Gonna sit for 5 months! :-(
 

Hello all! I will be leaving my 1991 rx7 convertible sit for 5 months. What are all of the things that I can do to insure that it doesn't mess up seals, break down engine, flood, mess up the car? Any and all suggestions are welcome!!! Plus- I have an HKS intake that has a tube from the intake to the thing that has a belt around it for air....? Anyway- that tube broke off... and my car wouldn't idle... but then it would after it cooled down .... anyway... i'm trying to install apexi, but don't know how to convert? Thanks!!! If you want to email me directly let me know JQ23@hotmail.com

Justin Egli

My '91 Coupe has been sitting for about 7 months now, since losing compression in the rear rotor in January. Five months really isn't all that long, so I don't think any special precautions need to be taken. Before starting it up again though, I'd change the oil and filter. Oh, and don't leave too much gas in the tank (I think that's the rule?!). Also, block the wheels and don't set the parking brake.

Yeah..leave the parking brake off...it will warp your rotors if you leave it sitting that long with it on. It did it to my dads car. Also..you can get some fuel stabilizer at your local auto parts store to put in your tank. it will help keep water out of the tank from moisture buildup.

Is there no one that can go and atleast start it a couple times a month...just to let it run for a good 15 minutes?

Absolutely not. That's one of the worst things you can do to a car in storage. Not bringing the car to operating temperature builds moisture up in the engine, causing corrosion.

I've posted the proper steps to store a car several times, but here's a quick rundown:

Put the recommended amount of fuel stabilizer in the tank. Go for adrive to get the car good and hot, then change the oil. While the engine is cooling, give the car a good wash and wax job. Vacuum the interior, and place moth balls at all 4 corners to keep mice away. If you have leather, apply protectant. Pump up the tires to 50 LBs (keeps them from flat spotting). Back to the engine. Change coolant. Get some fogging oil and liberally spray into the leading spark plug holes. Rotate the engine by hand and repeat 2 more times. Put the plugs back in. Disconnect the battery and take it into the house. Plug the intake with a cloth (keeps rodents out). Store the car in a ventilated, protected area. Crack the windows slightly, and put a heavy blanket over the entire car to protect it.

If you change the oil and coolant, you should run the engine again so that all the cavities are full, should you not?

[QUOTE=Aaron Cake]Absolutely not. That's one of the worst things you can do to a car in storage. Not bringing the car to operating temperature builds moisture up in the engine, causing corrosion.[QUOTE]

wha...huh?!

15 minutes is PLENTY long enough for the car to get up to full operating temperature.

what are you talking about?

At highway speeds, maybe. But it is still not long enough to burn off the condensation. Just idling it for 15 minutes will never allow it to reach a temp hot enough to control condensation, and it certainly isn't a long enough period of operation. Look at any RX-7 used mainly for short trips and you will find white sludge and rust in the oil filler neck. That's the result of condensation forming over many short starts.

These are well accepted facts that apply to ANY car storage. The fact that you should start it every few weeks and let it run is a myth. Talk to anyone who routinely takes cars out of storage and they'll tell you the exact same thing.

You can't find anyone to drive it around once a week or so for a bit?

So what you are saying here...is that my "recommendation" for 5 months of storage is NO different than what almost EVERY car is used for. A bunch of short trips.

So how is it that using my recommendation for 5 months...is ANY different, than if someone actually used it for those 5 months for a bunch of short trips (which I say again..is what most ALL cars are used for)?!

You see what Im saying?

I could agree with you if the car in question was ONLY used for long distance trips....but most ALL cars on the planet are NOT used for that purpose.

Bottom line..is that storing a car for 5 months and starting it even once a week and letting it run for 15 minutes or so wont hurt the car.

Again, if the car is properly stored, you shouldn't have to do this.

Huge difference. Your short warmup periods are seperated by long periods of sitting. This causes a cumulative effect, so the condensation builds and builds. At least lots of short trips do go about halfway to venting it all.

I really don't want to argue here, but you're wrong. I deal with this stuff every day, and have stored my RX-7 every winter since 2001. My winter beater RX-7 was stored in the summer.

Don't take my word for it. Here are some articles:

http://autorepair.about.com/od/carcare/a/storecar.htm
http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/storing.html

There are still some articles out there that continue the myth that you should start the engine, run it for 10 minutes, and run it through the gears. However, if you talk to ANY classic car shop worth talking to, they will set you straight.

I'm not making this stuff up.

Aaron knows what he is talking about and I agree with his recommendations.

I see what you are saying here and understand what you mean.

I wasnt trying to argue...just trying to get to the bottom of your logic..that's all.

Thank you for informing me of this. ;)

you might also want to consider putting your car up on jackstands to take the weight off the suspension which will also prevent flat spots on yoour tires. and if you cant raise the car up then at least inflate your tires to about 50-60psi to prevent the flatspotting which is what manufactureres do when shipping their cars to prevent flat spots in the tires when shipping new cars.

I think I remember that extending the shocks like that are bad for them. Besides, when does a car *ever* have it's weight taken off the suspension?

what do you do about premix?

> What if we have someone who can look after the car while we're away? What should that person do? Just fire her up twice, three times a week and drive it around the block and beyond for a bit? And what if the car runs on premix, any special considerations? I'm asking this because I'm leaving my TII with a buddy of mine for atleast 7 months while I rotate over to the SandBox. I'm mainly worried about him driving it around because of insurance and liability issues, and I don't really wanna force him to store it at his shop or garage at his house (I live in an apartment).

See this page:

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/storage.htm

If the car is driven a few times a week and brought fully to operating temperature (driven for at least half an hour to 45 minutes) then you probably don't have to actually store it.

Sat for Four months
 

OK, my '90 Convert sat for 4 months, and doesn't want to start.

I topped off the tank back in December, added gas stabilizer and put it up on blocks to prevent flat spots on the tires. Battery back in the car, and trickle charged it for three days. It looks like the chipmunks stripped some of the under hood insulation, but other than that, things look quiet. I messed around with it for an hour or so, but the car doesn't want to turn over. Plenty of power, and it cranks like there is no tomorrow. I sprayed starting fluid in the air intake, but no such luck. I haven't pumped the gas, so I am pretty sure it is not flooded.

Any suggestions as to where to start the troubleshooting? The car passed emissions testing back in October, and has not given me any starting problems previously. I am the second owner, and the car has less than 90K on it. I'm just getting started with this thing, but by no means am I a mechanic!

Thanks in advance,

Svenman

I keep my car in storage every winter. All I do is tape up all the little nicks and cranies, pull the battery, and make sure theres a full tank of gas. Ive been doin' that for 7 years now and the car starts right up come spring. BTW, plug the tailpipes this will keep all little rodents outta the car. Leave the e-brake off.

> Thanks a plenty Mr. Cake. I'm no longer worried about the insurance/liability issues since I'll be including him in my pre-deployment power of attorney statement. As long as he doesn't get in a wreck, or get hassled by cops too much, it's all good. At the minimum, how many times should my buddy drive it around town for in a week?

Once a week is fine as long as the car gets up to full operating temperature.