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Tire Pressure and Additives
- Thread starter satzman
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Exotexs
Jedi Knight
Offline
as I understand it, just changing the oil and filter is the best recipe for long term storage. To prevent flat spots during hibernation, my opinion is to not let tires touch the ground by putting jacks on all 4 jacking points and just leave the pressures at their normal psi.
You can put in 50-60 lbs of pressure if you want to. Just be sure to readjust the pressure before driving the car in spring. Or, you can jack up the car, but not on the jacking points. Make sure the springs are compressed.
It is never a bad idea to use something like Stabil when storing the car for a season or longer.
It is never a bad idea to use something like Stabil when storing the car for a season or longer.
roger_abbott
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
On E types, you need to keep the front suspension in the same position as it is when resting on its wheels. The reason is the metal-to-rubber pivot at the inner end of the lower suspension arm. When you jack up the front end, the lower arms drop and this pivot is distorted. Leave it distorted for any appreciable amount of time and the next time the suspension resumes its normal road position, the rubber in the pivot is likely to shear. The factory repair manual provides a drawing of a tool to hold the lower suspension arm in the proper position when the car is jacked up and the wheels removed. It takes the place of the shock absorber and provides a solid, immovable link from the lower arm to the upper shock absorber mount.
Exotexs
Jedi Knight
Offline
I saw a show last night called "Classic Car Restoration" and of course, these shows ALWAYS have a rotted Ford Mustang as the "Classic-to-be-restored". (pleazzze give me a break!!, Ford Mustang? can they not find ANY better car to restore? How about a real car like a JAGUAR? HELLO? Why, even a 1959 Volkswagen is more interesting than a Mustang for heaven's sake!
Anyway, (sorry, I got carried away there...) they brought in this expert in Car Storage who demonstrated many tips about putting a car in long term storage, but the show was going so fast that I only caught a few great tips from the guy:
1) Suspension should be left "hanging" when the car is raised on Jacks. The reason he explained, is that you don't want the springs to take a "set" when the weight of the car is left unused for a period of time. Great! I knew that, but someone said that doing that was not good. Well, if that guy gets paid big money to prepare million dollar cars for long term storage, then I am not going to argue with him. Suspension Hanging, period.
2) This one I liked a lot: leave all door glass slightly open to allow for ventilation;
3) this one I liked even more: Leave all doors, hood, and trunk cracked-open so that the rubber seals do not get compressed, in other words, give the rubber room to re-expand during the storage period. This assumes that you have no mice or insect problems in your storage unit, in which case #2 and #3 do not apply and windows and doors/hood/trunk should be left fully closed.
4) WD-40 sprayed on rubber seals!! OK, that one caught me by surprise! WD-40 on RUBBER? hmmmmmmm....this guy walks around with a rag and a can of WD-40, I think he's hooked on the stuff.
5) convertible tops UP, never down.
6) and of course, tires off the ground at normal psi, none of that "60 psi" advice.
So there you have it, I think he's the "Bob Villa" of Car Storage.
Anyway, (sorry, I got carried away there...) they brought in this expert in Car Storage who demonstrated many tips about putting a car in long term storage, but the show was going so fast that I only caught a few great tips from the guy:
1) Suspension should be left "hanging" when the car is raised on Jacks. The reason he explained, is that you don't want the springs to take a "set" when the weight of the car is left unused for a period of time. Great! I knew that, but someone said that doing that was not good. Well, if that guy gets paid big money to prepare million dollar cars for long term storage, then I am not going to argue with him. Suspension Hanging, period.
2) This one I liked a lot: leave all door glass slightly open to allow for ventilation;
3) this one I liked even more: Leave all doors, hood, and trunk cracked-open so that the rubber seals do not get compressed, in other words, give the rubber room to re-expand during the storage period. This assumes that you have no mice or insect problems in your storage unit, in which case #2 and #3 do not apply and windows and doors/hood/trunk should be left fully closed.
4) WD-40 sprayed on rubber seals!! OK, that one caught me by surprise! WD-40 on RUBBER? hmmmmmmm....this guy walks around with a rag and a can of WD-40, I think he's hooked on the stuff.
5) convertible tops UP, never down.
