Vehicle Storage

[BlueOvalFitter]

On April 4th I had ankle fusion surgery on my right ankle. I knew I was not going to be able to drive my truck for at least 3 months, minimum. So, I added 5 oz. of this product to a full tank of gas. (26 gallons)

http://www.sta-bil360.com/

I have never had to store a vehicle for this long of a period of time. I gave my keys to my cousin and asked him to start my truck at least once a week and let it run until it reaches operating temperature. Q?'s; Should I have him drive it every other startup cycle or just run the trans through the gears? (Automatic trans.) Anything else in particular that I should have him do?
Thanx.

 

[Nick1994]

3 months really isn't long, I'd have him take it for a spin once a month for 20 minutes or so, if that.

Good luck on recovery!

 

[AKhan87]

I have a similar question, my 00 celica gts will be stored from 4-9 months at a time in a garage while me & my wife move away for her pharmacy college. Anything special I should do? I have no intention of leaving my car keys with the family as they will take it out for a spin whenever they want...so anything special I should be looking into doing?

should i leave it there on an almost empty gas tank? 2-3 gallons? or a full tank of gas? I'm sure the Engine Oil & ATF will be fine, but other lubricants and gas or even tires...I'm not sure of.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Just park it and leave it be for the 3 months while you are recuperating. Being parked 3 months won't hurt a thing, and doesn't require any special hoops to jump through.

I personally wouldn't even start it up during that time unless it's going to actually be used. Just starting it and letting it run is a complete waste of gas and time.

 

[LotI]

Fill the tank (ethanol free if available)and add Stabil. Run it for 15 min to get circulated and burn off condensation. Throw a battery tender on the battery to keep it happy and you should be fine. Depending on the tires, you could think about putting it on jackstands.

When you get back it will be ready to drive after topping up the tires, after 9 mos they'll be low.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: LotI
Fill the tank (ethanol free if available)and add Stabil. Run it for 15 min to get circulated and burn off condensation. Throw a battery tender on the battery to keep it happy and you should be fine. Depending on the tires, you could think about putting it on jackstands.

When you get back it will be ready to drive after topping up the tires, after 9 mos they'll be low.



What is a Battery tender? and it should be attached the whole time im gone?
also put stabil before storage? and which kind of stabil, i have never used it and upon searching there are a few kinds of stabil available. Jackstands should be good for 9 months? really?

The Tires are new, Firestone Firehawks V rated if that matters, they have at most 3000 miles on them. Also Tires are at OEM spec PSI, should I inflate to max rated on the sidewall before storage?

 

[AKhan87]

Oh I see Stabil 360.

 

[gofast182]

I've researched this A LOT and go through it every winter with my S2000. For 3 months you don't really have to do anything. If it were me I'd just make sure the tires are inflated and the tank is full so no condensation can form on the walls. Unless it's going to be driven and everything moving, lubricated, etc, I would not even bother starting it. This is actually considered short-term storage.

At 4-9 months you're at short to medium-term storage. Even at this interval you don't really need fuel additives but if you see it stretching to the 9 month end, add a can of Sta Bil for peace-of-mind even though it's not going to do much. Inflate the tires to 40psi to prevent flat spots, fill the tank, prop the wiper arms so the blades don't permanently deform, e-brake off so it doesn't seize to the rotor, remove *everything* from the inside that critters could make nests out of, turn off every electric in the car (dome light, cruise, fan, radio) as it will be less load when restarting for the first time. As with the other, unless you're going to drive it during this period and get lubrication/heat going through the trans, axles, joints, calipers, etc don't bother starting it, it's not worth it.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
I gave my keys to my cousin and asked him to start my truck at least once a week and let it run until it reaches operating temperature.


A couple of months of storage, even six months, won't matter. The trouble with bringing it to operating temp and shutting it off is that the coolant is up to temp, but the oil is not.
If you have a vehicle that really sucks the battery down when it sits, like my Mark VIII, have a battery tender hooked up to it. Otherwise, when you get it out of storage, just give it a good, long drive to get all the fluids really hot.

 

[bigt61]

I would just disconnect the battery and call it a day. 3 months is nothing.

 

[Eddie]

Park it. Put a battery tender on and don't start it at all.

 

[Mud]

Originally Posted By: bigt61
I would just disconnect the battery and call it a day. 3 months is nothing.


x2

 

[demarpaint]

As long as the tank is full, you added Stabil, and drove at least half an hour before you parked it you should be fine. A battery tender is a good idea, if not jump it or charge it up if it doesn't start. The truck will be just fine.

Get well soon!

 

[Sawdusted]

I would put the vehicle on jack stands unless you're having it driven around once a week.

Tires will develop a flat spot after a month (especially older tires) not to mention 3 months or 9 months.

You will never be able to get the flat spot outs afterward DAMHIK. It'll cause steering wheel vibration.

 

[Donald]

Three months is not a lot. The Stabil is good, but not needed, same thing for a Battery Tender or Battery Minder.

If the vehicle is started you need to get everything HOT, like engine and exhaust system.

 

[rjundi]

Park it and potentially disconnect battery if older.

Having your cousin do the stuff it may get borrowed or something happen at his place. Just saying.....

3 months is nothing.

 

[SatinSilver]

More importantly how's the ankle doing?

 

[threeputtpar]

Sorry to hear about your ankle. Hope that everything goes as well as possible and you're up and walking better than ever.

gofast182 hit the nail on the head. 3 months of storage is not really a big deal, especially in your climate. Just disconnect the battery and leave it alone until you're ready to daily drive it again.

I will add that it is almost always a bad idea to put a car up on jackstands for storage purposes. Bonded rubber suspension bushings do not like to be under that much stress for that long of a time. If a car has all urethane bushings that are not bonded to any of the suspension pieces, then it's not a bad idea. Tire flat spotting can be greatly reduced by inflating the tires over what the placard says up to the max psi on the sidewall.

 

[ThirdeYe]

When we stored our Civic for the winter, here's what we did (and it was perfectly fine afterwards):

Drove car for a good 30 miles to get it up to operating temp. Add sta-bil to gas and fill it up to full. Park the car and remove the battery. Put some steel wool in the exhaust and intake. Put baking soda inside car, along with some soap and dryer sheets. We also did this under the hood and in the trunk. Make sure to remove all of this when starting the car again! Over-inflate tires a bit to help prevent flat spots (we forgot to do this but it was fine). We also removed the wiper blades since it was parked outside in the snow/ice, but I don't think you'll have to worry about this in the spring/summer/fall. I'd also recommend NOT starting it unless you plan to drive it enough to get it up to operating temperature again, otherwise you're just doing more harm than good. 3 months isn't really that long of a period to store a car, so honestly it would probably be fine if you didn't really do much of anything to it aside from making sure the battery isn't dead. We had ours stored for about 5 months, so we did a bit more to it.

 

[exranger06]

I maintain 3 vehicles that often sit for over 6 months at a time. I've never had a problem with tires flat spotting. I keep them inflated at their normal operating pressures. I disconnect the battery, keep a full tank of gas with some Stabil in it, and just let them sit. Nothing else needed.