Storage questions

[GTS Bruce]

First:I plan on putting the car up on blocks for the winter.Of course I will pump up the tires so they stay round.Can they be left on the car off the ground or does letting the suspension hang down with tires mounted damage the suspension as someone has told me. Second:There are various Fuel stabilizers that say if the engine has been run on treated fuel before shutdown that it is not necessary to do an engine fog.I know the stabilizer has been adequate on marine engines but how about a viper? Bruce

 

[jimandela]

Bruce,
I was just going to go with the owner's manual info.
put plastic down on the garage floor
put down sheets of plywood
park her on it and start her every other week.

I hope that this would be sufficient to make it thru the winter ??????

 

[Ron]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS">My personal opinion would be to NOT start it every week. The bulk of your wear occurs at startup. Why do it 16 to 20 times over the winter? The oil will be cold and you'll have to run it for 30 minutes or so to throughly warm it up, every week.

In a perfect world, you'd flush the brake fluid, check your antifreeze and windshield washer fluid, fill up the tank, add some fuel stabilizer, drive it up on carpet squares, fog the cylinders, hook up your battery tender, fill the tires to 40 psi, clean it inside and out, cover it and of course have plastic sheeting underneath to prevent condensation from forming on the frame. Leave the windows open a crack, leave the shifter in neutral and enjoy the winter. In the spring, pressurize the system with an oil accumulator like Sean Roe sells and be on your way.

I could be wrong, but it's how I do it, (though I don't have the oil accumulator yet).</FONT f>

 

[SapphireGTS]

If you want to jack it up. Why not jack it up at the suspension so the wheels are off the ground and the suspension is supported rather than jacking it up by the chassis.

Dont know if that would work.

 

[Richard K]

Don't forget to change your oil prior to putting her away for the Winter. The contaminants in the oil are corrosive and can damage your engine over long periods of time.

 

[Roland L-Ocala FL]

I follow the recommendations in the owners manual. Put the car up on carpet blocks, have the oil changed before storage, clean the car inside and out, cover it, put a trickle charger on it, inflate the tires to 40 psi, and really don't even use a fuel stabilizer, as the car is not away for all that long. (Mid-November to Mid or end of March, or about 4 1/2 months). I do start and run it just a few times during the winter when there is a thaw, and usually back it off the plywood blocks about 6 to 8 feet then drive it back up onto the blocks, (do this a few times to get the lubrication going in the tranny and rear end.) This has worked well for me so far. I do keep it in a heated (55 degrees) garage, so that helps with condensation not forming, and also run a dehumidifier all winter.

 

[jimandela]

what if the garage you have for storage has no heat or electric?
do you think the battery will hold charge for a 2 to 3 weeks?
then give it some charge by running her for 20 mins or so.
moving the car a few inches is a good idea...
thanks
JIM

 

[Ron]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS">If you set the alarm, (to confirm that doors, hood and hatch are properly closed) then de-arm it (to lower the power consumption), you should be OK for 2 to 3 weeks assuming that you're starting with a good battery and clean terminals. I'd still use a battery tender though. Cheap insurance and you can wire in the connector permanently so it's just a simple plug in without even opening the hood.</FONT f>