matlock

I did some searches but couldnt come up with anything about precautions when parking your car for an extended period of time. I can't afford to keep my car insured, I won't need it for going to college, and since it's going to be raining most of those 9 months here I think I am going to take the insurance off until next summer. I'm wondering if there is anything I should do to make sure the car stays in the same condition. It will be covered by an open garage. How often should I start it up? And maybe drive it up and down the driveway? Also I'll leave the battery cable disconnected while its sitting. Thanks!

Joshua Leslie

put some gas preservative in it, although its really not neccesary for only 9 months.
Id say start it up every 3 months, but you proly dont need to.
the battery will most likely go dead weather its hooked up or not, its the cold that kills them.
put an automatic trickle charger on it to maintain its charge, there only like 20$$.
Wish I could say the same for my unlce, hes got a 73 vette in his garage that has 25000 miles on it, but he hasnt started the thing in almost 23 years.

Vader

There is an article on long term storage on the 3rd° site for storage for more than a year. Since you're apparently more or less wintering your car in the garage like I do every year (but for a longer period), here's what I've done:

* Fully charge the battery. There's no reason to remove it if you're only storing for several months, and you'll need it to start the vehicle periodically (more later). As long as it's fully charged, it shouldn't freeze. If you'er going to just walk away and ignoer the car for the entire time, you may want to remove the battery and store it in a heated spacee.

* DO NOT wash the car right before you put the ZipLoc on it. The latent moisture will have fun with your car while you're away.

* If you have a fixed position antenna, spin it off and put it in the cargo well.

* Drain and change the engine and transmission fluids just before storage. Normal acid formation in oils will also wreak havoc in an idle assembly. Make sure all other fluid levels are at their safe maximum.

* The consensus of those on the board is to fill the fuel tank. For long-term storage, I would recommend draining the tank to about 1/8th full, but for seasonal storage it isn't a factor as long as you use a fuel stabilizer like Sta-Bil or a similar product at your last fill up.

* Replace the coolant or enhance the heck out of it with corrosion inhibitors.

* Seal all the air intakes and vents you can find. Plastic and duct tape body vents, cowl vents, exhaust pipes, throttle body, etc. The duct tape is a *****' to get off, but it's a lot easier than mouse dung.

* Suspend the vehicle on jack stands from the box channels on the body instead of letting it rest on the suspension/springs/tires.

* Put a 9x11 cake pan on the front passenger floor to catch the coolant drips from the heater core if it rots through.

* Put fly paper or insect traps on some flat interior surfaces.

* Close the windows and doors tight. Keep the car out of light as much as possible. If you decide to cover it, make sure the first layer is a lightweight breathable material. If you want to keep the paint as clean as possible, lay out some cotton bath towels over the flat surfaces of the hood and roof (over the lightweight cover), then cover it with a plastic tarp.

It would be best if you could get back to it at least once a month (or whenever you go home with that huge load of laundry) and run it to full operating temperature, operate all the accessories, move the steering and brakes, then store it again. There is usually at least one decent day every month during the winter weekends to enable you to do this. If you don't have that opportunity, you may have some work to do when you do pull it out of storage.

Starting periodically has several benefits. The oils get warmed enough to keep water from condensing in the sumps. The entire engine gets a heat/cool cycle to dry out and distribute oil everywhere. The transmission can be shifted through the ranges to allow fluid flow through most of the valve body and cause movement of parts that might otherwise stick. All the 'O' rings and seals get warmed and wet with oil. The battery gets a load and then fully charged to exercise it. The exhaust system gets purged of moisture. The cooling system gets full coolant flow to prevent debris from settling in pockets in the heads, case, and heater core. the air conditioner can be cycled to keep all the seals wet with refrigerant oil. If the weather is really decent, you can even lower and move the car to exercise the steering and suspension.

I've had injectors get fouled from deposit buildup on the tips a couple of years, and I suspect this is from the long idle periods between starts in the storage season. I've spoken with Rich at Cruzin' Performance about this phenomenon, and I plan to experiment with fogging the intake plenum with a rust preventive or kerosene just before shutting down for the last time to try to prevent all the fuel from evaporating on the tips, and the resultant deposit formation. Frankly, I'm getting tired of pulling the injectors every spring for cleaning on these cars.

Rich has not advocated this procedure, but he did say that it probably wouldn't cause any harm, and might actually help the situation. If it doesn't work, I've lost nothing since I'd be pulling the injectors again anyway. Hey, it's a theory - I'll be the guinea pig. It worked for the first and second years, and if it lasts for another year without having to pull the injectors I'm going to make it a permanent habit.

And finally, you may not want to allow the insurance to lapse, but change the coverage to comprehensive only, just in case something happens to it while stored. My agent convinced me to do this rather than having to apply for a new policy every year, mainly so that I would have a guaranty of insurance and maintain my multicar discount on the rest of the vehicles (which is worth more than the cost of the comp coverage). Comp coverage cost me less than $10.00 every six months, while the multicar discount is worth at least $35 from every other car I have insured. Even without that, suspending only the collision and liability coverage guarantees that they cannot refuse to insure me again on that vehicle when the good weather returns. Just something to ponder.

matlock

Wow thanks for the replys guys. That is more info than I could have dreamt up Vader, thanks a lot.. I'm printing it off right now. I can't wait till next summer, I'll be done my program and am going to start modifying my car.