e30 winter storage

[corkie]

what to do ,,?disconnect the battery i presume?leave the handbreak off,the battery is a 4mth old bosch,

[DHFiS]

How long are we talking about?

[Steve-E30]

Also depends on how securely it will be tucked away
Disconnect battery , Handbrake off and leave in gear for safe measures

[JGTI]

Well, a good full wash and wax, a nice garage, windows down two inches, doors unlocked, battery disconnected, handbrake off, half tank of petrol, four seats for the wheels, and a very nice cover! Oh, and a dehumidifier.

[Dezzy]

Either blow the tyres up to 50 psi or leave it on axle stands.


Tyres will flat spot if left for months on end

[Jim320i]

Give it a proper good clean inside and out, stops any smells appearing inside and any stubborn makes being left on the paint work for how ever many month.

If your rocking some expensive tyres then you might want to lift the car as it being stored in one position for too long can cause flat spots, but it depends on how long its gonna be away and weather your that extreme...

Make sure its got a good amount of Anti freeze in her too! Last thing you want is it freezing over and then causing damage.

Fuel, I try to use all of mine up before if goes into the unit as fuel goes 'off' after a certain amount of time. BVut at the same time, I have also been advised to fill the tank up as it stops condensation building up in the tank and causing rust.

If you have shining bits in your engine, spray them up with WD40 to stop them rusting over time.

A nice purpose cover will help too, but dont just use tarpauline as its not good for the car... It needs to be able to breathe!


Basically, you just need to stop condensation everywhere on your car...



Also, I found that I had corrosion on my dizzy cap and rotor arm when I went to bring the car out so might be worth removing them unless you dont mind cleaning them up after the winter etc.

Cant think of owt else other than what Steve mentioned with handbrake and in gear etc

Hope this helps


===Edit=== Took too long to type that and you had loads of replies.

[clipper]

Or just send it over to me and I'll look after it for a few months free of charge

[corkie]

thanks lads some good info there,the car will be stored for up n to 6mth but i may start it up now and again,it will be in a secure garage an i have fitted toyo proxies all round,im not sure about leaving windows open as last time it was in for a month the webb makers moved in this subject should be a wiki article if it hasent been done already.. thanks again

[hennabm]

Don't disconnect the battery as that will shorten the life of the SI board batteries. If possible get one of these trickle chargers and leave it all connected.

This is what I do and my SI board has now lasted 15+ years.

So long as it is a dry garage, I would leave the windows closed. If possible put down an old carpet over the floor of the garage as that will keep the damp and cold at bay. Also throw an old large towel or blanket over the engine as that will again keep the damp off and stop the alloy ruining.

I also use an old set of wheels and tyres and remove the alloys for storage in a dark place.

[Jim320i]

Too add, take it for a good 5-10 mile run just before it goes into storage to expell any moisture in the exhaust etc. Last thing you want is rust appearing...

[corkie]

Don't disconnect the battery as that will shorten the life of the SI board batteries. If possible get one of these trickle chargers and leave it all connected.

no power in the garage

[DHFiS]

thanks lads some good info there,the car will be stored for up n to 6mth but i may start it up now and again,it will be in a secure garage an i have fitted toyo proxies all round,im not sure about leaving windows open as last time it was in for a month the webb makers moved in this subject should be a wiki article if it hasent been done already.. thanks again

For 6 month storage I would fit scrap wheels. If its on stands the suspension will be fully dropped the whole time.

[polsta]

mines going in garage too for nov,dec,jan,feb - 4 whole months

no power so no trickle charger, i take it battery shouold be dissconected ? - as it would run flat in that time ?

carpeted,dry,clean

what i keep over my escort in there, is a builders/painters dust sheet ..lets it breathe, keeps crap off and i check it weekley anyway

also i keep chinese takeaway tubs filled with salt, in and around it, 1 in each footwell and on seats etc, soaks up moisture !!

but this year might invest in some of them proper bag things too with the pellets in or whatever it is , although they are not cheap

[Jim320i]

but this year might invest in some of them proper bag things too with the pellets in or whatever it is , although they are not cheap

But nor is sorting out hidden rust a few years down the line so well worth it. Think I shall be investing in those this year too...

