some dryer sheets such as Bounce and lay them in the interior and under the hood, they absolutely hate it will not bother the car. Last but not least, put a good breathable car cover on it to keep dust and dirt and to protect the finish, Kimberly Clark covers are a really good value, just be sure to get the cover for what you are using it for such as indoors or outside covering. I know that may seem like a lot, but come spring, I uncover the car hook the battery up and fire it up and bring it up to temp and then shut it down and change out the oil. I don't start my car from the time I park it until spring reason being unless you can get the car out and drive it you will not get everything up to normal operating temps to burn off the moisture in the exhaust and the oils which causes rust, ask me how I know. Learned my lesson and leave it alone till spring, no rust oxidation, dirt or dust and interior is dry and ready to go. I realize this was a long post but I seen way too many people store their cars wrong and paid the price later.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the info cc 82Z-28. I will be parking in a new metal pull building with concrete floors. The space is not heated. Is there any concern regarding moisture and the concrete floor? I was thinking of laying down a tarp and parking the car on top of it. Does the carpet under the tires really help? Have you ever gotten flat spots on your tires from parking for just a winter? Parking for a year or more I could see the potential for flat spots, but for just a winter?

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

I build steel buildings for a living (all steel) not wood framed pole barns. we also do concrete. I also winterize my boat for layup every winter.

Is the pole bldg insulated ? If not there will be moisture in the inside, sometimes they will sweat like a soda can inside when atmospheric conditions are changing. I would put 6 mil plastic on floor under car, and a breathable cover as suggested above. Home Depot sells moisture bags (3 in a box for <$10. Smell good too and have a water collecting bag. Dryer sheets wouldn't hurt either for mice as said (great idea).

Change oil and filter prior to layup. Acidic oil not good for engine.

As far as fuel stabilizer - fill up with 92 octane, add stabilizer and drive around to shake it up and get into the engine well. We used to fog the engines on the boat when we had carbs, but now w/ fuel injectors its not recommended unless long term layup, wouldn't hurt just to crank the engine a few times periodically just to splash oil up into heads and valves.
Use stabilizer for "ethanol" fuel, regular Stabil may not be adequate.

Check your AF - if it was leaned out with water at anytime you may need to richen it back up. AF tester will tell you freeze limit of your AF. 50/50 is usually -20. But if leaned, maybe less.

Disconnect battery.

That's about all I got

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Thanks a lot for all the info.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

You can lay some heavy mill plastic down on the floor first the put carpet pads under the tires, yes you can have flat spots from just sitting on the concrete and by over inflating the tires it helps to keep that from happening and the carpet pads are a great way to keep the tires off the concrete. The plastic will keep the moisture from the undercarriage of the car, that is what I used to do until I built my new garage and now I heat 24/7 at 50* but for 15 years it was in an unheated garage, these things I did to protect my investment. I still do the same things today to keep the car clean moisture free.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

I know lots of people do the changing of the oil and filter prior to parking for the winter, I would rather drive the car one last time getting the oil temps up where they are good and hot and then park it, then come spring I have just pulled the drain plug and let it drain for a couple of days and pull the filter off. I have also done it where I start the car in the spring, get it up normal operating temp and then shut if off drain the oil. You definitely want to make sure that the antifreeze is up to snuff especially if the car is in a building that is unheated.

scarbucket

iTrader: (3)

the only reason i said start the engine once and a while was bc if its injected or carbed and not in a heated environment the metal around it will sweat and condinsate into the gas leaning out the gas mixture or drying out the bowls in the case of a carb when it sits lol

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Before I heated my garage I insulated it over a period of several years starting with the attic since that is where most of your heat goes to and then the walls and doors. My garage is a pole style with osb, house wrap and then vinyl siding over that. Like I said in my first post that when you start a car in the winter months but don't get it out to really heat up the exhaust like you do when you drive it, then you will have moisture that rusts headers, exhaust, as well as any chrome or polished parts on or in the engine compartment and if you have ever seen the milky substance that would be under your valve covers or breathers, it is from the engine not getting to normal operating temps and that in my opinion is far worse than not starting it all. I made that mistake one of the first years I started storing my car and have never done it again after having to remove rust and corrosion from parts. The only time you will get moisture that builds is when there is huge temp swing upwards and you open the garage and let the warm moist air in over top your cold car it will condensate, but keep the car covered and don't disturb it and it will be fine. I run a low temp dehumidifier to keep moisture in check at 60% humidity. With the dry packs in the car I have never had any sort of mildew or musty smell from sitting all winter. Like I said, I've been storing this car since 1993 and have learned a few do's and don'ts through my own trial and errors as well as reading and talking to those others who store vehicles. Two years ago I bought myself one of the MaxxJax portable 2 post lifts and store my car on the lowest 24" height during the winter to unload the suspension and allow better air flow around and under the car. Before I started heating my garage I had a 20" box fan set on low speed and set on a timer to keep the air moving around the garage, again to keep things drier and it worked great. Sorry for the long post, just wanted to share what has worked for me over the past 20 years and what has not.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

