So, what do you guys do to get ready for winter storage? Anything special need done to the car for hibernation? Fuel additives? Car covers? Lets hear your winter plan.
Winter Storage
- Thread starter RocketFoot
- Start date
Help Support 7173Mustangs.com:
Storage?? What Storage we drive them.Feel free to leave any mustang at my house for winter storage.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2010
- Messages
- 1,000
- Reaction score
- 11
- Location
- North Carolina
- My Car
- 1972 Mustang Sportsroof
2010 Mustang GT
lmao I think I have pics somewhere of me doing doughnuts in the snow
Snow here in L A is rare. That would be lower Alabama.
72HCODE
"My World is Fire and Blood"
So, what do you guys do to get ready for winter storage?
Anything special need done to the car for hibernation? Fuel additives? Car covers? Lets hear your winter plan.
-
I used to go out of my way for winter storage then i learned for short term storage going crazy is a waste.
Contrary to what i've heard Fuel stays stable for a long time if stored well. a long time being about 1-2 years.
If you plan on storing a car longer then 1 year then you need to get more involved. Typically you store the car over the winter which is maybe 4-5 months. I tend to drive the car up till the last possible day, the minute snow is down and the salt trucks out i'm parking it till the spring rains wash it all away.
First if you can give the car a good wash or wipe down with detailers spray, clean off all the garbage that is sitting on the paint.
next a Car cover is a must. Get a car cover you will be amazed how much junk settles on top of a car sitting for a few months.
fill up your tires with air. make sure you don't get a flat spot over the winter keep the tires maintained.
engine oil: well i usually change the oil around this time, just did, since the driving season is basically over for the year, once a year i like to change the oil inspect it for bad things, and change the filter (inspect that if possible).
its nice if you can start the motor every 1-2 weeks and try to give it a heat cycle and keep the engine lubed up. I ended up forgetting most of the time and just starting it once a month, cycle the starter for 30 seconds then pump the pedal to set the choke and start her up. let it warm up then shutdown.
A battery Maintainer is critical get one. i like to disconnect the battery also keeps the clock in the dash fresh, its good for safety also, if you have an old school acid battery you may want to take it out of the car for the winter just incase it starts to leak. I have a modern Gel cell in mine.
Fuel additives: i used them 1 year and stopped, i discovered they discolor the spark plugs and the additive can become ingrained in the ceramic, also for the short term storage its not needed.
Fill your tank up before you park it, its a good idea to get a nice fresh tank of gas and fill it all the way up, this way you reduce the amount of air in the tank and have a lower moisture content. then put the cap on it and seal it up, you will use a little bit of gas during the winter for maintenance but nothing to worry about.
Make sure you have good antifreeze in the rad, if your up north and your garage is not insulated and you've got water in your rad you may break the block. this happened to a friend of mine he parked the car for the winter forgot that he was running water in the rad with wetter water additive, and one very cold winter night, the block popped, he didn't find out until the end of winter when the temps came up and his coolant defrosted onto the garage floor
.
animals: well be aware if you have a mouse or rat issue these guys will cause untold damage to a car just sitting, its warm inside a car during the winter and there is plenty for them to naw on inside. some people jack the car up over the winter but this can cause problems with the shocks. you may want to bait the area around the car or setup traps around it. try to keep clutter away from the car being stored this would discourage little mammals from being around it and also prevent possible body damage from occurring when the Christmas light boxes all fall on the roof.
that is about it.
Clean it.
Cover the car.
Maintain the battery. maybe disconnect or remove it.
fill up the tank with fresh gas.
keep the tires full of air.
make sure your coolant system is good to -25 degrees.
cycle the engine every few weeks.
some people say to leave the windows rolled down slightly to prevent moisture build up inside, don't, spiders and all kinds of crap will get inside. get some moisture absorbing pads, and some nice scented pads and put them under the front seats then roll the windows up.
Anything special need done to the car for hibernation? Fuel additives? Car covers? Lets hear your winter plan.
-
I used to go out of my way for winter storage then i learned for short term storage going crazy is a waste.
Contrary to what i've heard Fuel stays stable for a long time if stored well. a long time being about 1-2 years.
If you plan on storing a car longer then 1 year then you need to get more involved. Typically you store the car over the winter which is maybe 4-5 months. I tend to drive the car up till the last possible day, the minute snow is down and the salt trucks out i'm parking it till the spring rains wash it all away.
First if you can give the car a good wash or wipe down with detailers spray, clean off all the garbage that is sitting on the paint.
next a Car cover is a must. Get a car cover you will be amazed how much junk settles on top of a car sitting for a few months.
fill up your tires with air. make sure you don't get a flat spot over the winter keep the tires maintained.
engine oil: well i usually change the oil around this time, just did, since the driving season is basically over for the year, once a year i like to change the oil inspect it for bad things, and change the filter (inspect that if possible).
its nice if you can start the motor every 1-2 weeks and try to give it a heat cycle and keep the engine lubed up. I ended up forgetting most of the time and just starting it once a month, cycle the starter for 30 seconds then pump the pedal to set the choke and start her up. let it warm up then shutdown.
A battery Maintainer is critical get one. i like to disconnect the battery also keeps the clock in the dash fresh, its good for safety also, if you have an old school acid battery you may want to take it out of the car for the winter just incase it starts to leak. I have a modern Gel cell in mine.
Fuel additives: i used them 1 year and stopped, i discovered they discolor the spark plugs and the additive can become ingrained in the ceramic, also for the short term storage its not needed.
