Winter/Long Term Storage Tips

[TimP162002]

Alright the scoop is that although I live in GA and dont have a "winter" like my northern friends, my job as a Merchant Marine Officer takes me away on ships for months on end. With that said... My parents are able to take care of the car like start it and maybe a roll around the development, but they wont do any real driving in it. Besides under a cover any tips for how often she should be run and rolled and what to do for it? I had her 8 days before I had to come back to work and put 1277 miles on it.

[maineyak_2000]

Originally Posted by TimP162002

Alright the scoop is that although I live in GA and dont have a "winter" like my northern friends, my job as a Merchant Marine Officer takes me away on ships for months on end. With that said... My parents are able to take care of the car like start it and maybe a roll around the development, but they wont do any real driving in it. Besides under a cover any tips for how often she should be run and rolled and what to do for it? I had her 8 days before I had to come back to work and put 1277 miles on it.

Go Here: http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...e/storage.html

This is probably more than you want to know but covers most of the bases. I would definately change the oil before leaving town... Ocassion Driving: If possible 30 min at least moderate speeds about every 30 days... A ten minute drive around the development is not enough and could be harmful even

[SMFCPACFP]

I do store mine for the winter, which normally runs from late November to early April. There are a lot of rituals and that people go through, but my ritual is very short, and definitely works.

If I store my vehicle where it will be affected by condensation (outside in the cold), I like to have the gas tank full, and I put fuel stabilizer in the gasoline. Most studies show the fuel stabilizer doesn't really do much good, but I'd put it in any way.

If I'm going to store the car in a heated garage, as I will do this year, I want to have a minimal amount of gas in the gas tank. I will also put fuel stabilizer in it, but my thinking here is that I want have the least amount of bad gas in the car in the spring as possible.

If possible I like to wash the car, and then get the car up to its normal operating temperature to burn off all the sulfuric acid that forms in a cold engine. Once at normal operating temperature, I parked the car, put a battery tender on the battery, cover the car, and I don't look at it again until I'm ready to drive it on a daily basis.

I don't see any purpose in driving the car every 30 days for 30 minutes at moderate speeds, as the guy above recommended.

I have been using the above procedure for all of the performance cars that I have had for the last 30 years, and none have ever suffered any premature failures due to winter storage.

[TimP162002]

Originally Posted by SMFCPACFP

I do store mine for the winter, which normally runs from late November to early April.

Are you kidding me? Marquette is in winder mode 24/7/365!! I was there at the coal/iron ore pier on ship in Nov '03. Rode a bike to town and bought 2 hockey sticks to bring back to GA with me. Had to walk it up a steep hill cause no traction on the sidewalk.(going down as fun tho ) That night working an 8 hr shift it snowed a foot. Thats why I live in GA!

[SMFCPACFP]

Originally Posted by TimP162002

Are you kidding me? Marquette is in winder mode 24/7/365!! I was there at the coal/iron ore pier on ship in Nov '03. Rode a bike to town and bought 2 hockey sticks to bring back to GA with me. Had to walk it up a steep hill cause no traction on the sidewalk.(going down as fun tho ) That night working an 8 hr shift it snowed a foot. Thats why I live in GA!

It definitely varies from year to year. Right now we have no snow and I am still driving my Vette, although that may change by Friday.

What are you doing now, I gather in Italy?

I see you are a scuba diver. Imagine you were diving in Lake Superior last Sunday. I was, and imagine how cold that was with a wet suit.