Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Cor10:23
Thanks everyone for the tips - two quick questions:
1) how important is it to change the oil before storing? (I've got Eneos Sustina in there right now, about ~4,500 KM)
2) would you start the car to drive around a bit or wait until spring before touching ignition?
Thanks!
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Never start the car while it's in storage. Bringing it up to operating temp and then allowing it to cool is a great way to cause condensation to form in the engine and for rust to form inside it. Just set it and forget it.
Changing the oil is to get the acidity out of the old oil (fresh additives and no contaminants in the oil for storage). I didn't do it because I only had 2,500kms on the oil, but generally I would just drain and fill with something cheap, like Castrol GTX. Just something that's not dirty. Then you run the car for about 50kms after storage and drain/fill with new filter in the spring. But to each their own.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wbradley
I always change oil/filter just before storage. Read somewhere about acidity in oil with dissolved fuel (old oil). I time my oil changes so the car is ready for one before storage +/- a few kms.
My checklist:
-fresh oil/filter
-full tank w/ stabilizer added while filling, run thru engine driving home 5 mins
-tires pressurized to max rating
-battery tender
That's it. Very simple and never had any issues.
This year I will not start the engine at all. Reason is, avoiding warming engine avoids water from condensation.
I disagree with car cover, it can hold in condensation and the car can take hits you wont realize you are doing if you cant see it. Dust washes off in the spring or California duster occasionally.
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Bingo.
Only way to prevent rust forming inside the engine is to fog the cylinders with a fogging oil. The only easy way to do this on a flat 4 (rather than pull the plugs) is to just feed a vac line while it's running. This will pull it in past the valves and through the intake and into the cylinders. But it will stall the car out, so make sure it's in the final resting place when you do it.
Again, I didn't bother with this step.