when u store a car 4 winter ..

[chevy6673]

heres a ???? some say when you store for the winter you should let it run once a week for 30 min ..some say let it sit what do you guys say...

 

[bradfordsvettes]

let it sit unless you can take it out for a decent ride and get things warmed up to operating temps all around Steve

 

[bmotojoe]

At least get inside and pump the brake pedal 20 or 30 times every couple weeks. I would also defiantly top off the fuel tank. This will help keep moister out of the tank and also if the bladder is still inside keeps it from collapsing. The hardest thing on an older car is to just let it sit for any period of time.
Brian

 

[Yoda]

Here is an article Rob wrote a few years ago and re-posts annually up in the News and Announcement Section

Pretty good article, and there has been some really great threads on this subject Enjoy

Bud

 

[Scott Winebarger]

At least get inside and pump the brake pedal 20 or 30 times every couple weeks. I would also defiantly top off the fuel tank. This will help keep moister out of the tank and also if the bladder is still inside keeps it from collapsing. The hardest thing on an older car is to just let it sit for any period of time.
Brian

You sure said that right . The 71 that I bought had been sitting all primped and clean under a cover since 92 , the guy wouldn't drive it because it was his baby. I have to date spent about $2500 fixing leaks and replacing brakes and so forth just because it was "too fine to drive" Next I am going to replace the valve seals, yep.. dried out and crumbled away. Start them and run them, pump that brake petal, drive the car... Just don't let it sit!

 

[chevy6673]

your are so right about pumping brakes i had to replace the brake system ...in my 66 ss impala for the first time in the last 28 years i have had this car i just covered it and did not touch it till april that will not happen again .thanks

 

[Garagetoyz]

How about getting dampness/compensation on the undercarraige of the car? My frame had its fair share of surface rust last year. I had a mustang owner tell me to put a plastic drop sheet underneath the car,but I'm skeptical.

 

[chevy6673]

thanks

 

[mkapp7879]

Hey Crete, Beecher here! I let mine sit without starting all winter, usually about 4 months. I do pump the brakes periodically. A dry storage area is desirable and the plastic under the car is a good idea. An extra tip is to slip about 10 2X4s under the plastic to create an air space. Mike

 

[chevy6673]

Hey Crete, Beecher here! I let mine sit without starting all winter, usually about 4 months. I do pump the brakes periodically. A dry storage area is desirable and the plastic under the car is a good idea. An extra tip is to slip about 10 2X4s under the plastic to create an air space. Mike

hello, beecher thanks for tip on the 2x4s / plastic .. i live by the race track , mike from crete

 

[mkapp7879]

Hey Mike from Crete, I'm over in the third airport footprint. Not too many members down this way. On ANY of the forums. Know anything about that Crete car show (I think) tomorrow? Mike from Beecher

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

You're not doing your a car a favour by running it for nothing. The old adage of 90% of all engine wear happening during engine start and warmup is mostly true. Running a car engine at idle in your driveway just wastes gas, potentially dilutes the engine oil with unburnt gas and puts the rest of the car through a thermal cycle that will just induce condensation on the car when it's put back in a warm(er) garage.

The idea that seals dry out and leak due to inactivity is poor science also- the clock does not stop on organic seals and gaskets just because the machine is not in use. If someone has a car in storage for 15 years and finds that 'everything' leaks upon returning it to service, remember that those components would have most likely leaked during a 15 year period of normal use anyway.

My winter storage process is simple- wash and vacuum, fresh oil, full gas tank, put it the garage. Disconnect the battery and put a tender on it.

I go into the garage now and then to sit with it and assure it that I'll never ever mistreat it like the previous owner did and also to say that spring is not that far away.

 

[chevy6673]

Hey Mike from Crete, I'm over in the third airport footprint. Not too many members down this way. On ANY of the forums. Know anything about that Crete car show (I think) tomorrow? Mike from Beecher

yes i think its by dq and northwoods close to 394 did you go . i had some stuff to get done around house .i no a guy also in the footprint its nice out there..

 

[chevy6673]

IN SPRING DO YOU JUST HOOK BATTERY UP AND TURN KEY..

