Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (Full Version)

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Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips

  

Dan04COBRA -> Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (8/17/2005 3:07:24 PM)

Storing your car for the winter? Going on a long vacation?

Post all your tips, information & questions here!

  
sowaxeman -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (8/17/2005 3:14:15 PM)

I NEED a tip! Can somebody tell me the life of synthetic oil vs regular?? I put 1000 miles on my car this year, and probably won't do much more than 1500 total. I put synth in it at 500 miles per the Saleen Manual. Before I "store" it this winter is it best to change it again, or leave it and change it in the spring, or just leave it altogether until I reach 3000 miles??

firestarter -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (8/25/2005 9:10:27 AM)

damn , and i was wondering why mustangs get stored for winters , im getting one in the next couple of weeks , and i wanted to know , ''is it impossible to drive it while raining?''

ShadowDrake -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (8/25/2005 11:39:23 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: firestarter

damn , and i was wondering why mustangs get stored for winters , im getting one in the next couple of weeks , and i wanted to know , ''is it impossible to drive it while raining?''


I haven't had too much of a problem in the rain, but with the stock tires, you definitely lose a LOT of traction on wet roads... I really couldn't imagine it on an icy road.

FWP! -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (8/25/2005 3:04:08 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: sowaxeman

I NEED a tip! Can somebody tell me the life of synthetic oil vs regular?? I put 1000 miles on my car this year, and probably won't do much more than 1500 total. I put synth in it at 500 miles per the Saleen Manual. Before I "store" it this winter is it best to change it again, or leave it and change it in the spring, or just leave it altogether until I reach 3000 miles??



You shouldn't leave oil in your crank case for more than 3-4 months. Even if you only put 1000 miles on the oil. Especially over winter. But, if you plan to park it until spring, don't worry about it but do put fresh oil in it before you start it in the spring. If you DO plan to run the car over winter and you're in a colder climate, change the oil. Starting your engine and warming it up to 220+ degrees from 30 causes a lot of condensation which the oil absorbs and turns into different types of acids, actually corroding your engine from the inside even faster than it does normally in warm weather. H2o production is a normal part of the engine's combustion process and most of it is burned off through the PCV system which also scavenges other gasses from the crank case, but not all of it is illiminated.

In short, if you plan to park your car all winter and never run it, don't worry about the oil change till spring. If you plan on driving it a few times, change the oil and change it again at some point during the winter if you want to take excellent care of the engine.

pgervais -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (9/6/2005 4:35:38 PM)

Between high gas prices and Icey/Snow covered roads (during the winter) I have decided to store my Cobra for the winter.

Any suggestions on how to keep the battery from being drained?

The car will be stored in a heated garage but i do not feel like jumping it when I am ready to roll in the spring.

sowaxeman -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (9/7/2005 3:10:49 PM)

Put a trickle charger on it once a month for a day (or however long it takes the charger to tell you it is charged). To avoid flat spots on tires and other "storage" issues, you're best bet would be to get it out once a month on a dry sunny day and take a short jaunt in it to get everything flowing and moving. If you do this it will most likely keep you from having to trickle charge the battery.

AmericanMuscle -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (9/27/2005 2:20:01 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: sowaxeman

Put a trickle charger on it once a month for a day (or however long it takes the charger to tell you it is charged). To avoid flat spots on tires and other "storage" issues, you're best bet would be to get it out once a month on a dry sunny day and take a short jaunt in it to get everything flowing and moving. If you do this it will most likely keep you from having to trickle charge the battery.


Here's my situation: I will most likely have to move my car out of my garage to do some work (manafacture in my garage) maybe as much as every other day or every third day. I just have to back it into my drive way so I don't scratch the **** out of it with sheets of fiber glass + metal bars. So should I do anything special? Should I let it run for 5-10 minutes or longer on days that I have to move it? I plan on getting a cover for it while it sits idle... and what about the oil? Since it's getting moved should I leave it till spring? I'm at 200 miles right now, haven't even had my first oil change.

72MachOne99GT -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (10/22/2005 10:56:54 PM)

i put my car in a 'carbag' (actually called that) and so does my dad with his 72

we roll the windows down a crack, get the car in position, pull the battery and store them in the warm building(no, the cars dont fit[:@])

we just change the oil first thign in the spring


im wondering about psi in the tires for this winter

any help?

