Winterizing the van

[jdbs3]

Bought a used van ~ 7 years ago. It spends the winters in the garage. I do the typical things to winterize it - inflate the tires to 50 PSI, park it with blocks behind the wheels so I can leave it in neutral and keep the hand brake off, add Stabil to the gas., and remove the battery and store it in the basement where I place a charger on it every month or so.

I also move the van backward or forward each month about a foot so that the tires do not sit in the same spot for 4-6 months and develop a flat spot.

I did leave the battery in the van disconnected one winter, but found that the NE cold got to it and I had to replace it the following year.

What I do not do is an oil change before the winter; rather I wait until I take it out in the late spring.

Does it make more sense to do the oil change before garaging the van? If so, why?

thanks

[Ahwahnee]

[Wildthings]

I would go for changing the oil before you park it if you have many miles on the oil. One of the prime reason you change the oil is because old oil offers less corrosion protection for your engine than new oil. After an oil change your new oil will barely age at all over the course of one winter, especially if you are running a synthetic.

[vanagonjr]

Wildthings - thanks for that post. I think from now on, I'll change the oil before winter and simply run it all summer.
However, I do add Marvel Mystery Oil to the cylinders when I let it sit for the winter. Should I change the oil after firing up come spring because of this? Or should I simply add my synthetic oil to the cylinders?

Also, any recommendation on a smart battery charger tender for the winter (battery will likely be removed) appreciated. I used to simply buy the cheapest every spring - too expensive for that now!
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[denwood]

I have 3 of these: http://www.amazon.com/Multi-12-Volt-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FQBWCY

The van has two, and another winter stored car, the 3rd. I don't bother removing the batteries any more, but rather leave them connected to the smart charger. These charge, then switch to float mode monitoring. For winter, I have a timer that only runs them for an hour/day. A charged battery in good condition will not freeze. IF you do pull the battery, just leave it connected to one of these. Normally if the van is sitting for some time (even in summer) I leave these chargers attached to the two batteries, 1 to the starting battery via the 12V ligher, the 2nd to the aux battery to a 12v I added to that circuit. If you want to get a bit fancier, just wire them in connected to your 110 wiring, and just plug your van into AC in the garage.

You don't need to add anything to the cylinders. The best possible thing is to run it for 5-10 minutes every month or two. Run synthetic, like 5w50, or 0w50. Additives are pretty much a waste of cash (with an exception for the odd bottle of Techron). Typically I do a once yearly change right about now.
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Cheers,
Dennis Wood
The Grape

[Vango Conversions]

You aren't hurting anything by adding Marvel mystery oil to the cylinders for storage and it shouldn't cause you to change the oil more frequently.

BUT... MMO isn't really the best product to use for storage. Use fogging oil, it'll do a better job of protecting the whole cylinder, not just the bottom. You might not really need it but I've had a couple good running engines seize up from rust in the cylinder and or rings. It's cheap insurance and the proper oil.

[dobryan]

[snowsyncro]

[quote="Ahwahnee"]

[denwood]

Many winter stored vehicles (example, my two) are not safe in the snow That said, within 5 minutes, the EGT in my sciroccco is exceeding 300C. This during winter temps, average -10C. One exhaust, stainless, Techtonics, about 15 years back. To be honest, it's only started 2-3 times/winter. Van the same, although it's in the garage. Anything more is a waste of fuel IMHO.

This study shows pre-cat EGT after 2 minutes at 320+C : http://www.ricardo.com/Documents/Downloads/pdf/wave_warmup_analysis.pdf WAVE predicted vs actual temp probing. Leaving a healthy cat, EGT typical +100C

Your mileage may vary.

Cheers,
Dennis.
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Cheers,
Dennis Wood
The Grape

[Wildthings]

[denwood]

60c or so. It rarely sees 100c except during autoX/high speed use.

My van engine has 125 psi, before I start it.

The scirocco I've been messing with since buying it 23 years back. The chassis has 260 000km, and it still does 0-60 in 7.4 with the autoX rubber. The 2.0 litre block in it goes back about 10 years..and does not burn/consume oil under the winter regime. It does not have the accusump treatment. Still amazes me how quickly it fires up using the stock CIS.

I do run synthetics in the engines and trans/final drives. Most folks report zero sludge issues with synthetic, same observations here. There are many opinions on the subject, this works for me.

Cheers,
Dennis.
_________________
Cheers,
Dennis Wood
The Grape

[jdbs3]

All good feedback - thanks!

A follow-up. When I take the van out in the spring, it does not sound right until after driving it for a day or so. My mechanic said it was the lifters and gave me some Sea Foam to put in the gas. I never used it since the noise went away in a day.

When winterizing it, what can I do to avoid this sticky lifter problem next spring?

[denwood]

Hydraulic lifters if in perfect shape, shouldn't leak down too quickly. That said, it's not unusual to have them clacking away after a long period. Hot oil and pressure will pump them back up..which is why it takes a bit of driving for them quiet down.

Remarkably thorough read on them here:

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/HydraulicLifters.html
_________________
Cheers,
Dennis Wood
The Grape

[snowsyncro]

[BC Westie]

Another thing to do is give your brake pedal a pump or two once a month. That will lube up your master cyl and stop the seals from drying out.

Things I do to winter store:
- Stabil in the gas and tank full
- Pump the tires up to 45-50psi
- Hand brake off wheels blocked off
- Mice holes all closed off with steel wool (battery drain hole and behind the front grill sides)
- Dri-z-air that keeps the inner van at 50% humidity or less. InVancouver outside is 75-90%
- Have internal thermoeter and humidity gauge
- Leave all cupboards open
- Pump the brakes once a month
- Give the battery a charge every two months

If I sneak our for a fall or winter camp put the van back in the garage and run the dehumidifier for 2hrs to get it down to 20% so the canvas does not mold.
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1980 Vanagon Cali Import 86,000Miles
1981 Vanagon (Auto) 219,000kms
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1981 Westfalia 300,000kms
1982 Westfalia Cali Import 193,000Miles
1982 Westfalia (Auto) 205,000Kms
1984 Vanagon 306,000kms
1987 Vanagon GL 300,000Kms

[JPrato]

What ever you do, don't run it. Almost all engine wear occurs during starting so why wear it if you don't have to. If you did start it, you need to run it up temperature and keep it there for 30-45 mins to thoroughly burn off the moisture in the oil. Driving the vehicle at highway speeds it the recommended way to do that as an idling engine just won't cut it.

Change the oil before starting to remove any contaminants and provide new, fresh oil additives and put it up for the winter. Inside storage of batteries is good but I've have great success with using a batter tender/float charger and leaving it in the vehicle. http://batterytender.com/ or http://batteryminders.com/details.php?prod=12117
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Joe

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