Tips on winter storage
10-27-04, 08:41 AM
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Tips on winter storage
I was just curious what is best practice for winter storage. I will be putting my baby away for the harsh winter that we get up here. I have read along time ago to put mmo or some sort of oil into the combustion chamber, not too sure if I have my facts right. We get temps that go down to -40, -50 on occasion celsius. Also how often should the car be started or turned over in these circumstances. I am gonna miss her. Thanks for your help in advance.
10-27-04, 10:55 AM
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i would drain the gask tank and floats just to be safe from bad gas gumming up anything. just spray some sort of lube in engine and rotate make sure to get all faces of rotors. Also good idea to plug up exhaust and intake with something to keep the critters out best you can. Just don't crank the engine with intake blocked, might suck something into engine.
10-27-04, 12:05 PM
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Mmmm... I think I'd prefer filling the tank very FULL rather than emptying it. Cut down on condensation (and maybe rust too) that way.
Do you have an environment clean of animals? Even if so, be sure to clean it well - no food particles whatsoever. And mouse poison is a terrible idea because it actually attracts them. Cotton in a trap might work for mice, but other than that I wouldn't do anything but make sure it's very clean.
For a 6 month storage I wouldn't do anything special with the engine... When you hit a warm stretch plug it in (to warm the engine) and fire it up a few times over the winter. Oh, be sure to disconnect the battery cuz it'll drain otherwise, and of course make sure the battery has water for winter.
This is mostly from me and my Bro's experience in storing his 85 iroc for the winter.
Do you have an environment clean of animals? Even if so, be sure to clean it well - no food particles whatsoever. And mouse poison is a terrible idea because it actually attracts them. Cotton in a trap might work for mice, but other than that I wouldn't do anything but make sure it's very clean.
For a 6 month storage I wouldn't do anything special with the engine... When you hit a warm stretch plug it in (to warm the engine) and fire it up a few times over the winter. Oh, be sure to disconnect the battery cuz it'll drain otherwise, and of course make sure the battery has water for winter.
This is mostly from me and my Bro's experience in storing his 85 iroc for the winter.
10-27-04, 12:38 PM
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yea you could fill the tank but personally i don't want gas siting in my float bowls that long, I guess you could plug the outlet to the pump and fill it up and still drain floats bowls. or just buy like a sta-bil crap but some people hate it.
10-27-04, 01:55 PM
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THe shop it will be sitting in has about 30 cats running around in it.... so mice shouldn't be a problem... but I read somewhere that mothballs will keep mice out. I think I will use those just incase.
10-27-04, 02:02 PM
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Erk I wouldn't use mothballs... They stink enough for me to never want to find out if all the smell goes away when I take away the *****. 
With the cats be sure to get a very good car cover. It should resist cat claws getting through it. Naturally make sure the car's perfectly clean before covering. Were it me, I'd give it a wax before covering, and then CCD after parking the car just before the cover.
With the cats be sure to get a very good car cover. It should resist cat claws getting through it. Naturally make sure the car's perfectly clean before covering. Were it me, I'd give it a wax before covering, and then CCD after parking the car just before the cover.
10-27-04, 02:16 PM
#7
I live in Ottawa, and while our winters aren't as brutal as they can be in some parts of Manitoba, they're still pretty forkin' bad.
What I do is:
- Put the car up on blocks to save the suspension
- Run the car for a good run before storage
- cover the brake rotors with a light coat of oil so they don't rust
- open the carb barrels and pour a good tablespoon or two of 10w30 down each, and rotate the engine by hand a couple times to spread it around
- Take out the battery and bring it into the house
- DON'T store it with the handbreak up, or it will stretch and lock in place
Then in the spring, use brake cleaner on the rotors, put it down on it's wheels and engage the handbrake, and start it up! The oil should burn off. If you have trouble starting it, you can use a bit of gas in the carb to start it.
Your battery would die in the car over the winter, and it's *very* hard to start a rotary in -40 (especially if you have one like mine without a choke plate!).
Don't forget to tarp it with a soft tarp that won't scratch the paint and use some good quality rope to hold it against those damn north winds.
Jon
What I do is:
- Put the car up on blocks to save the suspension
- Run the car for a good run before storage
- cover the brake rotors with a light coat of oil so they don't rust
- open the carb barrels and pour a good tablespoon or two of 10w30 down each, and rotate the engine by hand a couple times to spread it around
- Take out the battery and bring it into the house
- DON'T store it with the handbreak up, or it will stretch and lock in place
Then in the spring, use brake cleaner on the rotors, put it down on it's wheels and engage the handbrake, and start it up! The oil should burn off. If you have trouble starting it, you can use a bit of gas in the carb to start it.
Your battery would die in the car over the winter, and it's *very* hard to start a rotary in -40 (especially if you have one like mine without a choke plate!).
Don't forget to tarp it with a soft tarp that won't scratch the paint and use some good quality rope to hold it against those damn north winds.
