Unplanned long term storage

Wow, I feel super guilty if I go a month without driving mine..

 

I have an E39 540i I haven't started in at least 5 or 6 years - maybe longer. I didn't prepare it for storage other than the usual fresh gas, injector lube and fuel stabilizer. Before that it went 1.5 years before starting and to get it going I pulled the valve covers and coated the four cams and cam chains with oil mixed with cam lube and added fogging oil into each cylinder. I changed the battery and it started right up. Ran it around for a bit, topped off the fuel, added fuel stabilizer, changed the oil/filter, disconnected the battery and put it back in storage. I should have re-fogged the cylinders and drained/replaced the coolant. Biggest problem with long term storage for me is mice. I'll watch this thread as I'm interested to see what members are doing.

My Ferrari is driven enough for no storage other than the winter months. To put it to sleep it gets a full detail, fresh fuel top off with injector lube and stabilizer, wheel pressure increased, flat-stoppers under the tires, battery tender and car cover. My annual is in spring so with the dealership 1.5 hours away, I'll burn the whole tank then they will do the oil/filters and the usual stuff. Its new again every year that way. Last annual I had every fluid in the car changed including the brakes, coolant, power steering and diffs. Both belts changed as well. If I was going to do long term storage on purpose I would do all that but raise the car up off its wheels as well. Have no idea what to do over the storage term you suggest except drive it every couple months at least and maybe detach the battery. Hope this helps.

 

This is a good thread OP. I'd really like to hear people's methods and ideas.
One question - why do you increase tyre pressure and not decrease it for long term storage? By how many PSI over factory inflation pressure?


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Mice search for holes that emit a different temperature and/or air current. To them, this indicates an entrance to structure worthy of checking out for use as a larder or nesting purposes. Tailpipes are a good example. I plug them with copper chore boy kitchen scrubbers to keep mice and ground squirrels from using them as a larder.

Adding a protective screen to the intake tract(s) is a good idea to keep mice or other rodents out of filter assemblies.
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Increasing tire pressure reduces flat spotting. Inflate them near to the max pressure listed on the sidewall. Reducing pressure would increase the flat spotting.

Always mix the fuel tank contents before starting a stored car by rocking/shaking the car on it’s suspension first for fifteen to thirty seconds. This is akin to mixing two stroke fuel well before dispensing it into an engine’s uel tank so that the oil, other additives, and/or condensation are well dispersed amongst the fuel. Water is better handled by additives when it is emulsified within the fuel.

Octane will drop during storage so I add booster before and after long term storage. Too many additives at a high ratio can be a problem as well, so use good judgement.
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Starting an engine regularly without driving the vehicle long enough to bring it to full operating temperature will contribute to fuel dilution of the oil causing quicker degradation of the additive package among other engine internal issues like condensation and acids forming. Not to mention the increased wear of repeated cold starts where oil is being bypassed rather than filtered until well warmed.

As mentioned clean all items out of the interior prior. Use charcoal or zeolite closet sachets to keep odors to a mimimim.
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Bitd people would treat chrome bumpers and wheels with floor wax and remove it in the spring with ammonia. I’m not necessarily suggesting that but there are surely better options with todays products. One of my cars sits outside and it really should be treated like that,mas even 100 feet from the street, salt road spray is acting upon its engine Al components.

Fluid Film and Ballistol are good corrosion inhibitors to use, as is S100 Corrosion Inhibitor.

 

Fluid Film, Ballistol, and S100 on other parts not in the fuel/engine.

I have many times used seafoam successfully in the fuel tanks of outdoor power equipment that sat and started but wouldn’t run well on all carb circuits. Just as well, on a Mustang, and a Ducati Paso that sit and suffer the same. About half a dose in the tank and with repeated startings over a few consecutive days in order to get the cleaner circulated through the fuel system, while revving to higher and higher rpms as it would accept them, to more forcefully feed it through the different carb circuits or to clean up injectors, accordingly. Each would slowly improve with each following start and running period beyond the first. Starts became quicker. The first would not usually show much results but after, I could tell things were getting cleaned up, by the smoother running, less misfires, better acceleration and less popping and carbon out the exhaust. The mowers and Paso would require throttle applications along with some rapid choke applications to increase vacuum through the carb. 44DCNF on the Paso. Even when it’s filter had turned greenish and the pump was sluggish and nearly locked up from congealed fuel, seafoam would clear it and help withing three or four days of three minutes of running each day.

