storage tips

Plug in battery tender, put on car over and park in garage, keep heat in garage on about 50 degrees-I usually start mine once every couple weeks and drive it around the block and back-That's what I do...

 

In case you live in colder temp and do not have a heated garage lift the car off the floor and rest on stands to prevent flat spots, buy a trickle charger, fill tank to the top add stabilizer, start once every 2-4 weeks and keep it covered.

 

Agree with above, but if you drive it, make sure it's up to temp before it goes back in storage.

 

if your garage is not heated..place a large piece of plastic on the floor to stop the moisture..also i place semi hard rubber floor tiles down to prevent flat spots and also take it out for a drive if the weather is ok

 

http://www.carcapsule.com/home.htm

I love this thing, no affiliation and I haven't used it before, but I bring it up for a lot of these types of threads . I just love the thing.

 

Just to add: I have a 2001 360 spider that only had 5500 miles when I purchased it. When I first got the car, the fuel gauge was inaccurate, never went to FULL and was erratic at low fuel.
It turned out that the fuel sender was at fault, and it looks like poor storage conditions and procedures were the main culprit. The fuel sender showed obvious signs of corrosion at various spots all along the resistive element, most of the corrosion at about 1/4 tank. The problem with a low tank condition is that fuel can build up moisture in the tank and corrosion. This is a bad thing for variety of reasons: Rusty fuel tanks, clogged fuel filters, poor fuel can effect fuel injection, damaging fuel sending unit, not to mention--poor performance.

My recommendation is to keep a 3/4 to full tank of gas, use fuel stabilizer and drive it as often as possible (obvious , but at least warm the engine up to maximum operating temperature before shutting it down. Go around the block and clear days.
Fuel goes bad in a very short period of time, depending on conditions, cold and moisture can spoil fuel in 1-2 months!

The other suggestions posted above are solid recommendations, too!
A warm garage keeps moisture down, and keeps the battery in top condition.
An electrically operated heater is a safe option to warm your average garage, and these are really cheap to buy and install.
A 5KW heater (20,000 BTU equiv) heater should only cost you $500 + electrical installation. Setting it to the lowest setting will maintain the garage at 10-20 degrees above starting temp, depending on room volume and insulation, leaks and drafts. This is cheap insurance, not to mention, a warm an toasting environment to work on your cars.

Check with your local authorized dealer for their recommendations.

Vic

 

I concur. I used to live in snowy/salty Cleveland, but when there was a break in the weather I would take my summer car out of storage and run it up to operating temperature. This should help everything from wheel bearings to brake calipers to clutch cylinders to engine internals.

A climate-controlled garage is a huge plus, IMO.

 

great info..thanks
i'm thinking of putting clear poly sheeting and those tiled rubber mats atop my side of the garage s.o.g

 

Take the battery out of the car, that way no current will pass through and you won't risk any corrosion at the terminals and anywhere else a wire leads to.

Unless the car is being stored for only a few weeks, I don't recommend driving the car at all after storage. All that does is fill the internals with new carbon build up and moisture, both aren't good for winter storage.

Flat spots are from locking up a wheel, what you're referring to is deformation of the tire, which goes away after a few minutes of driving and as long as the car hasn't been parked for more than a year, won't cause a problem at all.

Again, that does practically nothing, warming the engine doesn't do anything to "save" the engine during storage, it just adds moisture and carbon throughout the car.

First off, plastic doesn't absorb moisture, so I'm not sure why you're telling him to do that. If the car is stored in a garage that gets cold, then moisture will come from everywhere. Laying plastic down will trap moisture under the car that comes from above, if anything lay a bunch of cardboard down and after a few weeks, get rid of the soggy cardboard and replace with new but I don't think that will do much good although it will remove some of the dampness.

You can use that if you like but the car is going to be stale smelling in the spring, it'll be a few days airing it out for sure and if there is any moisture in the bubble, then you aren't any better off.

I agree on the heated garage but if you want to protect calipers etc from seizing I strongly recommend against driving the car through finely powdered salt, then storing it again. Leave the car parked like the day you drove it in there... free from salt.


I've been storing sports cars and antiques since I was 20 and I've never had a problem. I live in Nova Scotia and have long, cold and mighty damp winters, the cars are also stored from October to the first of April. The oldest cars have a few sputters/ clunks for the first day but with a good drive they sort themselves out quickly. The newer cars don't have any issues at all.

My method for all of the cars is to add a fuel stabilizer to the full gas tanks, drive them for 30 minutes to slosh the fuel around, mixing it with the stabilizer and to run it through the injectors etc. and then disconnect and remove the batteries.

I store my cars with 150 other classics/ antiques and all the time I see guys taking the wheels off, moving the cars every other week etc. and I can't understand why. Vehicles don't degrade as soon as they go into storage, they just wait. Also I've had 35 year old cars in storage for 6 months with no trouble at all and a couple of the older cars weren't exactly in pristine condition before they went in.

 

Just a few simple things and your car will be perfect in storage.

1. Put the car on a battery charger.

2. Over inflate the tires to prevent flat spotting. 50 psi. Dont forget to reset them before you go out.

3. Dont forget about mice. I cant tell you how many wiring problems I run in to from rodents. I would suggest some peanut butter on some sticky paper in a few places in the car. It is better to catch them then it is to repair the damage.

4. Fill your gas tank. I would suggest putting a fuel stablizer.

Happy Motoring