It’s inevitable

E-TownC8 said:
Best winter storage practices, and why, as a Mechanical Engineer, car guy, and former fuels quality assurance specialist for one of the major Canadian oil companies:
Fuel tank: try to run your tank down a bit, then fill it up, with a shot of fuel stabilizer - e.g. "Sta-bil". The fresh gas and stabilizer will minimize the chance of gum, sediment and varnish formation in the fuel. A full tank reduces the breathing space in the tank, which helps reduce condensation and fuel degradation.
Oil: If your not due for an oil change by km, it's your choice, spring or fall - and as has been mentioned, you can reset or ignore the oil life indicator - winter storage only counts if you change your oil once/year and you don't put enough miles on it to hit the the oil change interval by mileage.
Tires: Avoid flat-spotting by putting it up on blocks, or use tire savers. I want to move my car around during the winter without starting it, so I use wheel dollies, and I bought a bunch of interlocking foam panels, like you use in a home exercise room - I cut them up into pieces that form about a 2" thick, evenly curved layer between the tire and the dolly - that gives me lots of surface area - same idea as tire savers.
Rodent Management: I have the luxury of a heated, rodent-free attached garage, but God forbid, if I was storing my car outside, or in an unheated garage which could have mice, I would definitely put out some poison bait boxes in the garage, under the car and a couple inside the car.
Battery: Again, since I have a heated garage, I don't pull the battery, just leave a tender on it all winter. If I was leaving it in an unheated garage, I would pull the battery and put it on a tender - BUT DON'T PUT IT ON A CONCRETE FLOOR - that will wreck the battery - sorry I don't have the science on why that is. Ideal battery storage temperature is 15-20C. I know some of this is contrary to our local spelling champ Mr. Godabitibi, but I usually get 7+ years out of my batteries, and it gets a lot colder in Edmonton than Ottawa. (But he is right that you want to keep the battery fully charged, and batteries don't last as long in hot climates)
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Great post. Are there any chemicals in fuel stabilizer that are on the list of things that GM say not to put in the tank? I can’t pronounce most of them let alone know what they are. And as for leaving a battery on a concrete floor that no longer applies with modern battery technology. Mainly due to the battery casing being totally impervious to moisture. If the floor is cool it’s actually a benefit. From Perplexity AI …..
Yes, you can store a car battery on a concrete floor. Modern batteries are encased in durable plastic, which prevents moisture absorption and degradation that older batteries faced when placed on concrete. The myth that concrete causes batteries to discharge faster originated from older battery designs made of porous materials. In fact, storing batteries on concrete can help maintain a cooler temperature, reducing self-discharge rates. Just ensure the battery is clean to avoid any potential surface discharge from dirt or grime.
 
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E-TownC8 said:
Sorry for making fun of your spelling. News to me, but you're right, modern batteries are OK to store on a concrete floor - old habits die hard, I guess. In our climate, I'm still not a fan of leaving batteries in cars over the winter at -30-40C - too many dead batteries and cars that won't start around here in our winter conditions.
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I feel your pain. I just can’t feel my toes…. ;)
 
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Wow.... This discussion took off.... For what It's worth and my engineering degree is worth little, I have a 1999 Ford Diesel F250 that had it's first battery change in 2013. Also have a 2007 CanAm 650 ATV that had it's first battery change in 2021. My 2009 skid steer got it's first battery change in 2021. My 2015 C7 Corvette has it's original battery that still works fine....
Now.... I'm not an electrical genius like some of you but I know what works for me. My batteries stay in my vehicles year round and when not being used, every one of them are connected to their own battery battery maintainers (tenders). And by the way, Alberta temps tend to get nasty during periods through the winter months.
 
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Michigan winter storage, I know what I'm taking about !


Winter.jpg
 
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Rruuff Day said:
Wow.... This discussion took off.... For what It's worth and my engineering degree is worth little, I have a 1999 Ford Diesel F250 that had it's first battery change in 2013. Also have a 2007 CanAm 650 ATV that had it's first battery change in 2021. My 2009 skid steer got it's first battery change in 2021. My 2015 C7 Corvette has it's original battery that still works fine....
Now.... I'm not an electrical genius like some of you but I know what works for me. My batteries stay in my vehicles year round and when not being used, every one of them are connected to their own battery battery maintainers (tenders). And by the way, Alberta temps tend to get nasty during periods through the winter months.
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I never had a summer only car until my Camaro so I just drove my cars all winter.
I never had a maintainer, just a trickle charger, so when I got the Camaro I'd put it on the trickle charger once a month. Funny, I never gave it any thought so when I moved up here and had to winter my car outside away from power, I just did what others suggested and brought the battery inside. Now I know better. "Think first" lol
Not everyone knows what's best.
 
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On another subject of winter storage.
One year when I had to part one of the Camaro's outside in the elements I had 2 covers on it and left the windows closed. It sat for months covered in snow. In the spring when it was time to uncover the car and get it on the road, the dash had some kind of stain on the inside. Presumably from humidity inside the gauge cluster. Not sure if it was because the car was parked and covered in a humid condition or not, but it's something to consider when storing a car.
 
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Murray20c8 said:
I never had a summer only car until my Camaro so I just drove my cars all winter.
I never had a maintainer, just a trickle charger, so when I got the Camaro I'd put it on the trickle charger once a month. Funny, I never gave it any thought so when I moved up here and had to winter my car outside away from power, I just did what others suggested and brought the battery inside. Now I know better. "Think first" lol
Not everyone knows what's best.
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Agree. There are very few of us.... :Biggrin: ;)
 
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E-TownC8 said:
Sorry for making fun of your spelling. News to me, but you're right, modern batteries are OK to store on a concrete floor - old habits die hard, I guess. In our climate, I'm still not a fan of leaving batteries in cars over the winter at -30-40C - too many dead batteries and cars that won't start around here in our winter conditions.
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Can you tell me what's wrong with my speĺling ? Toot many mistakes ? I noticed that I wrote ENNEMY with 2 N But I corrected those that I saw.
 
Murray20c8 said:
On another subject of winter storage.
One year when I had to part one of the Camaro's outside in the elements I had 2 covers on it and left the windows closed. It sat for months covered in snow. In the spring when it was time to uncover the car and get it on the road, the dash had some kind of stain on the inside. Presumably from humidity inside the gauge cluster. Not sure if it was because the car was parked and covered in a humid condition or not, but it's something to consider when storing a car.
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I’m going to put a couple of these in the cabin for storage. Can’t hurt.
 
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1st Vette said:
Because mine is stored for 6 months or so I pull the battery out because I don’t use heated storage.
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Do you have access to 120V plug where you store it.
No need to pull battery in cold conditions when battery is fully charged and maintained.

Battery electrolyte does not freeze until -60°C/-76°F but then again you are in the NWT.
 
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HappyCamper said:
Do you have access to 120V plug where you store it.
No need to pull battery in cold conditions when battery is fully charged and maintained.

Battery electrolyte does not freeze until -60°C/-76°F but then again you are in the NWT.
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Yes I do as I’m storing it at home. I will have it on a battery maintainer although at -40 it won’t be doing much. We seldom get below-45c ambient so not so bad :p . My storage is unheated but out of the weather and we have very low humidity all winter and I will put two 500 gram desiccant bags in it just because.
 
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