psyco RX

ANY TIPS ON WINTER STORAGE??? I live in NE Ohio and just bought a 93 FD 50K miles, w PFS intercooler, PFS cold air induction, PFS SS exhaust and PFS turbo gauge and PFS on my brain!!! Any suggestions on best way to store my new bride for the long cooolllddd winter??

BrianK

a freind of mine used to rent a public storage garage for his MR2 in the winter... he would go down there and start it once a week to bring it up to operating temperature.

artguy

yup...

drive it down here to Laguna Beach and Ill let my girlfriend drive it

heheh...

just teasin...

you can keep it in my garage

artguy
94 modded peg

airborne

here's a good write up from rob robinette's old site. always check there first

Immediately Before Storage
1. Change the oil and replace or top-off all fluids.
2. Wash and wax the car, and clean the interior well (dirty cars are horrid in the Spring). I also remove the floor mats and scrub them well over winter.
3. Remove the battery from the car and put it on an auto-shutoff trickle charger throughout the entire storage period. Otherwise, the battery will not survive deep-discharging during winter. I put the battery cover and hold-down nuts in the trunk, so I can find them.
4. Remove the EGI fuse as a security measure, and put it in a safe place. The car will crank but not start with the EGI fuse removed.
5. Do not engage the parking brake because the pads can corrosively fuse to the rotors during storage leaving pad-shaped corroded patches on the rotors. Use wheel chocks or leave the car in gear.
6. Cover the car even if it is being stored indoors.
Note: Some recommend putting the car on jack stands to avoid "flat spots" on tires. Others have recommended reducing the air pressure in the tires for the same reason. While these can't hurt, I've never done either, and have never had a "flat spot" problem with a tire.
Removing the Car From Storage
1. Remove the car cover and replace the battery. Now you'll be happy you cleaned the car before storing it!
2 Check tire pressures and all fluid levels. Look for fluid spots under the car. Fluid loss during the winter points to a problem unrelated to storage. (For example, my water pump failed while in winter storage.)
3. Check for animal damage. One owner had animals eat through hoses during the winter, damage which his insurance company covered. I had a mouse nest on top of the throttle body.
4. With the EGI fuse removed so that the car will not start, crank the engine five to ten times to lube it well and wet all the internal engine parts with oil. I believe this is very important.
6. Replace the EGI fuse and start the car. Although I've had RX-7's start on the first try, it usually takes several attempts before starting, and it will typically stall a few times. I don't think any have gone more than 3-4 trys before starting. Don't push it. Once started, the engine will initially lumber at a low rpm. Let it. Don't race the engine; let it come up to speed all by itself.
7. Bring the engine up to operating temperature, and check for fluid losses again. Now you're ready to drive.
8. The brake rotors will corrode over winter. This is not a problem. The brakes will initially make a terrible noise, but the rotors will be smooth after just a few miles.
Good Luck
Ken Walanski

psyco RX

Thanks for the info Ken... I forgot about rob's site....Have you ever tried overinflating the tires to prevent flat spots....???

Oh, by the way ARTGUY, thanks for the offer. I'm sure your girlfriend would take good care of my baby!

JConn2299

My expericence has been that you don't have to do a whole hell of a lot, especially if it's in a garage where the temp doesn't go below freezing.

I bought my 95 new and never drive it in the winter, or when there's snow or salt on the roads. Here's what I do:

Change the oil if it has more than 1,000 miles on it.

Put Stabil in a full tank of gas.

Make sure the car is clean so old dead bugs don't damage the paint.

I start the car and run it for at least 20 mins. (the A/C too) every two to three weeks. If the driveway is clear, I'll also drive back and forth in the driveway a little bit to change the position of the tires. Put a strip of masking tape on the tires to make sure the tires are not in the same position when the car is re-parked.
I have never had a problem with flatspotting, or anything else in the 6 years I have been doing this.

In the spring I get rid of the old gas as quickly as possible, and put Techron fuel system cleaner in the tank at the next refill. It does seem to run better with the fresher gas, but I have had no fuel injector, or any other fuel related problems.

DefBringer

It's in the 90s outside! I hope you're not planning on storing it anytime soon.

psyco RX

Don't worry DefBringer she ain't goin' in yet!!! Just purchased this ride few days ago and am guarding it like a brand new baby cub. Just lookin' down the rode to figure out how i'm gonna' set her up for the winter hibernation. I had a 85 Rex earlier in my youth and have been dreamin' about a 3rd gen for some time. Now's the time!!!!! Yeeeaahhhh!!!!!

annarborman76

Someone once told me that if you don't start the car and run it about once a month the engine could be damaged? Is this true?

fast getaway

The biggest worry for my 93 is critters want to nest and eat everything . I use electronic mole repellers
both in the engine compartment and Interior and also under the car. Also place a Damp Rid container inside the car and around the storage area. I also take a few drops of castor oil and spread it around the engine compartment. This is bean oil not Castrol. Ibuy it at the drug store.....

Mr. Mahtab

RonKMiller

Acutally, this is the last thing you want to do........unless you
drive it for awhile and get it up to operating temperature - which cannot be done by letting it idle. Pull the fuel pump relay and run the engine until it stalls. A couple of onces of a quality two stroke oil squirted inside the engine with a turkey baster and hose in the leading spark plug holes does the trick to protect the INTERIOR of the engine during storage. Engine "foggers" are a waste of money. Replace the spark plugs and crank it a couple of times for a second or two. It will smoke like hell in the spring when you fire it up. What you are trying to do is prevent oxidation by coating the metal. An oil and coolant change are a must!
Stabil works great to preserve the gas in the tank if it's not full to the filler cap, other than that it won't do a thing. Keep the tires inflated to the recommended pressure and check them once a month. Pull the battery and trickle charge it gently - instead of buying an expensive "battery tender" buy a cheapo motorcycle charger (500ma) and put in on a lamp timer to turn on and off 1 hour a day. The battery will thank you in the spring for keeping it in a steady state - check the water level in the battery (if applicable) the same time you check the tire pressure - add distilled only to the max level.

(This advice, for what it's worth - and it ain't much! - is brought to you by the cheapest (I mean thriftiest) bastard on the forum)