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Sorning car over winter - preparations.


Cal670

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May be taking my Celica off the road over winter. Plan is to put it in the garage and place it on some wheel cradles to prevent tyre flat spots. Besides disconnecting the battery, is there anything else to consider? It should be off the road no more than five months at the most. I know some people do an oil change before storing their car away, and also brim the tank.

Edited by Cal670
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When mine comes off the road over winter I do the following:

 

Inflate tyres up to 40psi

Put into gear 

Hand brake off

Disconnect battery

Put a couple of dehumidifiers in the car

Every couple of weeks il take the car cover off for a few hours 

Every month il let the car roll a few feet to stop the brakes from sticking and to avoid flat spots on tyres, then the next month I'l roll it back again

 

Mine is outside so somethings might not apply

 

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Thanks for the tips Paul. I doubt there's enough room in the garage to rock the car back and forth a few feet, and the drive is an upwards slope. Hence the wheel cradles to prevent flat-spots. Handbrake will be off, was left on for only 11 days last winter and the pads stuck and broke ><

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Mine is garaged over winter every year, the only things I do is leave the handbrake off and disconnect the battery. I start it up and run it every few months, and then change the oil and fill up with a jerry can full of fresh fuel in the spring before taking it out.

 

Storing in a garage is totally different to storing outside...it will drive out after 6 months exactly the same as when it went in. Nothing goes mouldy, rusty or seizes up.

 

I don't put it on axle stands or wheel cradles, not had any issues with tyre flat spots...and a set of tyres lasts me 10 + years :D

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Think I'll be putting mine on axle stands just for piece of mind. Can jack it up in the middle. Hopefully won't have to bother with the wheel cradles then as Paul said. It will be going in the garage, not on the drive. Thanks for the replies guys.

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It has been known for the clutch friction plate to stick to the flywheel when it hasn't been operated for a long time and be quite difficult to get it to un-stick. I used to put a block of wood in front of the driver's seat which was long enough to keep the clutch pedal depressed.

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16 hours ago, bazz54 said:

It has been known for the clutch friction plate to stick to the flywheel when it hasn't been operated for a long time and be quite difficult to get it to un-stick. I used to put a block of wood in front of the driver's seat which was long enough to keep the clutch pedal depressed.

 

That won't happen in a dry garage though, only outside in the damp. And I doubt holding the clutch depressed does it any good at all over time...probably weakens the springs in the pressure plate.

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2 hours ago, Alistair_GT said:

 

That won't happen in a dry garage though, only outside in the damp. And I doubt holding the clutch depressed does it any good at all over time...probably weakens the springs in the pressure plate.

Agreed, All it would do it weaken the clutch, I have never heard or seen that happen so I would say its really unlikely to happen.

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19 hours ago, bazz54 said:

It has been known for the clutch friction plate to stick to the flywheel when it hasn't been operated for a long time and be quite difficult to get it to un-stick.

 

I get this on the TR which lives in a double garage.

 

I have to raise the rear end on wooden blocks, run the car in gear, and then stamp on the brake pedal to free the clutch plate.

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36 minutes ago, Kev 16v said:

 

I get this on the TR which lives in a double garage.

 

I have to raise the rear end on wooden blocks, run the car in gear, and then stamp on the brake pedal to free the clutch plate.

ohhhh that sounds fun.... Never knew this would ever be an issue. Good to know. Thanks

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5 hours ago, Kev 16v said:

 

I get this on the TR which lives in a double garage. I have to raise the rear end on wooden blocks, run the car in gear, and then stamp on the brake pedal to free the clutch plate.

Yes, that's what I used to do... but it didn't always work first time and it could get a bit scary. The pressure plate springs seemed to cope with being jammed under load, but the car only had a 1300cc engine with limited torque so the clutch was not required with deal with great loads.

 

My Celica stays off the road when there's any ice/snow/salt about, but I'll use it if those three things are absent.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 15/10/2019 at 09:04, slybunda said:

I use mine all round. Just got to remember to pay the extra 50p at car wash for the undercarriage option. 

Someone on the forum recommended to use a lawn sprinkler under the car. Thats a damn good idea.

haha I just got vision of you being the guy in antman saying about the undercarrriage wash :laugh2:

 

There is a lot of good suggestions and ideas. Im keen to see if there is anything else people could or would add?

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5 hours ago, commandosqueak said:

There is a lot of good suggestions and ideas. Im keen to see if there is anything else people could or would add?

 

Good ventilation in the garage is critical (I leave a small garage window part open). Otherwise, storage can be far worse then leaving the car outside.

 

As well as leaving it off, work the handbrake a few times when you can.

 

Also, unless you plan to start the engine from time to time, store the battery inside the house, and connect to a charger monthly. The TR battery is in my bedroom. The AGM battery in the Porsche has been left connected to a "smart" charger under the bonnet, as there would be a million and one settings to input in the spring otherwise.

 

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Battery i dont have to worry about again since i use a solar panel on parcel shelf. Works wonders. Im looking to get a 2nd set of wheels so i can get winter tyres on them. Will also allow me to play with some diy wheel refurbing kits.

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For some strange reason our garage door has a letterbox! It's used as a vent for the tumble dryer, but is always open, and there's room next to the pipe for air to get into the garage.

 

Will probably take the battery out too.

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Out of interest, what made you choose this charger?.

 

From what I'm able to find, the Lidl "Ultimate Speed" version is almost half the price, is able to charge a battery quicker at 3.8A as opposed to 1.5A, and has a three year guarantee, compared to the 12 months of the AA version.

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