HC_CrAzYHoRsE -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (10/25/2005 6:17:59 AM)

i put extra coolant in it, then i go and start it evey 2-3 weeks for about 20 mins, while it's running i push on the front end and then the rear end for about a minute each, just so the suspension moves a bit, then i roll about 1/2 a foot forward to avoid bald spots in the tires. that's it ...worked pretty well till now. i have the oil and filter changed when i take it out.

Retro GT -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (10/25/2005 11:32:24 AM)

I've not had any problems driving my 05 GT in the rain, it handles quite well with the traction control.
Sheryl

MikeHawke -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (10/25/2005 12:01:10 PM)

I have been storing cars and boats and bikes in the off season for years. This is all I do and I have found it to work very well.

1) ALWAYS use a good fuel stabilizer!!!!!!!

2) Disconnect the battery - if it's a decent battery, it will be fine without a trickle charger.

3) Make sure you have the tires inflated properly.....maybe even put a little bit of extra air in them because cold air is more dense than warm air, so your tires lose pressure in the cold anyway.

4) Check the freezing level of the coolant and add and antifreeze as necessary.


....the rest of this is optional.

I would put fresh oil in it.....before you put it away AND when you get it out in the spring.

You can put the car up on jackstands if you like which can help the tires. Sometimes, when storing cars for the winter, I have had creaky suspension in the spring - the jackstands seemed to help with this.

You can pull the plugs and spray some WD-40 in the combustion chambers and all over the plugs and then re-install the plugs. Just start her up in the spring and it will all burn off on it's own. In fact, you will never even know it was there.

alec3369 -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (11/2/2005 4:46:23 PM)

hey idk if i should get a 92 mustang gt or lx... any ideas


mustangman02232 -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (11/5/2005 1:29:16 PM)

get a car cover from covercraft, padded, water proof, but will let moisture escape,
http://www.covercraft.com/

for the tires, get some foam blocks from tirerack.com, if you put it on jack stands, enjoy your new explorer in the spring
http://www.tirerack.com/

wash and wax the car completely before putting it away, do an oil change, fill the gas tank up and add a fuel stabalizer.
good wax: http://corrosionxproducts.com/rejexpage.htm
wash: use dawn if you use this wax, it is the correct way to use this product, or it will not look as good.

get a battery trickel charger from battery tender
http://www.batterytender.com/

83beast -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (11/7/2005 10:23:34 AM)

help keep the damn mice out! go to a cheap store (walmart) and get some cheap dryer sheets. put them everywhere. in the intake tube (leaving a little out so you can see it in the spring), all under the hood, inside the car everywhere, in the tailpipes, etc. the mice dont like them at all, and yet your car still smells good, not moth-bally. and yes, disconnect the battery. even take it out. i have a 8 yr old battery and it is fine in the spring. ya, get a cover. put some cardboard under the motor and trans so nothing gets on the floor. always have a rollable jack handy when storing. drive the car in close and then jack it up a bit and roll it into place. makes life much easier. YES, fuel stabilizer. and make sure to run the car for awhile (20 or so mins) after putting in the stabilizer so it gets into the engine and injectors (carb). thats all i can think of right now.

91stang -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (11/16/2005 11:55:07 PM)

i was driving to school one time last winter and the lane to pull into was pure slush. now it usually doesn't snow here so i can drive it usually but this was horrible... i had to start in 3rd gear to get started. Bad situation.

i would recommend a winter beater if you get any kinda of snow

svollmer -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (12/17/2005 12:55:17 AM)

I was wondering how often (if at all) you guys start your mustangs while they are in storage? mine has been there 3 weeks now, haven't started it yet, but i was thinking about it Just to run the AC compressor and keep everything lubricated. What does anyone recommend?

mustangman02232 -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (12/17/2005 3:41:35 PM)

i wouldnt start it unless you plan on driving it, or if you do start it, make sure it comes up to normal operating temerature.

sprostang -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (12/19/2005 7:23:03 PM)

My winter storage = I park car in my (heated) garage with a 7.5x17FT car mat under it. Also with a full tank of gas and fresh oil. I start it once a week and run it for about 1/2 hour. Also on a dry day with clean streets, ill take it out for a ride to avoid flat spots on tires and to get all parts moving again.

fordfanboi -> RE: Gen. TECH: Seasonal Storing of your Mustang help/tips (2/10/2006 3:23:44 PM)

I would recommend at least turning the crank 1 revolution a month so the springs get some relief. Leaving a few springs compressed for many months can weaken them and eventually cause valve float.

  

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