Storing car for winter -- Change oil first?

[ThirdeYe]

Hello all,

We will likely be storing our Civic for the winter and use the Grand Am as the winter beater. The oil in the crankcase will likely have around 1,000 miles on it at the time of storage. It was changed just a few weeks ago. Should I change it first, or will it be okay to leave it in there? I've read that used oil will have contaminants in it that could cause rust, etc., but the oil is still fairly fresh. I figured that would apply more to oil that is more used. Any tips or anecdotal advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[JHZR2]

Id dose it with some LC20 and call it a winter. There should be sufficient TBN and chemistry to protect.

Id just take it for a good 50+ mile drive fill it up with gas and some stabilizer if youre so inclined, air up the tires, lift off the wipers and call it a winter.

 

[Bryankkkk]

Leave it in. I park the truck every year with 1-2k miles on the oil and no problems, I gas it up, check air pressure, put it in the mini storage, plug the tender in, stuff something in exhaust, lift wipers, lock the doors and leave it.

I do check on it every few months to make sure tender is working and nothing go into the exhaust lol.

 

[Donald]

If by chance the additives were depleted the acids in the oil could etch bearings.

Boats always change oil before a winter layup.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: Bryankkkk
Leave it in. I park the truck every year with 1-2k miles on the oil and no problems, I gas it up, check air pressure, put it in the mini storage, plug the tender in, stuff something in exhaust, lift wipers, lock the doors and leave it.

I do check on it every few months to make sure tender is working and nothing go into the exhaust lol.


What do you mean by mini storage? A storage unit?

We plan on blocking the exhaust and intake with steel wool to prevent mice from nesting in there. We will also put some soap shavings and fabric softener sheets under the hood, inside the car, and in the trunk to help ward them off as well. On top of that, we also plan to drive the car and warm it up fully, add a fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank to full. Overinflate tires. Remove wiper blades and put something between the arms and the glass (perhaps a pair of gloves would work nice). Oh, and we will also wash & wax the car. We want to keep the car as rust free as possible for as long as possible. So far there hasn't been any rust starting, and we plan on keeping it that way. We won't be driving or starting the car at all during the winter (3-4 months).

Thanks,
Derek

 

[Bryankkkk]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Originally Posted By: Bryankkkk
Leave it in. I park the truck every year with 1-2k miles on the oil and no problems, I gas it up, check air pressure, put it in the mini storage, plug the tender in, stuff something in exhaust, lift wipers, lock the doors and leave it.

I do check on it every few months to make sure tender is working and nothing go into the exhaust lol.


What do you mean by mini storage? A storage unit?

We plan on blocking the exhaust and intake with steel wool to prevent mice from nesting in there. We will also put some soap shavings and fabric softener sheets under the hood, inside the car, and in the trunk to help ward them off as well. On top of that, we also plan to drive the car and warm it up fully, add a fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank to full. Overinflate tires. Remove wiper blades and put something between the arms and the glass (perhaps a pair of gloves would work nice). Oh, and we will also wash & wax the car. We want to keep the car as rust free as possible for as long as possible. So far there hasn't been any rust starting, and we plan on keeping it that way. We won't be driving or starting the car at all during the winter (3-4 months).

Thanks,
Derek


Yea a storage unit, my dad owns them and lets me use the one with the plug in as he keeps in camaro on the opposite side.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: Bryankkkk
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Originally Posted By: Bryankkkk
Leave it in. I park the truck every year with 1-2k miles on the oil and no problems, I gas it up, check air pressure, put it in the mini storage, plug the tender in, stuff something in exhaust, lift wipers, lock the doors and leave it.

I do check on it every few months to make sure tender is working and nothing go into the exhaust lol.


What do you mean by mini storage? A storage unit?

