the iceman cometh

[WJG2]

As the leaves turn from glimmering green to fiery red here in central Ontario, I must consider putting my 77 targa to bed for our six-month winter. Any suggestions on how to bed her down?

[Argo]

If you're going to completely park and store it for the winter months: 1) drive it long enough to completely warm engine and oil 2) change oil 3) fill gas tank and add Stabil 4) drive long enough to run Stabil & gas through engine 5)pump tire pressure up to 50 pounds 6) park it where you're gonna leave it and remove battery 7)remove plugs and squirt 3 - 5 cc clean engine oil into plug holes 8) rotate engine a few times by hand (do NOT run starter with plugs removed!) 9) replace spark plugs 10) plug intake and exhaust pipe (to keep nesting rodents out) 11) treat rubber door, roof (targa), hood, trunk seals 12) leave in gear 13) leave hand brake off 14) condition leather if it's warm enough (over 60 degrees F) 15) cover 16) move forward and/or back once a month to rotate tires slightly. I just got an 88 Targa which I'm gonna have to store and this is my plan (comments from more experienced owners definitely welcome!). Try a search of this site and the Pelican Parts tech articles and a general Google search of the net and you'll find several articles about this (each has a slightly different procedure). There are also tips if you plan to drive it once in a while instead of completely shutting it down. Six to seven month winters can sure s*ck, eh?

[Planter91C2]

what wasn't mentioned was to give the car a good cleaning in and out, i also wax my wheels. i do all mentioned except remove the plugs and sqirt in oil, that shouldn't be necessary. also, i do not plug the intake or exhaust as i feel this would hold in condensation and cause rust. for rodent protection i line mothballs around the car on the floor.

last year, after winter, i put the battery back in (after charging) and the car started right up as if she wasn't stored at all.

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Daryl 964 Targa

[Argo]

Planter 91C2 _

I knew I'd forget something ... definitely clean the car, especially the wheels to remove any brake dust. Waxing the wheels is a good idea too; I read somewhere that you should cover the black parts with a thin coat of petroleum jelly although it seems like wax would be just as good (and wouldn't have to be removed in the spring). I'm going to use the winter down time to remove, paint and polish the wheels to give me something porsche-related to do to pass the time. As far as plugging the intake/exhaust, I thought the same thing as you - what an ideal way to encourage corrosion, especially in the exhaust system. After thinking about it, I'm going to use some spare metal window screen material to cover the holes to keep mice out and air circulating. As far as oil in the plug holes, I'm still undecided. Everything I read says to do it, yet I am leaning to your thinking that it should not be necessary as the cylinders are "sealed" and should be coated with oil anyway. Also, the oil would just run down to the bottom wall of the cylinders, offering no protection to the rest of the cylinder walls. Maybe I'll settle for disconnecting the coil next spring and turning the engine over a few times with the starter to recoat the walls before firing the engine up.

Argo
88 Targa

[RoninLB]

I fog engine thru intake with Marvel Mystery oil till motor stalls and leave plugs in to protect piston rings. I also WD-40 dist. to proteet adv. weights,etc. Fuel storage stabilizer is important.

[emcon5]

How about a set of 15" cookie cutters and some snow tires?

Tom

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82 911SC Coupe

[Kurt B]

Gees, you winter climate guys have it rough. Porsche life ends in the winter. In one sense though, it gives you a chance to mod the car out for the coming spring.

It's the salt on the roads you're avoiding I assume, because it can't be the heating! My car will heat up and bake me on the coldest CA day.

[wckrause]

"on the coldest CA day"

What's that? About 40F?

The coldest that I've driven in is about 18F below zero. At highway speeds, the heat was just able to keep the cabin warm, but the defrost wasn't able to keep up with the frost buildup on the side windows.

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Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro
MY PELICAN GALLERY

[Argo]

Sheeesh - you warm climate guys sure have it easy; 40 degrees in my neck of the woods is considered a decent spring day. It's definitely the salt that's going to keep me off the road. Our winter roads have more salt encrusted on them than a margarita glass with just enough moisture to distribute it into every inreachable frame and body surface. I drove a Triumph Spitfire through one winter and it virtually dissolved. RoninLB - I have a question... I thought about using the same fogging oil through the intake that I use for my outboard motors and lawn equipment but was advised against it due to concerns about clogging up the injectors. Is there anything special about Marvel Mystery oil and have you been using this procedure for a few seasons without problems? Good tip on the distributer, too, I hadn't thought about that....

Argo
88 Targa

[KTL]

I think a good thing to put in the car is one of the dessicant/moisture absorption cups to keep the humidity down in the interior. Helps to minimize the musty smell you might experience.

Make sure you drive the car a little bit after washing before putting away for storage. Dries out the calipers/rotors and gets the water out of those places where sitting still just won't dry it up.



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Kevin
87 Carrera coupe

[Planter91C2]

put a plastic pan underneath the car to catch the oil leak, then you can see exactly how much oil was leaked over the winter to know how much oil to replace in spring.


...what, am i the only one who leaks..??

p.s. i don't know if you should wax fuchs, my wheels are the C2 style and wax well.

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Daryl 964 Targa

[RoninLB]

ARGO--------If that outboard motor preservative is made for the job, use it. You want to oil up rings, valves, exhaust, etc. I use Marvel because I used it at boatyards I worked at for winter storage. I slowly pour it in with one hand on acelerator to prevent stalling, then dump last dose with high idle until it stalled in a cloud of smoke. Don't know what it will do to O2 sensor. A fuel storage stableizer/preservative prevents gas from turning to a varnish which is caa caa for fuel inj. components. I go to marine supply for good products

[old_skul]

I'm going to get snow tires this year It's just a car, right? It's also the best 2WD car you can drive in the snow. Put skinny snows on it and drive it with abandon. Take it to the U-Wash-It and spray it down after driving in salt, though.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

[pjv911]

For me winter time is time to pull off the all the band aids i put on it during the summer and do at least one upgrade or component overhaul. So the car doesnt actually get to hibernate and receives some company during the salty month`s. Unfortunetely this summer the overhaul came without a invite and the car has been resting since july.

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69`lightweight
RS carrerra clone

[rvanderpyl]

40 degrees? Try -40 and at that temperature it doesn't matter if its farenheit or celcius. I put studded winter tires on my wifes 944 and she drives it thru the winter but it has a galvanized body so it's more likely to survive. The 68 would disolve in a puddle of rust. Besides, this winter is when the motor get rebuilt.

Robert

[Argo]

Ronin - thanks for the info; I called the local Porsche dealer and the service guy there said the fogging oil would likely crap up the o2 sensor and if I was just going to store it for a few months that extra oil in the cylinders wasn't necessary. I guess next spring I'll just disconnect the coil wire and let it turn over with the starter for a while.

Argo
88 Targa