Hi to all!

Last Summer I bought a 1994 Convertible and because I live in New England I am storing it for the winter. I could use some help. I am having a garage built but for this winter I rented one. I went to check it the other day and I found a water puddle in front of the drivers door on the floor of the garage. There is no antfreeze in it. Could this be coming from the evaporator drain of the ac? If it is why did it take so long to leak out? I have checked everything and can't figure where this water is coming from. My friend thinks the garage roof is leaking but the roof looks brand new and the frame near the drivers door had some water on it. Anyone have any ideas??

Also I noticed a few mouse dropping on my cover. Since then I have put mothballs in the engine compartment and in cups under my cover and on the floor of the garage. I didn't put any inside the car because I am afraid I will never get the smell out. I also have put decon in several places around the garage. I don't know what else to do. I have been checking the decon and only once in the last 2 weeks have I found one of them disturbed. Should I be doing anything else. Oh ya I did cover my exhaust tips with freezer bags using elastics. If anyone has any other suggestions I would appreciate hearing them.

Thanks

 

I use dryer sheets inside my vehicles when in storage,rodents don't like them plus the car smells really good come spring time. about 1/2 box inside and the rest around the car in various places.My neighbor pours a ring of Comet around his '64 coupe,claims mice won't cross it...don't know about that. As far as the water goes... did u wash the car shortly before putting it away? Mine have a wealth of places that drip water for days.

 

I can't help on the puddle.

I put a reliable moisture absorber in the cabin hanging from my mirror. People in Florida use this in their closets, though the name eludes me. I also put a sliced up bar of soap in the cabin. Smells nice. If you have power, buy a $15 rodent noise generator and plug it in. Cheap insurance.

 

Dryer sheets. I never heard of that one. You are right about the smell being ok however. I'll try it. No I hadn't just washed the car before storing it. Thats the thing I dont't understand i.e. why after a couple of weeks did it all of a sudden start to leak. Thanks for the dryer sheets tip. I take it you have not had a problem with rodents when you use them. I don't know about the comet trick. Thanks again.

DACA

 

I put a couple bars of Irish spring soap inside the car, I have been doing this for about four years & it seems to work. I keep the windows down
(open) and use a car cover. I also put a couple of the sticky type mouse
traps by each wheel.

 

Was wondering if you saw any water on your cover? My A/C drains on the pass. side. My hood catches hold water forever unless I drain them using a turkey baster with a long piece of tubing attached

 

No there was no water on my cover. So you store your car with dryer sheets on the inside and with the windows down and covered. My windows are up. What about under the hood?

 

Thanks for the soap tip. Do you cover your car? Is your garage heated? Thanks for the help.

 

Windows down only about 1/2 " to allow some circulation. Car is covered. Some dryer sheets under the hood in various places,just don't forget to pull them all back out before you start it in the spring. I also air up the tires to about 45 to 50 P.S.I. and park on some old ceiling tiles to prevent flat spotting on the tires. Car is fully serviced (LOF,greased,engine fogged,battery disconnected,etc). Trickle charger hooked to battery and charged monthly. PITA but worth it in the spring. Garage is semi heated 45 to 50 degree's. Kinda ****

 

I use silica gel that is intended for control moisture in gun vaults
Buy it a Gander Mountain. ( or other sporting good shop that sells firearms. It can be recharged by drying it out in your oven.
Another product is called Damp Rid... available at morst grocery stores in the housewares section and also at Walmart

 

You should bring the car to Jersey and let me drive it for you during the winter, you know, to keep the car fresh.

The toughest part of driving in the winter is deciding which car to drive, though my '95 will probably sit more due to the fact that the heater core is shot, so I have no heat(did a bypass). So the '93 will probably rack up some miles this winter(once I put street tires back on).

 

Car is covered, windows open to vent out humidity, no heat in garage.

 

Keeping rodents away from the car is probably the biggest issue you face.

Get those windows up the rest of the way. Mice can get in through unbelievably small openings.

If you have full control of this garage, consider adding a cat or two (just make sure the car is covered well enough that they can't damage paint, etc with their claws when they get on top of the car).

Or use a ton of traps (glue traps, snap traps, etc) all around and under the car. Mice can do horrible damage to wiring, hoses, etc under the hood, and they can flat-out ruin a car's interior.

Moth ***** may help, but keep them out of the car's interior, or you'll not want to be in there, either.

If you can, construct a mouse-proof barrier around the car. A lumber frame, skinned with sheet metal, at least knee-high might be enough to do the trick. Just remember that if they can climb over it, jump over it, crawl under it, or chew through it, they will.

Re: the puddle: Try to get to the garage during the next heavy rain. See if there's any evidence of roof leakage then. As others have suggested, it may have been trapped water that slowly dripped out of a cavity in the car. Could have been in the hood latch wells, could hae been inside of the door, or who knows where.

Good luck,

Be well,

SJW

 

Never seen a rodent in mine either!

 

took a dog for a ride once

 

I use dryer sheets as well. A couple inside, a couple under the hood, and one up each tail pipe.

As for the water....is there a chance it might be the battery leaking?

 

The battery is a thought because I found the puddle a little behind the battery. However it is definitely just plain water. If it was the battery the water would have had that that battery water smell and this doesn't. Thanks for the reply. I am going to try the dryer sheets.

 

....Iwashed my car Monday early and still today while removing leaves from between the radiator I still found water dripping ...

 

The best thing to do is buy a car jacket. Put the car in 'throw in some dry packs 'zip it' go home. No mice,, no moisture looks as good in spring as it did when you put it away

 

I know an elderly neighbor that has an old Model T for years ---- he takes granular laundry soap and pours a ring around his old T. Says he has done this for 30+ years, never found a mice turd any where. And he keeps it out in his barn. I use the dryer sheets all over the inside and engine compartment - plus I'm trying his laundry soap theory.

My brother-in-law has a '37 Chevy modified - he takes bars of soap and gets some of his wife's old nylons - makes bags from the nylons and hangs them around the underside of his '37.