Winter storage

[Rosco]

Here’s a question for those of us who live in colder climates and have to store our cars for several months over the winter.  Is it better to just park the car and leave it (after properly winterizing it of course - oil change, top up the other levels, fill the gas tank, add Stabil, etc.), or is it better to start the car and bring it up to operating temperature every now and then?  I myself have always just parked my ‘50 Plymouth in the garage, on a plastic sheet, covered it and left it til spring, but now I’m having second thoughts as to whether this is the best way to go.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Marcel Backs]

If your garage is heated, starting the engine every coupe of weeks to monthly keeps oil everywhere inside the engine which is beneficial. If car is kept in unheated cold storage, it may be more detrimental than good to try and start it when the engine oil has the consistency of molasses. Make sure your battery gets some attention every so often during storage.M

[Rosco]

Thanks Marcel - my car is in a cold garage, but attached to the house. I disconnect my battery, but keep a trickle charger on it to keep it fully charged.

[Happy 46R]

Hi Rosco

Mine is in northern Alberta and in unheated facility. I make sure it is winterized to -50 and once it is parked I remove the battery and bring it inside the basement. I run the charger on it in January and before I start up for the spring but keeping it fairly warm in the basement is easier on it, I think? I turn a portable heater on in the garage a few days before starting it just to let the fluids warm up a bit. So far things have worked out.  Dave

[keithb7]

My cars go into the garage just like every other day.  They have good A/Freeze even though the garage is heated.  I fire them up a couple of times over the winter.  Keeps seals and gaskets well lubed. Pump the brakes now and then. Heck I ‘ll even back them out into my snowy driveway for some nice winter-esque pics. 
 

I question, why drain the engine oil in the fall and put new oil in? New oil oxidizes and breaks down just by sitting in your crankcase all winter. Its not ideal to drive next year on that “new oil” that sat all winter. Perhaps you dump that new fall oil in the spring again? How many miles does the average vintage car get each year. Mine about 1000. The oil is not real dirty and due in Oct. So I leave it in. I Get it hot in March. Flush out all last year’s oil and refill with new 20W40.  Then run ‘er all summer and fall. Rinse and repeat. Keep in mind I do run modern detergent oil. 
 

Just last week we were having fun.  Cars that sit around too much go bad. They need to be loved and get regular attention. 
 

Edited January 6, 2023 by keithb7

[Rosco]

Hi Dave:  Brrrrr!  -50 is a little colder than it gets here in southern Ontario, especially this winter.  We’ve been pretty lucky so far but winter’s not over yet!  Good idea to take the battery inside when it’s that cold.  Thanks for replying.

[Rosco]

Hey Keith - Nice car!  Good suggestion to pump the brakes a couple of times to keep things moving the way they should.   Changing the oil in the fall is just a habit I got into - it gets all the crud from driving it all summer out of the pan, rather than leaving it sitting in there all winter.  I agree that a car that sits too long and isn’t driven can go bad over time.  Thanks for the suggestions.

[Dan Hiebert]

I could launch into a long diatribe about how we've stored our cars over the years, but won't, other than to say when we lived in Michigan, all the old cars were in cold storage for the winter, one even being kept outdoors, when we lived across the border from you in Wheatfield, NY, one was in cold storage, the others in an occasionally heated garage, and here in northern Maine, all are in a constantly heated garage.  So, I've got experience with different types of winter storage.  Once we moved to Michigan, I don't dare take the cars out in the winter for all the salt, which is even in the air where they salt heavily and have a lot of traffic.  Taking them out was/is not an option.  The only real issues (I wouldn't call them a problem, just something to be aware of) I've had are with condensation from warm / cold cycles, and that's from both heated and cold storage.  You've got a good handle on what needs to be done to keep your car safe.  If you didn't have your battery on a trickle charger, I'd recommend taking it out of the car and storing it in a warm place.  You do not need to run the car, but if you choose to, ensure you bring it up to operating temperature to "burn" the condensation out.  You didn't mention it, but mouse proofing and checking occasionally to see if the wee beasties circumvented your mouse proofing.  One thing I've always done after a long idle period is disconnect the coil and crank the engine to circulate the oil before starting it.  I don't change the oil in the oldies until the end of their hibernation.  

