Winter prep

[Noggles]

Disagree with your point about not getting to temp. I can see I'm reaching full temperature. Also good to run the a.c. to not let the seals dry out (this is also recommended in the manual). I don't start every 15 days since I have a trickle charger but I try to start it once a month. I had a stellar UOA so I'm pretty sure I'm not causing harm.

The start or no start is hotly debated. I feel better that everything is being recoated again with oil and seals are being conditioned. I don't think one or the other is right or wrong provided the right precautions are taken in each case to mitigate the downfalls of each option .

The coolant might be getting up to temp but that doesn't mean the oil is. Nor is the transmission fluid. Both of which need to burn off the excess moisture. I can drive all the way to work (about 15 miles city and highway) and those temps are just barely getting to operating temperature. There is no way they are getting there while idling in a garage, especially the transmission. Also older cars ran the ac compressor when you turned on the defrost, not sure if the new cars still do but I would be surprised if they didn't.

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[RaceHorseV8]

You might consider a can of HEET, or other gas dryer, a few times throughout the winter months. The alcohol attracts water and keeps it from freezing. I'm also a fan of keeping the tank full in winter if possible.

 

[Ebm]

Coat the underbody and go through a car wash that washes the underbody every so often. Problem solved. Then you can keep driving that POS

 

[dbegley]

My two cents and I have been storing Mustangs for 30+ years.
Fill the tank with non Oxy gas.
Wash and wax it just because.
Cover it with a soft car cover.
Stabilizer in the gas and running it long enough like suggest so that the stabilizer gets into the motor. Although I have not always used stabilizer and the Mustangs started months later. But I was NOT using Oxy gas.
The jury is out on raising the cars to get the pressure off the tires. I have always done that. Guess the newer tires do not get flat spots or if they do it goes away. I have jack stands for both my Mustangs and a huge ass floor jack. I raise my Mustangs each winter.
Battery maintainer especially on a newer Mustang. You don't want the battery to go dead and it will with all the stuff running even when the car is parked and off.
Beware of moisture in the car. You don't want mold. I have a heated garage and there is moisture. Crack the windows unless rodents are a problem. Put something to absorb the moisture inside the car.
Also beware of rodents who will use the car cover to climb inside your car. I know all about this. The best solution to dealing with the smell of rodent urine is to set the car on fire. NO, I didn't do that but it was suggested and I was tempted.
My advice, after dealing with this myself, is to anti-rodent the car just because. I had my Mustang professionally cleaned to get rid of the urine odor. It has take years to get rid of the smell. They climbed up the car cover into the cracked window and made a nest in the back of the folded down seat. On my club jacket no less. And I would have sworn to you I had no rodent issue in my garage.
Don't start the car until spring. There is no reason to do that. Plus unless you take it out and drive it what is the value? I have never started them once I parked them. Do it when warm weather gets here. It is ok for you to go to the garage and look at your baby during the winter but no need to start it.

 

[Fordever]

Y


It's better to let it sit all winter then to start it every 15 days. The engine won't ever get up to operating temperature idling in the winter, but it's a great way to get white condensation sludge in your crankcase / bottom of your oil filler cap. A cold start every 15 days will produce more wear then one cold start in the spring after sitting all winter. How much more wear? Who knows, but it will be more. The main point is you don't need to waste an hour of your time and gas to let your car run every 15 days. Do the stuff below and put 'er to bed.

-Fill the tank with gas and add stabiliser and drive for 20 mins to get the stabiliser through the fuel system and oil nice and hot
-Change the oil & filter
-Wash the car (and wax if your feeling extra ambitious) / clean interior
-Air the tires up to 40 psi
-Put your trickle charger on
-Cover it and forget about it until spring

***If you have rodents in the area you store your car, rodent mitigation/traps should be put out.
***If you store it in a humid environment you should add some desiccant packs to your interior to keep the RH% down

You can go above and beyond this but it's not needed. Then again neither are all the mods I have done! So whatever works for you and gives you piece of mind your baby is good for the winter.... However I do strongly recommend not starting the car all winter. It grows more horsepower while it sleeps undisturbed lol

You must have read my play book....

I also put steel wool in my tailpipes....for rodents. Just in case one can crawl into my garage. And I elevate my wiper arms so, I don't get a permanent one way flex in the rubber after sitting for 6 months.

 

[nastang87xx]

I think you are better off just letting the car sit as is. It's not good for the car to sit and idle for a long period, and you don't want to run it briefly and not warm it up fully. If you aren't going to go for a long enough drive to fully warm it, don't move it. Hook up the battery tender and let it be.

Exactly!

Just LEAVE it. Consider how many cars sit out on dealership lots for extended periods of time? The more you putz with stuff the more you put variables into the "system." I put my car away with 1/4 tank of gas because of some weird circumstances but it is what its. Added some Stabil. So when I pill the car out in the spring and I go get FRESH clean gas, I'll probably be in better shape than those who go full tank and a full guzzle of Stabil.

This isn't the 70's anymore. Gas tanks are also sealed much better too.

 

[smann]

Thanks for all the advice.. Got me worried about rodents now though. Something I wasn't worried for before haha.

*** I cant drive it because the salt, liquid de-icer they spray on the road. My car is in showroom condition after wash/wax and I like to keep it that way

I appreciate all the help from everyone!

 

[sdiver68]

Do you have any racer friends? Chances are they have 5-6 gallon fuel containers you could borrow for a couple hours.

 

[bdm219]

I store with a full tank w/ stabil run through the motor. In the spring, I'm easy on the car until I burn up the old fuel and get fresh. If you're worried about gas, just get a 5 gallon gas can or two and go fill them up. That way you don't need to pull the car out. I have a "routine" I do when I store my car each year. I know how much work goes into the cleaning side of the prep. I also live where they pour the liquid car cancer on the roads, nasty stuff. The cans will solve your worry and allow you a fullish tank without moving the car.

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