Storing for the winter?

[Unit705]

Is it OK to put a trickle charger on the battery even if it's covered? Or, is it best to disconnect the battery? But if you disconnect battery, does it lose all radio memory? Will we have to reset bluetooth? Not worried about the stations.
Thanks, Tim

[richj92]

During the fall we tore down our single car garage to build a dual car and for various reasons we haven't been able to finish the build and my car may just be stored outside :( I need to find indoor storage ASAP

[GraySS2011]

Last year I filled the tank with 93 octane, put Stabil in the gas, pumped the tires up to about 45 lbs, put a trickle charger on the battery , did not change the oil since it had less than 900 miles on it, put my Cover King cover on it , and left it in my garage for 6 months. Turned the key in April started right up. Changed the oil etc and it was good for another season.


Good luck ,

Bob

[united1]

Originally Posted by GraySS2011

Last year I filled the tank with 93 octane, put Stabil in the gas, pumped the tires up to about 45 lbs, put a trickle charger on the battery , did not change the oil since it had less than 900 miles on it, put my Cover King cover on it , and left it in my garage for 6 months. Turned the key in April started right up. Changed the oil etc and it was good for another season.


Good luck ,

Bob

That's what I do every year , except I haven't put a trickle charger on it . But I will put a trickle charger now that the battery has a few years on it . Starts every time , like it never knew it was put away .

[united1]

And also the dryer sheets to keep the mice at bay .

[richj92]

I keep seeing the talk about the trickle charger and now I want one. Anyone have suggestions on good ones? I googled it but there are so many options, I don't know what is the cheap chinese garbage that'll ruin my battery, and what is the good one that I can use for years to come...?

[rtcat600man]

Originally Posted by GraySS2011

Last year I filled the tank with 93 octane, put Stabil in the gas, pumped the tires up to about 45 lbs, put a trickle charger on the battery , did not change the oil since it had less than 900 miles on it, put my Cover King cover on it , and left it in my garage for 6 months. Turned the key in April started right up. Changed the oil etc and it was good for another season.


Good luck ,

Bob

I fill the tires to 45 PSI too. Changed the oil and filter. Fill the tank, add stabil. Hook up the battery tender under the hood. Place some moisture removers inside the trunk, and interior, along with a couple bounce sheets and deodorizer rock bags. I will start it in the spring and be ready for the new season.

[Happy_Dan]

I got a 4X8 sheet of the foamboard insulation stuff they use on houses. Cut it into 4 squares and park on top of those. I didn't air up my tires last winter and no flat spots. It worked well.

[GraySS2011]

Originally Posted by Happy_Dan

I got a 4X8 sheet of the foamboard insulation stuff they use on houses. Cut it into 4 squares and park on top of those. I didn't air up my tires last winter and no flat spots. It worked well.

I didn't mention it, but I have those foam squares on my garage floor and I do something similar to what you do by placing a couple extra squares together and putting them over the existing squares at the 4 corners of the car. Cheap insurance I guess.

I park my truck in the garage next to the Camaro, so I am coming and going in there. I think my activity might keep the mice out. But it wouldn't hurt to throw some of those dryer sheets around a bit.

[Muscle Car Lover]

Originally Posted by coolman

I've been storing this 87 gta a every winter for 20 years (only 39,000miles) and all I due is service it and put a battery maintainer on it. I also try to run it couple of times on nice days. Never had any problems. I'll be doing the same with my wifes camaro.

Dude, that's bad assery right there! Nice car!

[myold88]

So many mixed opinions here. Here's what I've always done on any of my new or antique cars that I'm storing indoors:

Wash the car, add sta/blizer to the gas, disconnect the neg battery cable, put Bounce dryer sheet throughout the car,
use a good car cover and most important LET IT SIT.
Starting a cold car every couple weeks is a bad idea. There is absolutely no reason to do it imo.
When your ready to use the car again, charge and connect the battery, and drive it at least an hour- fill it up with fresh
gas, change the oil and filter and your good to go.

[One-Bad-ZL1]

I do this:
Before pulling in the garage I lay heavy duty plastic sheeting on the floor. If your floor is not painted and your garage is not heated, as the temperature swings the floor will outgas and moisture will rise up and condense on the cold undercarage leading to oxidation(rust).

I do change the oil to remove the contamination and also dirty oil left sitting will allow those dirt particals to settle at the bottom of every knook and cranny in the motor as well as form a layer of sludge in the oil pan that is hard to remove and just gets reintroduced to motor with that spring oil change. Best to leave it sitting with fresh oil in it. Gas stabilizer is a must. I put moth balls in ziplock bags, puncture the bags to let the smell out and place them down low around the inside garage perimeter where mice like to walk. Dryer sheets also go in zippo is punctured and placed in the trunk, inside the car and in the engine bay. I found steel wool balls at Home Depot individually wrapped that fit perfectly in the tailpipes. The little bastards ain't eating through those and I can reuse them. I overinflate my tires and found rubber workout mats at Sams to park the car on. If you decide to put it on blocks, make sure to also support the suspension. Not good for it to hang down at its extreme drop point for months. I got my battery tender from Sears and its served me well for many years. Clean and wax before putting your cover on. Never put a cover on a dirty car as the cover will pick up the dirt and scratch it every time you put it on. I went overboard and bled the brakes too, as brake fluid absorbs moisture and when left to sit can cause the brake pistons to rust and seize or parts of the system to rust and leak over time. I have a Powerbleeder that made that job easy.

[myold88]

^^^^^ All good ideas also especially putting plastic over the concrete. The two main things I have never done is start the car up once in awhile. I don't believe it's good for the engine or any of the components. Also, the trickle charger makes no sense to me. If my battery
goes dead over the winter, it's a simple step to recharge it in the spring before taking it out of storage.

[rtcat600man]

the idea of the trickle charge is to not let the battery go dead. that is hard on batteries. Plus if the battery is in the trunk and goes dead, you will need to go thru the back seat to get the trunk open to get to the battery, why not just put the trickle charge on it and never worry about it the rest of the winter.