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So I'm deploying here soon and I'm storing my car in an external storage unit by where I live. I was told by the local corvette center that if I disconnect my battery for an extended period of time (several months), the car will wipe its own ECM and I'll have to get it re-flashed at a dealer. Can anyone confirm or deny this??
Sounds like BS to me. Just put a few lbs more air in the tires,fill gas tank with a bottle of Sta-Bil storage,and take out battery. Put in a new battery when you get back. Thank you for your service.
it's total BS. GM even recommends disconnecting the batter when storing for extended periods, and like Don-Vette said, just remove the battery from the car.
Sounds like BS to me. Just put a few lbs more air in the tires,fill gas tank with a bottle of Sta-Bil storage,and take out battery. Put in a new battery when you get back. Thank you for your service.
Originally Posted by KyJim
it's total BS. GM even recommends disconnecting the batter when storing for extended periods, and like Don-Vette said, just remove the battery from the car.
Good luck and thank you for serving
Just make sure you check the trunk key slot to make sure you can open the hatch, then pull the manual door release cable to get in the drivers door. BEFORE you remove the battery and shut the doors/hood. Else you have to deal with how to get in without a battery.
Just make sure you check the trunk key slot to make sure you can open the hatch, then pull the manual door release cable to get in the drivers door. BEFORE you remove the battery and shut the doors/hood. Else you have to deal with how to get in without a battery.
I agree w. above. If you've never used the key, you'll find out it is very stiff the first few times. The first time it'll feel like you're gonna break the key. Then, add some key lock lube of any kind. This will make sure you can always use it. And know that the driver's door release is on the left side of the trunk/hatch opening and is a pull cord.
As to the batt. removal, if that's what your Corvette center said, you may need a new Corvette center. While I haven't removed my batt. (just used a battery maintainer), I know lots who have for quite a stretch with no issues when reconnecting. All that has to be done is re-index the windows or the car may act funny (look at the instructions in the owners manual for that one---matter of fact, take the manual out and put it somewhere you can read it when you get back from deployment).
And I agree with all of the above. Your "Corvette center" is either an experienced BS artist looking for another sucker or totally ignorant of how all cars made in the past 30 years work. I vote for the former and would never darken their door again.
Check the key and repair as needed. Open the hood and lock up the car. Take the battery out and store in a heated location. Putting it on a battery tender/maintainer would be even better and would mean it would be like new when you return. Close the hood. Stay safe.
Thanks for all the replies. Id like to put it on a battery tender but the lots I've called so far don't have electricity nor are they climate controlled. And I've already experienced the whole situation of having my battery die with the keys inside. At that time, of my two fobs the one I locked inside had the trunk key. That was not a fun process but since then I had a second key made and they both work fine on the trunk.
Did you use to have a camaro? And we're on camaro5?
On your topic, I am also in the military and have deployed before. This is what I did. Change your engine oil prior to storage. It is good to have clean oil while sitting there for 6 or more months. You don't want those old contaminants. Inflate tires to max PSI. If you aren't in controlled climate and it does get cold in the garage, put plywood under all the tires to create a barrier between tires and floor. New full tank of gas with sta bil in it. And for the battery, I simply disconnected the negative and left it in the car with the positive still connected to it. I had the option to put a battery tender but I opted not to due to the car not being checked upon often. I didn't want to start a fire or so and then burn evrtything. I came back 7 months later, reconnected negative to the battery and try to turn the car on. It didn't turn on.. but but but . It wasn't a dead battery. It was a dead FOB battery. I swapped to a new FOB battery and car started just like it was never disconnected. There was no damage to the ECM or any computers in the car. Ohh don't forget to cover the car as well and cover the muffler pipes to prevent animals from going into the exhaust.
I'd also recommend the fuel tank be full when it's put away.
That's what I always thought as well.....Until I attended a clinic with the "Corvette Mechanic" at Carlisle last summer. He talked at length about fuel and fuel pump issues on the C5 and C6. Said this: forget the old advice on filling the tank prior to storage....in fact store it with as little fuel as you can! What? Yes..he said...the tanks on these cars are fiberglass , not metal....moisture condensation is not an issue, but sulphur corrosion IS and particularly an issue with the pumps. Storing the vehicle with a full tank means you will have 20+ gallons of "old" gas ( even if you use a stabilizer). He recommended that as you approach storage time....add a bottle of Techron to the fuel, run the tank down and put her away. When you take it out of storage, head for the gas station and fill er up with new fuel!
That sounds good, blittle, but here's an observation. I have one of those plastic pitchers for water. Most of the time it's not full. When I leave for a weekend, I turn my heat down in the winter---it'll go down inside the house to 58 degrees--that's from 72 degrees.
When I come back, there is condensation on the walls of that water pitcher above the level of the water. It's left out on the counter top. Fiberglass, plastic, metal, seems to be same thing. It's the temperature change, not the material of the tank imo. What do you think; I could be wrong?
I like the Techron added, but not the low fuel level.
Last edited by AORoads; 01-30-2016 at 08:16 AM.
Reason: added clarification
That sounds good, blittle, but here's an observation. I have one of those plastic pitchers for water. Most of the time it's not full. When I leave for a weekend, I turn my heat down in the winter---it'll go down inside the house to 58 degrees--that's from 72 degrees.
When I come back, there is condensation on the walls of that water pitcher above the level of the water. It's left out on the counter top. Fiberglass, plastic, metal, seems to be same thing. It's the temperature change, not the material of the tank imo. What do you think; I could be wrong?
I like the Techron added, but not the low fuel level.
01-28-2016, 09:06 PM
question about long term storage
