Winter Storage Tips

[Keith Tedford]

From our cottage experience, mothballs are useless and stink. It took half the summer to get the smell out of the cars too. Once we started using Bounce dryer sheets, zero mouse problem over many years. I leave a few fresh ones under the car seats during the summer. Cheap insurance. I like to change the oil last thing in the fall, get the engine to full running temperature then put the car away and don't start it again until spring. I like the idea of fresh oil on all the bearings when the car sits that long. I took an engine apart that had been sitting for several years. The cylinder walls were dry but the bearing were well oiled. It didn't drain off. I have a furnace in my garage and keep it on through the damp fall and spring weather and leave it off during the below freezing winter. This helps control surface rust.

 

[williame3590]

I do the same Keith although where I store mine there is no heat. The key is air circulation, turbine roof vents, ceiling fan whatever works. When I bring her out in the spring there is ZERO rust on the rotors which is the first sign of dampness.
We are currently looking for storage local to us in Caledonia for the new Mustang GT. Looked at a couple places but they were definately damp.
Getting back to the dryer sheets I put them everywhere, interior, trunk, engine bay, under the car, on top of the wheels and a few on the cover.
I always remove the battery and bring it home to my heated shop charging it once a month on trickle. Add gas stabilizer as well to generally half a tank or so.
That's it.........then the withdrawls kick in!

Bill

 

[buckhorn76]

after adding stabilizer make sure you run the engine for 10 minutes or so to ensure stabilized fuel is in the entire system.

 

[2009CGMZR1]

it is 45 days too early to be talking about winter storage.... haha.... +34 tomorrow.... shhh...... lock this topic till mid sept

 

[smackYYZ]

Mine stays in a heated garage which is nice.

I also do the Bounce sheets and gas stabilizer. Hook up the battery maintainer. I also put heavy duty plastic down on the ground under the tires to keep the concrete floor ( unsealed ) from leeching chems into the tire and to avoid any possibility of dry rot.
Also to keep the mice out of the exhaust, I put beer cans in each pipe, just slide in nice on mine. And I just use the shipping cover to cover her up for the winter.