Long winter storage
 

What should I do if I'm going to be leaving the 7 outside for the winter?

I'm taking all of the UIM/LIM/turbo off so should I shove an old towel into the ports or should I just cover them?...

and with fluids, should I top them up or drain it all off?

i am also curious for the non turbo models.

i don't know about the rest, don't drain it; rust will occur. Just flush and fill or just top it off.

i will be leaving my 7 out too. what should i do besides topping off?

I've posted storage procedures before, but I'll make a summary:

1. Engine. Start the engine and warm it up to normal operating temperature. Pull off the air filter, and begin spraying fogging oil (available at any automotive store) into the AFM/airbox. Start with a slight spray, gradually increasing the amount over about 3-5 minutes. Increase the amount of oil until the engine runs really rough for about 20 seconds, then spray in enough to stall it. This will coat the intake, throttle bodies and engine internals with a thick coating of protective oil. You will make HUGE amounts of smoke doing this. Now, let the engine cool while you change the oil. Change the coolant (after the engine is COLD). Pull each leading spark plug and give the internals a massive dose of fogging oil. Most fogging cans come with a long applicator, and you can use that to spray most of the inside of the engine if you rotate the eccentric slightly. Be careful NOT to get the applicator stuck in the engine. :)

2. If the brake fluid is older then a year, change it. It absorbs moisture over time.

3. Spray the underside of the car lightly with oil, especially the exhaust. The exhaust rusts amazingly fast when not in use.

4. Wash, wax and vacuum the car. Apply dash protector, and crack the windows slightly (about 1CM).

5. Pump the tires up to about 50 PSI, or raise the car on jack stands to keep the tires off the ground. Apply tire protectant.

6. Disconnect the battery and bring it inside where it is warm.

7. If storing inside, cover the car with a thick blanket. If storing outside, use a well secured breathable car cover.

Obviously, if the car is not operational, you can't run the engine. So you will need to fog through the spark plug holes and the intake ports. I generally apply duct tape to the orifices of unused engines. Towels absorb moisture, and make an excellant home for mouses. :)

That would be mice :)

If the car is staying outside, why not keep everything functional and try to drive the car once every other week?

Wow thank god I live in FL and I can actually drive my car during our winters....but hell what the hell am I talking about my engine is dead for now.....Lol

If you're driving it every other week, then that's not exactly "storage".

I have a simple way. Jack the car up and leave it in the air. Then every three days, go outside and start it. That's how I stored mine.

That's the wrong way. Because unless you drive the car for about 15 minutes or so at operating temp, all you're doing is building ever increasing amounts of moisture in the engine. You need to fully warm the engine to purge all the moisture that condenses on the metal parts. This is especially important during the cold weather.

That's also fairly bad for the battery, because it doesn't have time enough to recover (depending on how long you let it run) and will be constantly overcharged.

You need to either store it properly, or drive it. There really isn't an in between.

I have always stored my cars in this fashion, and have never had any storage related problems. In the spring, I air down the tires, put a battery in, and crank her over. Starts first try, ever time. Huge cloud of somke, then I drive easily for the next few days.

I just never understood that if the car is already outside, why not drive it every couple of weeks? To me, storage is a term for keeping a car inside in which case it should be left on stands, cleaned & covered, battery disconnected and fluids fresh.

Snow. Actually, more specifically, salt. That's why I stopped driving mine in the winter, because I saw what the salt was doing to the body. One of the reasons I bought an aluminium daily driver. :D

"One of the reasons I bought an aluminium daily driver. " yeah I just bought a 93 626 for my winterbeater/ daily driver.

Whats "fogging oil"? Do i ask for just that or will the guys at CTire look at me like im making shit up...?

True, I hear ya. I hit the self-serve car wash every so often on nice winter days to power wash underneath the car with some all wheel cleaner (more safe/less potent than powerful degreasers). Although not my daily driver (Galant VR4 for that), I still drive the FC every few weeks in the nasty months on the nicer days. I guess *some* rust is to be expected underneath a 16 yr old car but I'm pretty pleased whenever I get under there. My rails are pretty much spotless (1 small rust spot - planning on grinding down and undercoating) and elsewhere is very clean. All of the non-structural stuff is rusted (tow hooks and such) but overall it's very clean down there.

What I DO have are corroded fuel lines by the passenger rear wheel well which are getting replaced next week. I'm not sure if I should go with clean lines from a parts car or run -6AN all the way back...

"If the car is staying outside, why not keep everything functional and try to drive the car once every other week?" Aaron knows what I'm worried about. Salt on the roads out here is hell on cars. You can install a new exhaust one year then come the next you will have to replace something on it.

haha you said mouses!

ops, sorry you posted when I was replying.

Yep. The guys, at least the older guys, should know. Actually, it's on the shelf near the other sprays in the lubricants section.

You can buy stainless hard lines from most auto stores. They will be the same diameter of the stock lines, but you will need to bend them up yourself. Stainless = good. :)