winter storage

bonesbmx · 10-08-2007, 06:16 AM

hello all

im going to be putting my car in storage in the next few weeks and im wondering what i should do to the car before parking it.
its going in to a warehouse that is heated.

i can stop by once or twice a week to start it. but not sure.

TheRuss · 10-08-2007, 06:59 AM

Hey BonesBMX,

I asked around about this last year. Some of the feedback I got is below:

- Disconnect the battery so there's no drain. Since the warehouse is heated, you should be okay to leave it in the car. If it was cold, you should take it out. Cold is apparently bad for batteries.

- Put Stabil (gas stabilizer) in the gas tank to keep the gas gasey.

- Putting the car on 4 jack stands was recommended to me. This is so the tires don't develop flat spots. It also gives the suspension a rest for a while.

- Changing the fluids (oil, coolant) right before you box it up was also recommended to me.

- If the warehouse floor emanates moisture, you may want to park the car (or wrap the bottom of the car) on plastic sheeting to discourage rust. You can get this reasonably cheap at any hardware store.

- If pesky rodents are a possible problem, you may want to block any holes (tail pipes, etc).

- Put a desiccant (silica, baking soda, yearone has one) inside the car to keep it dry. This sucks up the moisture that causes mildew and yuck smells.

- A clean car in storage is a happy car.

You may not need to do all this stuff since you're in a heated space, but I hope this helps!

Russ

Olds64 · 10-08-2007, 07:36 AM

I stored my car for about a year in a storage unit. When I started the car after a year I found that the brake master cylinder didn't have any fluid in it. I started the car and drove it around the parking lot only to find that I didn't have any brakes.

I stopped by shifting into neutral and using the E-brake. I guess the fluid leaked out of the master cylinder or just evaporated if I didn't have a good seal on the master cylinder. After putting fluid in it and bleeding the brakes everything worked like a charm.

jeffs 89 cutlass salon · 10-08-2007, 09:01 AM

when I drove my project out of the shed it had been in for 4 years, it also had zero brakes. I installed a reman master cylinder for the previous owners prior to it being parked due to no reverse in the TH 200 trans. so I assume the rubber inside it had deteriorated. on a good note, the 1/2 tank of gas in it was still ok, I drained it, and ran it in my suburban with no problems

10-08-2007, 06:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
bonesbmx Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: hamilton ont canada Posts: 26	winter storage hello all im going to be putting my car in storage in the next few weeks and im wondering what i should do to the car before parking it. its going in to a warehouse that is heated. i can stop by once or twice a week to start it. but not sure.

10-08-2007, 09:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
jeffs 89 cutlass salon IT'S REALLY A 78 Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 50	when I drove my project out of the shed it had been in for 4 years, it also had zero brakes. I installed a reman master cylinder for the previous owners prior to it being parked due to no reverse in the TH 200 trans. so I assume the rubber inside it had deteriorated. on a good note, the 1/2 tank of gas in it was still ok, I drained it, and ran it in my suburban with no problems Last edited by jeffs 89 cutlass salon : 10-08-2007 at 09:09 AM.

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10-08-2007, 06:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
TheRuss Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 39	Hey BonesBMX, I asked around about this last year. Some of the feedback I got is below: - Disconnect the battery so there's no drain. Since the warehouse is heated, you should be okay to leave it in the car. If it was cold, you should take it out. Cold is apparently bad for batteries. - Put Stabil (gas stabilizer) in the gas tank to keep the gas gasey. - Putting the car on 4 jack stands was recommended to me. This is so the tires don't develop flat spots. It also gives the suspension a rest for a while. - Changing the fluids (oil, coolant) right before you box it up was also recommended to me. - If the warehouse floor emanates moisture, you may want to park the car (or wrap the bottom of the car) on plastic sheeting to discourage rust. You can get this reasonably cheap at any hardware store. - If pesky rodents are a possible problem, you may want to block any holes (tail pipes, etc). - Put a desiccant (silica, baking soda, yearone has one) inside the car to keep it dry. This sucks up the moisture that causes mildew and yuck smells. - A clean car in storage is a happy car. You may not need to do all this stuff since you're in a heated space, but I hope this helps! Russ

10-08-2007, 07:36 AM	#3 (permalink)
Olds64 Landyacht Club President Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Lawton, OK Posts: 1,073	I stored my car for about a year in a storage unit. When I started the car after a year I found that the brake master cylinder didn't have any fluid in it. I started the car and drove it around the parking lot only to find that I didn't have any brakes. I stopped by shifting into neutral and using the E-brake. I guess the fluid leaked out of the master cylinder or just evaporated if I didn't have a good seal on the master cylinder. After putting fluid in it and bleeding the brakes everything worked like a charm.