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winter nap at mother-in-laws?
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pitbovver
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:50 am    Post subject: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

gotta Q, i just bought the wife a jeep for the winter months, so i get my jetta back for the winter,thus leaving the vannie as the now 3rd vehicle, my mother in law has a 3+ car garage and has offered to allow me to store my van and motorcyles there for the winter, so that we can park both the jetta and the jeep in our 2 car garage, ive never really had to lay up a vehicle b4 and i figure ill fill up the tank and add some additive to the tank before parking it, and change the oil/filter, disconnect the battery (-) post, and that should be about it huh, maybe jack it up? the tires have one season on them, i do have a lifter leak down issue as it is a/c'd anything i might want to add to help this out on start up? anything else i might be forgetting? thanks for lookin
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crukab
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mouse traps. Remove every bit of paper & food, the little bastards will make your Van STINK !! I've used Moth Balls before- and found a mouse dead in a trap, 5" from the Moth balls.
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rs4-380
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:13 am    Post subject: Re: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

fresh oil isn't going to do anything sitting in the bottom of the oil pan. Change it after you pull it out of storage, not before you put it in.


Fill the gas tank, bring the tires right up to their max inflation, either remove the battery and/or keep it on a battery minder/trickle charger, use some kind of rodent repellent (whether traps or moth balls) and if you can, just go and start it and let it run for 10 minutes every 3 or 4 weeks.
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Randy in Maine
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Winter here in Maine is like being pregnant every year. It lasts about nine months and happens every year.

I always change the oil and fill it up with fuel (+Stabil) before I drive it the five miles to park it in the barn. The acids in the used oil (by product of combustion) have all winter to deteriorate the engine.

I clean up my bus really nice including the windows. A nice wax job would be a plus.

Just remove the battery from the car and inflate the tires. Never had an issue with it.

No moth balls for me. In Vermont they find that smell real macho. Very Happy
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r39o
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:33 pm    Post subject: Re: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

rs4-380 wrote:
fresh oil isn't going to do anything sitting in the bottom of the oil pan. Change it after you pull it out of storage, not before you put it in.

That's right. You have removed the used oil with the built up acids and other byproducts. Clean oil is a good thing.

rs4-380 wrote:
just go and start it and let it run for 10 minutes every 3 or 4 weeks.

What's that supposed to do?

Wear the battery because it will be discharged? It takes a trickle charger longer than 24 hours to bring back a battery and being discharged for longer than a day is no good. Do you want to intentionally add bad start up by products to the oil which can not be burned off in 10 minutes? Do you want to be sure you really bleed the last of the oil out of the lifters so they all can make a lot of noise? You want to add more moisture to the exhaust so it can rust our faster?

Running any car just for a few minutes with out getting it up to operating temperature and driving it around for a good long time is just inviting more problems.

Better things to do are:
Cycle in some fresh brake fluid so there is less moisture in the system.
Change the oil and add Marvel Mystery oil.
Fill the van up with gas so the top of the tank does not rust.
Add a bit of top end lube to the gas too. Again Marvel works.
Be srue the coolant is fresh. It has an additive package too.
Tossing in desicant packs is not a bad idea too.
Take the battery out and put it on a smart float charger, or just buy a fresh battery before you wake the van up.

I am sure there is more,s ome one else add please.
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pitbovver
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for all the input, I know i said i havent laid up a vehicle for winter b4 but i always put my bikes through this ritual, stabil, disconnect (-), oil and place it on the lift, im not too concerned with the rats/mice b/c the garage in pretty new shape ie a clean environment, im kinda at a loss that i wont be able to have fun running this thing throughout the winter but i guess it would be best to keep the salt and stuff off it, i gotta get a wax on it and should go through and bleed the brake fluid, and park it so that it cannot get filled up with my mother in laws 'garage sale items' ha.

so the marvel mystery oil is just added to the fresh oil, should i remove the spark plugs and add a drop or two in each cyl, or is this overkill? The current AC engine that is in it had sat for 7+ years dormant b4 i started running it 3 yrs ago, its the 2nd van its been in, miles unknown, runs pretty strong though, i just know that one lifter likes to bleed down after a week or two
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rs4-380
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:07 pm    Post subject: Re: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

r39o wrote:

What's that supposed to do?

