I am going on an internship this summer and will not be able to take my car with me. A friend has offered space in her garage for my car while she is gone on an internship too.
What do I need to do to prepare my car for storage and what should I do when I get back?
Thanks!
Fortunately for you, 12 weeks is not a long time to store a car.
Change the engine oil and filter.
If the battery is not a sealed battery, top off the battery fluid with distilled water. Regardless of whether the battery is sealed or not, put an automatic trickle charger on the battery or have your friend start the car once a week and run the engine for 10 or 15 minutes with all accessories turned off.
Inflate the tires to the maximum pressure (probably around 44 PSI) listed on the tire sidewall. Be sure to adjust tire pressure to 4 or 5 PSI over the pressure listed on the driver's door or glove box before driving again. This will prevent flat spots from developing on the tires.
Fill the gas tank and add Sta-Bil according to the directions on the can.
Make sure there is no food in the car.
Roll up the windows.
Place a bar of your favorite bath soap on the floor of the car somewhere to hide musty odors.
When you get back, check the tire pressure, remove the battery charger, put the bath soap in the bath, and enjoy getting behind the wheel again.
Can someone start it?
I always fill my tank to the top. This at least keeps the fuel pump submerged.
Ray said to place a bar of soap in the car, but I'll go hom one better.
Get some of your favorite dryer sheets. Put one on each floor section where you would put your feet, a couple in the trunk and a couple under the hood. If there's any chances of rodents getting to where your car is parked, this will keep them away from the car!
Just don't forget the ones under the hood when you get back!
Any harm done?
I think the battery would still gradually discharge, even if the battery leads are disconnected. I don't know if it would maintain a charge for that long. If the battery is left in a discharged state for too long, it will become sulfated and lose its ability to hold a charge.
If the car is going to be parked for a longer period, I would put the car on jack stands to get the tires off the ground as Viperkiller suggests, give the tires a good coating of protectant like Armor-All, wax the car, cover the engine air intake and cabin air intake so no critters get in, and change coolant, transmission, and differential fluids. The car still should be run occasionally to prevent damage to the AC system (the oil in the system needs to circulate to protect seals) and keep belts flexible.
This is beneficial because any acid in the oil typically floats to the top and will "eat away" at the metal. I would suggest to change the oil just before parking the car.
He suggested 10 to 15 mins to ensure that the car reaches operating temperature.
Keeping the car lifted of its tires while stored helps.
I would suggest to drive the car around for a while first to ensure the mixture gets to the fuel in the fuel lines and to the injectors.
I would also suggest to wash the car before hand to get rid of pollution from the paint. It's also highly recommended to wash the brake dust from the wheels. This is more aesthetic than anything else.
== Just suggestions: Batterystuff.com has a product called battery equalizer which I use in my 1977 Toyota truck which is often parked for long periods of time. You need a few charge and discharge cycles to activate it, but I am always amazed, (pleasantly) when the truck starter cranks over just fine after long storage. This vehicle has a carburetor and it takes quite a bit of cranking time to get the fuel up from the gas tank, but so far, it has worked every time and I often leave it parked for a couple months at a time. Lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer specifically mentions use for vehicles used very infrequently. Causes the oil to cling so it doesn't drain away resulting in a dry start until pressure builds. I use the synthetic version just to minimize oil leakdown past the valve guide seals.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have made notes of all of your suggestions. I am still hoping to find someone to come out and start her every week but summer schedules are pretty hectic among my friends.
"Ray O" proclaimed to alt.autos.toyota ...
Just a note, my celica stood for 10 weeks with the battery disconnected over winter (only ~0C to -5C)- battery shouldnt discharge much in that time with no drain. The little green tester buried in my battery was bright green still and mine fired right back up no problem. I did change the oil. The tyres had "flatspotted" but as soon as I drove 100 yards that had sorted itself out.
I personally don't like running the car in the drive- engines dont take kindly to being idled up to temperature, it takes a long time in comparison with driving it up to temp and this means more time with larger tolerances. However this does allow re-coating of the bores etc with oil which leaving it standing wouldnt do. That said, in the 10 weeks mine was without oil and water I had a peak inside her and all is still shiny and oiled in there.
J
Well, I park my Supra from December until (usually) April, and this year I started it once so far, a few weeks ago. 12 weeks isn't a lot to worry about, so if you can't find someone to start it, don't sweat it too much.
After all, it's a Toyota! ;)
I just got a new motor for my snowblower, the first new motor I have had for 30 years. My stepdad bought the last one and I never read the manual. This time I did.
It says, when storing the motor for the summer, to spray the cylinder with a spray oil, approx 1 ounce. Remove the plug and spray.
Now, if removing the plugs wasn't such a pain on the Supra, I'd do that, too!
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