getting through the winter?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,115
Likes: 669
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
getting through the winter?
How many of you disconnect your battery during the winter and just leave the car sit, or do you start it once in a while?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,891
Likes: 0
From: Warren MI
I use gasoline stabilizer....battery disconnect switch...battery tender. I have been told it's not a good idea to start a car during the winter unless you can run it long enough to get it to full operating tempature to "burn off" moisture. I also "fog" the engine at shutdown with a 1:5 mixture of Marvel Mystery Oil and gasoline. I use the same mixture to start up up again in the spring, by pouring it into the carburetor. I learned that from an old timer who wrote a article in Old Cars/ I called him up and he swore by it.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
Originally Posted by '77BABE
On top of that I start it once in a while, for the car (and for myself)
You may be doing it to make yourself happy, but you're not doing the car any favours. Cold starts are the hardest on an engine.
The old myth about seals drying out is
Let it sleep in piece.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,662
Likes: 8
From: Knoxville Tennessee
I used Marvel Mystery Oil as part of the winterizing process for my houseboat. All the boat owners at the marina did it. Just pour it thru the carb until it was smoking really good and shut it off until Spring. It coated the internals and kept them from rusting. I am lucky now because I do get to drive at least on weekends here in Knoxville. I installed a kill switch too. And I use it anytime I have the car parked for any length of time. Don't have to but I have become **** about some things, being a pilot and a boat owner one learns that safety is important. I also burnt a TR-6 to the ground doing something I knew I shouldn't. Some lessons are learned the hard way and experience is a strict teacher!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,458
Likes: 1,484
From: Little Rock AR
I like the trickle charger with a Christmas light timer hooked up to it. Seems like it would be good for the battery and it will prevent damage to the factory clock. Seasonal disconnecting of the battery can cause it to fail.
-Mark.
-Mark.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,216
Likes: 4
From: Smile, it's just the internet.
Originally Posted by Mike Ward
The old myth about seals drying out is
I don't think could happen in the course of a winter, but it CAN happen.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,135
Likes: 1
battery blade type disconnect is always open unless i want to go ,then i close it-no electrical shorts when im not around,,,seen a neighborhood service center burn and melt steel beams 3 yrs ago because of a electric short in a customers van at 4 am,,start her up and let her run till temp hits 198- my harley sits all year and all i do is turn her over and start her once a year,,, change the oil, and plugs once in a while--16,000 org miles on a 79 -never ride anymore and the bike just fine,, think i drove it 10 miles in 4 or 5 yrs
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,033
Likes: 1
From: Prescott Arizona
This is the first year I'm using battery maintainer with the battery in the car. I used to just take the battery out and store it in the house. In the springtime she'd fire right up. This seems a lot easier. We'll see.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 12,065
Likes: 2
From: Smalltownville Michigan
Cruise-In 5, 6 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
i go out every week and start it and roll it forward a few feet and let it idle and come up to temp... that way the stuff gets lubed and condensation gets cooked out as well...kinda eliminates the need to disconnect IMHO
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Mansfield Ohio
I built a big rotissary that I use to flip the car every once in a while. That way gravity doesn't pull in one direction all the time! 
Seriously though, I've never used stabilizer since I've never found bad fuel after sitting even for several years. The mystery oil suggestion above sounds like a good idea next time I'm going to park one for a long spell. I do disconnect battery while parked so no electrical problems arise. Once I took my 66 Chevelle out of storage to put on a polished alternator then put it back away. In the spring when I went to get it out, turns out the pos wire ended up on the exhaust and melted through. Burned out every wire under the hood! Lucky that's all the damage that I found. Very easily could have burned grandmas house down!!!
I also use Optima sealed batteries now in all my vehicles. I drained a 5 year old optima dead a while back (dome light left on) and it sat for 4 months that way. Charged it up and I use it still in the 77 with no problems!!
I wish I was back in Key West so I didn't have to park either for so long!
Seriously though, I've never used stabilizer since I've never found bad fuel after sitting even for several years. The mystery oil suggestion above sounds like a good idea next time I'm going to park one for a long spell. I do disconnect battery while parked so no electrical problems arise. Once I took my 66 Chevelle out of storage to put on a polished alternator then put it back away. In the spring when I went to get it out, turns out the pos wire ended up on the exhaust and melted through. Burned out every wire under the hood! Lucky that's all the damage that I found. Very easily could have burned grandmas house down!!!
I also use Optima sealed batteries now in all my vehicles. I drained a 5 year old optima dead a while back (dome light left on) and it sat for 4 months that way. Charged it up and I use it still in the 77 with no problems!!
I wish I was back in Key West so I didn't have to park either for so long!
Last edited by exdrag77; Dec 6, 2004 at 09:01 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,615
Likes: 141
From: Lake Simcoe..... Back in Black baby!!!
Toronto Events Coordinator
Originally Posted by killain
How many of you disconnect your battery during the winter and just leave the car sit, or do you start it once in a while?
