pcarfan944

In a few days i'll be taking my car out of storage for the summer. I've got a few concerns that have been bugging me all winter about this day.

First, in the fall I was driving the car about once every two weeks. It seemed like it was taking longer than normal to get oil pressure after the car had been sitting for an extended period of time. My guess is about two seconds or so, and it was long enough to be able to hear some noise from the engine for a split second before the pressure came up. It seemed like the longer it sat, the longer it would take to get oil pressure. Now i've never had the car sit for six months before, and have a little paranoia that I might fire the engine and not get any oil pressure. How long is it acceptable to run the engine without oil pressure, and if it doesn't come up after a second or two should I turn it off and keep trying until it does (if it does)?

Second, the day we put the car away I was in a rush (busy day) and I forgot to over-inflate the tires. They were probably around 32-35lbs when I stored the car, so i'd expect they've been sitting for the last few months with about half that. Should I expect flat spots on my tires? Will they need to be repaced? Discount Tire says they'll warranty a tire no matter what happens, so hopefully if anything happens they'll standby that claim!

Last, after six months is there anything special I should do after taking the car out of storage? A nice long drive after a winter of missing her is a given of course

Thanks.

____
Pat
86 944
95 Audi 90 CS

caster951

You should do a search for other opinions on taking the car out of storage. As far as the oil pressure deal, though, you can try either pulling the coil wire off, or pulling fuel pump fuse or maybe a relay. Then, cranking will not start the engine, but allow revolutions to prime the oil pump. Then after a few times you can plug back in and fire up the car. I think an oil change is in order after such a long hibranation due to the moisture from sitting.

Good luck.

951Porschiste

Can't comment on the oil pressure issue. Here's what I have done in the past when bringing the car to life after winter storage:
1. Check under car for any leaks
2. Put in/reconnect the battery
3. Turn ignition key to first stop for about 10 seconds
4. Then turn ignition key to start position
5. Once engine has turned over and is running let it idle for 2 to 3 minutes until the idle stabilizes.
6. Engage first gear and drive away making sure not to go over 3K revolutions until you are sure that the all systems are fully warmed up.
7. You may then decide on changing the oil and any other fluids you feel need to be replaced.

Hope this helps. My .02

Jay Gratton

I like what Andre said. But I wouldn't worry about the tires, worse case you have to put some air in them and after a nice long drive you should be fine. I don't even pump mine up in the winter, I park the cars on carpet squares and the tires come out perfectly round. Second, you should be putting your car away with a full tank of fresh gas and clean oil (a lighter weight is always better for storage). If you didn't put your car away with fresh oil, change it. If you did put it away with fresh oil I drive mine for a hundred miles or so and then change it again. If it didn't go away with a full tank of gas go get fresh gas in it ASAP. Also, on your first drive after getting it out make sure you take it for a drive and get it all the way up to temp (probably 20 minutes would do it). After that enjoy!!!!

xsboost90

have you ever seen one of our oil pumps? they dont really have much to prime, pretty simple really. If you start it and the oil pressure doesnt come up instantly, its not usually a big deal. When the lifters stop ticking you know that the oil has finally pumped up all the lifters and you have good top end oil pressure. Usually the longer you let them sit, the more oil drains from the top end and then it has to pump those lifters up so the pressure takes longer to hit max. It should come up slightly-1bar or so just dont go revving it all up though when you first start it. Flat spots on the tires after 6 months? I dunno, ive had cars that i bought that sat for seven years and though the tires were dryrotted, they had no flat spots, thats kindof a wideOval nylon tire kinda problem really isnt it? I would be more worried that there were critters living in it than anything.

Matt H

Flat spotting can and will occur. Lots of reasons for it but if the car was on all fours I doubt it is going to be an issue.
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Yabo

What oil filter are you using? Are you sure that it has the check valve? 944 oil filters sit upside down so tehy have to be a filter with a check valve that keeps some oil in them so that it doesnt need to be primed each time teh car starts, I believe.

If you have used a 928 oil filter, itmost likely doesnt have that check valve.. and if its not porsche original you might try swapping it out when you change the oil and see if it helps.

Zero10

I'm bringing my 951 back to life next week after sitting for 4 months. After reading this thread it sounds like I've got everything covered.

For mine, I will give a squirt of oil down each spark plug hole, make sure the rings are oiled, and will crank with DME relay removed, spark plugs out until I get oil pressure. Then re-install spark plugs, jumper DME relay to pressurize the fuel rail, re-install DME relay and cross my fingers.
Of course I'm checking for critters first...

Now, my car has been sitting for 4 months on soft ground, so it's sunk ~2 inches. I shouldn't have to worry about flat spots with that much contact area, no? The wheels are in the ground almost up to the rims.