Storing Car for 7 Months looking for some tips

[noac]

I would agree with you if the gas was non-ethanol.

Sponsored

 

[galaxy]

Doesn't matter. So, I understand where you're going with that statement, and I agree in part...but the ullage doesn't care if the gas has ethanol in it or not; it's still exposed area. That exposed area is still subject to corrosion. And, I will argue, as like I previously stated, for such a short amount of time, that's a greater threat than any ethanol...which BTW that's in part what you're adding the fuel stabilizer for.

Full disclosure--I'm not sure what our fuel tanks are made of, but in all your years of storing a vehicle with an empty gas tank, how many have you opened up and inspected after storage? I ask because the thing that broke me of storing anything with an empty tank was doing just that...only to find rust/corrosion everywhere in the tank above the fuel level. This was after fairly short periods of time also; e.g. winter months.

Combined with several years of work experience on this very topic, I'd never store anything empty.

 

[dboz1983]

What is the consensus on setting the parking brake for that long?

 

[foolwithtools]

Related to this, I will be storing my car for the winter in a detached garage that is not climate controlled. Should I get a trickle charger for the battery or should I be fine just unplugging the battery?

 

[Tank]

Related to this, I will be storing my car for the winter in a detached garage that is not climate controlled. Should I get a trickle charger for the battery or should I be fine just unplugging the battery?

Get the trickle charger. You’re not fine just unplugging it.

 

[Tank]

What is the consensus on setting the parking brake for that long?

Don’t do it. It’s not needed.

 

[Buckwampum]

Let the car sit. Change the oil before it is stored. Over inflate the tires a few pounds to help avoid flat spotting. Get a battery tender. Add Stabil to a full tank. Cover it. Because I live in the NE my car is stored for 5 months with the above procedure.

Northern NY native here, agree with the “just park it” advice. Fill the tank, crack the windows to let moisture out and put a cover on it, particularly one that covers exhaust pipes (My bro-in-law got a mouse nest in his Camaro exhaust). Use trickle charger. I’ve parked vintage muscle cars and modern muscle cars every winter for years, never had an issue.

One issue to consider is humidity. My current garage is built like a PA Dutch bank barn (built into side of hill, so you can drive up around the side and park cars upstairs as well). Having so much thermal mass In the thick concrete walls/floors means it stays temperature stable, it’s always about 50 degrees in the winter which is great. However, when we get an occasional warm, damp day in the late winter and leave the door open, boy does the condensing moisture accumulate on EVERYTHING, as the interior temp of the garage is not changing at the same rate as the outdoor temp. The first year I lived here, I had rust all over my tools and my car cover started to get mildew, car smelled musty in the spring. Solution of course was a big dehumidifier, keeps humidity ~40-50%. Hence my advice to crack the car windows and then cover it w/ a breathable cover, to keep any bugs out) Not sure about conditions in your neck of the woods, but I’ve come to have greater concern over the humidity In my storage area than the temperature.

 

[pilotgore]

Doesn't matter. So, I understand where you're going with that statement, and I agree in part...but the ullage doesn't care if the gas has ethanol in it or not; it's still exposed area. That exposed area is still subject to corrosion. And, I will argue, as like I previously stated, for such a short amount of time, that's a greater threat than any ethanol...which BTW that's in part what you're adding the fuel stabilizer for.

Full disclosure--I'm not sure what our fuel tanks are made of, but in all your years of storing a vehicle with an empty gas tank, how many have you opened up and inspected after storage? I ask because the thing that broke me of storing anything with an empty tank was doing just that...only to find rust/corrosion everywhere in the tank above the fuel level. This was after fairly short periods of time also; e.g. winter months.

Combined with several years of work experience on this very topic, I'd never store anything empty.

I’m in agreement with the full tank, no matter the type of gas. Any sort of air pocket in a vented metal enclosure invites water to condense on the walls of the tank wherever fuel isn’t touching. If the condensation is severe enough over time it’ll cause water droplets to fall into the fuel.

Smaller airplanes have sumps in the low points of the wet wings to allow for easy draining of water from the tank (water is heavier than gas so it sinks to the bottom.) In one of the planes I manage, we had a leaky sump point that needed replacing. It turns out over the course of 10 years or so, the small amounts of water that collected at that point cause the metal to corrode and then leak.

Is it going to be a big deal if you don’t top-off the tank this one time you store it for 7 months, likely not. But if you store the car 6 months a year for multiple years and leave the tank on E when you put it away, I guarantee when you fill the tank full after winter hibernation you’ll be knocking rust particles loose, which will end up in the fuel filter.

 

[JZTRK]

Every one will have a slightly different way of doing things. Me I would keep the "good friends" out of the equation not worth loosing a good friend over if something happens. Not saying that it will but you never know
#1 change the oil
#2 Drive the hell out of it
#3 Fill it up with the best gas in your area
#4 put a fuel stabilizer in it
#5 Do a full wash and detail
#6 clear out a bay or corner in the garage where the car will live for the duration of time
#7 pull the battery out of the car and put it on a shelf with a battery tender
#8 put the car on jack stands to avoid flat spots on the wheels and put stands under the control arms so they are not resting at full extension
#9 if you have a car cover put it on
#10 mail detailed instructions through western union to Marty McFly so he can help you find the car and get it back on the road

 

[galaxy]

#3 Fill it up with the best gas in your area
#4 put a fuel stabilizer in it

Swap these...do the stabilizer first and then go fill it up. That'll mix it better in the tank and you also want to run it long enough to get the treated gas throughout all the fuel lines.

 

[JZTRK]

Swap these...do the stabilizer first and then go fill it up. That'll mix it better in the tank and you also want to run it long enough to get the treated gas throughout all the fuel lines.

Asuming the best gas is not next to his house it would mix on the way home

 

[galaxy]

Asuming the best gas is not next to his house it would mix on the way home

Oh right. I was clarifying don't drive it home and then add a bottle after you're parked.

Sponsored