We plan on blocking the exhaust and intake with steel wool to prevent mice from nesting in there. We will also put some soap shavings and fabric softener sheets under the hood, inside the car, and in the trunk to help ward them off as well. On top of that, we also plan to drive the car and warm it up fully, add a fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank to full. Overinflate tires. Remove wiper blades and put something between the arms and the glass (perhaps a pair of gloves would work nice). Oh, and we will also wash & wax the car. We want to keep the car as rust free as possible for as long as possible. So far there hasn't been any rust starting, and we plan on keeping it that way. We won't be driving or starting the car at all during the winter (3-4 months).

Thanks,
Derek


Yea a storage unit, my dad owns them and lets me use the one with the plug in as he keeps in camaro on the opposite side.


Nice! Any idea how much something like that might typically cost?

 

[SatinSilver]

I'd crack the windows also. Even a quarter of an inch would be good as long it's not parked outside. This is stated in the owners manual as well.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
I'd crack the windows also. Even a quarter of an inch would be good as long it's not parked outside. This is stated in the owners manual as well.


It will be parked outside. I was thinking of getting some sort of desiccant for inside the car. Baking soda? Silica gel packets? Something like that, to help reduce moisture. Not sure what's the best to use, yet.

 

[SatinSilver]

I remember there were quite a few tips in my 1999 Accord owners manual. I think they've all been covered. But there maybe a few that were missed. Worth checking out if you still have the manual.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I took a look at the manual and it basically states to do what I had already planned, except not quite as in-depth. It says to change the engine oil/filter, and it also says to run the engine once a month. That seems to me like it would introduce cold starts and moisture to the engine/exhaust... even if you let it get to operating temperature.

 

[SatinSilver]

I agree with you and wouldn't follow that additional advice in the manual. It sounds like you have everything covered. Maybe charge the battery periodically with a battery tender.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Originally Posted By: Bryankkkk
Leave it in. I park the truck every year with 1-2k miles on the oil and no problems, I gas it up, check air pressure, put it in the mini storage, plug the tender in, stuff something in exhaust, lift wipers, lock the doors and leave it.

I do check on it every few months to make sure tender is working and nothing go into the exhaust lol.


What do you mean by mini storage? A storage unit?

We plan on blocking the exhaust and intake with steel wool to prevent mice from nesting in there. We will also put some soap shavings and fabric softener sheets under the hood, inside the car, and in the trunk to help ward them off as well. On top of that, we also plan to drive the car and warm it up fully, add a fuel stabilizer and top off the gas tank to full. Overinflate tires. Remove wiper blades and put something between the arms and the glass (perhaps a pair of gloves would work nice). Oh, and we will also wash & wax the car. We want to keep the car as rust free as possible for as long as possible. So far there hasn't been any rust starting, and we plan on keeping it that way. We won't be driving or starting the car at all during the winter (3-4 months).

Thanks,
Derek

You've covered mostly everything you can do. Add to your list:
-Inflate tires to 40psi to reduce flat spots
-Turn off all electrics (fan, radio, dome light) to reduce load on the weakened battery in spring
-Remove every shred of paper, etc from the car so there's nothing for mice to build nests out of

Also, it's debatable whether this period of time is called "storage", it's really not that long in the scheme of things. Your oil is perfectly fine and you do not even need fuel stabilizer. I go through this routine with my S2000 every year.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I forgot to mention that we plan on taking the battery out of the car and storing it indoors to prevent discharging. I think we might have a battery tender somewhere, if that's necessary. I just gotta make sure we get the radio code before pulling the battery.

Going back to the advice about not following what Honda says, there are a number of things in the manual I strongly disagree with. For example, it states to only change the transmission fluid once every 120,000 miles. In the 2001 Civics, if we waited that long, the transmission would be dead. We're planning on doing it once every year or so. They also recommend changing the oil filter every 20,000 miles. While it may be possible, I don't want to risk leaving one on that long. At that rate, it would be on there for years. I'll likely just end up changing the oil and filter every 5,000 miles or so, which will probably equate to 2x a year. Where else am I going to find another '01 Civic engine with only 55,000 miles on it that hasn't been sitting forever?