Jon
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10-27-04, 02:23 PM
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Good advice Viper, esspecially about the hand brake and battery.
I'm assuming the car will be out of the wind for the cover. If not, eliminate all movement of the cover to the greatest extent possible.
I'm assuming the car will be out of the wind for the cover. If not, eliminate all movement of the cover to the greatest extent possible.
10-27-04, 02:29 PM
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hey vipernicus
thanks for reminding bout the handbreak
what i do, is run it with fuel pump . off till it dies, pull the plugs and put a couple of table spoons of 2 stroke oil in through the plug holes, then crank it over for a couple of seconds (with plugs in, caps off). i leave it with a full tank + stabilizer, neubie if u don't have switcha switch, pull the driver side bin out and disconnect the plug that comes out of the floor of the car for the same effect
thanks for reminding bout the handbreak
what i do, is run it with fuel pump . off till it dies, pull the plugs and put a couple of table spoons of 2 stroke oil in through the plug holes, then crank it over for a couple of seconds (with plugs in, caps off). i leave it with a full tank + stabilizer, neubie if u don't have switcha switch, pull the driver side bin out and disconnect the plug that comes out of the floor of the car for the same effect
10-31-04, 04:11 PM
#10
All good advice. My additional "alaska-6-month-winter" thoughts:
1) full tank is easiest since some (like my 80) have no drain (thank-you-very-much-mazda!)
BUT: in my car's case, I actually need to manually (as in: gas can) add a good 2-3 gallons to really top it off. The idea is to eliminate any air space in the tank where condensation can occure and rust start. - and add the gas Stabilizer in at the gas station on your last trip so it will get a chamce to mix on that last drive to the storage place
2) I use a plastic bag over the carb mouth, held in place by the air cleaner, to seal off the intake system
3) likewise the tail pipes each get a plastic bag zip-locked (those plastic zip ties) at the REAR of the pipe so again no air can pass. They idea here is to prevent moist air entering and condensing inside the motor from either end...
4) mothballs in the engine compartment, not passenger area. Keep the little bastids from nesting and -worse- chewing the wire harness (as they did to me when my car was stored in California)
5) Cover is good if wind is not a factor, otherwise kiss your paint goodby.
6) outdoors OR indoors, lay a piece of plastic on the floor and drive the car over it. Concrete allows moisture to condense on the surface, as does gravel/dirt/whatever (obviously) and that means your under carriage is exposed to condensation... not good...
7) I agree with the fuel-pump-off-till-the-car-stalls idea to get as much gas out of the carb as you can. Getting at the pump harness to disconnect is a PITA, so I wired in a switch, mounted on the rear cover panel, that I just flick off to kill the pump. makes a good theft deterent to boot
8) alternative to WD40 down the carb is any machine oil (like 3-in-1 oil) or I've even used motor oil. I glop a good 1/2 a cup of oil between the 2 rotors then spin the motor with the starter (IGNITION WIRES DISCONNECTED!!) a couple of revolutions. makes for a smoky start in the spring but its always fired up right away for me. Note: this would be done BEFORE you bag up the carb and tailpipes!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
1) full tank is easiest since some (like my 80) have no drain (thank-you-very-much-mazda!)
BUT: in my car's case, I actually need to manually (as in: gas can) add a good 2-3 gallons to really top it off. The idea is to eliminate any air space in the tank where condensation can occure and rust start. - and add the gas Stabilizer in at the gas station on your last trip so it will get a chamce to mix on that last drive to the storage place
2) I use a plastic bag over the carb mouth, held in place by the air cleaner, to seal off the intake system
3) likewise the tail pipes each get a plastic bag zip-locked (those plastic zip ties) at the REAR of the pipe so again no air can pass. They idea here is to prevent moist air entering and condensing inside the motor from either end...
4) mothballs in the engine compartment, not passenger area. Keep the little bastids from nesting and -worse- chewing the wire harness (as they did to me when my car was stored in California)
5) Cover is good if wind is not a factor, otherwise kiss your paint goodby.
6) outdoors OR indoors, lay a piece of plastic on the floor and drive the car over it. Concrete allows moisture to condense on the surface, as does gravel/dirt/whatever (obviously) and that means your under carriage is exposed to condensation... not good...
7) I agree with the fuel-pump-off-till-the-car-stalls idea to get as much gas out of the carb as you can. Getting at the pump harness to disconnect is a PITA, so I wired in a switch, mounted on the rear cover panel, that I just flick off to kill the pump. makes a good theft deterent to boot
8) alternative to WD40 down the carb is any machine oil (like 3-in-1 oil) or I've even used motor oil. I glop a good 1/2 a cup of oil between the 2 rotors then spin the motor with the starter (IGNITION WIRES DISCONNECTED!!) a couple of revolutions. makes for a smoky start in the spring but its always fired up right away for me. Note: this would be done BEFORE you bag up the carb and tailpipes!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska
