Storing Ferrari for the winter?

First, please fill out your profile = makes you a "friendly" poster. People like to know who they are responding to. You do not have to post your SS#, just your location and whatever information you are willing to share . Look at my profle - not al ot there , but at least my car model and rough geographic area. Next ask your questions in the NY or NE forums and you will obtain good information. Good Luck!

 

I live in Duluth, MN. I just put all my toys away for this year....

If the car runs, fill with 91+ gas, add Stabil as per directions, change oil, make sure coolant is up to spec, pull the battery, cover and hope for any early spring.

All my cars (see profile) stay in unheated space all winter and have never had a problem (to -35).

You can always go the extra step of pulling the plugs and fogging the cylinders..... but for 6 months, it's really not that big of a deal. Most important plan for a running car is collant % and fresh gas with stabilizer.

If car does not run, I would do much different other than draining the tanks, simply because you don't know how long it will be until it does fire and tat current gas will be even further gone than for a running car.

Always a hard time when you put the toys to bed.

 

Just brought my 348 SS back to DC. Asked Gary Bobileff what I needed to do to store it, and he agreed on keeping the gas topped off. Also installed a battery tender (I plan on starting it and running it until it is up to temp about every two-three weeks throughout the year though, so a little different if you are going to just let it sleep).

Great call by RMDC on asking the guys in your neck of the woods up there.

Good luck, and let us know what you do and how it goes on the general thread next Spring.

Thanks,
MB

 

BRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Well, with Global Warming its not as bad as when I grew up up there. Sometimes I think of moving back. For about a minute. Then I remember Icecicle contests, where you called into the radio to tell how long of icecicles you had on your house. I think someone has one 63 feet tall. And starting my dads Chrysler when it was -42F and hearing it w h i r r r r r w h r r r r w h rr whrr whrr whrumumpHHH. I never could figure out why that car started when it was that cold. With points ignition no less. I think if it got any colder the gasoline would turn to jelly. I remember people putting charcoal under thier fuel oil tanks and propane tanks so they could get gas flowing to heat their house. I remember fish lake having 51 inches of ice. Someone said it didnt get that thick in Alaska. I remember the water line to our house, 10 feet under the ground, froze. A guy came out with a big engine generator welder and fed power into it, hooked the ground in under our sink and the hot hooked up at the shut off valve out at the street. Took half an hour at full amps (I think he said 300 amps) BRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! It froze up again two days later.

Yeah, run it hard for an hour or two and cool it off on the last mile or so home. Fill the tank, change the oil, pull the battery and put the battery down in the basement in a cool dry place and forget about the car till spring. It will still run next year.

 

Fuel deteriorates over time. Depending on the Ferrari you have and the climate, you should decide whether to top the fuel up or leave the tanks empty. For example an F40 must have the tanks full particularly in a hot climate otherwise you will be up for a large bill after 6 months.
Also put extra air in the tires. When I leave a car for awhile, if the standard pressure is 32psi, put 40 - 42 in there. However this also depends on the tire profile.

 

This has worked for my boxer for the past 14 years and the car has sat at times for a year.

Bleed brakes every two years and coolant ever two years.

Run tank close to empty. Do a thorough car cleaning. Just before storage change engine oil.
Drive car to get everything nice and warm, drive to gas station,
put stabil in tank and then fill car so Sabil mixes properly. Come home fill tires to 50 psi,
leave car overnight to cool. Remove battery.Put indoor cover on car. Roll car into a polybag or car jacket.
Add plenty of dessicant and seal.

Give battery a little chare ever 3 mos or so.When spring comes and you remove the car it will be
exactly as you left it. Open bag, check underneath car to see if there were any fluid leaks, it is
hard to check dry sump oil level without motor running, but if there is no big pool of oil
on the bottom f th car jacket then the oil level in the motor is still good.

Put battery in. leave engine cover open. turn ignition on, give fuel pumps
some time to pressurise, turn key and you should be in business. While motor warms reduce tire
pressure to normal. Before driving check brake pedal for firmness. when motor is warm and you have
oil temp, drive out ointo the road at first using not more than 3500 rpm, slowly work up the revs
speed brakes etc.

If you did tyhe fluids etc before storage car will not need service untill fall just before torage again.
Do not store car with old oil.

 

Maybe put a few rodent traps around the car to decrease the chances of those little suckers chewing on the wiring.