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

IN SPRING DO YOU JUST HOOK BATTERY UP AND TURN KEY..

Yup. Well actually I pump the gas pedal once or twice too.

 

[mkapp7879]

Well, here's what I do with all 4 of mine. Been doing this for 22 years with my black 79. I use Carcapsules now for 3 of them, just a plastic tarp under the unfortunate no 4. Just didn't feel like buying another one. Put them up on jack stands, fronts under the lower control arms at the shock and rears at the frame in front of the tire. No flex at all, can open and close the doors without any problems. REMOVE the batterys, i just don't like leaving them in all winter as batterys tend to get a little grimy over time. Put them in the house. I drain the oil from the pan, leaving the filters alone for now(few miles driven, but can always change the filters and refill them with oil). I don't refill the oil till start up time. I don't use any fuel stabilizer, don't think it's necessary for only 4 months(stored the black 79 for 2 1/2 years once with no problems). As little gas as possible in the tank. OPEN the windows for air flow and zip em up in the capsule and plug in the fans. Occasionally during storage I will pump the brakes a few times to move the seals a bit......In the spring for startup I do a quick look underneath for brake fluid or anti freeze leaks then put em back on the ground. Put the batterys in, put half the oil in through one valve cover and the rest through the other valve cover, I figure that at least lubes things up a little. Get in and turn the key WITHOUT pumping the gas. Will spin it for maybe 5 seconds and stop for a few and repeat. They usually start within 10 seconds or so without giving any gas. If needed I'll give one pump to help it along. Get em running up to temp while looking things over for leaks or other problems. Shut down and siphon any gas out of the tank. Put that in my work van and pour in some fresh from a 5 gal can. Run em again to get the fresh gas flowing and take a quick drive.....I used to pull the plugs in the black 79, it has headers and was easy to do, maybe 30 minutes total, and squirt oil into the chambers but decided 4 months isn't long enough to bother. Besides, the other 3 are stock and a real pain to pull plugs....Mike

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I disagree with the putting it up on stands part, particularly if it means that the suspension is just 'hanging'.

There's no real need to do this, modern tires do not flat spot to any appreciable degree during typical winter storage.

 

[srs244]

i always put the car onto four 1/2 inch plywood tire "pads" (about 18" square or so) to elevate them off the concrete floor. personally i don't believe the plastic "tarp" will do very much, but that's just my opinion. i figure unless you encapsule it as someone above mentioned, there is enough ambiant moisture in the air in the garage. of course, you could always heat and de-humidify the garage, and that would solve that part of the long term storage problem.

certainly fill the tank to the top to reduce to a minimum the moisture bearing surface area. i also always added the appropriate amount of sta-bil to the fuel, just as a precaution. there are many who claim that modern fuels won't break down in the short time of the winter months, but personally, i disagree and i figure the sta-bil is cheap insurance, and at worst, it is also a cleaner, so it can't hurt.

if you run the vechicle, you really need to take it out and drive it a bit because unless you operate it at full warm up, you are doing more damage to the fluids than good, particularly the engine oil. i don't know where you are located geographically, but i have always found there are enough really nice winter days that you can safely take the car out for a decent ride from time to time unless you are up in the canadian rockies, or alaska, etc (you get the picture, i'm sure). in the past when faced with winter months, i have chosen both methods, full winter storage, and the occassional winter ride. admittedly, that was a long long time ago as i live in south flrodia and that's not really a concern we face down here, lol.

 

[The73vetteman]

i don't know where you are located geographically, but i have always found there are enough really nice winter days that you can safely take the car out for a decent ride from time to time .

For me, living in MIchigan the issue is salt. I do not want my car getting all that nasty stuff up underneath so it stays off the road until we've had some rain to wash the streets clean (typically early April).

My other tips are:
i. full gas tank
ii. Sta-bil (don't know if it really works or is necessary but it doesn't cost much)
iii. pump the brake pedal every 2 - 4 weeks.
iv. start it up once a month and let it run 30 minutes.

I know this last one may not really do any good, but boy does it feel good to get that V8 rumblin'!!

J