I am going to be storing my Z for the winter. Right now it looks like it will be in a non-heater garage. I have a beater car I need to prepar next month. That being said, I haven't stored a car away before so I am sure there are some things I need to do.

Should drain all the fluids?
Raise it on jacks? (Is it truely needed?)

Or just pose how you store yours.
Thanks.

 

I use carpet squares under the tires "you can over inflate them a little". I wouldn't drain your fluids, you are going to want to start and run your car every so often to keep everything lubed. Disconnect your battery when you are not running the car. Everything will be fine!

 

Sit the car on blocks. Its OK if the tires touch the ground. Just get the weight off the tires.

 

I've stored my coupe and now my Roadster for three different winter seasons. All have been in cold storage. I inflate the tires to 45 PSI, fill the gas tank to the brim and drive the car onto four pieces of blue board. Do NOT put a fuel additive in. I personally have never disconnected the battery and have not had a problem. Also, I DO NOT start the car until spring. If you plan to start it every so often during the winter then you need to ensure it comes up to temperature or you will get condensation in the exhaust. In the spring I change the oil and filter and I'm good to go for another season.

 

Thanks.
I did a bunch of searching. Perhaps someone could create a FAQ sometime of Do's and Dont's of storing. It would probably save people a lot of hastle in searching.

 

Ship your car to my house. I'll take good care of it from Nov-Apr.

 

http://autorepair.about.com/od/carcare/a/storecar.htm

 

This is one of those topics that can generate a large number of contrary opinions. I have a 2005 350ZR that I store from the beginning of November to end of April. In researching best practices for winter storage I noticed that a number of recomendations were based upon historical practices without regard for modern automotive techonology. Even more misleading are the storage practices that stem from the storage of either older British sports cars or NA vintage cars.

After doing a great deal of research and speaking with several mechanics, some of whom stored their own vehicles over the winter, here is the storage regime that I use:

1. Car should be thoroughly cleaned, inside and out, including wheel wells, underbody and inner side of wheels. Steam cleaning of carpet is recommended.

2. Wax car with favourite wax. (If a Zaino fan, consider a sacrificial coat of Carnuba based wax that could be stripped off in the spring). Condition all leather, vinyl, weather stripping, tires and the rag top.

3. Change Oil and fiter.

4. Top up all other fluids including fuel.

5. Add a fuel stabilizer. (yes, Nissan states they do not recommend fuel additives, but when I spoke with a tech rep he admitted that a fuel stabilizer would prevent harmful gum deposits without any adverse effect on the Z.)

6. Inflate tires to maximum recomended pressure.

7. Place vapour barrier under the vehicle.

8. DO NOT jack the vehicle up or leave the suspension unsprung. This could adversely affect the suspension. (This is a practice that stems from the days of leaf springs and bias ply tires.)

9. DO NOT spray oil into the cylinders - this risks fouling the emission control sensors on start-up.

10. Remove battery and connect to a battery tender (not a battery charger, which will ruin your battery in short order).

11. Place some drying agent in the passenger compartment, rag top compartment and the trunk. I use the Stay Dri product - see: http://www.sta-dri.com/

12. Cover vehicle with a dust cover or a more environmentally protective cover if storing outdoors.

13. Do not start vehicle for short periods of time during storage - to do so will only result in condensing moisture in the engine and exhaust system.

14. Pray for spring!

I am sure that others will have comments on the above, but I am comfortable enough with my research to follow this regime. There is no short answer to your quest, you can rely upon that which others spew out or you can inform yourself so that you are confident that you are doing the right thing. Me, ... I never rely on others.
Cheers.

 

The above comment is very true!. You will get tonnes of conflicting views. I used to store a car and I would start it up once every three to four weeks. Worked for me, it was an '86 911 and sold it in 03 without any problems.

The easiest thing to do is buy some snow tires!

 

Does anyone know the advantage of starting up the car every once a while during storage? Doesn't the startup itself induce more wear and tear to the engine than letting it sit thru the winter?

 

A lot of people say that. A lot will also say that starting it once or twice of month is not much different than the wear and tear encountered by starting your car daily.

At least with my plan I could hear my beautifull 911 come to life every once and a while .

 

Just bumping this thread in hopes to avoid some new ones being created. I think tomorrow is my last day of driving the Z for a few months..

 

He hit it right on the spot. Theres alot of bs on the web about car storage, Ive also done my research, stick with what he said and youll be alright.

 

I've heard from two people now that you should change the oil before you store and and then when you take it out.

The reason they gave me was that the motor oil changes after use and becomes more acidic and it would not be a good thing to leave that changed compound in your engine through the winter.

I want to know if this is true as I don't know if I should change my oil before storage or not.

 

Once you put the car in storage, do NOT periodically start it.

1) After a week or so storage, there is only a minimum oil film remaining, so each start is a very high wear condition.

2) Starting a car and letting it idle for 10-20 minutes will result in a significant amount of condensate (moisture and acidic by-products) being left behind each time.

3) There is absolutely NO good reason to periodically start a stored car.

Change the oil and filter, fill the fuel tank and add stabilizer, put it away and leave it alone.

bill

 

Change the oil PRIOR to storage.

If you don't periodically start it, there will be no oil deterioration/contamination.

bill

 

So if I change the oil right before storage and don't strat the car periodically, I don't have to change the oil again when I take it out of storage.

 

'08 storage bump

 

Dedicated thread to Winter storage: https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...-g-winter.html

 

Is there an in between stage for storing your car and driving it through the winter months?

Last year I did not follow all the storage rules/suggestions in this thread. First off I went ahead and installed my winter tires and wheels. I didn't remove my battery because I have a boomrang tracking device in my car and it draws power from the battery. My plan was only to drive my Z on clear days when the roads were free of salt and snow. Unfortunately we got a lot of snow last year. So I found myself starting my car about once every two weeks. Once I started it I went for a good drive, usually about 45 minutes and this included highway driving. I've gone ahead and just got an oil change and swapped my summer wheels and tires for my winter wheel package. I will be moving in a few months and will have to drive my car to my new house. My plan this year was to start my car at least once a month and take it for a good drive that way I don't have any moisture build up. Can anyone offer any other suggestions for a guy who can't quite commit to a full on winter care storage regime?


Thanks for your suggestions