Winter Storage: Conflicting Opinions

[Rock&Roll]

I don't do any of that.

I take the car for a ride at least once a month when its not salty and slushy. It rained a couple days ago and I'm assuming that got rid of the salt and Its gonna be 29 degrees today. Time to take her for a ride . I've got all season tires on just for that reason.

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[StangTime]

There are days I would love to take it out and stretch its legs so to speak, but I dropped the insurance down to theft and fire only while it's in storage and my insurance company requires at least a 5 day lead time to put full coverage back on. So... because of that, once its in storage, it stays there until spring. Also I don't pull it out until there has been at two good rains to wash down the roads and get rid of any residual salt or brine solution (they use both around here)

This ^^^
Insurance is $100 a month less when I switch to fire and theft coverage only. So I park my Mustang for the winter. Very few opportunities arise to drive in the winter as the roads here are usually wet and messy. On those rare days when the roads are dry, you can see the salt and brine dust thrown up into the air behind vehicles. That dust is highly corrosive and is attracted to your car by electrostatic force. All it needs is a little moisture to start attacking metals.

 

[Lorne34]

There are a lot of historical threads on this Forum that have churned this subject up again and again. I think method #1 is the way to go if you are not taking it out during the winter, with the exception of the oil change. I've heard that you should just do your oil changes as normal or for sure after the storage is over, not before.
I am in a quandary this year because I waited to buy my 350 until January. I had a GT that I stored at a friends pole barn garage for several years, but he was full this year. At his facility I had access to electrical outlets for the trickle charger. Now I am renting a commercial storage unit with no electrical, thus no trickle charge. I will most likely get it out (weather permitting) at least once a month and drive it enough to get it up to operating temps. Ford does have a system on the newer vehicles that shuts down the electrical components (hibernation) to take the constant load off the battery, which is a great idea in my opinion. Looked at the newer replacement battery technology that has been talked about on this forum, but that seems to be a few years away from being stable in terms of electrical issues.

 

[CHEZER]

So, my GT has been in storage since mid-November (first spreading of salt on the roads here in Jersey) and hasn't moved out of the garage or even been started since.

Here's my dilemma. I've been doing a lot of research for years on the best approach to winter storage and 2 prevailing methods seem to be the norm. The problem is that these two methods are conflicting and I don't know which one to follow.

Method 1: (I have been using this method so far this year but in previous years have been doing method 2) Before storage, get a fresh oil change, fill the gas tank with a full tank of 93 octane and a bottle of Sta-bil, and put a trickle charger on the battery. don't start or move the car until winter is over and streets are completely clear of salt and snow and then get an oil change before use.

Method 2: (as per the owners manual and many online automotive sources)
- "Start the engine every 15 days for a minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idle with the climate controls set to defrost until the engine reaches normal operating temperature."
- "Move vehicle at least 25 ft every 15 days to lubricate working parts and prevent corrosion."
- "Change engine oil before vehicle is used again."

So which is it gentleman? I've seen both methods espoused by very reputable sources so it's very difficult to decide. In support of Method 2, the main argument I've seen is that not starting your vehicle periodically causes corrosion and rust to engine components because of condensation buildup due to the lack of oil coating engine components. Seems like a perfectly logical argument.

But I've also always heard that starting your motor and not driving it is harmful as well.

Thoughts? Thanks.

I have been doing #1 for 35 years with my Cutlass and now the past 3 years with my Mustang, never had any issues. Get the car on a hoist or put something underneath to stop moisture. I through a few Silica Gel packets inside the car and the engine compartment to suck up moisture.

 

[Johnnybee]

Method 1 is what I did for my British cars. In addition, I cut a piece of vapour barrier about a foot wider than the car all around, to keep the moisture off the bottom of the car. I also took the battery out and brought it inside, although with all the modern electronics, who knows what would happen if you actually took the battery out. If I was storing the Mustang I would likely go the tender route. One thing we should all do to extend the life of our batteries is to ignore that "sealed for life" crap and pry the cell covers off occasionally and check the water level, if low, top up with distilled water. You should make sure that your tires are properly inflated for temperature drop, although I never had a problem with tires flat spotting.

 

[MDM]

Number 1 for me although I put the max pressure in the tires. Oil change in spring. I also use a car cover, a carbag with desiccant under the car and slightly open windows. I remove the batteries and keep on trickle charger inside.

Another thing to consider is summer tires must come up to temperature slowly after being near freezing. Winter drives on summer tires should probably be avoided.

 

[cosmic charlie]

I just put a Battery Tender or a Battery Tender Junior on it for the whole winter. Haven't had a problem for over 40 yrs.

 

[Less Weight]

Wow, haven't really had a chance to check the forum since I posted this thread so I'm pleasantly surprised to find so much input. Thanks everyone!

However, I must admit that I'm quite surprised to find the vast majority of you guys favoring method 1. I say that because method 2 is directly from Ford's mouth (hence the engineers of the car) so I would have thought I'd see more support for that method.

