when storing Subaru, whether to start up car or not

[subarut]

I've gotten pretty consistent advice about how to store my 2000 Outback outdoors for 9 months while being overseas but two exceptions are:

 

1) whether or not to start up a car while it's being stored. While I don't have anyone planning on driving it (going to take off insurance other than comprehensive), one car guy said it might still be helpful to have the car started up once a month to run for 5-10 minutes, just to lubricate and get everything warmed up in the engine. Is this correct?

 

2) If I'm storing the car on an uneven surface (driver's side wheels might be a few inches higher than passenger side because of the uneven surface of my driveway) is this going to cause me problems? I've been told that generally, for only 9 months, I don't need to worry about the tires that much. But would this be bad for the suspension at all?

 

Any other thoughts are welcomed. This car will be stored outside in Portland, OR. So far, I've just been told to make sure the coolant is sufficient, the oil is changed before I go and that the gas is next to empty.

 

Thanks!!

[lostinthe202]

.....and that the gas is next to empty.

 

Thanks!!

 

 

This is the only one that confuses me. I would think you would want the tank as full as you can get it. The gas tanks on autos are a vented system meaning air is allowed to circulate. If there is only a small amount of gas in the tank it can turn on ya giving you grief when you go to start it. But I'm no car storage expert so if that's what they say...

[EVOthis]

+1^......also if you have next to no gas it gives plenty of room (and time for that matter) for moisture to gather on the inside of the tank.....i have stored my old saturn for months at a time and have always kept the tank topped off.......but thats me...

[OB99W]

I've gotten pretty consistent advice about how to store my 2000 Outback outdoors for 9 months while being overseas

If anyone wants to see what was said here previously:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=89436

 

 

but two exceptions are:

 

1) whether or not to start up a car while it's being stored. While I don't have anyone planning on driving it (going to take off insurance other than comprehensive), one car guy said it might still be helpful to have the car started up once a month to run for 5-10 minutes, just to lubricate and get everything warmed up in the engine. Is this correct?

Nobody can answer that question with absolute certainty, but if the engine is prepped correctly I'd be inclined to not run it at all for the nine months. Short runs at idle, especially in the winter, tend to cause accumulation of moisture and gasoline byproducts.

 

 

2) If I'm storing the car on an uneven surface [...] would this be bad for the suspension at all?

If all you're saying is that the car will be tilting slightly from side to side, that won't be a problem.

 

 

[...]So far, I've just been told to make sure the coolant is sufficient, the oil is changed before I go and that the gas is next to empty.

Why would you empty the tank? It's more likely to develop corrosion problems that way than if nearer to full (I'd avoid completely full, as it might expand enough to vent on a hot day). I would add some gas stabilizer to it, however.

[Bill90Loyale]

http://www.ehow.com/how_14375_prepare-car-long.html

 

Including the posts that follow the article.

[OB99W]

http://www.ehow.com/how_14375_prepare-car-long.html

 

Including the posts that follow the article.

Several of the steps suggested at that site aren't practical, since the car will apparently be stored outdoors (see the link to the earlier post).

 

Step 5 makes a good point -- a car battery that isn't used for 9 months will self-discharge even if disconnected, and sulfate to some degree. (If it discharged sufficiently, low specific gravity of the electrolyte could allow it to freeze if the temperature got low enough, which obviously shouldn't be allowed to happen.) After the storage period, if the battery is put on a charger at a low rate (2 amps or so) for several hours (it could take a day or more, actually), it might recover.

 

Otherwise, the battery could be removed from the car before storage and put on a trickle charger. It still might not perform as well as it did nine months before, but that's probably as good as could be done for it.

[gbhrps]

Any articles I've read over the years that apply to storing antique automobiles for any length of time always say to top up the gas tank to prevent condensation. As for starting the engine up very couple of months, don't, unless you are going to run it for more than 15 minutes to clear condensation from the exhaust system, and then move the car forwards and backwards (even if just in the driveway)to lubricate the tranny and rear end gears and seals, as well as free up the calipers and wheel cylinders. The suspension should stay loaded (meaning resting on the tires, or the suspension on jack stands with the tires off the ground). Remove the battery from the car (prevents a short circuit fire from rodents) and trickle charge it once a month. As for mice, use mothballs liberally throughout the car, or use cloves instead (cloves leaves a nice spicy smell). A neighbour had several hundred dollars worth of interior damage from mice that chewed apart his rear seats to make a nest in his dash air ducts.