[bamfordsgarage]

Sometimes winter just seems awfully long to go without driving the oldies...

 

 

 

 

[Booger]

ok fair enough. What did ma and pa Kettle do in the 40s and 50s living in the cold crap? well they drove every gd day.

these engines are one step above tractor engines. Theyre tough. Full tank of non corn gas. (no additives) fresh oil. Start every 2 weeks or so. bring up to operating speed

yeah like those barns had heaters. ok to throw your dog out there, Huh? Heated garages my axx

[Sniper]

41 minutes ago, Booger said:

ok fair enough. What did ma and pa Kettle do in the 40s and 50s living in the cold crap? well they drove every gd day.

 

Pretty sure they had a mule for that, lol

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Sniper

[LeRoy]

12 hours ago, Booger said:

Heated garages my axx

HEY! I just finished installing a mini-split in my garage Monday. I spent all yesterday fooling around in the garage in a tee shirt, I think I even broke a sweat once. It was 27 outdoors and 72 in the garage, I was lovin life <3. 

[Young Ed]

I'm in MN. My only precautions are make sure the gas tank is full add some stabilizer (which probably isn't that necessary because I buy the no ethanol fuel) and unhook the battery. Been doing that over 20y and never a problem. 

[Pete]

I'm in Vermont. It can get cold here. Once about 15 years ago it got down to -35 Fahrenheit.

 

About 5 years ago we put up an outbuilding, we call it our "barn." One side is my wife's studio, the bigger side in for my old cars. We insulated the heck out of it and installed a heat pump and mini-splits. We keep it at 50 degrees F when we not using it, as that is its lowest setting. So far it's also been rodent proof (knock on wood). Makes working out there in the winter a lot better than when I had a nylon Quonset hut with a gravel floor. Also makes winter car storage quick and easy.

 

I'm not ever moving.

 

Pete

 

[Eneto-55]

Pete, Just curious if you have a separate electric meter for the heated 'barn', and if so (or if you have estimated an approximate cost difference) how much that adds to your utility bills.

 

Speaking of barns, the kind with animals in them a lot of the time - those get 'heated' by the horses or other animals.  (Except for the mice.  I doubt if they add too much warmth.)

[kencombs]

Just a couple of comments. 

first, I'd be cautious of the plastic covering.  As others have mentioned, condensation is the enemy of cars.  Metal and upholstery.  I'd prefer a breathable cover, painters drop clothes, cheap furniture pads etc.

Then, rather than starting the engine periodically, pull the plugs, oil the cylinders lightly and crank it over.  put the plugs back in to seal it up.

 

IMO, starting an engine and not getting the water and oil up to full operating temp is harmful and promotes condensation in the crankcase as well as the cylinders.

 

Last, if possible store the battery in a heated place.

[LeRoy]

8 minutes ago, kencombs said:

Just a couple of comments. 

first, I'd be cautious of the plastic covering.  As others have mentioned, condensation is the enemy of cars.  Metal and upholstery.  I'd prefer a breathable cover, painters drop clothes, cheap furniture pads etc.

Then, rather than starting the engine periodically, pull the plugs, oil the cylinders lightly and crank it over.  put the plugs back in to seal it up.

 

IMO, starting an engine and not getting the water and oil up to full operating temp is harmful and promotes condensation in the crankcase as well as the cylinders.

 

Last, if possible store the battery in a heated place.

I moved south to eliminate this kind of trouble along with snow, high heat bills, slippery roads  etc. turns out Knoxville is not far enough South. Looking at Miami and Houston properties.

Edited January 12, 2023 by LeRoy

[Los_Control]

Just now, LeRoy said:

I moved south to eliminate this kind of trouble along with snow, high heat bills, slippery roads  etc. turns out Knoxville is not far enough South. Looking at Miami and Houston properties.

I'm with you ... move!

It is 59F today. I'm in the shop, have my long johns & a sweatshirt  & the propane heater running   ???   I got no business joining this convo.

[Sniper]

3 hours ago, LeRoy said:

Looking at Miami and Houston properties.

 

Never been to Miami. but in Houston you'll want a shop that has good AC, otherwise you will find yourself wet with sweat.  It is danged humid there.  At least where I live it's just a dry heat, lol. 

