hey guys,

i'm getting ready to store my car for the winter...

the garage will be un-heated unfortunetley, so dampnes may be an issue

besides a full tank of gas and sta-bil, what suggestions do you hjave to get it ready for hibernation...

I plan on starting the car evervy week or so and letting it get up to operating temperature, as to keep oil in the heads and to keep the rings fresh...

any ideas would help

thanks in advance

 

I also keep the SS in an unheated garage for the winter. I keep the tank full, but rather than just starting it and letting it get up to temp., if the roads are OK, and clean, I try to drive it for about an hour.

I also have a trickle charger for the battery.

So far, no problems to report.

 

unfortunetely,

car will not be insured or registered by friday. maybe some back-ins and back-outs of the garage would help?

 

Wouldn't starting it every now and then actually be more harmful? The moister build up and condensation with the extreme heat could actually cause some corrosion.

 

Starting it every week is a terrible thing to do to it. The vast majority of wear inside your engine occurs at startup. In the winter, it is even worse because the oil is thick from the cold.

for a 5 month storage interval-----
Put down some visqueen, park the car on it with a full tank of gas, no sta-bil is required for 5 month intervals, remove the battery, cover the car with a proper carcover and the pull the edges of the visqueen up the sides of the car and over the top. leave some of the cloth cover exposed on top so it can breathe and then use duct tape to secure the visqueen to the cloth cover. The visqueen wrapper will prevent ground moisture from getting up into the car and causing problems. Store the vehicle's battery in a warm location, but do not leave it sit on a concrete floor.

In the spring unwrap it, install the charged battery and change the oil. You may decide to prime the engine oil before starting it the first time. simply unplug the coil and crank it for several seconds.


For storage intervals greater in length--
If you are storing it for longer periods (years), use sta-bil in the gas and remove the spark plugs. Put marvel mystery oil in all the cylinders until they are full. You might also want to add some packets of silica gell to the interior and remove the weight from the tires so they dont flat spot.

 

I don't mean to sound retarded, but whats Visqueen?

 

Visqueen is a clear plastic vapor barrier that insulators use when constructing homes. It is commony found at Home Depot, Menards or similar building supply stores.

It comes in a 3' roll but once it is unrolled it unfolds out to 15' wide. Plenty wide enough to wrap a car.

Here is a picture of my car in storage last winter. It comes out perfect every spring. Before I discovered the visqueen trick I had problems with my 88 Iroc getting some corrosion on its aluminum surfaces.

no more problems!

 

thanks for the tips.....

 

I learned a trick 2yrs ago to put the original scent Bounce dryer sheets inside the car to keep mice and critters out of it. They don't like the stuff and avoid it and the car smells better than using mothballs.

 

good call. I think Ill try it.

 

This is what I do.

Because our winters are quite cold and dry I do not worry about moisture.

My garage is concrete floor, and insulated walls and even though it can get to -45 celcius outside I have ever seen it colder than -10 celcius inside my garage.

I store from about the end of October to about the middle of May at least seven months.

1) fuel stabilizer is a must
2) I usually go on a longer run before I put it away get it right up to operating temperature and dirve it in to it's hibernation location shut it off and do not start it until Spring for it's first time out. I totally agree with not starting it until Spring.
3) pull the battery charge it and store it in the basement of the house.
4) Of course it is washed up clean and let to dry for a couple of days and then I cover it with old bed sheets and tarps (cheap man's car cover ) I just lay them on top of the car no ying or taping up, they are just there to protect from scratches and dust.

In the spring

1) ensure battery is fully charged
2) check fluids, and any signs of problems
3) turn key and start
4) let idle for a few minutes frequently checkng guages ad checking for leaks or other bad signs
5) once startng to warm up and guages show all is OK go for a easy cruise
6) once confimed all is OK come back change oil check fluids again and you should be good to go. I always take it easy on the tank of gas that was stored with the car all winter which is a good way to run enough miles on her to see she is OK.

I do not prime the oil by cranking it over and over without actually stating it. I feel it is better to start it up and you will get proper oil pressure right away. I do watch the oil pressure guage like a hawk and if after 10 seconds of starting and no oil pressure I would shut it back down. I haven't had any poblems yet.

 

That is exactly what I thought the first year I stored my Iroc without anything under it. It was on asphalt. In the spring when I openned the hood all the aluminum was speckled with little corrosion spots. That is what prompted the vapor barrier under the car in future years.

Maybe the concrete floor in your garage that is somewhat heated behaves differently then the non-heated asphault floor of my airplane hangar. maybe they used vapor barrier under your concrete floor when they poured it? That is common on newer construction.

I'd still recommend wrapping it up just incase.

 

Thanks TABAHR. I'm going to be stopping by Menards for some visqueen this week. The garage I store the Z in has a broken/cracked concrete floor so I'm sure I need a vapor barrier. I've already got the big-azzed box of Bounce from Sam's Club.

 

Tabahr,

This is an awesome tip and I never thought of doing that. I liked it so much I covered it in this week's CamaroZ28.Com Podcast.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=406416

Thanks for the great tip!

 

Thanks!