Winterizing Techniques

[72targa]

Even though I'm in California, I'm interested in hearing about other's winterizing techniques for our cars that tend to only see summer miles.

[72targa]

Bump...

No recommendations? It hit the high 20's last night in my neighborhood east of San Francisco.

[rzepko6194]

Add fuel stabilizer to a full tank of gas. Run the engine a few minutes to distribute it throughout the fuel system.

Change the oil and filter.

Pump up the tires to their max pressure recommendation.

Wash and wax car. Clean interior.

Cover exhaust and intake to keep vermin out.

Remove the battery and keep it on trickle charge.

Do not start the car and let it just idle every once in awhile! If you can't drive it up to operating temperature, don't bother to start it.

JP

1987 Carrera Targa

1972 911S Targa?? (hopefully)

[RandyWebb]

search Pelican for my name + grady clay + winter etc.

ton of posts & I think we got it all worked out...

[hoffman912]

1st.. always store in garage.. if not find an in door car storage place! (if in cali it makes sense too.. elements like sun, rain (when you get it), vermin, kids, dogs.. bird ****..)

Wash car, Wax car if possible and if temperatures permit. make sure to drive afterwords to completely dry it ioff (ie air dry stuff like underneath and areas towl cant get to)

Fill tank with fuel not too far from home and add fuel stabilizer at the gas station if car is going to sit more than 3 months. Adding stabilizer at the gas station allows the stabilizer to work through the fuel lines completely.

make sure to cover any open ports so critters dont go in and bed... ie stuff a sock in the exhaust.

also strategically placed moth balls underneath the car helps keep critters away.

other things you can you is to close the doors.. but dont shut them all the way.. ie keeps the door and trunk seals from crushing as much (ie.. makes em last longer).

dont set the parking brake.

Leave car in neutral (manual transmission cars). Insure that the transmission is not holding the car in place. chawk the tires to keep it from rolling

add 10 psi more than usual to the tires


do NOT start the car periodically over the storage period. Starting the car during the winter months and letting it idle builds condensation. Idling never gets the car to operating temperature to burn off condensation.


Drive the car onto plastic in storage area to keep condensation from forming on the underside of car from warm winter or spring days. This is important if you store your car on a concrete, stone or dirt surface.

remove batterey from car COMPLETELY... dont let it sit and leak and cause rust.. place batterey on wood in garage or basement or wherever)

change oil before storing. This way you get rid of all of the nasties that have accumulated in the oil since your last oil change (acids, unburnt fuel, burned oil...etc).

covering the car will trap any condensation.... so i usually dont. just use a california duster to wipe dust of when you take it back out of storage..

you can get a car bubble.. works wonders and will help big time. (ie air circulates inside bubble to keep dry, and bubble protects from outside stuiff.)

you can also get big silica gell packets to keep things dry on the inside. put one on driver floor, passenger floor, and rar floors.

empty out windshield washer resivouior... (excuse me i cant spell.. )

bleed brakes (get condensation and moisture out of line so it wont rust..)

the list goes on.. depends if youre a paranoid and compulsive freak like me.. or if you dont care and just wanna dump it in the garage til next spring.

make a list of all thigs you do so you can remember what to undo when you bring it out of storage

storing your car is important, but i honestly feel the most important part of the procedure is awaking it after the long winters nap.


what to do when awaking barbarosa...

undo all of the above.

recharge air filter, adjust valves, check air preassue, recharge batterey.. full tune up basically,

when starting 1st time disconnect coil then crank to build oil psi.. when have preassure connect coil and start.

finish doing full tune up. bleed brakes again (same reason and to have good fresh fluid in there), change brake fluid. change gear box fluid (should be done about ever 10k.. i do the begining of every year as i usually drive more than 10k a year)

and clean everything.


anyone wanna add to my insane list? please feel free to do so if i missed anything

btw.. if you wanna go really nuts you can 'pickle' the engine. but if yure storing for only a few mos it may be extreme.


Harry "from the frozen tundra of Ohio" Hoffman

[gruen911]

My car has its own little unheated garage during the winter months. I am simply planning to fire it up and drive it at least once every week or two, as long as there are no raging blizzards outside, and the weather and streets are fairly dry. Is there any reason I am better off putting the car into extended hibernation rather than drive it every week or two? I have assumed the best thing to do for the car is drive it occassionally, or?

[HarryD]

My car has its own little unheated garage during the winter months. I am simply planning to fire it up and drive it at least once every week or two, as long as there are no raging blizzards outside, and the weather and streets are fairly dry. Is there any reason I am better off putting the car into extended hibernation rather than drive it every week or two? I have assumed the best thing to do for the car is drive it occassionally, or?

That's what I do. About hte only thing I avoid is driving after a snow storm until we had a few good rains to wash the "deicer" from the roads. While it is not salt, it does contain formic acid which can cause rust as well.

[hoffman912]

as long as you really drive it and it warms up it should be fine.. the problem with just letting it idle a bit and turning it off is that it collects condensation and doesnt warm up enough to let condensation evapoarte..


now like Harry D said, the only prob with driving it in the winter.. even if its not snowing at that time is after salt or what have you, has been put on the pavements, its still there til the spring rains wash it away.. ie.. gotta worry about rust.

if they salt thr roads, make sure no salt/salt residue left over stuff is left when you go for a drive.

i just park it, and forget about driving it. what i do during the winter are different projects.. ie.. bought fog light hole covers on ebay stripped and painted em in the basemnt, restored a set of headlights in the basement, modified horn grills to fit ttg fog lights, repainted my engine sheet metal, as well as some other stuff. (luckily im not married and live alone.. so i can do crazy stuff like paint in the basement and then use my kitchn oven to dry stuff.. just be careful about the fumes.. hahahahahah)

a few examples..





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[72targa]

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