First Time Winteriser......

[Hodgey]

Hey Think Tank.....help me out please:

First time winterising and I'm wondering if I fill the fuel tank and put stabil or something similar in or just stabil whatever's in the tank when I take it to the storage unit????

Car's an '87 Carrera 3.2

Thanks in advance

Neil

[brighton911]

You should fill the tank and add fuel stabilizer too. Also, be sure to run the car long enough so the stabilizer is circulated throughout the fuel system. And I'm a big fan of putting it to bed with fresh oil. Otherwise, the acids in used oil will work on delicate stuff like bearings. The fresh oil will start you off right next spring. Sad to be putting them away but winter is coming.

[RWebb]

My question is why you need to winterize in Alabama? You could drive all year (well, maybe not in the summer if you don't have A/C).

I've never been able to figure out why you need to put in fresh oil over the winter. A good long drive should remove all water, and oil additives have buffers for the acids. It ought to be ok if the oil is not really old.

But I do put in fresh oil myself - it is cheap insurance.

A search using "storage" will yield numerous other ideas and debates on tires, suspension, etc.

[Rekoob]

my experience (although i havn't done it on my porsche yet) would be to:
(in no specific order)
1) mix enough stabil for the full tank and fill the tank to make sure its mixed in properly with fresh gas. filling the tank make sure no oxygen can corrode the tank that is not submerged with gas.

2) run car for a good 10-15 mins to make sure your stabil mixed fuel has ran through the entire system. top up fuel again if you want to me very thorough.

3) Ensure all tires are inflated to correct pressure. can even place some vinyl or carboard sheets under each tire depending on the surface it will be sitting on.

4) disconnect and remove battery, and if possible keep on a trickle charger. OR keep battery in car and connect to trickle charger OR take battery out and store in dry cool space and give it a few hours charge charge every month or so just to be safe.

5) give the car a good wash and wax, clean windows and trim ect... clean and treat your leather well since it will not be touched and will dry out a fair bit over a winters length of time.

6) if its a dry heated storage, crack the windows open a bit to let air cirulate and won't seal moisture inside the car (you will have a serious musty smell come spring) or you can put a big bucket or bag or rice on the floor inside the car to absorb moisture.. (many products sold for this application) whichever suits your fancy!

7)throw a cover of some sort over her, give her a big kiss goodnight and promise her you will be back to enjoy her in a few months!

-now again, no real order to any of this. nor do you have to do ALL of this but certainly can't hurt.
i may have forgotten some details but im sure others will chime in.
good luck. and its always good to add details of where you will store the car, is there power, is it sealed and clean ect..

its pretty well what i have done with past vehicles (motorcycles, lawnmowers, cars, and now my p car in a few weeks)

hope it helps!

[lgb240]

Another thing to consider is to make sure you have / keep proper insurance (fire / theft as a minimum).

I've heard of an individual who used off site storage where another vehicle being stored was backed into his car... all parties came out OK and the issue was sorted BUT the risk is certainly there. Make sure you are covered.

[dntlft]

If sitting for several months, I've heard from a respected source that it's a good idea to pump the air pressure up on the tires to their max rating listed on the sidewall, to avoid flatspotting. I've never done this, as I try to continue driving my 911 throughout the winter whenever the streets are clear of salt...

[Hodgey]

Originally Posted by RWebb

My question is why you need to winterize in Alabama? You could drive all year (well, maybe not in the summer if you don't have A/C).

I've never been able to figure out why you need to put in fresh oil over the winter. A good long drive should remove all water, and oil additives have buffers for the acids. It ought to be ok if the oil is not really old.

But I do put in fresh oil myself - it is cheap insurance.

A search using "storage" will yield numerous other ideas and debates on tires, suspension, etc.

Whooops.....need to change my location to Upstate New York, or as some say, Southern canada

There is no electricity for the heating, and as long as the roads are dry, she will breathe fire and brimstone....I intend to visit her regularly as the place of hibernation is on my way to and from my workplace....

I am going to miss her badly.....

[M.D. Holloway]

Fuel oxidizes for sure and the rule has always been to winterize fuel to keep it fresh for the spring start but your fule will actually go tramp faster in the summer. I think one of the things that makes fuel sour in the winter is the condensation that can occur unless its really really cold. In garages there is a nice temp swing and if the air is moist you will get dew. The fuel Stabyl is a smart bet - its cheap and it won't hurt any more than the booze gas we have to use.

[M.D. Holloway]

As for the engine oil, maybe years ago you may consider changing but the formulas today are robust. You can get by with 5% water in the engine oil and it will be OK...

[S2GART]

A couple of years ago my local PCA section held an event at Greenwich Porsche. They said that Porsche recommends putting 60 psi in the tires, to prevent flatspots. Obviously you wouldn't drive with this pressure.

I have done this method for years and have had no issues. I also do as other have mentioned, put Stabil in the gas. A good way to get it properly mixed is to add it to a near empty tank and then fill her up with fresh gas.