No reason to get all high and mighty about it. Settle down.


Let me clarify. Run the van long enough to get up to operating temperature. (whether that be 10 minutes or 20 minutes). Rolling Eyes
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r39o
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:50 pm    Post subject: Re: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

rs4-380 wrote:
r39o wrote:

What's that supposed to do?

No reason to get all high and mighty about it. Settle down.


Let me clarify. Run the van long enough to get up to operating temperature. (whether that be 10 minutes or 20 minutes). Rolling Eyes

I fell of my high horse a long time ago.....

Seriously though, just running the engine to make sure it still does its thing does no good to it. Even if you run it up for an hour standing, you are not placing a load on it. You still build up stuff inside and generate the bad by products. Not the best, as I understand it from people you store lots of old cars. The car is meant to be driven and driven often. If you just tease it and warm it up all the bad things tend to still happen.

EX: The hot exhaust will sure dry out. As it cools it will collect moisture again. Rust still happens, just this time there is fresh water in there to help along. If you drive it in when it is warmer and turn it off, there is less condensate.

Point here is to just pickle the car and leave it alone until it is time to wake up and be used again.
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gravedigger7
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have a quick question? What if you dont have a garage to put it in, is it ok to use a cover to cover the van up? I have heard different stories on this? What do yall think?

LEW
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singlewc
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:08 pm    Post subject: Re: winter nap at mother-in-laws? Reply with quote

A good topic for sure. My van sits unused for several months at a time, year round, and Utah winters dictate when it gets to run during the snowy months.

Most it has sat, has been probably three, maybe four months. I keep the gas tank full, put the stabilizer in it, and that is about it. The oil is going to continue to be a highly personal choice Smile I keep it on a schedule, and that determines when I will change it. Sometimes, after a long sit, I will just drain it cold, along with the filter, then a refill and a change somewhere before the next long park time..... The argument could go around and around and never find a common ground.

My van sits covered next to the garage. I have an old power supply, aka a walwart cube, from the thrift store that goes with video games and the like. Its rated at 12V / 1 Amp. Connect it to the battery, (or the cig lighter if you are sure of the connection, plug in the extension, and it just keeps the float charge on the battery. Again, if it is sitting a long time, I will often just cycle it for a week on and a week off. Never had a problem with the battery discharging.

I used to start it and let it run, but that gets boring, and probably does more damage to the exhaust system (rust) than anything else. The fact is, in the cold months, an air cooled can idle for three days in a row and the oil temp will never reach the point of boiling off the water and other crap in the pan. Smile

After a long stretch, I will pull the relays for the fuel pump, disconnect and ground the coil wire, and crank the motor for a bit before letting it actually fire up. Sometimes I get the oil light to go out, other times not, but I figure any pre-lube is better than none.

No mice or other critters in the area, but I can imagine that can get pretty ugly if they find their way in.

Been doing this for years, and haven't felt any side effects. The hardest part is going three or four months without driving it. I do so enjoy that.

Mark
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ChesterKV
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When it gets unbelievably cold here in the S.F. Bay Area, I'm talking 40 degrees at 7 a.m.....brrrrrrrrr, I like driving my van to my local Peet's coffee shop and ordering a hot English Breakfast tea. Seems to do the trick without all this "storage" talk. Should I throw salt on the road in front of me ? Sometimes it rains..... Rolling Eyes
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scottcollins72
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To keep the musty smell that may ensue (depending on how much moisture is in your van) Pop the top and use a couple of 2X4's to prop it open a bit. Any moisture that is trapped in the canvas will cause mould and stink to high heaven. Maybe open a couple of windows as well and possibly put a small fan driven ceramic heater at it's lowest setting inside. Preferably on something non-combustible just in case. Not likely to cause a fire on it's lowest setting but if a power surge happens or something it's just best to be careful. Also while it's laid up it's the best time to remove the upper bunk covers and clean/replace them. Next year I'm going to have my g/f stitch together a couple of sheets like the ones on our home bed with the elastics to hold them on. It'd be nice to be able to just pull 'em off and throw 'em into the washer. Also, having had vehicles that had sat for a long time before restarting, fuel stabilizer is a MUST. Had a 74 MGB roadster that had sat in a driveway for 5 years and the fuel turned to gum in all the lines. Another possibility is to disconnect the power to the fuel pump and start it and run it till it dies. Might keep the hoses in better shape Question Also, if you want to keep the mother in law happy find a good sized piece of cardboard to place under the entire rear end of it. Oil spots don't go over well. And as we all know old VW's don't leak oil they just mark their spot Wink

