Fill the gas tank, air the tires, maybe disconnect battery...Done
Parking a vehicle for at least 3 months
- Thread starter GSCJR
- Start date
Should be in good shape ! 
Best of luck to you ,
Best of luck to you ,
Three months sheltered like that really isn't that long. The battery and gas are all I would do. I'd spend time looking around the garage for the most sheltered (interior) and inconspicuous spot too (unless it has an assigned spot, obviously).
I store my Mustang over winter. I change the oil and put fuel stabilzer in it. There is no need to fill the tank. Modern cars have plastic tanks. You don't get much condensation anymore compared to metal tanks. I keep it low and fill up with fresh gas in the spring. I don't disconnect the battery. I just charge it up every month. It sits outside -30C... Battery is 6 years old and works fine.
Inflate the tires to the max pressure srated in the sidewall. To possibly prevent them from flat spotting.
Thanks for all the great suggestions so far everyone. This got me thinking about my two stroke engines that start after sitting for six months with no stabilizer in them. I only used stabilizer in the past for seasonal equipment (mower and motorcycle) that are four strokes. Super Tech TC-W3 and Shell V-power mixed at 50:1 was never an issue with the two strokes. There's no mention of stabilizer being included in the TC-W3. Is the oil acting as a stabilizer?
UPDATE: After three months, the vehicle only developed two issues. Upon opening the doors there seems to be what looks like mold on the seats and the CEL came on immediately after starting the engine. Any suggestions? Bernidd suggested dessicant bags; I will look for some. Do I leave the windows shut afterwards? I did! How do I safely remove the mold spots? Where can I get a free scan for codes?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
I've stored summer cars for 4-6 months without doing anything more than locking the doors and walking away. Put a charger on the battery for a bit when you're ready to put it back in service. I didn't do anything that would disable the car because in case of fire or other disaster, I wanted the custodian to be able drive it out of harm's way.
UPDATE 2.0: Fuel gauge still reads full despite travelling approximately 100 miles between yesterday and today; ill keep an eye on that. I had it scanned for codes and it's the heater circuit for the post cat o2. I crawled under and found the corroded wire; you were on the right track Eljefino! I'm wondering if I cut out the little section and put a butt connector in.
I also went and got some moisture absorber for the seats.
I also went and got some moisture absorber for the seats.
I store my 94 E150 van every winter due to the salt that gets thrown down here In Ky. I had already put it up a month or so ago but saw last week was going to be 60 and sunny all week so I got it out for a week. It's put back up now, all I do is fill it with ethinol free gas and put it up. I've never Had any issues.
UPDATE 3.0: I drove it another ten miles tonight and the fuel gauge moved. Whew! What a relief!
UPDATE 4.0: Well, after 16 months of storage, a significant of mold is present in the interior. The vehicle was stored with the windows closed and two dessicant containers inside. Enough mold was present that the condo workers refused to enter the vehicle in order to move it. What are others here, doing to stop mold? Thanks in advance.
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You can use an ozone generator to kill whatever is growing inside your car. A cheap way to do this is with a UV lamp that also generates ozone but this is a bit dangerous as the UV light and ozone is damaging to all living things. You don't want to be exposed to either so it needs to be done in such a manner that you are not exposing anyone. There are UV LED lights out there, you don't want those, your UV lamp should be made out of quartz glass. Please be careful if you go this route, do your research and don't burn your eyes out.
Unless it is desert dry, now days the way brake rotors sometimes severely rust when a vehicle sits for more than a month, if it were mine I would spray WD-40 on both sides of all surfaces of all 4 disks. AND I WOULD TAPE A SIGN TO THE STEERING WHEEL REMINDING ME THAT "THE BRAKE DISKS HAVE ALL BEEN TREATED WITH WD-40. DRIVE THE VEHICLE SLOW WITH THE BRAKE PEDDLE SLIGHTLY PRESSED TO WEAR OF THE WD-40 WHEN FIRST USED AFTER STORAGE."
I see vehicles sit for a couple of months sometimes around the south hills of Pittsburgh and the rotors are totaled because of how much rust they end up with. Dealers sometimes have to replace or resurface disks because of a vehicle sitting too long, now days.
I see vehicles sit for a couple of months sometimes around the south hills of Pittsburgh and the rotors are totaled because of how much rust they end up with. Dealers sometimes have to replace or resurface disks because of a vehicle sitting too long, now days.
UPDATE #5
16 months later, a significant amount of mold was present: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/moldy-vehicle-interior.343329/#post-5842372, which I spent all day cleaning. I connected the battery leads and the vehicle started up, however the alternator was seized and smoked the belt off. I was hoping it would release but, no luck. Tomorrow after touching up the interior, I will attempt releasing the alternator shaft. I've soaked the alternator with WD-40 (all I have) to soften the corrosion and will try rocking the alternator shaft back and forth with a socket wrench; we shall see. Rotors are rusty, so I suspect that will be a job for day three.
16 months later, a significant amount of mold was present: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/moldy-vehicle-interior.343329/#post-5842372, which I spent all day cleaning. I connected the battery leads and the vehicle started up, however the alternator was seized and smoked the belt off. I was hoping it would release but, no luck. Tomorrow after touching up the interior, I will attempt releasing the alternator shaft. I've soaked the alternator with WD-40 (all I have) to soften the corrosion and will try rocking the alternator shaft back and forth with a socket wrench; we shall see. Rotors are rusty, so I suspect that will be a job for day three.
Where is this car stored? seems like the location you picked has moisture issue and not only developed the mold it also rusted moving parts.
UPDATE #6
Today I spent the day sourcing parts and tools but the alternator shaft would not budge without a Johnson bar, so I started removing it but it was not something I could do without torches and proper hand tools. I was however able to move the vehicle, the brakes surprisingly looked worse than they were. I moved the vehicle outside so that I could rinse off the exterior. The vehicle runs great otherwise.
Today I spent the day sourcing parts and tools but the alternator shaft would not budge without a Johnson bar, so I started removing it but it was not something I could do without torches and proper hand tools. I was however able to move the vehicle, the brakes surprisingly looked worse than they were. I moved the vehicle outside so that I could rinse off the exterior. The vehicle runs great otherwise.
It sounds like he picked the ocean floor!
That's what I was thinking! My in-laws used to have an early 2000's Monte Carlo that had leaky door/sunroof seals (water got in at every rain shower); it sat uncovered/not driven for 3 or 4 years and didn't have anywhere near that amount of mold inside it.
I'd find a different place to park it. If I found that much mold in my car, I'd be on the phone with my insurance company.
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