So here is my plan for storage. Let me know if any of you see holes in my plan.
- Fresh wash and wax
- I will be doing an AF test to ensure it's good.
- Fresh oil change on the day I park it.
- Fill it up with 92 octane fuel with Stabil added. Run the car a bit to ensure the Stabil gets throughout the system.
- Over inflate the tires a tad bit.
- Lay down plastic for under the car and carpet pads for under the tires.
- On the interior/engine of the car I will be putting DampRid and Cab Fresh pouches throughout to take care of any possible moisture or rodents.
- Slightly crack the windows for air flow.
- Behind each tire I will be putting plastic bottles with holes poked in them with cotton swabs socked in Oil of Peppermint. Also to word off any rodents.
- Car will be covered with breathable car cover.
- Disconnect the battery and keep on a battery tender.
- I will be checking on the car at least once a month.

Am I forgetting anything?

Mad Myche

For the gas fill, I would take regular unleaded 100% gas as opposed to a 10% ethanol premium

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

I think you'll be good, I have never cracked the windows myself, one less entry for anything to get into car up to and including any bugs, other wise you are good to go.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for all the help guys!

eseibel67

Lots of good tips here. Make sure you change the oil BEFORE storage, old oil is acidic. And although you will hear advice to the contrary, once the car has been prepared for hibernation, DO NOT START the engine until spring. We can get into all the why's if need be, but there's just all negatives and no positives.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

You guys take this to the extreme. I'm not from the mid-west, but I did put my car in winter storage from 1989-2007 when I lived in western Canada.

I never had flat spotted tires. In fact, I kept the original Gatorbacks on the car until 2007. They did ride a bit lumpy that first drive in the spring, but within 5 miles they were back to round. Any day after that, it was like you'd driven it every day. So I wouldn't worry about tires. In northern Alaska, the tires on cars will chunk down the road when it's -40° outside until they heat up enough to regain their round shape.

Keep the windows closed. All opening them does is allow more dust into the car.

I didn't start the car up. For two reasons.
1) Unless you actually drive the car around the block, the transmission will never heat up.
2) Cold starts are the hardest part of an engine's life. So why subject it needlessly? And idling the car in the driveway is the slowest way to warm up an engine anyways.

I never ran any Stabil. And I even went 2 years without the driving the car at all at one point. Never seemed to make a difference. But, I parked in an insulated garage that never got below 40° inside even when there was snow outside.

I wouldn't put plastic on a garage floor. There is already plastic below the concrete. I would put plastic down if I were parked on a dirt or grassy surface. As these will absorb lots of moisture from the ground every time it rains.

Disconnecting the battery works most of the time. I think I bought 2, maybe 3 batteries during the 18 winters of storage. I bought a battery tender for the last year. Seemed like good preventative maintenance. Oddly enough battery sulfation and dead batteries from sitting is more of a problem in the south, where the high temperatures accelerates battery sulfation. I think it is why I got the batteries to last so long in Canada. As long as the negative cable was disconnected for the winter, the temps were cool enough to keep corrosion at bay.

If you're in a garage and out of the rain, moisture shouldn't be an issue. Once you get below 30°F outside, the dew points can't be above 30°F. This is the same amount of moisture in the air that Phoenix gets in the middle of July when it's 115° and 4% humidity outside. My garage had good ventilation in it (air gap between the top of the garage door and the archway above it. I could park another car in the garage covered in snow during the evening. Come out before bed and the snow had melted off the car, but the floor would be wet all over the place. Come out in the morning and the garage floor would be dry.

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Reason I think the car windows should be cracked open (with breathable cover on), if the interior temps of the car will equalize with the garage temps better. If there is a sudden warm up and interior is cold car will sweat. vice versa.
I've seen it, especially when garage door is open on a nice day and get in car and its freezing cold and damp inside.

If you can avoid ethanol fuel - big plus. Wish I could.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

No ethanol fuel. There is a station near my home that has 91 octane non-ethanol/non-oxygenated fuel. I will be filling it up with that.

Anybody here us Fresh Cab pouches on the interior? Just wondering how many pouches I should put inside the car and if there are any particular places they should be placed.

Mad Myche

Good ole ethanol; my excursion through IA was a surprise when I found that Super was 10 cents a gallon cheaper than Regular, then I noticed that it was 10%. I naturally went for the Regular and my gas mileage went up 2.1 mpg

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

We don't have a choice - its ethanol everywhere.

Flat spots ... I found these things the other day ... prevents tire flat spots.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Same here, it is in all gasoline so I just put the Stabil and other products to protect against the effects of the ethanol. I've seen those to prevent tire flat spots, looks like a nice product, but I never had any flat spotting when I used some doubled up carpet squares and like I said earlier, over inflate those tires by about 5lbs over max pressure, just remember to pull some air out when spring rolls around.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

As I stated before, I will be parking in a new metal pull barn with concrete floor. Not heated and not insulation. Do I really need to worry about parking over plastic??

