| By:
Henry P. Olsen
The
proper preparation of a car for storage
for the winter is a simple task that is
ignored by far too many owners of classic
cars and hot rods; here are a few ideas
on how to store a car.
Before
storing a car for the winter it is advisable
to change the engine oil and filter, by
changing the oil you get any contaminants,
corrosives and acids that are in the oil
out of the engine. The gasoline tank should
be full to avoid condensation and I would
suggest adding a gasoline-stabilizing product
such as STA-BIL into the fuel in-order to
help prevent the fuel going bad. As gasoline
ages it begins to turn into varnish and
form gummy residues that can plug fuel injectors
or the jets in a carburetor. A gasoline
stabilizer can extend the time where the
untreated fuel begins to oxidize of 2 months
up to 15 months with a gasoline-stabilizing
product such as STA-BIL.
In
order to keep rust or corrosion from forming
in the engines upper cylinder bores and
valve train introducing a product such as
Marvel Mystery Oil is a very good idea.
The two ways I have seen this done are:
1) Just before covering the car for the
winter pouring several ounces of a product
such as marvel mystery oil thru the carburetors
venturi into the engine while it is running,
taking care not to pour the product so quickly
as to hydraulic the engine.
2) Pour a quart of the product into the
fuel tank less about 8 or so tablespoons,
take the car for a ride thus coating the
engine valves and guides. Then just before
covering the car for storage pull the spark
plugs out and put about 1 tablespoon of
the product into each cylinder. Next turn
the engine over several times in order to
distribute the product onto the cylinders
and rings.
This
will coat the engine’s cylinder walls and
valve guides, thus helping to prevent any
corrosion or rust from forming. This may
create some smoke out of the engine’s exhaust,
but the proper use of a product such as
marvel mystery oil may help avoid an expensive
engine rebuild due to engine damage from
moisture.
Jacking
the car up and placing jack stands on the
frame can allow the springs to relax and
take the weight off of the tires so the
tires do not create a flat spot because
sitting in one place, a second school of
thought has the car placed on the jack stands
so the suspension is at normal ride height
with the springs compressed. Many people
lower the air pressure in order to let the
tire sidewalls and cords relax since the
jack stands are supporting all the vehicle’s
weight.
Disconnecting
the battery is a good idea and now would
be a good time to remove the battery and
to clean the battery and tray with a solution
of baking soda and water in order to neutralize
any battery acid residue. Keeping the battery
charged will extend the life of the battery,
there are automatic trickle chargers on
the market, such as the 1.5 amp Technotest
model HPS1005 that sense when the battery
charge gets low and automatically turn to
keep the battery charged and extend battery
life. A battery just sitting on a shelf
will discharge on its own in 6 months and
even quicker when sitting in a stored vehicle
with the power drains from the memory circuits
in a modern stereo and computer controlled
fuel injection systems, unless you keep
it charged.
The
brake fluid should be checked for moisture
since any moisture in the brake fluid will
corrode the master cylinder, wheel cylinders,
and/or disc brake calipers. Any moisture
in the brake fluid can also cause the brake
fluid to boil at too low of temperature,
thus creating brake fade. One tool that
I have found to be very handy to check brake
fluid is the Brake Fluid Safety Meter from
OTC/SPX; this tool boils a sample of the
brake fluid and then will show the boiling
temperature and show the minimum boiling
temperature specifications. Many times
we have seen vehicles with braking problems
where the brake fluid boiled at a temperature
not much higher than water; no wonder the
brakes not only faded but also needed a
new master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders,
and disc brake calipers due to the corrosion
caused by contaminated brake fluid.
The
coolant should also be looked at, and if
it has been a while since it has been changed
now is a good time to flush the cooling
system and refill with a 50/50 mixture of
antifreeze and distilled water. The reason
for using distilled water is that tap water
contains minerals that can lead to electrolysis
that can do damage to the metals in the
radiator, heater core, engine block and
cylinder heads. A way to check to see if
you have an electrolysis problem is to use
a digital volt meter, the negative lead
goes to an engine ground and the positive
placed into the coolant in the radiator.
If the digital voltmeter indicates a voltage
of over ½ of 1 volt, there is a problem
with the coolant, this electrolysis problem
will create a corrosion problem that will
shorten the life of all the metal parts
in the cooling system. One way to fight
this problem is to place a piece of zinc
or magnesium in the radiator, the two most
common methods used are placing a zinc tab
available from any marine shop in the radiator
or using a radiator cap from Rad-Cap Products
which has a magnesium anode attached to
it.
When
a car is properly prepared for storage,
it will be just a matter of reinstalling
the battery, inflating the tires to the
proper pressure, giving the vehicle a quick
safety check and then enjoying you car when
you uncover it for a drive come spring time.
OTC/SPX
Tool Company
655
Eisenhower Drive
Owatonna,
MN 55060
www.otctools.com
800.533.6127
Rad
Cap Products
5236
Pacheco Blvd.
Pacheco,
CA 94553
925.689.1457
www.radcapproducts.com
Marvel
Oil Company
5655
W. 73rd Street
Chicago,
IL 60638
800.227.9291
www.marvelmysteryoil.com
Technotest
Battery Chargers
P.O.
Box 685
Kentfield,
CA 94904
415.925.0148
www.hpsengineering.com
STA-BIL/Gold
Eagle Co
4400
S. Kildare
Chicago
IL, 60632
800.367.3245
www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil
Ole’s
Carburetor & Electric, Inc.
120
El Camino Real
San
Bruno, CA 94066
650.589.7377
olescarb@sanbrunocable.com |
