Steven Avello

Hello,

Over the summer I acquired a single owner 1978 928 with 162K miles. And just last week i made my last spirited run with her and now wont drive her until the spring when the salt is washed off the roads again. I was wondering if i should periodically start it through the winter or if i should treat the gas and remove the battery, or keep the battery on a trickle. or any number of combinations of this? What do you guys do? I also bought a parts car so i can re upholster some of the interior parts, dash, console ect. so i will be working on the car over the winter. Thanks guys
Steve in Nj

hacker-pschorr

1. Air up the tires to the max PSI listed on the sidewall
2. Top off the tank
3. Remove the battery

That's all I do.

What I should do, but usually forget.....
1. Toss some desiccant in the car
2. Critter traps - pinwheel of death I need to setup in the garage.
3. Stuff something into any opening like exhaust & intake to keep critters from nesting in there.

In spring I set proper tire pressure, change the oil, and drive around leisurely until all the old gas is flushed out.

linderpat

There has been a lot written about this. I always clean the car real well, including wax on the outside, and leather and vinyl treatment to the interior surfaces. I fill the tank - find ethonal free gas if you can (it does not have the water content of e10), adding the appropriate amount of Stabil or other suitable stabilizer. Do an oil change. Overfill tires. Add a few moth ***** to engine bay and under the car (not too many, and never on the inside), maybe some steel wool in the exhaust pipe, all to keep critters away.

As to battery, you can trickle, remove or just leave in. I usually just leave mine in, although this year I pulled it and put it inside, in the warm basement. Cover and forget until spring. It does not hurt to start it periodically during the winter, but if you do, you must run it to temp in order to burn off any moisture created as a result. This means taking it for a drive for at least 20 minutes. If you do not want to do that, because of salt on the road, etc, do not start it at all. Also, if you do run it, don't forget to pull the steel wool out of the exhaust.

davek9

1. Air up the tires to the max PSI listed on the sidewall
2. Top off the tank
3. Remove the battery

This ^^^ is pretty much what I do too.

Periodically starting the car will build up moisture in the Crankcase and Trans unless you get the oil hot enough to burn it off and that won't happen in 10mins.

I keep battery's on a Tender to keep them topped up and don't fill the Fuel tank, just add fresh fuel in the spring.

OP is the Garage heated, this makes a difference too.

Wisconsin Joe

This gets brought up a lot this time of year. Search around a bit and you will find a bunch of info. Some of it actually agrees.

I park it & disconnect the battery (ground strap). I will put a float charger/battery maintainer on it. Don't use a trickle charger, that will over charge and cook your battery over the winter. There are a variety of brands out there, again, search can be your friend. Some remove the battery, some don't. Unheated storage is more of an incentive to pull it, but it's a matter of opinion.

Don't start it up. At all. Period. Unless you plan to run it long enough to bring everything up to full temp. Starting it will produce moisture, that will end up in the exhaust and oil. Unless you run it long enough to "cook" that water out, you will be doing more harm than good.

I also:
Wash & wax, then park it under a light, breathable cover. Windows down a couple of inches.
Pump up the tires a few extra pounds. Not entirely sure why I do this, but I've been doing it for years. Maybe because the tires will lose a few pounds over the winter?
Fresh oil change. Old oil has a variety of "bad things" in it that I don't like to leave in all winter long.
Full tank of fresh gas. I try to run it down as far as I can so the gas is as fresh as possible. I also put in a can of SeaFoam treat. Others use StaBil. Again, opinions vary. I put the treat in when I fill the tank, so that it gets mixed in and so that the fuel in the lines, pump and injectors is treated too.
If you have "Critters" in your storage area, a chunk of steel wool in the exhaust is a good idea. Plugging the intake horns is also smart. Those little $#@%s like to crawl into the air intake and chew up the filter for a nice, comfy nest. I have "critter guards" over my intakes all the time. Just 3/8" hardware cloth (steel screen with big holes) cut and bent to fit.
Tires off the ground or on the ground is also subject to discussion. On the ground is better for the shocks, but tends to induce flat spots in the tires. I've never had any permanent issues with the flat spots, they go away as soon as the tires get warmed up on the first drive. I was given the suggestion this year of putting styrofoam (the pink wall insulation type) under the tires. This should (in theory) squash down under the bottoms of the tires, cradling them evenly, preventing the flat spots. We will see. They make plastic tire cradles for that purpose, but they are a couple hundred bucks.

Working on it while in storage is nice too. You can take your time and be extra thorough, knowing that you can't drive the car anyway. Heated storage (or a portable heater) make it more tolerable.

Steven Avello

Thank you guys, i'm clearly new to this!
it will be stored in a non heated garage.
Steve

mdkelly1

Good advice from the members here.

This was my experience:

Stored the car in an unheated garage every winter for a decade while up north and this was the procedure.

1) Fresh gas in the tank and added a good stabilizer (used Stabil marine formula in mine).

2) Used a battery maintainer with battery still in the car (if it's really, really cold you may want to take the battery out of the car and store it in a heated place). Schumacher, CTEK, and Deltran make good battery maintainers.

3) Plugged all openings within the engine compartment (air intakes, etc.) and under the cowl around the heater box with mothballs inside an old sock, etc. to ensure it was protected against mice who like to build their nests in those places and chew on the wiring during the long winter months, or get into the interior for more tasty bits. Also, placed a few of those socks on top of the engine around the intake manifold. That might not sound important, but I never had a problem with critters after doing that. Takes a little "airing out" in the spring time, but it's well worth it.