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

For the record .. its a "Pole Bldg", cause they use posts (Poles 6x 6's) every 8', bad in the olden days the Amish used "poles" as columns - hence the name.

I don't see the need for plastic, they may have used it under the slab, (can ask owner or builder), but I would definitely park on carpet or something to separate the car from the concrete for storage.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Ya. I'll have carpet squares between the tires and the concrete floor. I could understand the plastic thing if I was in a humid climate. Which Minnesota is quite humid in the warm months, but quite dry in the cold months. I will be putting a container of Damp Rid in the interior and engine compartment.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

If the builder didn't put plastic down before pouring the concrete, then it will sweat when ever there is a day or days when the temps rise since the concrete will be colder and the moisture leeches up through the concrete. If the building isn't being opened up on regular basis then you will probably be fine except when springs arrives and you open it up for the first time. The plastic under the car just helps keep the moisture coming up through the concrete from the bottom of the car if the builder didn't put under the concrete.

HankL69

iTrader: (1)

Plastic under the concrete will not prevent sweating in all situations. When the air is warm and the concrete is cold the moisture in the air condenses on the colder surface.
A sheet of plastic is cheap protection just in case.
I go one step further putting down 1/2" plywood over the plastic sheet. It keeps the tires off of the concrete and provides a layer of insulation between the concrete and the car. The building I use is opened up regularly , sometimes daily, so I try to do what I can.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

That's another good idea and it keeps the plastic in place so it's not blowing around and keeps the tires from moving it around as drive on to it.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Well......snuggled away for winter. Kind of a sad day. I turned out, I didn't have to lay down the plastic. When the pull building was built, they first laid 9mil poly on the ground then rigid insulation board then the concrete. I think she will be good to go until Spring. I will be stopping by to check on the car about once a month. Thanks again everyone for all the great tips.

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Its a Pole Bldg .... good luck Patriotic.

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

I know it's a pole bldg. Not quite sure why I typed "pull". I'll blame it on the depression caused by having to store my car away...

plum92_camaro

I'm sure i'm repeating what others have said but heres what i have learned over 14 years.

-Clean inside and out. Inside make sure there isn't anything to help attract critters
-Full tank of fresh, ethanol free gas with stabil or seafoam in it. Run it a while to get the treatment all the way through the system. A full tank helps keep the top of metal tanks from rusting.
-Fresh oil and filter. carbon and other elements the oil picks up in the engine can make oil acidic. do you really want acidic oil in your engine for 5 months til spring?
-Tires, i've never had flat spots. Even on my drag radials i had. i just let the car sit on the concrete (indoors). If I'm wrong about that, it hasn't caused me any issues yet.
-I've also heard of putting tennis ***** in the tail pipes to help control critters and moisture.
-Starting the car during the winter is controversial. Some people start their cars to keep the oil up in the engine. I've read several places not to start the car all winter. If you do start it, let it get good and warmed up. During warm up the engine will condensate (you'll see the water come out the exhaust). Once its hot the moisture will be gone. but i would assume as it cools it will condensate again. As you know moisture will cause rust inside the engine. I only start mine during the winter if the temp gets close to 50*.

Hope this is helpful.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

Yea, I put mine away over the weekend, called the insurance guy to drop my insurance back to fire and theft for the winter, saves some money and you can do this if you don't have a loan on the car. I have it sitting on some jack stands for now about a foot off the ground since I will be working on the car later on in the winter. As for the running the car, you will not build enough heat in the exhaust to get it good and hot like when you are driving the car and you are pushing heat through it and yes when you shut it off it will condensate unless it is a heated garage. I don't about anyone else but as far as I know there is no ethanol free gasoline, at least not in Ohio, there are some products that combat the effects of the ethanol and one of them is made by Stabil.

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Actually there is E-10 free gas in Ohio.

Just googled it, theres a list of stations thru-out the state ...

Unfortunately, not in NJ, I can go to PA for it.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=OH

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Thankfully I have a couple stations near my house that have 91 octane non-oxygenated/non-ethanol fuel. Conveniently, the Minnesota Street Rod Assoc keeps a current list on their website that lists ALL the stations in the whole state that carry this fuel. I have 3 stations within 5 miles from my house that carry it.
One thing I did discover while detailing and getting the car prepped for storage was my heater core has a minor leak. So, the first thing I will be doing when I get the car out in the Spring is replacing that. Not a overly hard job, just a slow job. It is the original heater core.

HankL69

iTrader: (1)

Good point, I did have an issue one year when some critter decided to hoard a stash of sunflower seeds in the exhaust of my IROC. I don't know how it was able to get up in there but it did.It took a while to get it running that year. A friend of mine also had a critter fill up the side pipes on his vette with dog food.

cc 82Z-28

iTrader: (7)

That's good to know, thanks for that info...

PATRIOTIC1911

iTrader: (2)

Ya, I put steal wool in my tail pipes and air intake.