Help Needed - Stored for Winter, Now What?

[HDDAN]

Originally Posted by Murph0408

So I've stored away my Camaro for the winter in the garage. Did not do this last year. My winter ride is a 2000 Dodge Durango (w/ the 5.9L V8, yee haw).

Cliffs-
-One last wash/wax job
-Full tank of gas
-Checked/refilled air in tires
-Emptied out car
-Set as a "secondary" out-of-use car to save money on insurance

Now, i've heard things here and there about starting up the car once in a while and moving it around to keep things working. Can anyone give me some maintenance tips for a Camaro being stored for about 3 months?

1. Put Stabil in the gas tank.
2. Put a battery tender on it. ($20.00 at Wallmart)
3. DO NOT START IT UNTIL YOU ARE GOING TO START USING IT. The reason for this is that it will not warm up properly and it will suck moisture back up the tailpipe. I have only stored this Camaro last year, I drove my other three through the winters, but I have been storing Motorcycles for decades.
I agree completely with the above poster, park it and walk away untill the second rain in the spring.

[Sargon]

Dumb question - with a battery tender am I connecting it to the contacts under the hood (like where you'd jump it from) or does it need to connect to the battery terminals in the trunk? I've never used one before. Also I've seen some people say never park in on bare concrete. Is there a reason for this?

[Darth_Emma]

Originally Posted by Sargon

Dumb question - with a battery tender am I connecting it to the contacts under the hood (like where you'd jump it from) or does it need to connect to the battery terminals in the trunk? I've never used one before. Also I've seen some people say never park in on bare concrete. Is there a reason for this?

You can connect it to either. I connected mine under the hood. It's much easier to get at it that way.

I prefer to put something between the concrete and my tires when parking for long periods of time. I've heard various reasons for not parking on concrete for long periods of time including that the concrete can dry out the rubber and that a softer material will help stop the flat spots in the tires. I bought a set of "flatstoppers" ramps for mine for winter.

[camaro52010]

Stabil if you must, most appropriate for carbs where fuel sits in fuel bowls and fuel floats, not really needed with SFI Injection, IMO.
I start it once or twice all winter and let it get up to full operating temp which drys out any collected oil moisture including moisture in the exhaust.
Battery tender, mouse traps, move it 1 foot twice, never had a flat spotted tire?
Same process for 32 winters on my Z28, no issues to report.

PS: order those mods and work on it over the winter, CAI, grilles, spoilers, emblems, wheels, etc.

[Sandor]

Originally Posted by camaro52010

Stabil if you must, most appropriate for carbs where fuel sits in fuel bowls and fuel floats, not really needed with SFI Injection, IMO.
I start it once or twice all winter and let it get up to full operating temp which drys out any collected moisture including in the exhaust.
Battery tender, mouse traps, move it 1 foot twice, never had a flat spotted tire?
Same process for 32 winters on my Z28, no issues to report.

PS: order those mods and work on it over the winter, grilles, spoilers, emblems, etc.

52010 is correct regarding starting the engine and reaching operating temperature. Otherwise moisture will collect and contaminate the oil, which is very harmful for the engine. Reaching operating temperature will burn the moisture off. And if the car is started on a regular basis, say once each month, there will not be internal wear issues.

All that said, people have their routines and will swear by them, so those that prescribe to the "never start it" process will stick with what they feel works for them and the "start it up" crowd will stick to their plan!

[Lucky SOB]

No need to pump up the tires with extra air or support the car on jack stands...

The common fear of flat spots in the tires comes from the days when "bias ply" tires were in use. Unless you're storing a car from the 70's or earlier, leave your tires at the recommended PSI level.

Also, the suspension is engineered to be under load - leave it that way

[INTIMIDAT3R]

Originally Posted by camaro52010

Stabil if you must, most appropriate for carbs where fuel sits in fuel bowls and fuel floats, not really needed with SFI Injection, IMO.
I start it once or twice all winter and let it get up to full operating temp which drys out any collected moisture including in the exhaust.
Battery tender, mouse traps, move it 1 foot twice, never had a flat spotted tire?
Same process for 32 winters on my Z28, no issues to report.

PS: order those mods and work on it over the winter, grilles, spoilers, emblems, etc.

Here's Domino. Hey Camaro52010, think our cars were separated at birth?

*- Special note... I'm NOT a Kyle Busch fan, just an M&M's fan.

[camaro52010]

Gotta love it, I miss driving her but I love the nasty, stupid weather she is missing

[danhr]

Originally Posted by Sandor

All that said, people have their routines and will swear by them, so those that prescribe to the "never start it" process will stick with what they feel works for them and the "start it up" crowd will stick to their plan!

someone hit the nail on the head in this thread!!!!

[guiLT]

Now begins the long countdown to spring.

Here's a tip:: try to stay away from Camaro5 during winter. It will drive you insane.

[DaddySS]

My winter routine:

Battery tender
Jack it up
Change oil and filter
Remove wheels and polish inside and out
Remove and paint rotors, touch up calipers as needed
Locate any chips or scratches underneath, and touch up.
Polish underneath
Silicone on rubber seals around windows, doors, trunk, etc.
Clean and treat interior leather
Clean and treat interior vinyl
Every second or third year flush brake and clutch fluid
Every 3 years replace antifreeze, transmission oil, real axle oil.
Every 5 to 7 years replace battery
Finally, fully polish exterior

By then it's spring!

[ravensjeff]

My winter routine (using heated garage):

Friday- 20 degrees out- fire up Harley and go for a 30-40 mile ride, pull in to bar 3 minutes from home, have a few cold ones and go home. Park in heated garage next to warm 650 HP 2010 Camaro.

Saturday- 25 degrees out- fire up Camaro and go for a 80-100 mile ride, pull in to bar 3 minutes from home, have a few cold ones and go home. Park in heated garage next to warm, badass 2003 HD Softail Duece.

Repeat over and over.

I ain't storing nothing except the original parts i've taken off of the car.

[WeeZee]

I love storage since I live here in Michigan. Stabil is the safe way to go and do not start the engine till spring like mentioned. Storage keeps the miles down and your car as mint as possible.

[The 305]

Thanks again for all the info! One last question, why a full tank of gas? Keep from moisture build up? -Thanks