I will be storing my Stang over the winter season and this will be the first time I am doing so. The car will stored in heated garage, and covered. What things do I need to do so that it will NOT have problems come spring? I did pick up a couple of tips, but I don't know if there correct.

1) Put the car on jack stands.
2) Stabilize the fuel
3) Start it once a month


Can someone help me?

 

All the above sounds fine. I would also put a box of baking soda on the floor board. This will absorbs odors and moisture. Another neat trick to absorb moisture is to put container of moisture crystals inside. These are the same thing as those little packets that come in things like electronics, etc. You know the ones… They normally say "DO NOT EAT" on them. I save them and use them for things like storing cars etc.

Also, I'm not sure if you're in a rural area where mice could be a problem, but an easy and cheap deterrent is to put a few bars of "spring scented" bar soap in the interior of the car. They hate the smell! Placing the soap under the seats in a good bet, since they like to nest there. And finally a few moth ball just for any tiny creatures.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the tips!

 

Sorry to hear you have to do that, where do you live?

I don't think I could park it for the winter :bang:

 

LMAO.... In Minnesota... The winters are tuff here... I don't like my little pony to get cold..

 

I don't think you need to put your car on stands. That was done in the old days to prevent the tires from getting flat spots. For what I have been told, newer tires don't have a problem like the old ones. I'll just be putting some stabil in with the gas, disconnecting the battery and a few bags with mothballs under the hood and car to keep rodents away.

Several guys I know with mustangs store theirs every year that way and have had no issues.

Oh, and if you are using Stabil you do not need to start your car every month. Mine will be sitting for 5 to 6 months before she gets started again.

 

5-6 months? That's rough. Mine will probably be 5 at the most, and it's going to be hard.

Unfortunately mine will be outside under a carport.
I have a cover, and I'm going to use the tips here about mothballs and baking soda.

 

Ya, this will be the first time I have ever stored a car. I guess I will take advantage of the time by finishing the rest of my mods and unleashing the beast once it is all done.

 

Question about this....

I am storing mine as well over the winter...gonna be doing the same thing....change the oil....sta-bil, over inflate tires, car cover.

However im going to be renting storage space....

should I go for climate controlled or not....I have heard conflicting reports.

 

For what it's worth, starting your engine once a month is actually bad for it unless you are actually planning on taking it out and driving it. That is because you will be creating condensation and combustion byproducts in the oil.

Also, if you live in an area where there are cold winters, you don't need to worry about putting Stabil in the gas either. The best thing to do is to put it away with a full tank and not mess with it until spring. I store my bikes this way and don't have any problems. The reason for storing this way is because in an area such as Michigan which has cold winters, the gas will not break down (it is the freeze/that cycle which breaks the gas down quickly).

Keeping your tank full keeps water and condensation from building up on the inside of the tank.

Also, for motorcycles (and possibly for cars) it is a good idea to spray some fogging oil in through the spark plug holes to keep rust from forming while the vehicle sits.

 

I've wondered about the fogging oil. That was part of the reason I was going to start and run mine once a month. I wonder if the cylinders will even rust. I have my doubts really.

Looks like I might get lucky this winter and have a garage to put in for free! No more worries about a stupid carport!

 

I plan to cover mine and hookup a float charger to keep the battery charged and a full tank of 93 with Sta- Bil. Because its outside I will cover the tires also Float chargers are now on sale at Harbor Freight for less than ten bucks. By the way put the stabilizer in the tank before you fill it and it will go into both tanks.

 

Here is my checklist

1. Wash/Wax/Polish
2. Interior clean/detail
3. Change oil
4. Fill Gas tank with non-oxygenated fuel add Sta-Bil
5. put down tarp on floor of garage
6. Put carpet pices on 4 corners of tarp
7. Pull car battery and trickle charge once a month
8. put on car cover

Walk away till May 1st

 

Bring it down here to FL, I'll take good care of it this winter. j/k

Actually, being in the Navy on having gone on a couple of 6 month cruises, I've had a little experience with storing vehicles.

Stabil is good stuff, I'd use it as directed. I've put it in race bikes, then took the bike to the track, and it ran great at race speed for the entire tank of "6 month old Stabil'ized gas." Made me a believer. Not to mention everything fires right up on return, with no issues.

I wouldn't bother putting the car on jack stands if it's a concrete floor. I've never had a problem with tire rot or flat spots, and the way I drive, my tires don't last long anyway.

Actually, starting a vehicle for a short period of time is worse than just not starting it up at all. Not sure of the chemistry behind it, but during cold starts, this is where the most of engine wear occurs. So if you don't start it all, that's guaranteed less engine wear over the storing period. Also, starting it up only for a few minutes, there are acids that are produced that don't get a chance to get burned off at higher and longer operating temperatures. Kind of like driving your car for short distances every day is actually more wear and tear than a long drive where you build up to operating temp. These acids will build up, and eventually start causing more wear. Like I said, not sure about the chemistry here, but that's what I've heard.

A fresh oil change right before the storage is essential. There is always trace amounts of acid in used oil, so get it out of there before you store it. Changing the oil after the storage is a good idea as well. No telling if antifreeze, water, or gas as leaked by a gasket or seam somewhere, and in trace amounts, contaminated the oil. Likely? no. Possible? Yes, so store it with some cheap oil, and swap it out when you bring it out. Filter might be OK, not enough oil left in it to matter (might just take it off and pour the oil out), but I'd definitely change out the oil.

Now the battery. A battery not on charge... discharges. So the longer your batter sits, the more it discharges. A used motorcycle battery typically looses 1% of it's charge a day. To prevent this, I use a Battery Tender. It basically trickle charges the battery to keep it at full capacity. Also, batteries with full charges build up less deposits on the plates, and last longer. I have two Aprilia Mille's which have a notoriously weak charging system (stock alternater and battery), but I've kept mine on trickle charge for years with good results, while other Mille owners have to change out batteries and get stranded on trips often. In other words, the trickle charger seems to work, for me anyway.

Also, full gas tanks don't rust. From the inside, anyway.

Hope this helps

Disclaimer: Your results may vary, everybodies got one, IMHO, etc.