Anybody put their car away for the winter? I plan to but I'm not too sure what I should do? Unfortunately I do not have a garage so It'll going in my back yard. Do I disconnect the battery? Should I change the oil now or in the Spring? Do I put more pressure in the tires & park it on planks of wood? Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

Parking on ground? I'm not sure. If there is grass, it'll attract moisture and speed along rust. I usually park on a hard surface I.e. concrete or try a 4x8 sheet of plywood or a big chunk of linoleum. Mechanical wise; disconnect the battery or leave a battery tender on it, put gas stabil in the fuel, if its carburated fog the carb also, either jack all 4 wheels up off the ground or deflate the tires about 20lbs each so they won't get flat spots. Get some moth ***** and put them under the car and lay some around the engine bay and put some on your intake - to keep the critters from nesting and munching on your wiring. Change the oil in the springtime. Cover the car. When you go to start it in the spring, make sure the battery is fully charged and disconnect your coil, then crank the engine withe the coil disconnected, until your oil pressure gauge starts registering some psi's. Hook up the coil and start the car. You do this because if you just started the car after sitting however long all the oil would be in the pan and not lubricating the top end and you want those parts lubricated when you start it. I used to cover mine with a thin "dust cover" and then an extra large tarp. I would get the tarp to stay by placing gallon jugs almost full of water around the base, all the way around. When winter came it would freeze the jugs in place so they would move. In spring after the thaw i'd remove them and throw them away. Worked great for many michigan winters! Then I got a house withe a garage - much easier!

 

Great info! Exactly what I was looking to find out. Thank you Aaron.

 

No problem! Happy I could help.

 

Can I vote for this to be a sticky??

I thank you for the advice too, although I have a garage, I'll still use the same tips.

(oh ya, and make sure the Rad has coolant, not water)

 

Is it a good idea to top off the fuel tank?

 

Some say yes some say no, I never have. An argument for yes is this; if you don't rust can form on the exposed walls of the tank, caused by condensation - theoretically. I just put stabil in the remaining fuel and run it for a bit to circulate through. Never had a tank on any of my mustangs rust out. Now on my winter cars......... that's another story!

 

Will deflating the tires down to around 15 psi really save the tires from getting flat spots? This sounds like an easier alternative than buying a lift and some jack stands. It's completely idiot proof

 

Yes, yes it will. I switch back to my factory wheels to store the car in the winter but I deflate my motorcycle tires every winter to store that and have never had a flat spot.

 

And the sidewalls don't crack?

 

It gets waaay below freezing here, can I leave my battery in the car (in garage), or do I bring it in the house?

 

Wher you at? I'm in MI and I don't bring my battery inside, never have. I just unhook it and hook up a trickle charger once or twice over the winter.

 

I store mine in my garage but one thing that needs to be done is to start the car till it reaches operating temp about once every other week. This will keep the seals in the engine swollen instead if drying out and reduce moisture in the crankcase. I personally change my oil prior to storage and change before taking it back on the road. Also go and get yourself some Damp-rid. This is a dehumidification chemical usually in a self contained system available at most stores. It will keep your interior fresh and because it is outside you will have a higher moisture intrusion than a garage guy. IMHO I would not just leave the car with deflated tires, but would get it up on stands. You could also use 2 set of car ramps.

 

I havent started mine in 3 years. I went to start it the other day and got it running and huge clouds of black smoke coming from tailpipes.