[Rooster2]

All good ideas that others have recommended, especially with topped off tank with Stabil added to the gas. Remove battery is also a good idea. Put on a trickle charger to keep battery charged up. I would also suggest covering the car with a tarp, if you can't put it into a garage. If outside, park on concrete, not on gravel or grass. Otherwise, moisture rises up out of the soil, and condenses on the bottom side of the car adding to corosion.

[four-fleet-feet]

+10 for Rooster2's list.

 

You might want to rethink the mothballs. You'll never get the smell back out of the car; go to a Whole Foods or the natural foods store of your choice and get some pure essential oil of spearmint and one of peppermint, which is not the kind you find at Fred Meyers in the baking aisle. You'll probably find it with the body products or the bulk herbs/aromatherapy items.

 

Rodents of all kinds hate mint. You can also get the loose herbs, bag them in muslin (any health food store sells premade muslin bags - just ask), saturate them with about 6 drops of each oil (more if you've already had a mouse problem), and put the bags inside the passenger compartment. I suggest at least four - 6 or 8 is better for a wagon.

 

Then go get some fiberglass insulation or something else fireproof (in case you forget you put it under the hood) and dose 2-inch-square pieces of it, then wire or zip tie them to your engine in places not more than 2 feet apart. Then attach them to the frame as low/close to the wheels as you can; rodents jump up from the ground. Ask the people keeping an eye on your car to keep any trash from gathering under it, as that only makes it easier for the mice to get onboard. Once a month they can dose the inside bags with 3 drops of each oil to keep the interior smell up, and hopefully get the outer ones at the same time. Unless they're used to shopping at a health food store, I'd get 2 bottles of each oil to last the 9 months. If it snows they'll need to do it every week, as the mice will get desperate and do anything for shelter.

 

Unless you like the smell of damp car, I also suggest going to an RV place and getting some Damp-Rid or Dri-Z-Air or similar product; it's a crystal you place in a vehicle getting put in winter storage. It absorbs the dampness to prevent mold and mildew. Your car sitters would have to dump out the accumulated moisture in its container every month, but that's better than replacing your interior.

 

If you're not using a tarp or fitted car cover (might be better not to use a fitted due to the potential rain damage under it), give the car 2 full coats of heavy hand-applied wax. That should ward off many paint problems from dust/sun, and it might help with a hailstorm.

 

And make sure you thoroughly police the car before leaving; if you forgot so much as a pen or bag of pretzels, those items, once leaking or fed upon, will cause more damage than you want to deal with upon your return.

[Bill90Loyale]

Several of the steps suggested at that site aren't practical, since the car will apparently be stored outdoors (see the link to the earlier post).

So that eliminates step 1. Thanks for the clarification OB.

[OB99W]

So that eliminates step 1. Thanks for the clarification OB.

Outdoor storage would make step 6 a bad idea under most circumstances (due to likely moisture-induced problems); step 3 would be questionable.

[OB99W]

Subarut, I'd also suggest that you return to the forum before you put the car back in service. There are steps to take to "reverse" the storage process. Here are two examples:

 

1) Thoroughly inspect the car visually for possible critter damage. Look in particular for damage to wiring and hoses, including brake flex lines. Obviously, fix/replace anything that's important before using the car.

 

2) There will be some corrosion in the engine after nine months. Even if the oil/filter were changed at the start of the storage period, once the engine is running again it's not a bad idea to change them once more after just a short time.

[schlit]

If it's sitting out in the sun, I would also try to protect your tires. Tires that arent driven have accelerated sun damage. Normal driving motion works the protectant in the rubber to the outer surface. No motion, no protection. A good coating of ArmorAll should help.