Winter Storage
 

Hi Guys,
As we turn the calendar to November, I'll be looking to store my Camaro for the winter months here in New England. Besides putting it in the garage with a full tank of gas, is there anything else I should do? Thank you for your help.

Rich

Full tank of gas + a bottle of Sta-Bil and run it for 10 minutes to get the mixture into the lines.

Air up the tires a little extra (around 38-40 PSI)

Clean it very well inside and out.

Put dryer sheets in the trunk, under each seat, the glove box, inside the arm rest, and under the hood near important wires. (helps deter rodents, and helps it smell fresh!)

Hook battery up to tender, or remove battery and bring inside and attach to a battery tender (but have a method to open the trunk in mind without a battery)

Put steel wool in (or cover the opening with a dryer sheet) your exhaust tips, to help prevent anything from making a habitat out of that area.

Cover with a good quality dust cover.

(This is how I store both my 68 and my Monte Carlo SS every year)

Pretty much what he said but you don't need to go overboard with the dryer sheets in every open spot. You can put a couple in the cabin along with a bag of charcoal which will eliminate any odor while smelling good. After inflating the tires I would put something under the tires so they don't flat spot. With the dryer sheets, put one around each tire. That will prevent any rodents going near the car. With the steel wool make sure you leave a note to pull them out when you start the car up. Here is a link that will help more.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254887

Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. My thought was to keep the battery hooked up and start the car every 10 to 14 days for about 15 minutes. Any thoughts, comments etc?

Keeping it hooked up isn't a bad idea, you can hook the tender under the hood. Starting the car though is 50/50. Some will say don't start it until spring cause of possible condensation and others will say once a month isn't a bad idea just to keep the oil and internals going. I start mine once a month when it isn't that cold out and let it run for 30 minutes just to keep the parts moving and having a catch can helped to with any condensation that might happen. It's up to you what you want to do, just don't keep starting it multiple times a month.

I fold a few boxes into squares and place under the tires to prevent flat spot which really works. I don't do this during the driving season and after two weeks hibernating, I can feel the flats spots for the first 3 or so miles. E

Everything above I do except for the sheet wraps.

Don't start it until spring if you don't have to. After a short period of time most of the oil will settle to the lowest point of the engine. Each time you start her, it's almost a "dry start". A considerable amount of engine wear happens at start up, and a dry start will cause even more. That being said, sitting only over winter isn't going to allow all the oil to completely leave the seals and gaskets and should be fine for four months. Condensation builds up when the engine doesn't get up to full operating temperature and stay there long enough to burn it off. Is a half hour enough to sit and idle? How about building excessive carbon in the cylinders and heads by only running at idling speed for 30 minutes many times over four months?
My stored car sits, undisturbed over winter, and has with no ill effects for more than a decade now.

Oh, I also set mouse traps along all four walls, and under the car.

Make sure its clean, and provide for battery maintenance (battery tenders are a popular option).

I would definitely rather just using a battery tender over starting the car every few days.

Just put the car away and forget about it until it's nice out, because after it sits and you are ready to take it out of hibernation, you need to do an oil change asap

Good tips......I always put in a tub of Damp rid too.
http://www.damprid.com/

Let it sit. There's no reason to start up a cold engine for nothing. Your
just adding excessive wear to the engine. A mechanic once told me that
one of the worst things you can do to an internal combustion engine is
start it up. You can disconnect the battery but it should be fine either way.

Ahh, never thought to use something like this. I'll have to try that this year in the 68 Camaro

mine stays outside during the winter, I wash it well, put a tender on the jump points under the hood and run the extended power cord down the inside of the engine bay and to the outlet in the garage. put a fuel stabilizer in the tank, cover, strap down using bungee cords. and that is basically it. during the winter when the temps get above freezing I will peal the back of the cover up every 4-6 weeks and remote start it and let it run for a few minutes(unplug the tender when doing this). that is about all goes on with it til mid march or so!