Winter Storage Tips
11-20-05, 03:52 PM
#1
Winter Storage Tips
Well - its well into winter in Alaska, with 4+inches of snow on the RX to prove it. Thought I would share my storage technique with you folks and see if any other ideas pop up. I don't own a garage, so its a car cover and a blanket of snow for my 80GS. We are blessed with dry winters up here: once its cold, it stays that way till mid-March. Anyway here is what I do -with the usual disclaimers:
-wash and wax the car. Don't forget the undercarriage, especially where dirt/mud can accumulate
-wash the car cover (yes, you should have a car cover, even if stored indoors). even the cheapie ebay $25 one is better than nothing at all. Do NOT use tarps or plastic!! A cover MUST breathe or trapped moisture underneath will destroy your cars paint!! Also be aware that parked in a windy location, even a proper cloth cover will damage the paint if blown around by the wind.
-fill the fuel tank and add Gas Preservative. I manually top the tank to the brim once home do there is no air in the tank to create a condensation pocket. Condensation = rust. The reverse alternative would be to completely drain the tank, which is next to impossible for me because the 79-80 RXs have no tank drain
-disconnect the fuel pump and run the car till it stalls. Empties the carb so no gas to sit there and leave deposits. I rigged up a small harness and in-line switch that I mounted to the outside of the metal cover behind the seats (that is where the wire harness connects to the under-belly fuel pump, for those who don't know this). Makes a nice simple theft deterrent to..
-pour a pint-ish of motor oil down the carb throat thru the various venturis so it can get into the combustion chambers
-dry crank (is that the right term?) the motor a few times to circulate the oil. Pull the Distr wires off the coils to do this-
-seal off the mouth of the carb with plastic, the air cleaner assy acting as a seal holder
-seal off the exhaust pipes with plastic and zip ties: idea here is to seal out moisture from entering the block from both ends (intake or exhaust). Again, its very dry here, but in moister climes this would be a really good idea I would think!
-change oil and filter
-remove the battery! Don't leave the battery in the car all winter to vent acidic air onto the bodywork in there... A $60 Battery Tender will keep it happy all winter - remember to check the cells to make sure they are topped up. use only DISTILLED water to do so. Don't leave the battery where it can freeze. If you have to put it in the house, keep it away from spark sources (like: do NOT put it in the Furnace Room!!), since batteries vent explosive fumes.
-lube all the various locks, hinges, release mechanisms
-spray/apply protectant coating onto the battery cable connections
-park the car over a sheet of 6mil (thickest I think is available) plastic. This is to minimize condensation up from the ground to the undercarriage. I should note here that this is -according to vintage car collectors - especially important on concrete garage floors! Apparently concrete is constantly emitting some degree of moisture, ie. it never thoroughly dries out. So the plastic sheet acts as a moisture barrier. I seem to recall seeing plastic laying on concrete with condensation under it, so there must be something to this. I wonder how many Ferrari collectors found this out the hard way ;p
-something I don't need to do but you lower-48 types should think about: CRACK OPEN A WINDOW! In moister environments the interior will get cycles of condensation and then: MOLD - phewwww! Air need to be able to circulate thru the interior -an open box of new baking soda on the floor really helps here-
-VERMIN: again, too damn cold here, but when I had my RX stored in So.Cal for 6 months (outside on a farm, just a car cover) before I picked it up:
MICE & BIRDS (!really! - a whole nest on the battery tray!). The little rodent bastids had "just" started in on the wiring harness and mouse do-do everywhere. So: lots o' mothballs around the engine compartment. I'd be reluctant to use them inside the car because they are poison, after all - and you might be challenged to get the smell out...
I have done this for the past eight -30 degree winters of RX ownership and the RXs have always started on the first twist of the key! Bit o' smoke from the oil in the block for a minute or two, but never a fowled plug, etc.
Just remember to pull off all the winter seals before you crank
any other ideas?
Stu Aull
80GS Alaska
-wash and wax the car. Don't forget the undercarriage, especially where dirt/mud can accumulate
-wash the car cover (yes, you should have a car cover, even if stored indoors). even the cheapie ebay $25 one is better than nothing at all. Do NOT use tarps or plastic!! A cover MUST breathe or trapped moisture underneath will destroy your cars paint!! Also be aware that parked in a windy location, even a proper cloth cover will damage the paint if blown around by the wind.