 

You pump the tires up around an extra 10 lbs but not over max inflation to keep them from flat spotting due to long term sitting. Even for a few months. Can also place rug layers or rubber mats onder the tires.

 

I brought a 355 back from 10 years of sitting. It needed an engine out service. It turned over by hand just fine so we replaced the timing belts, tensioners bearings, valve timing, filters and fluids. The brake system was totally rebuilt (frozen). The clutch did not work and all components were replaced along with the master and slave cylinders (rusted solid). Dumped the gas, got new battery, new tires and engine started right up. Its running fine for a few years now.

I bought my 328 from someone who let the car sit for 7 years. Changed the battery, started right up, and drove it home (a few miles away) where it got a total major service before I drove it anymore. It has the same brake system as the 355 above but it did not freeze up. Even the clutch was OK.

So, a mixed bag. Sometimes you luck out. Sometimes you don't.

 

so ive spent alot of time on this talking to some very experienced friends/owners/mechanics. All of them laugh at the idea of synthetic motor oil going "bad" and they all say the same thing - if you haven't driven a car in 24 to 60 months, its the brake fluid you need to worry about and replace asap. If the car was left with clean synthetic oil there is absolutely no reason to replace that oil in order to start the car. Im in the process of trying 24, 36 and 48 month intervals with different subsets of my collection and will be sending oil samples to blackstone.

i can see taking a battery out on a car that doesnt have a turnoff switch. To me the biggest risks of long term storage are the tires going bad/cracking and the brake fluid. Any rubber parts in the engine but you run the risk with rubber even with normal use.

 

start up and go get ur brake fluid changed. if you try to starting and something feels/sounds/smells off then take the plugs out and put some oil on them.

 

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What does oiling the plugs do?

 

lubricate the threads and put a little oil into the cylinder heads

 

here is the summary from my 93 cobra which sat for about 4 years in between oil changes:
"After less than 150 miles, most of the metal is likely just carryover from the previous fill. Still, lead stands out next to averages (based on oil run ~3,500 miles). We're not convinced it shows a problem, though. Lead can come from the bearings, but it could also be from octane boosters or leaded/track fuel, if you've used anything like that recently. Monitor for engine knocking just in case it is bearing wear. The viscosity read in the 5W/20 range, insolubles are good, and the TBN is strong at 7.7. Check back on lead in 500-1,000 miles."

 

Long term storage, I would drain the old gas out completely. Pull the plugs out and squirt some oil into the cylinders before turning by hand. Old timing belts should be replaced. For the K-Jet, you're probably going to have clogs in the fuel system, from fuel evaporation. It would be best to drain all the fuel out of the system before the car went into storage.

 

It happens. I haven't driven my 308 for a couple of years because other expenditures keep getting in the way of restoration, though I have collected a ton of parts. I just drove it in the garage, which is climate controlled, and parked it. It will be transported to the mechanic and get an engine out first thing, drain the gas and oil, new tires, new brakes, and we'll see how it goes. They are pretty simple cars, but the mechanical fuel injection system will most likely need a thorough cleaning.

 

Response from blackstone about oil decaying while just sitting:
“The oil won't go bad on you just sitting in the engine, and it only accumulates metal with use, so keeping it in the crank for years at a time is fine to do. And that goes for all oils, not just synthetic ones. We've yet to find any one oil that out performs another, so you can expect similar results (at least as far as wear metals go) with whichever brand you choose to use.”


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blackstone summary from 06 430 spider which was driven about 500 miles in 26 months since oil change:
"The first sample from your Ferrari looks good. We'll start by introducing the universal averages, which show typical Ferrari 4.3L wear after ~1,800 miles of oil use. This oil wasn't run long, so most of the metal is just carryover from the last oil change. But with metals testing low and in a healthy balance, we've got not reason to suspect poor wear or mechanical problems. An oil run closer to the average interval should be fine. The TBN read 8.6 - lots of active additive leftover (1.0 or is low). No contamination is present and the viscosity was a 5W/40. Nice engine"