by Bruce Anderson
PORSCHE STRASSE'S Bruce Anderson picked up on a message from CompuServe forum member Eric S. Shea about winter storage for his 911:
I am not really much of an expert on storing car because I live in California where we really don't store cars. Because I continue to get questions about storage I have gathered a bunch of information from various different sources.
The best way to store your car for the winter is to fill the tank with gasoline just before you put it away. Change the oil and filter as well just before putting the car away for the winter. Either put the car up on blocks just so the tires miss touching the ground or over inflate the tires to about fifty psi. during the storing period. Remove the battery from the car and put it on a piece of wood in a dry warm place and put it on a trickle charger for the duration of the storage. When you take the car out of storage drive the car enough to use the gasoline that it has been stored with over a fairly short period of time and change the oil and filter again. This should be within a week or so of removing the car from storage. If the car is going to be stored for longer periods of time other precautions are required.
Porsche recently put out a technical bulletin on storage of used Porsches:
Technical Bulletin:
In order to address customer inquiries
If the vehicle remains in storage for more than 3 months, remove spark plugs and disconnect coil wire(s) from distributor cap(s). Ground the coil wire(s) using jumper cable(s).
Squirt 3-5cm of engine oil into each combustion chamber.
Reinstall spark plugs and torque to 25-30 Nm (18-22 ft. Ibs.).
Do not connect spark plug wires. Crank engine for 5-8 seconds. Do not operate gas pedal.
Connect spark plug and coil wires.
Do not operate engine until vehicle is put back in service.
Seal the air intake ducts and the muffler tailpipe using towels or tape.
Windshield/Headlight Washer: Check and correct antifreeze/cleaning solution level as necessary.
Electric: The battery should be removed from the vehicle and stored in a cool and dry place, not on a cement floor. Recharge battery every 3 months. If the battery remains in the vehicle with cables connected, it is necessary to check, remove and recharge the battery every 2-3 weeks.
Do not fast charge batteries. Refer to Technical Bulletin Group 2, Number 8801 for charging information.
Vehicle Interior: The interior must be dry, especially in the area of the floor carpets. The use of drying agents (Silica-Gel) is recommended in vehicles with leather interior and in areas with high humidity. The recommended amount is 3 fabric bags of 500 grams each placed on the floor carpets.
Windows, doors, lids and top must be closed.
On cars with manual heating/ventilation systems, air flaps should be open.
Brakes and shifting: Brake discs and brake pads should be completely dry to prevent corrosion. Do not apply hand brake.
Engage a gear on cars with manual transmission to move the shift rod all the way into the transmission to prevent shift rod corrosion.
Vehicles stored outdoors in direct sunlight: Precautions should be taken to prevent sunlight from entering the car's interior. Cover windshield, door, side and rear glass.
Putting vehicle in service: Remove intake duct and tailpipe sealing. Check for nesting creatures under the hood and evidence of fluid leaks under the car.
Install battery. Start engine.
Do not depress the accelerator pedal. Do not run engine at high RPM during warm up.
Should the engine not start after two starting attempts, remove spark plugs and check for oil deposits. If necessary, clean or replace spark plugs.
Caution: Do not crank engine with spark plugs removed.
Switch on A/C at idle RPM and check state of charge. Correct if necessary.
Adjust tire pressure to specified pressure.
Caution: Brakes may not have the highest possible braking efficiency after long storage. Apply brakes several times at low road speed.
Often there are people who specialize in preparing cars for winter storage and the storing of cars. I'm not sure about your area, but I know several people in the east that offer the service to their customers.
Here is the stuff that I send people that ask about storing a car in the winter. Keeping the tank full during storage is a good place to start. You should use unleaded fuel in preference to a leaded fuel because it is less likely to gum-up. Fill gas tank and put a can of Sta Bil in the tank to stabilize the gas during storage. (Sta Bil is available at marine and lawnmower shops.) Also you need to be careful that you don't use any of the fuels that have alcohol bearing additives in the gasoline because gasoline, water and alcohol do not mix. You have to be careful of gasohol or gasoline with alcohol use as an octane enhancer, these are now sold in 45 states. Because of the problems caused by mixing alcohol with gasoline there are now companies producing additives to protect cars from the use fuels with alcohol in them. If you live in a state that uses alcohol in the gasoline you should look into one of these additives, "Alcohol Protector" by Gold Eagle Co. 4400 So. Kildare, Chicago, IL 60632. Fuels containing alcohol have the ability to absorb moisture from the air. Once the alcohol absorbs water to its maximum, about 1%, a phenomenon known as phase separation can occur. The risk is thaing storage of their Porsche, the following information can be made available to them.
Clean vehicle thoroughly inside and outside.
Clean engine and engine compartment.
Under carriage and chassis components should be free of dirt and salt deposits.
If required, apply cosmoline to under carriage.
Caution: Do not apply cosmoline to brake system components.
Fuel Tank: Fill up fuel tank.
Tires: Increase the tire pressure to 4 bars (58psi). It is not recommended to lift the vehicle, due to the possibility of corrosion on shock absorber pistons.
The vehicle should be moved slightly, approximately every 4 weeks, to prevent flat spots on the tires.
Climate Control: The air conditioning system should be in good working condition and fully charged.
Engine, water-cooled: Check antifreeze concentration and correct if necessary.
Engine:
Change oil and filter. Run engine for several minutes.
Spray cold engine with corrosion inhibitor. (Do not spray it on the exhaust system or belts.) t the water and alcohol mixture can get trapped in some fuel injection systems and cause corrosion or gum things up.
When you put your cars away for the winter you should start by cleaning them thoroughly inside and out and waxing the outside finish, and putting Vaseline on the wheels, then fill the tanks with gasoline just before you put them away. Change the oil and oil filter as well just before putting the car away for the winter. Either put the car up on blocks just so the tires just barely miss touching the ground or over inflate the tires to about fifty eight psi. during the storing period. The vehicle should also be moved slightly once a month to prevent flat spotting the tires. Remove the battery from the car and put it on a piece of wood in a dry warm place and put it on a trickle charger for the duration of the storage. The air conditioning system should be in good working condition and fully charged. Seal up the air intake ducts and the tail pipe using towels and tape. The heater ducts under the car should also be sealed up to prevent rodents form interring the car through the heater. Windows, doors, lids and top must be closed. Do not apply hand brake.
When you take the car out of storage remember to remove intake duct, tail pipe heater vent sealing. Drive the car enough to use the gasoline that it has been stored with over a fairly short period of time and change the oil and filter again. This should be within a week or so of removing the car from storage.
Switch on A/C at idle RPM and check state of charge. Correct if necessary.
Adjust tire pressure to specified pressure.
Caution: The brakes may not work properly after long storage. Apply the brakes several times at low road speed to make sure that they work.
A May 1984 column in the Panorama also dealt with car storage and referenced an earlier column by Roger Chaney printed in the August 1967 Panorama which also dealt with winter car storage. Usually a good source of information on storage of engines will be your local sport boat or private airplane dealers and service centers. A great number of boats and private airplanes are stored for part of the year each year.
