Winter Storage / Questions

[Sig556]

I will be storing my new 2015 GT in a 20X40 barn for (3) three months :doh:
7 miles from the coast in Maine. I am relocating in early January 2015. I know about Stabil in the tank and covering the vehicle. The Barn is not heated and this area I am moving to receives at least 125 inches of SNOW each year.

(1) Should the battery be removed or just hooked up to a battery tender?
(2) Should the vehicle be jacked up off it's wheels?
Any other helpful comments will be appreciated.
You winter guys shoot me a P/M with any other ideas thanks Sig.
PS: I hate the winter.

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[SVTFreak]

What part of Maine? Ex in laws are in Andover (western mountains). Used to go up every year.

 

[Sig556]

Bristol Maine 7 miles from the Landmark Lighthouse

 

[Jeepwx03]

Battery tender for sure. I do this with my 68 mustang here in PA. I try and start it a least once a week and pump the breaks.

 

[SVTFreak]

Bristol Maine 7 miles from the Landmark Lighthouse

Never been quite that far up. Only have made it to boothbay.

 

[tsunami]

Winter Storage...

I use a hi-quality battery tender, that has anti-sulfation. My tender came with a 'polarized' mid-way connector. Instead of alligator clips, the wires have ring connectors on the end. That way, one end of the wires can be permanently connected to the battery terminals, and the other end can be easily unclipped and the tender put away for the summer.
Before storage, I add the recommended amount of 'ethanol Stabile' fuel stabilizer and fill the tank full. A full tank has almost no air space for moisture to fill. Moisture in ethanol gasoline is the worst possible condition.
I do a complete oil/filter change. This coats the engine with clean oil.
I use over-sized jacks to take some of the weight off the ground. You don't want the shocks to be fully extended. No flat spots. I inflate the tires to normal pressure. The transmission is put in neutral. At least once a month I spin each tire a couple of revolutions. This is to keep the brake pads and rotors from getting any contact corrosion/adhesion, and the rotation spreads lubricant evenly around the axle.
I don't run the engine every few weeks, as some people do. When you run the engine for a short period, the engine doesn't get hot enough to vaporize any moisture that may build up in the cold oil. If you run the engine, you have to let it get up to full heat to remove moisture, which is difficult to do if the vehicle is sitting in your garage.
You may consider all of these steps as overkill...but I have had a mechanic do an inspection and he had stated that the engine and drive train look like they have just come from the factory, even after five years.

 

[Canktm25]

You will get 100 different answers to this question about storing a car. I took delivery of my GT on 11/2 I start my car every 7-10 days in the storage bay (cold storage) let it run for 20 minutes go through the gears even though the storage unit is well sealed I use 4 fresh cab packets I bought at Agway to keep the mice away.

There is no electric outlets there so a Battery tender is out I've actually had a fellow co- worker say his wife had Stabil gum up the injectors on her corvette even after using the right amount per the instructions so I'm unsure of that.

 

[tsunami]

Stabil and injectors...
I have always used Stabil when I have to store gasoline for more than a couple of weeks. I only use Ethanol-treatment Stabil with ethanol gas. Stabil has a shelf life
of only two years. Date the container and throw away any that is older than two years.
Someone told me that if your gasoline is already dirty, using Stabil may try to clean the fuel tank and lines. The dirt could then clog the injectors.
The best way is to use an fuel additive made to clean gas lines and injectors until nearly empty. Then add Stabil and refill the tank.
Other people prefer Seafoam, but I have heard about complaints that Seafoam also clogs injectors.
My personal belief is that you need to clean your fuel system if it is already dirty before
using any long term stabilizer.

 

[steelertown]

1. Remove battery

2. Jack up the car (some people say over inflating the tires and replace doing
this, undecided what I think of this). But I would do one of those two things

3. Full tank of gas + fuel stabilizer. - I always put fuel stabilizer in my ATV that sits all winter.

4. oil change before it goes into storage

All im going to do.

 

[RisingForce]

Who do people use battery tenders /trickle chargers these days is beyond me.

Just disconnect the plus (red) cable and you won't have to worry about starting it every other week etc.
Starts right up when you're ready to take it out and play.

 

[opensesame]

I plan on storing my Mustang in the winter indoors, until April. My EDD is Dec 21st. Should I worry about changing the oil on a new car? Is it ok if I start up the car every week and run it for 10-15 minutes to maintain the battery, or should I use a Battery Tender?

 

[RisingForce]

I plan on storing my Mustang in the winter indoors, until April. My EDD is Dec 21st. Should I worry about changing the oil on a new car? Is it ok if I start up the car every week and run it for 10-15 minutes to maintain the battery, or should I use a Battery Tender?

Just disconnect the battery and you should be just fine!

 

[tsunami]

Non-use of battery tender...

A fully charged battery will not freeze up. But lead-acid batteries will self-discharge over time. Some of your car's electronics are running continuously even when the engine is shut off. There is a small but steady drain on your battery. A car battery's charge which drops to less than 1/2 can lead to a battery that is prone to freeze-up. The ice in the battery will expand and crack the battery.
If you live in Florida or Hawaii, a nearly depleted battery will probably never have this problem. But a depleted battery never is able to be fully charged again.
If you don't have a tender or power for a tender...remove the battery and store it in a cool but not cold place.

 

[RisingForce]

A fully charged battery will not freeze up. But lead-acid batteries will self-discharge over time. Some of your car's electronics are running continuously even when the engine is shut off. There is a small but steady drain on your battery. A car battery's charge which drops to less than 1/2 can lead to a battery that is prone to freeze-up. The ice in the battery will expand and crack the battery.
If you live in Florida or Hawaii, a nearly depleted battery will probably never have this problem. But a depleted battery never is able to be fully charged again.
If you don't have a tender or power for a tender...remove the battery and store it in a cool but not cold place.

Yep.
Since my garage isn't heated I don't bother removing the battery, just disconnecting it from the car but still under the hood.

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