Ron
Enthusiast
For those new to Viper hibernation:
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As winter approaches, proper storage practices will insure that your Viper will be the same car you remembered it to be when you last drove it.
Engine and such…
If you’re due for an oil change, now is the time. Same for antifreeze. At minimum, verify it’s protection level. Brake and clutch fluid is another nice pre-winter maintenance item, especially if you’ve tracked the car recently or if it’s been more that two years since last flushed. Verify that your windshield washer fluid has suitable low temperature protection. Lastly and often overlooked is the battery tray. Corrosion runs rampant with a stock style battery and given that the tray is welded to your frame (GENII), keeping it clean and painted is cheap insurance. You’ll need to remove the left rear tire to gain access, but if you haven’t done it in a while, you’ll be surprised how bad it looks back there. Fuel should be topped off to minimize condensation and fuel stabilizer added then run /drive the car long enough to get the fuel stabilizer distributed throughout the system.
This isn’t to suggest that you should rebuild your car every fall, just that if these items are due, pre-storage is a great time to do it.
Body & interior
Wash, thoroughly dry and if possible Zaino the car prior to storage. Pay particular attention to the wheels as you do not want the corrosive brake dust eating your nice rims all winter. I highly recommend using a good quality car cover. Placing a clean cover over the clean body minimizes the risk of scratches. The interior should be vacuumed and all leather cleaned with a suitable cleaner / protector. Once cleaned, I leave both windows open a crack under the car cover to relieve pressure on the weatherstripping and to vent the interior, however if rodents are an issue, seal them up and place a few dehumidifying packages placed on plastic on the floor of the car. You can also place a small Styrofoam block under the wiper arms to keep the blades off the glass in order to extend their life.
Location & method
You’ll need to account for the characteristics of storage location, like the before mentioned rodent prevalence, moisture levels, access to electricity (for battery float charging) etc. Mice love stored cars and will find a way to get either inside of it or under the hood and then chew wiring, so a few well placed traps might be prudent if you’re storing in a location they’re known to inhabit.
Moisture is your enemy too, so putting a layer of plastic sheeting down and then parking the car over it will prevent the moisture that permeates the cement floor from condensing on your frame.
Your tires will flat spot if left in the same position over time. To minimize that occurrence, drive up over a tire sized pads of plywood, covered with a plastic door mat or remnant of old carpet. This in combination with inflating the tires to 44 PSI (or whatever the sidewall maximum is) will help the tires stay true.
Our Vipers will drain the battery rather quickly, sometimes within 2 weeks, even with the alarm off. If you have winter access to electricity, a Battery Tender brand charger or similar is mandatory. There are many “trickle” chargers out there, but over time a trickle charger will boil away your electrolyte, leaving you with a dead battery in the spring. The Battery Tender charger will not. I plug mine into a surge protector to isolate the car’s electrical system from the AC lines, just in case. I’ve also hard wired in the connector to the under hood positive jumper and frame ground in order to make the Battery Tender connection easy and fool proof.
If you do not have a tender or access to electricity you’re left with 2 options. Starting the car every 2 weeks or so (not recommended) or disconnecting the battery completely and periodically charging it manually.
Since the bulk of engine wear occurs at startup, I am of the belief that minimal over winter starting is best. If once every six weeks or so I get a particularly warm day, I start the car to recoat the cylinder walls and move fore and aft a bit to shift the tire position. Some really cold years though, I don’t start it at all. Do whatever feels right to you. If you do start it though, it’s important to let the engine fully warm up in order to evaporate any moisture that’s in the oil and exhaust system. No cold revving and watch the ambient temperatures if you’re using a thicker than stock oil (for example, higher viscosity than the factory fill 10W-30 Mobil 1).
I use my parking brake religiously therefore it’s always operable. If you use it infrequently, you might want to try it a few times to loosen it up prior to winter storage. Assuming the car is dry, using it over the winter should be no problem. If you prefer not to, be sure to securely block the wheels. I do not leave the car in gear over the winter because the rubber insulating boot underneath the leather shifter boot will take a set and make the first day or two of spring driving a bit odd as the set rubber resists as you shift into in any gear other than the one it was in all winter.
Winterization Checklist:
• Full fuel tank
• Gasoline stabilizer added
• 44 psi tire inflation pressure
• Plastic sheet completely under car
• Tires resting on plywood and carpet to minimize flat spots
• Fresh engine oil, possibly brake and clutch fluid too
• Engine antifreeze level verified
• Windshield washer antifreeze checked
• Clean interior and exterior, then cover
• Battery tray and battery terminals inspected and cleaned
• Battery Tender connected
• If needed, mouse traps and dehumidifier bags placed, otherwise windows opened slightly
Spring Checklist:
Don’t forget to adjust tires down to 29 PSI before driving and observe the inflation pressure prior to adjustment. Are they all tires equal or is one low? Could be a slow leak that’ll require watching.
