l.chadburn

Hi all

At the end of the month my car tax runs out so need to make a decision whether to keep it on the road or keep it warm in the garage for 6 months over the winter.

If I decide to store it is there any specific things I need to do before, during and after.


Regards Lee

raspberryroadster

if you search, think you'll find number of threads on long terms storage.

over the winter i try & give it a good run (dry days), and if the weather is "socked in" at least run it up to temperature, and move it a bit to prevent tires from flatspotting. i usually put a trickle charger on the battery.

ltc

Wash, wax, clean, car cover
Fill gas tank to the top, to minimize air space
Fresh oil and filter change
Over inflate tires or use tire cradles
Park over a vapor barrier, watch for rodents over winter
Remove battery and store inside and/or use battery maintainer.
Do not start unless car can be properly driven and all parts up to temp.

Important:
in the spring remove fuse for ignition, crank car over until full oil pressure is built up...5 sec or so. Stop and repeat again.
Install ignition fuse, start car, check for leaks
Drive until car is up to temp.

911Jetta

+2!

911Jetta

And don't get worried if you see a huge puff of smoke on start up.
Things should burn off after a couple seconds.

Bearclaw

All good stuff.
+ a million on resisting the urge to start it during the storage period. Even if you just long to hear it run...
I've stored a lot of boats and several cars over the decades, the same principles apply to both: protect vulnerable metal, and try to keep moisture to a minimum.
I would add some Sta-bil (or equiv.) fuel stabilizer to your full tank and make sure it has run through the fuel system. Modern gasoline formulations start to degrade in a matter of a few weeks.
I also run some synthetic upper-cylinder lube in the gas year-around. I don't store cars in the winter in the climate I'm in now, but in the winter I sometimes don't drive it for a month or two at a time. The cyl. lube makes me feel better.

Sultan

I suggest some latex gloves to cover the air intake and exhaust tip - prevents little critters from making a home inside the engine. However it would make for an interesting start up in the spring, if they did.

race911

The RSA (among other 911s I've had over the years) have sat for at least that long. Usually, unintentionally. No big deal. I'd disconnect the battery, but other than that modern cars in dry storage are extremely robust.

Jim Richards

Yes, Sta-bil (or equiv.) in the gas.

Indycam

Another way is to start it every week or two , let the motor run , let the lube flow , let the parts get relubed , let the alternator recharge the battery , roll the car forward and backward under its own power to get the transaxle lube moved around and keep the tire from getting "bent" , etc etc etc . If you let it run long enough the water will not build up and the rust will also not be a problem .

Doug&Julie

Question...let's say I'm going to drive it through winter, but not on the worst days, etc. How frequently would you want to get the car out to keep it exercised? What's the longest time you'd let the car sit without a drive?

Thanks!

springer3

Disagree, respectfully. Even a long idling run does not get the engine hot enough to clear the condensed liquids.

Leave the condensed acids and moisture from blow-by gases inside the engine even for a couple of weeks and there will be condensation in the piston ring grooves where there the aluminum pistons and alloy steel rings make a great galvanic couple. The corrosion will cause the rings to stick. This is not a theory - I have seen it happen. Far better to run the engine at full operating temperature, and then store the car in a dry location with stable temperature.

If the engine is started, it needs to be run at high power settings for long enough to evaporate the water vapor and acids.

l.chadburn

So what your saying is once it's in my garage covered up. do not start it unless I intend to drive it.

Unkle

If you wash it, make sure you take it for a run before you put it to bed. Otherwise the water will sit in seams and rubber seals for weeks in cooler weather before it evaporates, also it helps to stop the brakes from sticking, so take it for a blast and if it comes back with a little dust on it , just use a quick detailer on it before the cover goes on.

Just checking, the cover is cotton or something right? Its not one of those outdoor type car covers you can get in the uk?

I would stick it on a good quality trickle charger and under a cover like a cotton dust sheet and thats it. My car is a reg 1992 but built in 1991, i'm sure Porsche didn't do much to store them for six months or more prior to sale...

Indycam

Extended periods of non use allows the thin protective film of oil to run off of and away from surfaces that rely on the oil film for protection .
If a bit of moisture sits on a ring / cam ect , a bit of rust can form .
Cam pitting from sitting unused / unoiled is a known problem .
If you run your motor every now and then , the oil will be moved and sprayed onto the surfaces ...
If you let a motor sit in an environment where the temperature fluctuates , water will condense on the inner surface of the crank case and in any cylinder that has an open intake or exhaust valve .
The blow-bye that occurs just prior to the engine being shut off is still in the case .
When the motor is sitting unused , a few of the valve springs will be compressed , if a valve spring sits compressed for months , it may take a set .
If rings stay in one spot against a cylinder wall sans oil ...

The trans axle parts that sit free of a protective oil coating ...
The bearings that sit above the oil get reoiled ...

When you start up the motor and run it for awhile the pistons will heat up , the pistons should get over the boiling point of water , when the oil is flung/squirted onto the back side of the pistons the water in the oil should turn to steam , the scavenger pump moves that out of the case and into the intake ...

The water that condenses in the exhaust system get heated , turned to steam and blown out the tailpipe .

The water in the oil cooling system , the thermostat , the hoses , the cooler itself , will be sitting for however long the engine is sitting unused .

Any water in the fuel systems will be sitting in one spot for how ever long the engine is sitting unused .
If that water is sitting in the fuel pump , pressure regulator , fuel injectors ...