6) and of course, tires off the ground at normal psi, none of that "60 psi" advice.
So there you have it, I think he's the "Bob Villa" of Car Storage.
roger_abbott
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
On the "suspension hanging", I have to disagree. Many British cars of the 50's and 60's, and Jaguars in particular, have a rubber bush in both the upper and lower suspension arms (the infamous "Metalastic" bush). This rubber bush is under compression and designed to flex in normal use. It does not rotate at all. When the front suspension is assembled, all pieces are bolted on at "ride level". If you leave the front suspension drooping, it places a torsional strain on the rubber bush. Leave it that way for more than a week or too, it is likely to fail when the car is returned to use. If you check the repair manual for E-type Jaguars, you will find it specifically states that the front suspension must be maintained at ride level at all times using a special tool that replaces the shock absorber.
As to keeping the tires off the floor, I am told that is to keep moisture from accumulating on the bottom of the tire and rotting it. I think that is also a bunch of hooey: A tire stored long enough to rot from moisture will be unusable anyway. Tires will develop a flat spot, but it disappears in the first mile or so. If the tire is so old that the flat spot won't go away, it is a dangerous tire and should be replaced.
About the only things I would do to store a car for more than 90 days would be: (1) drain the gas tank, blow out the gas lines and run the engine until the gas is out of the carburetors, (2) make sure the tires have correct pressure, (3) drain the oil, replace it with fresh and replace the filter (to remove any acidic contaminants from the crankcase), (4) cover the bodywork with a good quality permeable car cover and (5) leave copious quantities of rat poison in the engine compartment, cabin and trunk, to prevent damage to wiring and upholstery.
Better still, drive it so we can all admire it.
As to keeping the tires off the floor, I am told that is to keep moisture from accumulating on the bottom of the tire and rotting it. I think that is also a bunch of hooey: A tire stored long enough to rot from moisture will be unusable anyway. Tires will develop a flat spot, but it disappears in the first mile or so. If the tire is so old that the flat spot won't go away, it is a dangerous tire and should be replaced.
About the only things I would do to store a car for more than 90 days would be: (1) drain the gas tank, blow out the gas lines and run the engine until the gas is out of the carburetors, (2) make sure the tires have correct pressure, (3) drain the oil, replace it with fresh and replace the filter (to remove any acidic contaminants from the crankcase), (4) cover the bodywork with a good quality permeable car cover and (5) leave copious quantities of rat poison in the engine compartment, cabin and trunk, to prevent damage to wiring and upholstery.
Better still, drive it so we can all admire it.
roger_abbott
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
I forgot the most important step of all: remove the battery.
Life is short and uncertain. Better to drive it.
Life is short and uncertain. Better to drive it.
Exotexs
Jedi Knight
Offline
remove or just disconnect the battery?...of course as I ran to put into practice all the tips that I learned about car storage, I cracked-open all 4 doors in one of my cars, not noticing that the interior lights would come ON when I do that, and because the car has a cover on it, I didn't see the lights ON, so 2 days later my battery is completely discharged!! Yes, at least disconnect the battery folks.
By the way, the guy did say that it is a Myth that placing a battery on a cement/concrete floor discharges them.
By the way, the guy did say that it is a Myth that placing a battery on a cement/concrete floor discharges them.
Well I'm am also going into the storage business in the UK and I have a couple of opinions to add:
Batteries should be left in place, on trickle charge system with cut out.
Tyre pressures should be increased (40-50psi)unless the wheels can be raised. Rubber bushed wishbones and rubber bushed leaf springs should be kept at ride height.
All grease points should be serviced and fuel levels checked. If the car is stored over 90 days it should be driven (even a few feet!) periodically to protect engine and driveline bearings from drying out.
Rubber should be protected from drying out (I use silicon based purpose made stuff, but maybe WD40 is fine) as should plastic and pvc.
All chrome should be waxed (polished) and leather fed. Better to fill the fuel tank unless the storage is dehumidified. If the storage is not dehumidified the car should have underbody and box sections waxed.
Definitely use a dust sheet!
Anyway for those of us in the northern hemisphere peak driving season is approaching! Time for recommisioning service for the storage boys!
Jack
Batteries should be left in place, on trickle charge system with cut out.