[steve84]

I'm also a first time winterizer. After reading a few winterizing threads, I realized that I made a major mistake by just driving my '84 Carrera into the storage unit, locking the door and walking away. Last night, I got a bottle of Stabil from the AutoZone. The weather gods are cooperating -- it will be in the 60's over the weekend to melt Tuesday's snow and the forecasted rain for Saturday night into Sunday should wash the salt off the road. I'm going to also get the recommended Bounce sheets and moth balls to deter mice from entering the storage unit. On Sunday afternoon, I plan to add the Stabil and top off the tank, and go for a short drive.

[Henryporsche]

Bounce sheets and moth balls: Do you place them inside the car or trunk? How exactly does this deter mice? Any other tricks?

[wayner]

No, its bounce sheet OR moth balls.

If you are going to do moth balls, there is no need for bounce sheet. Mice hate the smell of mothballs. So will most of your passengers and potential admirers. Nothing worse than driving in what smells like an old persons house. The mothball smell never really goes away even years later once you have put a few inside. The people who say otherwise are old. Old people like mothballs.

Mice also hate the smell of bounce sheets, but most people like it.
Bounce sheets are for people (young and old) who hate the smell of mothballs

For some reason mice do like the smell of no name brand dryer sheets. They make their nests out of the no name ones.

I throw a few bounce sheets in ever compartment in the car. I even toss some around on the floor of the garage.

Don't worry about using too many. Use lots. Just remember to retrieve them from engine compartments before start-up

You could use traps and poison around the perimeter of the garage as well. Just be careful to warn any old people who may be doddling around collecting old dryer sheets to re-use....

[dentist90]

re: mice

I put my car away with the heat turned on high at shut off. This closes the openings on the heat exchangers and gives the little rodents one less place to nest.

FWIW, I agree and adhere to the above suggestions; change your oil/filter, add Stabil and take for one last good drive. Wash, wax, vacuum, treat leather and crack the windows open(sunroof if you have one) a bit to ventilate car. Where I live winters are extremely cold and very dry (<10% humidity) so moisture is not a problem. Inflate tires to 5lbs above normal driving pressures (resists flat spotting a bit and allows for some leakage over the winter) Pull the battery out and charge on the bench every month or two to keep charged and throw a nice soft cover over the car.
Visit and sit in it as much as you feel the need to over the winter

[Lapkritis]

No to poison. You then have dead mice to find and the stink to go with them.

Yes to traps. Use bait-less unless you already have an incursion to control. These are especially effective if you can check them throughout the storage cycle to replenish. Place them in and around the vehicle on a solid surface to prevent staining when you score. Cardboard works great.

Yes to bounce sheets. Place them everywhere. Leave glove box open and clear but for one sheet as it is the pent house suite.

No to moth balls. I've seen chew marks on moth balls... they quickly lose their deterrent strength and are nauseating as wayner points out. Once they don't deter they are food. Cloves work better and are easy on the nostrils. Tractor supply sells all natural rodent repellent bags with cloves/peppermint inside.

Yes to pull battery and crack windows. Yes to stabilizer and full tank. If the storage is likely to be extended then there are also fogger options to fog the engine in. The fog is available from marine and snowmobile shops and is an aerosol oil for the engine to ingest. Most manufacturers sell their own version; I use Polaris. Follow instructions on the can which generally are to open throttle butterflies enough to clear and spray evenly into all cylinders until engine bogs and then shut off ignition. It makes for a bit of smoke come wake up time but keeps rings from sticking and preserves the combustion surfaces/valves and seats etc. If you store in a dry climate then fogging is probably overkill. Yes to air up tires. Better if you can remove wheels and rest vehicle on jack stands under the suspension.

Pull the floor mats, leave a wake up list on the dash, cover entire vehicle.

[Henryporsche]

Lapkritis: Agree about the poison; definite no. Several years ago had poison in mouse sized plastic dispensers around my garage and an energetic chipmunk chewed into the device and ingested all the poison, then crawled around my garage and died under my Porsche. Could not locate until it smelled to high heaven and it took several days. God knows what happened to the mice that died.

What do you mean by baitless traps? Are these enclosed devices? What would make a mouse enter such a trap? Photos would be nice.

[Henryporsche]

Originally Posted by Lapkritis

Yes to pull battery and crack windows. Yes to stabilizer and full tank.

Why a full tank? Also, do you try to find non ethanol blended gas? The ethanol causes phase separation I have heard but at the station it is hard to know exactly whether ethanol is present even in the premium octanes.

Don't get me started on the whole ethanol mandate. What a boondoggle to turn food into fuel.

[Lapkritis]

Limits evaporation staling without a volume of air to work with. The gas will stay gas much longer. Think of a half bottle of wine compared to a full bottle and how air plays a role.

If the tank is metal then a full tank will also work to prevent condensation and oxidation which extends the life of your tank.