4) Always put the car away clean and used a car cover for the duration of winter storage. This worked very well in the cold dry winter environment, but I wouldn't cover the car in a humid environment. It will lead to mold/mildew inside the car.

5) Adding air to the tires is a good idea. Didn't do that with mine, but should have.

davek9

I've seen that most recommend filling the tank w/ fuel why is that?

If the fuel tank was metal I can see doing that or draining it, ours are plastic as you all know.
Seams like a lot of fuel to deal with if a leak develops or if the car ends up being stored longer than planned.

just asking

dr bob

The early CIS cars are sensitive to deposits/varnish that forms when standing a while with aging fuel. So plan on a tank of non-ethanol fuel if it's available, and a bottle of Sta-Bil or your favorite additive for the storage period. Run the car the last time before storage with this to get it through the whole system. If you don't want to drive it to get the oil to full temp, it's OK; just plan on changing the oil immediately after the run period, and don't start it again until you are ready to drive it in the spring.

The battery should come out, and get stored in a non-freezing space if it's available. Connect a maintainer, after verifying that electrolyte levels are good in all the cells.

Critters will try to nest in the engine bay, particularly under the intake and in the air cleaner. As others mention, plug the inlet openings with steel wool, and dangle a sock of mothballs at front and rear of the intake manifold. You must remove them before starting the car.

Car can sit on stands with the tires off the ground. Popular thinking is that the gas shocks don't like to sit at full extension for extended periods. I have never had a problem with them, but also selddom stored a car with them fully extended for a full winter. If that's a serious concern, blocks of wood on the floor under the suspension can hold the shocks/springs slightly compressed without having the tires on the ground. Hint: Put the car at a comfortable working height if you have winter projects in mind.

Some storage environments are subject to temp changes and the risk of condensation forming inside. A 25W conventions light bulb in a fixture insde the car can provide enough heat to avoid condensation. I did this all season when I had a boat stored in the water all year, and there was no mold/mildew at all. If you are going to be in and out of the car working on it over the winter, just keep it ventilated a little and keep the critters from nesting inside.

----

This morning the 928 is sitting covered in the heated workspace, an inch or two of fresh powder snow mere feet away on the other side of the insulated garage door. Temp is around 60º inside, until I get a colder thermostat for the space heater wired in. Then ~40º low safety limit I suspect, when I'm not home. So long as it's colder outside than in, no condensation issues to worry about. At that temp, I leave the battery in the car, disconnected, with the maintainer connected to the battery. I still need to do the critter-proofing and get some mothballs later today. Used my last oil filter, and need to get m winter-project parts list together. There really isn't anything significant on that winter list besides some service stuff and interior cleaning and such.

Trying to decide if wheel dollies would be a good idea so I can push the car over into the workspace without going outside. Anybody?

Wisconsin Joe

It minimizes airspace in the tank, which minimizes the moisture that can condense out of that air.
Ironically, the ethanol in today's gas will absorb a fair amount of water (I haven't used "Heet" in years), but I'd still prefer to minimize it as much as possible.

I agree that it's more important in a metal tank (I had a motorcycle tank rust through because of condensation), but it's still a good idea.

mickster

1. Move south
2. Drive 10 months a year
3. If you did not follow steps one and two, then a composite of all of the above including: top off gas (non ethanol: http://pure-gas.org/ )
4. Optional, Add Stabil http://www.goldeagle.com/product/sta...uel-stabilizer
5. Battery Tender or remove altogether and put in a warm area I have both a Black & Decker and Schumacher. The B&D has served me very well for over 2 years.
6. Gonzo in the car (to keep smells at bay): http://gonzo-products.com/All-Produc...liminator-2-lb
7. Steel Wool in tailpipe
8. Regular varmint treatment in garage (cat optional)
9. Clean and vacuum (or detail) the car before storage--and dust it off from time to time (http://www.swiffer.com/products/swif...sters-extender) just watch that the head on the duster is in good shape--or buy a Griot's duster
10. Stand in the garage and walk around it so it doesn't get lonely or jealous of your daily driver

davek9

Thanks for the reply!
I get the "moisture" thing, (have an old steel tank on a cycle do the same, had to have it cleaned and then coated inside, had to do that on the Jaguar tank too.

Just for reference I've never had any issues storing plastic tanks (quads and snowmobiles) w/ ~ 1/4 tank and filling the tank w/ Fresh fuel when going on my first ride.

dr bob

My longer-term storage plan (>6 mos) has the tank and system completely empty for storage. With the plastic tanks and the systems sealed as well as they are these days, I think there's more risk of damage from ethanol in the fuel than there is from any possible condensation from moist air in the tanks. If you are concerned, set the garage-warmed car out in the cold with the cap off for a little while. Moisture in the tank vapor will condense on the coldest surface, which for that short while won't be the walls of the tank. Replace cap.

Mark R.

One more hearty endorsement for the use of Sta-Bil in a full tank of fuel.

I don't ever store my cars, but I do winterize our boats and jet skis.

That Sta-Bil is amazing stuff. I have been using it for many years now.

Pour it into a nearly empty tank, then fill it as full as possible with fresh gas.

It's basically an oxidation inhibitor, which slows the degradation of the fuel.

So it keeps the fuel molecules from reacting with the oxygen in the air.

In the Spring, that stored tank of gas will burn just like any other tankful.

linderpat

The only thing I wonder about this is letting the car run down to empty - isn't that very stressful on our old fuel pumps? I never let my tank go to empty, at least not often. If I recall, the fuel actually acts as a lubricant for the in tank pumps?