Really need to get my unit sorted before the winter too, it leaks water and is very damp

[polsta]

get some carpet down mate

my old garage was leaky and damp, old corregated asbestos type roof etc, i used that spray can gap filler expanding foam stuff, messy as fook but sorts all the gaps out a treat

[Jim320i]

Well I would like to corigate (sp?) iron it all before the bad weather then concrete the floor to about 4 inch higher and properly insulate the walls etc... But its affording it, its a fairly big unit... Wooden though and the door and angle means you can only get 1 E30 in, but the floor layout is about the size 3 E30's so would ne nice to get the doors wider so I could atleast get 2 in there with enough space around them both...

[nickso]

Cat litter is supposed to do the same job as those pellet things.

If you have no power in the garage then i would remove the battery and keep it on trickle in the house.

[DanThe]

Cat litter is supposed to do the same job as those pellet things.

If you have no power in the garage then i would remove the battery and keep it on trickle in the house.

If you have a window you can use a solar powered charger, I wish I did, battery is usually flat come end of Jan.
Will be spraying the brakes with WD40 this year too.

[nickso]

Cat litter is supposed to do the same job as those pellet things.

If you have no power in the garage then i would remove the battery and keep it on trickle in the house.

If you have a window you can use a solar powered charger, I wish I did, battery is usually flat come end of Jan.
Will be spraying the brakes with WD40 this year too.

good point, you could probably water proof the solar panel and leave it outside.

spaying the disks to keep the rust off?

[DanThe]

Yep, it digs deep in the winter. The worst bit is when you spend hundreds having your calipers blasted, linished, plated and built back up with new parts for them to discolour over the first winter
I will probably get them done again while the car is laid up..

[polsta]

how much is a solar panel chargewr for a battery ? i have a window !

wd40 the brakes

any other tips ?

[nickso]

Aye I can see how that could pish you off.

I'm getting a decent dehumidifier for the garage this year, hopefully won't have to spray anything.

[kunjani]

I need only survive 1 more winter.... bon voyage! - It is madness, The extent we have to go through to make tese toys last!

Very insightful post and thanks to all those who contributed.

I now have 1 more thing to worry about! - you guys are the greatest!

[corkie]

some excellent ideas there thanks ,the car will be stored in a garage within a 10 min walk from my home,sadly no window or power,but i do have mains water,as someone pointed out i can remove the battery and keep it on trickle at home,the garage is water tight so carpet and a cover will be a good idea too,DW40 noted,cat litter noted ,the only thing left is what to do about the rubber ..?as said earlier ive got fairly new exspensive tyres added to that i dont possess axyle stands??i will also add the fact that you can only open the car door on one side whilst in the garage

[DanThe]

50psi all round

[corkie]

50psi all round

noted


e30 winter storage would make a good wiki article,imo,i would do it myself but im relativly new to computors so i wouldnt know where to start

[e30topless]

Don't disconnect the battery as that will shorten the life of the SI board batteries. If possible get one of these trickle chargers and leave it all connected.

This is what I do and my SI board has now lasted 15+ years..

but how many batteries have you gone through ?

also worth noting Petrol condensates leaving rust in the tank if it isn't brimmed !

[corkie]

brimmed?

[Dezzy]

Fill the tank reet up

[leeparkes]

Im not sure but it might be an idea to remove the WD40 off the brakes before you go for your first rip,
could be quite a hairy drive

[Dezzy]

Lubbed discs sounds like a plan to me.

[e30topless]

WD evaporates after a short while

[Dezzy]

WD evaporates after a short while

Better off using Molly grease then?

[Simon13]

Don't disconnect the battery as that will shorten the life of the SI board batteries. If possible get one of these trickle chargers and leave it all connected.

This is what I do and my SI board has now lasted 15+ years..

but how many batteries have you gone through ?

also worth noting Petrol condensates leaving rust in the tank if it isn't brimmed !

trickle chargers drastically improve battery life, if you don't have one then disconnecting is the next best thing

[snowmaan]

filling up you tank to the brimm could save you a few quid as with the way things are just now petrol has bound to have gone up in the time she has been sitting tucked up + stops the condensation eating the tank from the inside win win