Regardless, since my GT is in an attached garage, I may just retrofit my central heating vent so that the garage becomes a heated portion of the house. If I do that, it really won't matter what method I use since the garage will stay a constant 70 degrees (dry heat/no humidity) in the winter. If that's the case, I won't have to worry about rust or corrosion occuring any where due to condensation.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I like how all these people think they know more than Ford, who wrote the manual explaining what to do when you store the car. Ford says in the manual to change the oil before hand because used oil could contain contaminants that may cause engine damage (corrosion, etc.). The manual says to run the car at fast idle (so it warms up to operating temperature quicker than slow idle). Also, part of that is getting the exhaust up to a hot temperature, to help evaporate any condensation that occurs and collects in the exhaust system during the warm-up period (i.e., low spots inside the mufflers, resonators, or pipes). It also says to engage the transmission. You can't exactly shift through the gears in an auto, but you can engage forward and reverse, etc. I would follow the manual routine if I had to store the car over winter - that's what Ford recommends. Who cares what a bunch of dudes on the internet do or recommend? Why not follow the manufacturer's recommendations?

 

[jimmerheck]

Well I followed method 1 for the previous 6 years with my Camaro SS with no problems so I'm following the same method with the GT too. The only thing I don't do is change the oil again when I fire it back up as I see no need to drain new and clean oil. I do try to get the cars out if weather permits for a good run but no luck so far on that one. I figure these cars sit on lots for several months with a lot less care than we give them in either case. I don't think its good to start and idle them as condensation will get in the engine and exhaust etc. With regards to oil there will be a film on parts it doesn't all run off of them just because the car sits.

I vote for this....

 

[Less Weight]

I like how all these people think they know more than Ford, who wrote the manual explaining what to do when you store the car. Ford says in the manual to change the oil before hand because used oil could contain contaminants that may cause engine damage (corrosion, etc.). The manual says to run the car at fast idle (so it warms up to operating temperature quicker than slow idle). Also, part of that is getting the exhaust up to a hot temperature, to help evaporate any condensation that occurs and collects in the exhaust system during the warm-up period (i.e., low spots inside the mufflers, resonators, or pipes). It also says to engage the transmission. You can't exactly shift through the gears in an auto, but you can engage forward and reverse, etc. I would follow the manual routine if I had to store the car over winter - that's what Ford recommends. Who cares what a bunch of dudes on the internet do or recommend? Why not follow the manufacturer's recommendations?

All of your points are valid which is why I created this thread.

In other words, several respected entities such as Hagerty, Grundy, Road & Track, Edmunds, etc. mostly recommend method 1, yet Ford recommends method 2. With that said, the Mustang operates under the same basic principles as any other internal combustion vehicle so why the stark discrepancy in methodology? This is what I hoped to ascertain by creating this thread.

 

[MDM]

You will always get conflicting views. The question becomes how much do you trust each source. What is the motivation for the suggested method? Ford is more concerned about warranty claims than the longevity of our cars. My guess is starting the car makes sure the battery doesn’t crap out creating one less claim. But doing so introduces the same condensation and acid that the pre-change is supposed to remove (although the additives should take care of this). None of the negatives of number 2 should come up during the warranty period. On the other hand you have known collectors going in a different direction. Collectors typically do not ride their cars hard nor do most put a lot of miles on them. Here you must rely on the additives doing their job. Where does your usage fall on the spectrum?

As for the oil change it makes sense to change ‘before’ storage if you are going to be starting the car just because you’re adding contaminants. If not starting; I don’t see a problem changing, like I do, before starting the car each spring. Keep in mind I don’t put many miles on my collector cars. Nor do I live in the far north or the very hot south. My cars are only stored for the salt season. Usually mid-Nov through March. Max miles before change approx 5,000 or 1 year. Blackstone Labs is available if you think these new high tech oils aren’t living up to their promise. Just remember to send a baseline sample.

 

[Johnnybee]

As for the oil change it makes sense to change ‘before’ storage if you are going to be starting the car just because you’re adding contaminants. If not starting; I don’t see a problem changing, like I do, before starting the car each spring.

I always did a fall oil change because it means you have clean, uncontaminated oil in the crankcase. This was important for old British sportscars, because the contamination could form acids that would eat the bearings. I also did this because one year a Castrol rep came and gave a talk at one of our meetings and basically said if you're going to change the oil, better to change it in the fall than the spring.

 

[Qcman17]

I always did a fall oil change because it means you have clean, uncontaminated oil in the crankcase. This was important for old British sportscars, because the contamination could form acids that would eat the bearings. I also did this because one year a Castrol rep came and gave a talk at one of our meetings and basically said if you're going to change the oil, better to change it in the fall than the spring.

I agree with all of this including the acid concerns which I have read elsewhere & I don't wish to risk that occurring either. That said if my oil is changed within say a month or so before storage I consider the oil to be new enough for storage still.

 

[thunderstrike]

Option 1. Forget the second oil change before driving.

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