Long term storage (2+ years), what should be considered?
Not sure if this belongs here, but it seemed like the best place...
Due to the military I will be away from my Z in my sig for the next 2 years . I already ran fuel stabilizer in it, have disconnected the battery, it is up on jack stands with a car cover over it, and have a couple open containers of baking soda in the car.
Is there any thing else I should do to it for storage for this long? The most it has ever been in storage is about 10 months, and usually store it every winter for about 4-6 months. Each time I have pulled it out of storage it has always fired right up. Can or should I be expecting anything for this long period of time?
__________________ 98 Formula WS6 M6, MS3, 2.5 5.3 heads, FAST 92mm intake, 92mm TB, ARH, ORY ect. 441 RWHP 95 Z28 M6, 383, D1SC, FMIC, pump gas with the stock PCM 614 RWHP
A neighbor went off to the military a couple years ago and he's still gone. He has a big ole 500+ci BBC with a Mooneyham blower in one of those T-Bucket cars. He drained all his oil, you're gonna have to put new oil in when you get back anyway after that long. He took the spark plugs out too. Maybe so they wouldn't get stuck in there, I don't know. He also took the tires off and deflated them. Then he sprayed the entire engine block and all the external parts with BoeShield. He sprayed the entire underside too. It keeps any water or moisture from touching anything. I used to use that stuff on my waverunners after we drove them and sprayed the engines clean, then coated them with the BoeShield.
People probably have their own ways but thats what he did. Army Special Forces, picking off terrorists in the mountains with a .50.....
A neighbor went off to the military a couple years ago and he's still gone. He has a big ole 500+ci BBC with a Mooneyham blower in one of those T-Bucket cars. He drained all his oil, you're gonna have to put new oil in when you get back anyway after that long. He took the spark plugs out too. Maybe so they wouldn't get stuck in there, I don't know. He also took the tires off and deflated them. Then he sprayed the entire engine block and all the external parts with BoeShield. He sprayed the entire underside too. It keeps any water or moisture from touching anything. I used to use that stuff on my waverunners after we drove them and sprayed the engines clean, then coated them with the BoeShield.
People probably have their own ways but thats what he did. Army Special Forces, picking off terrorists in the mountains with a .50.....
Although there is some condensation on the concrete a select time of the year, and it does somtimes want to evaporate underneath the car, it isn't to the extent of a monsoon with your car upside down or even a repeated raining. I know the car is not going to turn into a rust bucket for two years of storage, so I'm definatly not going to spray that stuff under my car or definatly not anywhere close to my motor.
I'm more worried about dry rotting and things to expect when I go to start it after that length of time. Changing the oil and filter are a given. I do that just by taking it out of storage for 5 months.
Anyone else have any info?
__________________ 98 Formula WS6 M6, MS3, 2.5 5.3 heads, FAST 92mm intake, 92mm TB, ARH, ORY ect. 441 RWHP 95 Z28 M6, 383, D1SC, FMIC, pump gas with the stock PCM 614 RWHP
change the oil, put some really cheap oil in, then when you get back, change it again to remove the condensation thats likely built up.
other than that, i think you hit everything else
i would just use up as much gas as you can, and use that stabilizer stuff.. even though i have a car thats been sitting since 05' and it still runs fine on the same tank of gas
is it possible to have a friend start it up for you every once in a while? that might be a good idea to run it 5min every ~3 months
I'm more worried about dry rotting and things to expect when I go to start it after that length of time.
Hoses/wires/plastic dry out if they aren't used, nothing you can do except coat them with something that will keep them wet, like Boeshield. Spray all the wires and harnesses too. Thats what its made for. Boats and waberunners are stored using that stuff during winter months, it works great.
Other than having someone start or maybe even drive the car every couple months to keep everything plyable from the heating cycles, there's nothing more you can really do.
I would drain every bit of fuel out of it. I mean from the rails to the tank, with fuel sitting in there for that long period of time. It will prob start eating away and rusting everything.
__________________ 1999 Trans Am. 347 build. and a lil nitrous.
2008 Yamaha FZ1 10.0 @ 135
When I was deployed a for nearly a year there was a business that took care of everything. It was a climate controlled warehouse, the cars were all on stands, fluids checked/added monthly, and started and ran on the stands monthly. It was well worth the $100.00 a month at that time, when you were unsure of how long you'd be gone.
I had a buddy do an oil change, start it and run some race gas in the tank about a month ago. He said everything still looked good, and it fired right up without any trouble on the first try.
I've got about 18 months to go before I'll be ready to get it out for a long period of time. I'll probably have the same buddy do a repeat of what he did a month ago in about 9 months.
__________________ 98 Formula WS6 M6, MS3, 2.5 5.3 heads, FAST 92mm intake, 92mm TB, ARH, ORY ect. 441 RWHP 95 Z28 M6, 383, D1SC, FMIC, pump gas with the stock PCM 614 RWHP
Long term storage (2+ years), what should be considered? 
. I already ran fuel stabilizer in it, have disconnected the battery, it is up on jack stands with a car cover over it, and have a couple open containers of baking soda in the car.