[LeRoy]

18 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

Never been to Miami. but in Houston you'll want a shop that has good AC, otherwise you will find yourself wet with sweat.  It is danged humid there.  At least where I live it's just a dry heat, lol. 

To be honest I don't know where I'd go for the best climate. I think San Louis Obispo is supposed to have the best climate in the county but I can't imagine living in the land of fruits and nuts. I'm leaning more towards separate summer and winter homes. Saved all my life might as well enjoy it in retirement.

[DJ194950]

Is SLO  - (San Louis Obisbo) still above the rain water levels?  Lot of flooding here in Ca.
 

Was (is?) a very nice but expensive area.. Shakes with the earth fairly often. AS does most  of the state.

 

I love Calif. but it is not without its problems , most areas of our great country have something less than ideal. 

 

What bothers you the least?  ?

 

DJ

[LeRoy]

10 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Is SLO  - (San Louis Obisbo) still above the rain water levels?  Lot of flooding here in Ca.
 

Was (is?) a very nice but expensive area.. Shakes with the earth fairly often. AS does most  of the state.

 

I love Calif. but it is not without its problems , most areas of our great country have something less than ideal. 

 

What bothers you the least?  ?

 

DJ

It's a beautiful state and has some of the best weather. It's the policies and politics I can't get behind. I vacation there then run away fast.

[Pete]

Eneto,

 

We don't have a separate meter on the barn's mini-splits. Our house is all electric except fuel oil heat and a wood stove. We bought 4 cords of wood last spring before the prices went way up. We burn a lot of wood and are using a lot less fuel oil than in the past. To be clear the furnace and the wood stove are in the house, not in the barn.

 

In the barn we have two separate heat pumps / mini-splits, one for each side. That way when when of us is using their half we're not paying to boost the heat on the other side, which we leave set to 50. If I'm out there for only an hour or so, I don't turn the heat up. The mini-splits are also air conditioners, but I only use that once or twice during the summer. We only wanted the heat, but when we bought it there was only heat and a/c.

 

We also have a solar tracker and a big battery backup, which is another reason it's hard to calculate how much it costs to heat the barn. The battery backup is useful as we get a number of power outages here in Vermont. No going out in a blizzard to start a generator.

 

Pete

 

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Pete

[Pete]

Posted in error.

Edited January 13, 2023 by Pete

[Eneto-55]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Eneto,

 

We don't have a separate meter on the barn's mini-splits. Our house is all electric except fuel oil heat and a wood stove. We bought 4 cords of wood last spring before the prices went way up. We burn a lot of wood and are using a lot less fuel oil than in the past. To be clear the furnace and the wood stove are in the house, not in the barn.

 

In the barn we have two separate heat pumps / mini-splits, one for each side. That way when when of us is using their half we're not paying to boost the heat on the other side, which we leave set to 50. If I'm out there for only an hour or so, I don't turn the heat up. The mini-splits are also air conditioners, but I only use that once or twice during the summer. We only wanted the heat, but when we bought it there was only heat and a/c.

 

We also have a solar tracker and a big battery backup, which is another reason it's hard to calculate how much it costs to heat the barn. The battery backup is useful as we get a number of power outages here in Vermont. No going out in a blizzard to start a generator.

 

Pete

Sounds like a great set up.  Not too many years back we had central heat (natural gas) & air conditioning installed in our split level house (with a basement yet).  We had looked at mini-splits, but there's a chimney right where the return coolant lines would need to go through, and they said that these lines have to go down hill all the way back to the compressor, or the oil will puddle in a low spot & it won't work well, or maybe not at all.  Se we went with central.  I would never do it again.  You have to freeze out the lower levels in the Summer to get the top level bedrooms cool enough to be able to sleep up there.

 

Regarding shop heaters, I'm wondering about infrared.  They claim that heats the objects in the room, not the air, so that when you open the garage door, you don't loose so much of the heat.

 

I can manage to work in 60*, but going below that it gets hard for me.  (I'm a skinny "bean pole" - 5'10" or so and around 135 lbs.  Also spent 18 years in the Amazon, so I'm more used to the heat than the cold.)

Edited January 13, 2023 by Eneto-55