Longterm storage advice?

[Zack]

I've got a high-mileage '90 Legacy AWD auto which I plan to use at my vacation cabin. This will entail storing the car for periods of up to 6 months in between the times I am using it. I've found a mini-storage facility at the nearest city with an airport where I can park the car outdoors for a reasonable price. It's an old car, and I'm not too concerned about its cosmetics but I do want to maintain its mechanical integrity.

 

Draining all fluids each time I store the car is out of the question. The owner of the mini-storage facility has agreed to start up the engine every two weeks. Would simply starting up the engine be sufficient, or would it also be important to actually drive the car around the block once in a while? (This could be difficult in the winter, since the area where the car would be parked could be covered in heavy snow.) Would getting some sort of cover or tarp be worthwhile, or would it end up doing more harm than good? Anything else I should do to minimize the chances of damaging the car?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Zack

1990 Legacy Wagon AWD auto 158,000 miles

[mtsmiths]

I wouldn't start it every two weeks, it will do more harm than good, unless it's run (driven) for several miles, which ain't gonna happen.

 

A cover is good only if it's a tight fit, and vented.

 

The best thing is: fill the tank with the highest octane gas you use. Change the oil before parking it, make sure all fluids are topped off. Air the tires up to a higher than normal pressure (this IS winter storage, yes?). Ideally, jack it up and block it, so the tires are not carrying the car's weight. Disconnect the battery. Plug the exhaust pipe (a duct tape wrap is fine).

 

If you take the battery out, make sure it is set on a wood block, and not the concrete floor or a grounded metal shelf. Have your storage guy charge the battery just before you come in, and if he has a preheater (like a salamender, or other fan driven device) warm it up before you are starting it on really cold days. If you are starting it in spring, don't worry about it.

 

Don't forget to unplug the exhaust before trying to start it. When you start driving it each season dump a cup or two of MMO into the gas tank, it will help drive any condensation rust out of the air-exposed internal parts of the engine.

[Tiny Clark]

You needn't start it, but I would do the following:

 

1. Change the oil before, or shortly after, you use it for the first time after the storage period. It would be nice to put oil in the cylinders before you store it. If it has a carb, you could start it up when cold, and pour a fine line of oil into the carb until it stalls.

 

2. Put a small bottle of StaBil in the gas tank to keep it from going bad.

 

3. Try to store it on cinder blocks if at all possible.

 

4. I would cover it, but try to keep the bottom open for air movement.

[cookie]

If you can get power to it a battery tender is great. I don't mean a big charger, just a tiny device designed to maintain a battery for long term storage.

[hooziewhatsit]

The best thing is: fill the tank with the highest octane gas you use.

 

 

I'll second that!!

 

I recently got a car that sat for at least 6 years with about a quarter tanks worth of gas in it. The sending gauge was rusted in one position, and there was rust all over the rest of it.

 

Fill it up until there's gas coming out the spout (well, right at the top). The stabil is a good idea also. You don't want to know what 6 year old gas looks like

[cookie]

equipment that was stored without stabil. That old gas smells awful, won't burn and clogs up everything in the fuel system. We used to call that condition varnish. With modern fuel injection most of the time you just have to throw clogged componants away. In the old days you could rebuild carbs and fuel pumps but it was still ugly.