Good luck!
Cheers
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riceye
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Buy a box of Bounce (not store brand) dryer sheets. Stuff them in anywhere you can find. Vermin hate Bounce dryer sheets!

And your van will smell much better than Grandma's sweater chest in the spring.

I've used them in electronic irrigation field satellites, as well, and no critters for several years!

Don't ya just wonder why critters don't like the dryer sheets? Are they really safe for people?

Prosit,
Ric
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

old oil sitting still ROTS cam bearings. You can change the oil in the spring,start her up, clacty clack. As the little bits of old cam bearing clog up your rockers the tappy te tap goes away but it is back every morning Sad . Change the oil and filter BEFORE storage. ACID OIL KILLS CAM BEARINGS
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Dellaone
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Having taken the proper actions to store the vehicle as mentioned above (oil change, gasoline stabilizer, coolant refreshed etc.; a Westy has additional requirements), the remaining storage questions are outside versus inside, (and depending on the local climate), heated garage or not.

If stored outside, it would be preferable to keep the vehicle under some sort of shelter, even with a car cover, for the natural ventilation. Barring that, any car cover should be able to breathe, so that the ineveitable moisture will be able to evaporate.

If stored in a garage, I would like to keep the vehicle at room temperature (meaning more or less 68°F constantly). If the garage is poorly heated (like 40°F or unheated) in a cold climate, I would rather keep it at ambient (below freezing) temperatures outside under a shelter (if possible) to prevent moisture of condensation from attacking. This includes the engine; let it sit undisturbed.

I have one particular low usage vehicle (not a VW) that I have seen the body deteriorate from sitting in a garage (unheated, but gets solar gain in the winter) because of the lack of natural ventilation. The less cycles of above freezing and back to freezing, the better.

Just my opinion.

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crukab
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Randy in Maine"

No moth balls for me. In Vermont they find that smell real macho. Very Happy[/quote]



Sick Shocked Confused Embarassed YUUUUCK That is one nasty smell.
I have to try the dryer sheets , I have 5 cars to protect, about 12 traps,and I'm surrounded by feilds. Maybe I'll have a mouse kill count in my sig line........... Confused
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obus Premium Member
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i was going to suggest the bounce sheets also. i have them in the vehicles in my garage and in my storage unit for the last few years. no signs of critters yet. (as i find some wood to knock on) Wink
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singlewc
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

riceye wrote:

And your van will smell much better than Grandma's sweater chest in the spring.



Augh!......... Grandma, a sweater, and a chest?! Smile

Thanks a lot...... <g>

Mark
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tom power
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:47 pm    Post subject: winter storage Reply with quote

If parked in a garage, no matter what kind of floor put plastic, or tarp down before driving on it. This will keep the moisture coming up from the ground off the undercarrage of the bus
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

freakness added:
Quote:
When it gets unbelievably cold here in the S.F. Bay Area, I'm talking 40 degrees at 7 a.m.....brrrrrrrrr, I like driving my van to my local Peet's coffee shop and ordering a hot English Breakfast tea. Seems to do the trick without all this "storage" talk. Should I throw salt on the road in front of me ? Sometimes it rains.....


LOL!!

Ok, freakness, tell 'em the rest of the story. Tell 'em that that 40º day is probably in AUGUST (w/ 30 knot blowing fog) and that January is generally warmer that that. Sometime the sun even shines there. Right?

Tom
in sunny Santa Cruz
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