Tyre pressures should be increased (40-50psi)unless the wheels can be raised. Rubber bushed wishbones and rubber bushed leaf springs should be kept at ride height.
All grease points should be serviced and fuel levels checked. If the car is stored over 90 days it should be driven (even a few feet!) periodically to protect engine and driveline bearings from drying out.
Rubber should be protected from drying out (I use silicon based purpose made stuff, but maybe WD40 is fine) as should plastic and pvc.
All chrome should be waxed (polished) and leather fed. Better to fill the fuel tank unless the storage is dehumidified. If the storage is not dehumidified the car should have underbody and box sections waxed.
Definitely use a dust sheet!
Anyway for those of us in the northern hemisphere peak driving season is approaching! Time for recommisioning service for the storage boys!
Jack
vettedog72
Jedi Knight
Offline
Get the batt out and away from the car. Leaving a box of acid in the caverns just does not make sense.
Jagboy69
Senior Member
Offline
I know this is an ancient thread, but I have stored too many cars for too many years. (I did 2 tours in germany in the air force) So allow me to share "my" method for storing cars. ;-)
First WD-40 sucks. I have sprayed down bicycles before placing them in long term +3years without daylight only to come back and find RUST. In florida, if you spray rubber seals down with WD, you'll have a nice coat of green fur growing in your door jams later. Any unattended storage longer than 1 year, throw the battery in the TRASH or give it away. Never leave it to die in your car. Something that worked for me my second time storing long term in a storage unit was windows rolled up tight and 2 five gallon buckets filled half way with charcoal placed inside the car. I thought it wouldn't work, but when I returned the charcoal was a powdery mush and the car was dry inside. (I know call me weird) I don't advocate leaving any opening into the car. Little furry creatures can get in the most unbelieveable places. So I bagged up exhaust pipes and intakes. I taped up any openings in the firewall too. Just to be safe, I put out rat and mouse killer on the ground and Moth Balls in the engine compartment. Rodents hate the smell and so do I. Do Not place them inside your car or it will smell like your grandma forever!
Even better is NEVER store a car in SW FLorida EVER. I moved my E-type to a remote place in New Mexico. It was like opening a tomb after 3+ years. I did store the E-type in the air on jack stands unlike the above poster. I did find my rubber joint booties all over the front suspension trashed. The metalastic bushes survived without any issues. SO I think I prefer the strain removed from the torsion bars and rear springs. (you don't "age" the suspension this way) I left the tires on my car and actually reduced the tire pressure to about 15PSI. So far, my expensive Vredsteins have not checked since I have reinflated them. SO what that's worth, whatever. I choose NOT to cover my car because I didn't have time to clean it prior to storing it. It suffered NO changes to the paint. Just lots of water when removing the dust to keep from scratching it later on.
Something someone above missed, Cars with steel blocks and heads, NO COOLANT.
If the car has an aluminum head, Drain and store with straight antifreeze in the system. If you don't you'll see the aluminum sluff off in flakes! Not Good!
As you can see I am talking severe long term stuff here, so no gas ANYWHERE. Dry as a bone. Change engine oil and filter going into storage. And do it again coming out of storage before starting. In florida, I used special spark plugs loaded with dissectant I got from an airplane repair station. Piston aircraft engines leave the factories and overhaul shops with these installed. They gave them to me for nothing.
When I stored the jag in New Mexico, I filled each cylinder to the top with Marvel Mystery oil and then stuck in old spark plugs. Same went for the top end of my motor. I poured a ton of the stuff in the breather on the front of the engine coating the timing chains. I also removed my cam shaft covers and swamped both cams with this mystery fluid. When I exited storage, I removed all the spark plugs and turned the engine over by hand and wicked most of the fluid out of the cylinders with a rope. You should have seen this baby smoke when I finally started it. After cleaning out the oil system, I cranked the car over with no gas until I restored oil pressure, this is critical as everything will be dry.
And my personal #1 MUST DO WHEN STORING IS INSURANCE! DO NOT STORE WITHOUT IT!
I use hagerty for Auto Insurance. Ask them for garage coverage only and go with an agreed value of the car. They will need a photo of the car and need to know where it's stored an if it's under lock and key. I paid around 55bucks a year for around 23K of insurance. That's cheap and I slept better.