***********************************************
As winter approaches, proper storage practices will insure that your Viper will be the same car you remembered it to be when you last drove it.
Engine and such…
If you’re due for an oil change, now is the time. Same for antifreeze. At minimum, verify it’s protection level. Brake and clutch fluid is another nice pre-winter maintenance item, especially if you’ve tracked the car recently or if it’s been more that two years since last flushed. Verify that your windshield washer fluid has suitable low temperature protection. Lastly and often overlooked is the battery tray. Corrosion runs rampant with a stock style battery and given that the tray is welded to your frame (GENII), keeping it clean and painted is cheap insurance. You’ll need to remove the left rear tire to gain access, but if you haven’t done it in a while, you’ll be surprised how bad it looks back there. Fuel should be topped off to minimize condensation and fuel stabilizer added then run /drive the car long enough to get the fuel stabilizer distributed throughout the system.
This isn’t to suggest that you should rebuild your car every fall, just that if these items are due, pre-storage is a great time to do it.
Body & interior
Wash, thoroughly dry and if possible Zaino the car prior to storage. Pay particular attention to the wheels as you do not want the corrosive brake dust eating your nice rims all winter. I highly recommend using a good quality car cover. Placing a clean cover over the clean body minimizes the risk of scratches. The interior should be vacuumed and all leather cleaned with a suitable cleaner / protector. Once cleaned, I leave both windows open a crack under the car cover to relieve pressure on the weatherstripping and to vent the interior, however if rodents are an issue, seal them up and place a few dehumidifying packages placed on plastic on the floor of the car. You can also place a small Styrofoam block under the wiper arms to keep the blades off the glass in order to extend their life.
Location & method
You’ll need to account for the characteristics of storage location, like the before mentioned rodent prevalence, moisture levels, access to electricity (for battery float charging) etc. Mice love stored cars and will find a way to get either inside of it or under the hood and then chew wiring, so a few well placed traps might be prudent if you’re storing in a location they’re known to inhabit.
Moisture is your enemy too, so putting a layer of plastic sheeting down and then parking the car over it will prevent the moisture that permeates the cement floor from condensing on your frame.
Your tires will flat spot if left in the same position over time. To minimize that occurrence, drive up over a tire sized pads of plywood, covered with a plastic door mat or remnant of old carpet. This in combination with inflating the tires to 44 PSI (or whatever the sidewall maximum is) will help the tires stay true.
Our Vipers will drain the battery rather quickly, sometimes within 2 weeks, even with the alarm off. If you have winter access to electricity, a Battery Tender brand charger or similar is mandatory. There are many “trickle” chargers out there, but over time a trickle charger will boil away your electrolyte, leaving you with a dead battery in the spring. The Battery Tender charger will not. I plug mine into a surge protector to isolate the car’s electrical system from the AC lines, just in case. I’ve also hard wired in the connector to the under hood positive jumper and frame ground in order to make the Battery Tender connection easy and fool proof.
If you do not have a tender or access to electricity you’re left with 2 options. Starting the car every 2 weeks or so (not recommended) or disconnecting the battery completely and periodically charging it manually.
Since the bulk of engine wear occurs at startup, I am of the belief that minimal over winter starting is best. If once every six weeks or so I get a particularly warm day, I start the car to recoat the cylinder walls and move fore and aft a bit to shift the tire position. Some really cold years though, I don’t start it at all. Do whatever feels right to you. If you do start it though, it’s important to let the engine fully warm up in order to evaporate any moisture that’s in the oil and exhaust system. No cold revving and watch the ambient temperatures if you’re using a thicker than stock oil (for example, higher viscosity than the factory fill 10W-30 Mobil 1).
I use my parking brake religiously therefore it’s always operable. If you use it infrequently, you might want to try it a few times to loosen it up prior to winter storage. Assuming the car is dry, using it over the winter should be no problem. If you prefer not to, be sure to securely block the wheels. I do not leave the car in gear over the winter because the rubber insulating boot underneath the leather shifter boot will take a set and make the first day or two of spring driving a bit odd as the set rubber resists as you shift into in any gear other than the one it was in all winter.
Winterization Checklist:
• Full fuel tank
• Gasoline stabilizer added
• 44 psi tire inflation pressure
• Plastic sheet completely under car
• Tires resting on plywood and carpet to minimize flat spots
• Fresh engine oil, possibly brake and clutch fluid too
• Engine antifreeze level verified
• Windshield washer antifreeze checked
• Clean interior and exterior, then cover
• Battery tray and battery terminals inspected and cleaned
• Battery Tender connected
• If needed, mouse traps and dehumidifier bags placed, otherwise windows opened slightly
Spring Checklist:
Don’t forget to adjust tires down to 29 PSI before driving and observe the inflation pressure prior to adjustment. Are they all tires equal or is one low? Could be a slow leak that’ll require watching.
(<-- year round here 
)
