Hey Guys,

I have read many threads and here is what I have decided to do.

1. washed the car
2. bought a nice car cover and covering the car
3. filled the tank
4. Tarp on the floor (I am not doing go drive on, just lay it under. I don't want to wear it down as it is a camping tarp)

Two Questions

1. Should I tighten the gas cap closed or leave it unscrewed some so the gas vapors can get out as the temperatures change?

2. Crack windows under the tarp or leave closed? (I don't want a musky smell if I can avoid it. I also don't want critters getting in either, if that is problem with car covers)

Thanks.

 

1. Should I tighten the gas cap closed or leave it unscrewed some so the gas vapors can get out as the temperatures change?

Leave it tight, you dont want the vapors to be replaced by moist air.

2. Crack windows under the tarp or leave closed? (I don't want a musky smell if I can avoid it. I also don't want critters getting in either, if that is problem with car covers)

If your car is dry inside, leave them closed. The critters always find ways other than a window. I place sticky traps around the perimeter and near the tires.

 

Leave the cap tightly closed. You don't want air circulating in/out of the tank- that's the whole purpose of sealed systems.

 

Gas cap tight.

Did you change the oil & filter?....this should also be part of your winter storage routine.

FWIW, I leave my windows wide open under the car cover.

 

I always clean everything up inside really good and take a brand new air freshener (spice tree) and pull the whole plastic package off and roll up the windows.

 

Cap tight

Windows closed

Dryer sheets keep the musty smell in check

Drive occasionally, I do on nice days . I live just across the river from you. Had Corvettes for years

 

I decided not to change the oil as I read else where there are possibilities for condensation to end up in the oil during temp changes. So to avoid having to change the oil twice (before storage and after) I decided just to wait. Is this really a huge deal?

Thanks Phil.
Maybe we can get together some during these winter months.

 

Moisture will only build up through repeat hot/cold cycles inside your garage. Try to keep the temperature as stable as possible. Any moisture will be driven off during the first engine run next string. Change the oil now.

 

Any time
Just give me a shout

 

with Mike. But you must restart the engine to circulate that new oil. Used oil contains acids that can eat away your babbit bearings. I'll take a few drops of condensation over acid any day.

Also, top up your fuel tank and add stabilizer.

I put 3 open boxes of moth ***** inside to ward off rodents; one in each footwell and one under my decklid. A few ***** on the intake manifold, too.

How do you plan to keep your battery charged?

Ever think about wiping down each tire with something like Armor-All, inside and outside sidewalls?

Mine has chrome bumpers so all the chrome also gets a fresh coat of polish before its winter nap.

 

I leave the windows down, because I generally leave the soft top down too. My soft top was poorly installed, and doesn't provide a weather-tight seal anyway. I will be installing new weather stripping on my hard top this winter. When complete, I will consider putting the top on for whatever remains of storage, in which case I am not sure what I will do with the windows.

I drive about 1500-1800 miles per year and use synthetic oil that I change once per year. It gets changed in the off-season, I am not **** about when in the off-season it gets changed. I'm doing a stay-cation between Christmas and New Year's, and it might get changed then. If I don't get to it then, it could be as late as February. Thanks for the reminder though, I need to order a new case of oil.

 

Is there a specific kind of oil I should use? Or is standard that most shops use good enough?

I was going to put an air freshner in, but I hadn't considered the moth *****. Doesn't that make your car smell funny for a while after? I mean the leather would soak up that smell.

 

Can opened, worms..........everywhere!

There is a sticky on the technical part of the forum with a lot of oil-based stuff that you should read at your own risk. The Cliffs on it are that in the mid '90s, the US gumment limited the amount of zinc and phosphorous in oils to extend the life of catalytic converters. This has been blamed for causing wiped cam lobes on engines with flat tappets, so some people will put on their pyramid hat and go on and on about the special oil you need for your classic flat tappet cam engine.

I don't believe it. Because, in the late '90s, there were literally millions of flat tappet engines in the US, and if this were really a problem, everyone and their brother would have been turning up with wiped lobes. I don't know a singler person in my real life that has experienced the problem. I have read many stories online of wiped cam lobes, all of which either had to do with highly modified engines, or improper break-in. I also question some of the logic behind the fear, for example, I have read about how the cam follower can have pressures of tens of thousand of pounds per square inch. I am sure I am not an engine expert, but I don't understand how this could happen in my engine with hydraulic lifters and 70 psi of oil pressure.

That said, since I only change my oil once per year, I have chosen to use a truly "synthetic" oil (and we can argue about what a true synthetic is too), which costs about $10 per quart. Once I have chosen to go that route, there isn't any significant cost increase to get an oil with ZDDP levels in line with what high quality oils had at the time of manufacture of my car, so I buy that.

 

(Diving for cover)

 

I don't care who you are, that's funny.
Terry

 

Move south - don't store - drive every day!

 

get two bars of iresh spring soap, slice them up and put the slices around each tire ,mice cannot stand the smell ,they stay away from your car!!! Sorry for the spelling!!! Bill

 

I have used the ENOZ brand for many years with good results...with the claim "No Clinging Odor" on the package. But suit yourself. Stick in that air freshner (sic) and see how it works.