I storing my Trans Am, for what I hope will be no longer than 6 months. What do I need to do so that when she comes out of Storage I want have any problems?

 

Use up all the fuel that's in the tank. Then refill it with brand name fuel from the refiners like Mobil, Shell, Sunoco and the like. Put the correct amount of Sta-bil or other brand stabilizer in before you pump the fuel. I think Seafoam is a stabilizer also. There is specific reasons for using up the old fuel and replacing it with brand name fuel as apposed to off brand.

It's best to change the oil before sitting for long periods of time.

Put the car up on jack stands.

Attach a solar battery charger if the area has enough ambient light.

If humidity is high during the storage period, you will have to fog the cylinders otherwise you are good to go.

 

this question gets asked a million times each year...ive stored all of my cars every year except for one and Ive got a failsafe, simple method. before you store it, do an oil change and put on a new oil filter, then fill it with gas, go home, and park it. pull the battery and bring it inside but do not set it on the concrete, it has to be on a block of wood or else itll ground out and lose all of its charge. if its clean, toss on a cover and leave it til spring.

 

Finding someone you can truely trust to start it every few weeks is the best imo. Even take it for a few laps would be good. I stored mine for 2 years and was sure to place it very close to a relative so it was not a big hassle for them. I took them out to eat and beer when I returned.

 

An oil change, a fresh tank of gas, and adjusting the tire pressures are usually the first things I do to my car when it comes out of storage.

 

Just about time I think I will never hear that again, here it comes one more time. Trust me, batteries can go dead for a lot of reasons but one of them is _not_ sitting on concrete. On lots of cars the battery tray is metal, if concrete would ground them out, what would metal do?

 

denison texas send it to me i'll treat it real nice like

 

I recently took my Z-28 out of storage after six years. I did nothing to prep it for storage and I certainly wouldn't recommend that approach. Putting it on jack stands would have been a great idea as my tires now have flat spots in them. Anyone know if they will ever return to round?

Is it a bad idea to drain the fuel system and relieve the pressure in the lines. I left whatever fuel I had in the tank and didn't relieve the pressure. My fuel pump went bad and I had to replace all of my injectors.

 

I respectfully disagree. Here are the problems I see. First, most engine wear occurs during starts. During winter the oil will be cold and it will take longer to build oil pressure so you are accelerating wear. Second, you are creating acids in the oil from starting it up and introducing moisture into the exhaust.

My advice? If its sitting in storage for several YEARS, the benefits of starting it up and running it to prevent seals from rotting out etc outweight the costs. For a 6 month stint? Do what others have said: change the oil, clean it, pull the battery and leave it alone.

 

For six months---nothing, but disconnect the battery. Good idea to get a small auto-turnoff, motor-cycle type trickle battery to keep it charged or to recharge when storage is over.

Longer than six months, or unknown time---do the whole shebang as recommended. Full tank, oil change, wheels off the ground, battery disconnected, inside if possible---if outside make sure the tires and windshield are covered or tires and wipers will get sun burned. JMHO

 

I wont be able to take her to get a full tank, the tranny went out a month ago. Thats why she'll be sitting till I have the $ to replace the tranny.

 

No big deal. Just suggested if kept in environment where if the tank is low, condensation will build up, tis better to have fuel than water. JMHO

 

it is a proven electrical fact that any battery left on concrete will ground itself out and discharge over time. the reason your metal battery tray doesnt let it happen is because your tires are made of rubber, which is an inulator, now if you like to take your tires off and just let the car rest on the brake rotors, youll have the same problem

 

Sorry, your "proven" electrical fact is B.S. I won't bother you with the extent of my electronic teaching credentials or the amount of time I spent in an electrical business but it just ain't so.

 

well ok, ill believe you, but can you please explain why every battery ive had resting on the ground has discharged completely over a 1-2 month time, yet now when they sit on a wooden board, theyll go all winter, get reinstalled and fire up like the day i took em out? there may be no explanation then, maybe im just lucky, but im going to keep on doing it anyway