-fill the fuel tank and add Gas Preservative. I manually top the tank to the brim once home do there is no air in the tank to create a condensation pocket. Condensation = rust. The reverse alternative would be to completely drain the tank, which is next to impossible for me because the 79-80 RXs have no tank drain
-disconnect the fuel pump and run the car till it stalls. Empties the carb so no gas to sit there and leave deposits. I rigged up a small harness and in-line switch that I mounted to the outside of the metal cover behind the seats (that is where the wire harness connects to the under-belly fuel pump, for those who don't know this). Makes a nice simple theft deterrent to..
-pour a pint-ish of motor oil down the carb throat thru the various venturis so it can get into the combustion chambers
-dry crank (is that the right term?) the motor a few times to circulate the oil. Pull the Distr wires off the coils to do this-
-seal off the mouth of the carb with plastic, the air cleaner assy acting as a seal holder
-seal off the exhaust pipes with plastic and zip ties: idea here is to seal out moisture from entering the block from both ends (intake or exhaust). Again, its very dry here, but in moister climes this would be a really good idea I would think!
-change oil and filter
-remove the battery! Don't leave the battery in the car all winter to vent acidic air onto the bodywork in there... A $60 Battery Tender will keep it happy all winter - remember to check the cells to make sure they are topped up. use only DISTILLED water to do so. Don't leave the battery where it can freeze. If you have to put it in the house, keep it away from spark sources (like: do NOT put it in the Furnace Room!!), since batteries vent explosive fumes.
-lube all the various locks, hinges, release mechanisms
-spray/apply protectant coating onto the battery cable connections
-park the car over a sheet of 6mil (thickest I think is available) plastic. This is to minimize condensation up from the ground to the undercarriage. I should note here that this is -according to vintage car collectors - especially important on concrete garage floors! Apparently concrete is constantly emitting some degree of moisture, ie. it never thoroughly dries out. So the plastic sheet acts as a moisture barrier. I seem to recall seeing plastic laying on concrete with condensation under it, so there must be something to this. I wonder how many Ferrari collectors found this out the hard way ;p
-something I don't need to do but you lower-48 types should think about: CRACK OPEN A WINDOW! In moister environments the interior will get cycles of condensation and then: MOLD - phewwww! Air need to be able to circulate thru the interior -an open box of new baking soda on the floor really helps here-
-VERMIN: again, too damn cold here, but when I had my RX stored in So.Cal for 6 months (outside on a farm, just a car cover) before I picked it up:
MICE & BIRDS (!really! - a whole nest on the battery tray!). The little rodent bastids had "just" started in on the wiring harness and mouse do-do everywhere. So: lots o' mothballs around the engine compartment. I'd be reluctant to use them inside the car because they are poison, after all - and you might be challenged to get the smell out...
I have done this for the past eight -30 degree winters of RX ownership and the RXs have always started on the first twist of the key! Bit o' smoke from the oil in the block for a minute or two, but never a fowled plug, etc.
Just remember to pull off all the winter seals before you crank
any other ideas?
Stu Aull
80GS Alaska
11-20-05, 09:47 PM
#2
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Hey Stu. Sounds like you go the whole nine yards. You don't miss much.
I do some of the same things. I went to Walmart and bought a cheap set of bedsheets, seved them together, and that's my car cover. I store in a barn, so mice are a problem. Last spring I had a mouse house in the inner fender, tangled in the wiper moter linkages. I had to open the whole cowl to get it out.
One thing I can think of for the interior, is to remove any paper product - especially kleenex or paper towel. If a mouse gets in the car, you can't believe the mess they make with that stuff.
The only other thing is that I pull the trailing plugs, and spray in marine fogging oil, and turn the engine over by hand.
I do this only before spring start up to both build compression and lubricate the apex seals.
Rob
I do some of the same things. I went to Walmart and bought a cheap set of bedsheets, seved them together, and that's my car cover. I store in a barn, so mice are a problem. Last spring I had a mouse house in the inner fender, tangled in the wiper moter linkages. I had to open the whole cowl to get it out.
One thing I can think of for the interior, is to remove any paper product - especially kleenex or paper towel. If a mouse gets in the car, you can't believe the mess they make with that stuff.
The only other thing is that I pull the trailing plugs, and spray in marine fogging oil, and turn the engine over by hand.
I do this only before spring start up to both build compression and lubricate the apex seals.
Rob
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