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storing car for winter

Posted By: carhunter

storing car for winter - 10/07/13 06:26 PM

Here we are at the end of the car season, and just like some opinions on storing your car for the winter.I would like to know how many of you start your car or just cover it and leave to till spring.Any feed back would be great thanks.
mike.
Posted By: Challenger 1

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 06:30 PM

Quote:

Here we are at the end of the car season, and just like some opinions on storing your car for the winter.I would like to know how many of you start your car or just cover it and leave to till spring.Any feed back would be great thanks.
mike.



I toss a bottle of seafoam in it and drive it over to my MIL garage and park it. Disconnect the battery and go over and start it about every 6-8 weeks. That's it, I don't even change the oil until I have about 8000 miles on it which takes about 3 years.

I change my anti freeze more often now than my oil with aluminum heads on it.
Posted By: Rhinodart

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 06:52 PM

I don't do anything, just park it in an unheated garage or trailer and start it in the spring, been doing it for decades with no issues. Even with the crap gas nowadays it haven't had an issue.
Posted By: JonC

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 10:59 PM

Quote:

I don't do anything, just park it in an unheated garage or trailer and start it in the spring, been doing it for decades with no issues. Even with the crap gas nowadays it haven't had an issue.



Me too, with all my engines. Zero problems. Except my garage is heated.
Posted By: astrobuf

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 11:10 PM

Storage prep consists of a mad dash to finsih all the proejcts I started during the summer.

To prep, I vacuum the car out, check the air in the tires, check the antifreeze and oil. I toss a can of Seafoam in the tank and top it off. Drive it to the Fairgrounds on a warm sunny day, park it in the dairy barn, disconnect the battery and put a car cover over it.

It overwinters in unheated, locked space with a hundred or so other collector cars. About every 4th year, I need a new battery.

Astrobuf
Posted By: Junky

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 11:46 PM

Storage? What's that? I drive mine every chance I get during the winter. At least once every 2 to 3 weeks when the weather breaks for a day or two. I enjoy my car too much to let it set all winter long! It's in the garage next to my wife's Neon to keep it company.
Posted By: ahy

Re: storing car for winter - 10/07/13 11:51 PM

For me, check fluids and tires, Stabil in the tank preferably with non alcohol gas sold at one station. If the salt is off the roads I drive it. If not driven much, I charge the battery every month or two.
Posted By: 5thAve

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 10:51 AM

Wax, vacuum, fresh oil. Then I just park and yank the battery and don't touch them till spring. Last year I had one car outside, I started it partway thru the winter but other then that I just kept the snow brushed off it.
Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 11:48 AM

don't start the car unless you're going to drive it!!! (for at least a 15-20 minute drive to get everything up to operating temp)

unless you like to prematurely rust out your exhaust system, fill your engine oil with water, etc.
Posted By: DGS

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 12:01 PM

Quote:

don't start the car unless you're going to drive it!!! (for at least a 15-20 minute drive to get everything up to operating temp)

unless you like to prematurely rust out your exhaust system, fill your engine oil with water, etc.



x2

you WILL get condensation in the crankcase and this will turn your engine oil into a milky brown color. better to crank it over by hand or let it fully warm up (so that any condensation will evaporate).
Posted By: Crazy68Dart

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 12:10 PM

Same as above. You don't have to do anything over the top.

I do have battery tenders on all my cars. It really saves the batteries, and you know what you are working with when you go to start the car. Only an option if you have power close, though. If not, disconnect the battery.
Posted By: Yellow Fever

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 12:50 PM

Battery tenders, PRI-G in the tank but that's year round and softener sheets inside to deter the mice. Start and drive them as much as possible on nice days.
Posted By: Stewpar

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 02:10 PM

I like the get the car completely detailed and then make sure it is completely dry before you put it in one of these!

http://www.carbag.com/buy/car_jacket.html
Posted By: macmic87

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 02:18 PM

personally I take the battery out for storage and keep it clean and dry. if left dirty and condensation forms there could be a small draw on the battery through the dirt from post to post. I don't attempt to start unless it will be driven.
Posted By: cjbill

Re: storing car for winter - 10/14/13 10:36 PM

On my 300 'vert, I would put some Sta-bil in the tank, disconnect battery, and put plastic peanut containers of charcoal and Irish Spring soap inside...one to collect moisture, the other to repel rodents.
Posted By: moparcanuk

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 03:03 AM

Park it and forget it...
Posted By: Magnum

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 04:15 AM

It's cheap insurance and don't want to be the one to blame for someone ruining their gasoline but winter storage is short enough to go without fuel stabilizer.

I've had cars sit for 2 years and have no fuel problems. 5 months in a garage only requires storage on a full tank to avoid condensation in the tank.

Cars that do not make the mileage interval for oil changes should have the oil changed before storage. Contaminated oil should not sit in the engine for 5 months.
Posted By: rowin4

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 04:40 AM

I just haul mine south for the winter.
Posted By: skicker

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 04:05 PM

Two years ago I winterized mine and put it away for the winter. Even with a few nice days here and there I didn't get it out since it was winterized. No more... If there isn't salt on the roads and the weather justifies it I drive it year round.

Attached picture 7888421-020.jpg
Posted By: Crazy68Dart

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 06:31 PM

Quote:

Two years ago I winterized mine and put it away for the winter. Even with a few nice days here and there I didn't get it out since it was winterized. No more... If there isn't salt on the roads and the weather justifies it I drive it year round.



Do they use the ice melt liquid n your area? They do in NE, Ohio. That stuff is really nasty and corrosive. I've always wondered if a good rain is enough to wash that stuff away.
Posted By: DaytonaTurbo

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 07:47 PM

Quote:

I don't do anything, just park it in an unheated garage or trailer and start it in the spring, been doing it for decades with no issues. Even with the crap gas nowadays it haven't had an issue.



same here. I usually dump in some fuel stabilizer but sometimes I don't. been doing this for years with my cars, boat, quads, snowmobile. nothing special to do really. I like to leave the cover off so no moisture gets trapped. unless you have cats.
Posted By: fireeng

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 08:51 PM

Do they use the ice melt liquid n your area? They do in NE, Ohio. That stuff is really nasty and corrosive. I've always wondered if a good rain is enough to wash that stuff away.



No, a good rain is not enough!! DOT in CT is using a similar product and it is wreaking havoc on the underside of cars. I saw first hand what it did to my 2003 Ram that I bought new. Within, 4 years all the brake lines rotted. The exhaust manifolds rusted so bad the heads got ruined trying to remove them. Then each individual coil on the plugs rusted away to nothing and it cost me over $800 to replace those with in order to change out the plugs. In four year's time, that truck looked like it had been parked at the beach for 20 years. I traded it in 2009 with just 30k miles. At my friend's repair garage, he is seeing two year old cars with brake systems rusted so bad they need complete replacement. I throughly wash the underside of my vehicles after every storm now and my 2009 Ram is holding up much better.
Posted By: Crazy68Dart

Re: storing car for winter - 10/15/13 10:21 PM

Quote:

Do they use the ice melt liquid n your area? They do in NE, Ohio. That stuff is really nasty and corrosive. I've always wondered if a good rain is enough to wash that stuff away.



No, a good rain is not enough!! DOT in CT is using a similar product and it is wreaking havoc on the underside of cars. I saw first hand what it did to my 2003 Ram that I bought new. Within, 4 years all the brake lines rotted. The exhaust manifolds rusted so bad the heads got ruined trying to remove them. Then each individual coil on the plugs rusted away to nothing and it cost me over $800 to replace those with in order to change out the plugs. In four year's time, that truck looked like it had been parked at the beach for 20 years. I traded it in 2009 with just 30k miles. At my friend's repair garage, he is seeing two year old cars with brake systems rusted so bad they need complete replacement. I throughly wash the underside of my vehicles after every storm now and my 2009 Ram is holding up much better.



It is really depressing. It was hard enough to keep up with the salt, now this liquid stuff. We are having similar issues here. Body shops I have talked to are seeing corrosion/rust issues not seen for a long time dealing with only salt. I've been looking at getting a newer truck, but most everything is rotted worse than my 95!

All to say, keep your classics clean.
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