You can get really creative storing a car as I've even seen people loosen EVERY hose clamp because it saves the end of the hoses from bulging and looking old. I found it's best to make a list of the stuff you did to the car. Trust me, you'll never remember that big trash bag over your pipes down below until you start it. Ka BOOM!
Enjoy the photos!
First WD-40 sucks. I have sprayed down bicycles before placing them in long term +3years without daylight only to come back and find RUST. In florida, if you spray rubber seals down with WD, you'll have a nice coat of green fur growing in your door jams later. Any unattended storage longer than 1 year, throw the battery in the TRASH or give it away. Never leave it to die in your car. Something that worked for me my second time storing long term in a storage unit was windows rolled up tight and 2 five gallon buckets filled half way with charcoal placed inside the car. I thought it wouldn't work, but when I returned the charcoal was a powdery mush and the car was dry inside. (I know call me weird) I don't advocate leaving any opening into the car. Little furry creatures can get in the most unbelieveable places. So I bagged up exhaust pipes and intakes. I taped up any openings in the firewall too. Just to be safe, I put out rat and mouse killer on the ground and Moth Balls in the engine compartment. Rodents hate the smell and so do I. Do Not place them inside your car or it will smell like your grandma forever!
Even better is NEVER store a car in SW FLorida EVER. I moved my E-type to a remote place in New Mexico. It was like opening a tomb after 3+ years. I did store the E-type in the air on jack stands unlike the above poster. I did find my rubber joint booties all over the front suspension trashed. The metalastic bushes survived without any issues. SO I think I prefer the strain removed from the torsion bars and rear springs. (you don't "age" the suspension this way) I left the tires on my car and actually reduced the tire pressure to about 15PSI. So far, my expensive Vredsteins have not checked since I have reinflated them. SO what that's worth, whatever. I choose NOT to cover my car because I didn't have time to clean it prior to storing it. It suffered NO changes to the paint. Just lots of water when removing the dust to keep from scratching it later on.
Something someone above missed, Cars with steel blocks and heads, NO COOLANT.
If the car has an aluminum head, Drain and store with straight antifreeze in the system. If you don't you'll see the aluminum sluff off in flakes! Not Good!
As you can see I am talking severe long term stuff here, so no gas ANYWHERE. Dry as a bone. Change engine oil and filter going into storage. And do it again coming out of storage before starting. In florida, I used special spark plugs loaded with dissectant I got from an airplane repair station. Piston aircraft engines leave the factories and overhaul shops with these installed. They gave them to me for nothing.
When I stored the jag in New Mexico, I filled each cylinder to the top with Marvel Mystery oil and then stuck in old spark plugs. Same went for the top end of my motor. I poured a ton of the stuff in the breather on the front of the engine coating the timing chains. I also removed my cam shaft covers and swamped both cams with this mystery fluid. When I exited storage, I removed all the spark plugs and turned the engine over by hand and wicked most of the fluid out of the cylinders with a rope. You should have seen this baby smoke when I finally started it. After cleaning out the oil system, I cranked the car over with no gas until I restored oil pressure, this is critical as everything will be dry.
And my personal #1 MUST DO WHEN STORING IS INSURANCE! DO NOT STORE WITHOUT IT!
I use hagerty for Auto Insurance. Ask them for garage coverage only and go with an agreed value of the car. They will need a photo of the car and need to know where it's stored an if it's under lock and key. I paid around 55bucks a year for around 23K of insurance. That's cheap and I slept better.
You can get really creative storing a car as I've even seen people loosen EVERY hose clamp because it saves the end of the hoses from bulging and looking old. I found it's best to make a list of the stuff you did to the car. Trust me, you'll never remember that big trash bag over your pipes down below until you start it. Ka BOOM!
Enjoy the photos!
R
RonMacPherson
Guest
Guest
Offline
Good advice, I would like to add go over all rubber, seals, grommets, bushings with a good silicone lubricant spray. Saturate the rubber with it. 3M makes a good professional silicone lubricant spray. Forget the number right now. I have found that it really helps preserve rubber. Keeps the dry rot away...