Fill your tank up before you park it, its a good idea to get a nice fresh tank of gas and fill it all the way up, this way you reduce the amount of air in the tank and have a lower moisture content. then put the cap on it and seal it up, you will use a little bit of gas during the winter for maintenance but nothing to worry about.
Make sure you have good antifreeze in the rad, if your up north and your garage is not insulated and you've got water in your rad you may break the block. this happened to a friend of mine he parked the car for the winter forgot that he was running water in the rad with wetter water additive, and one very cold winter night, the block popped, he didn't find out until the end of winter when the temps came up and his coolant defrosted onto the garage floor
.animals: well be aware if you have a mouse or rat issue these guys will cause untold damage to a car just sitting, its warm inside a car during the winter and there is plenty for them to naw on inside. some people jack the car up over the winter but this can cause problems with the shocks. you may want to bait the area around the car or setup traps around it. try to keep clutter away from the car being stored this would discourage little mammals from being around it and also prevent possible body damage from occurring when the Christmas light boxes all fall on the roof.
that is about it.
Clean it.
Cover the car.
Maintain the battery. maybe disconnect or remove it.
fill up the tank with fresh gas.
keep the tires full of air.
make sure your coolant system is good to -25 degrees.
cycle the engine every few weeks.
some people say to leave the windows rolled down slightly to prevent moisture build up inside, don't, spiders and all kinds of crap will get inside. get some moisture absorbing pads, and some nice scented pads and put them under the front seats then roll the windows up.
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2010
- Messages
- 7,787
- Reaction score
- 313
Not sure on the mustang yet have not had that luxury. But on my Harley I fill the tank and start it every couple of weeks and have not had a problem yet. Well except I learned that I will never put Stabil in anything I own again. I used it on the motercycles 2 years ago and like to have never got them to start. Maybe someone else has had better luck with it buy for me it will never happen again. Went back to my original way last year they all fired right up.
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2010
- Messages
- 702
- Reaction score
- 109
- Location
- The OC (California)
- My Car
- 31 Model A Station Wagon “Woody”
69 Mach 1 - 351C
72 Mach 1 - 351C
96 Cobra Convertible
Storage? I agree in LA we don't worry about that unless you are talking about anti-theft storage--we do that every day. That would be Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama though.
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2010
- Messages
- 6,685
- Reaction score
- 386
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
- My Car
- 73 Convertible
Just a couple of things to add.
On filling the tank, put as much fuel in as possible at the station closest to your garage. Keeping oxygen off the fuel is critical. This will also prevent rust in the tank unless the fuel has a bunch of water in it. X2 on NO stabilizers they are mostly naptha which is lighter than gas and floats on the top keeping oxygen off the fuel. If you have a vented gas cap, seal the tank / cap. FWIW if you can find fuel without ethanol use it for storage (maybe premium?). Ethanol absorbs water and can cause rust and deteriorate rubber, plastic and aluminum.
To keep critters out of the car use dryer sheets and throw a couple of new ones in each month. They smell WAY better than mothballs and keep varmints out.
On filling the tank, put as much fuel in as possible at the station closest to your garage. Keeping oxygen off the fuel is critical. This will also prevent rust in the tank unless the fuel has a bunch of water in it. X2 on NO stabilizers they are mostly naptha which is lighter than gas and floats on the top keeping oxygen off the fuel. If you have a vented gas cap, seal the tank / cap. FWIW if you can find fuel without ethanol use it for storage (maybe premium?). Ethanol absorbs water and can cause rust and deteriorate rubber, plastic and aluminum.
To keep critters out of the car use dryer sheets and throw a couple of new ones in each month. They smell WAY better than mothballs and keep varmints out.
VegasFastback
Well-known member
Switch climate control to heat. Start car. Drive.:run_horse:
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2010
- Messages
- 7,787
- Reaction score
- 313
:dodgy: LOL There's one in every crowd
Haha, I'll drive it in cold weather, but snow and slush...not gonna happen! I spent way too much time under there cleaning and painting to get it splattered up! Haha! I don't even take it out in the rain (except for that one time that we got caught in a light sprinkle! That was bad. :s)
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2010
- Messages
- 1,000
- Reaction score
- 11
- Location
- North Carolina
- My Car
- 1972 Mustang Sportsroof
2010 Mustang GT
lol storage? winter is when things get fun!
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2010
- Messages
- 5,049
- Reaction score
- 3,107
- Location
- Killingworth, CT
- My Car
- 71 Mach 1
71 XR-7 hardtop
71 Country Squire
65 hardtop
71 Cougar in the snow...
LOL! Looks like fun! But do you have any idea how much salt and calcium PA lays down when it snows? That's what I don't want any of...haha!
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2010
- Messages
- 5,049
- Reaction score
- 3,107
- Location
- Killingworth, CT
- My Car
- 71 Mach 1
71 XR-7 hardtop
71 Country Squire
65 hardtop
CT isn't far behind. The Cougar looks a whole lot better than it actually was. There was about a gallon of POR-15 holding the rusty parts together and the shocktowers were heading in towards the engine.
It was a real fun car 'til some teenage ditz rearended me at a stoplight. It's okay though, I paid $500 for it and got a check for $2900 from her ins. co. and kept the car. Helped soothe my anger a bit....
bkelley
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2010
- Messages
- 140
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Las Vegas, NV
- My Car
- 1973 Mustang Mach 1
• 351C-4V "Q-Code"
• Cammed, Hooker Longtubes, Edelbrock Manifold, Holley 600CFM, Glasspacks, Unknown Gears
• C4 Auto
Winter means the weather is actually nice enough to start working on my car haha.
Similar threads
