I'm moving to Hawaii for 9 months to a year. I have secured a garage for storage, but I'm not sure what else I should do in preparation.

Disconnect Battery (yes/no)
Drain all fluids (yes/no)
Full Detail (yes/no)
Car Cover (yes/no)
Nothing at all (yes/no)

Please help. Thanks in advance.

 

 

My first question would be if it's going to sit the entire time with absolutely no one available to start it now and then etc..?

My 04TL sat in storage for 11 months. I had my wife start it every month or so. She also drove it twice in that time period. The ONLY thing I did was put it away clean, full of gas, fresh oil, and applied silicone to all of the weatherstripping on the car to keep it from drying out/sticking. When I pulled it out at the end of the year I had to charge the battery and replace the tires. I hated the OEM EL42 Bridgestones thus didn't worry about jacking up the car (it also gave me the excuse to change them when I returned)- plus I figured the wife would drive it a few times for me)... Absolutely no issues with the car since.

If you are storing it and know that it will not need to be/or will not be used/driven,,, I would do the following:

1. Clean and wax car / apply silicone to the weather stripping.
2. Change engine oil.
3. Pull spark plugs and oil fog each cylinder (re-install plugs).
4. Remove battery and store in controlled environment (or just disconnect neg cable).
5. Jack vehicle up and place on stands / completely ensure weight is off wheels and tires.
6. Place "anti-rodent" traps, pills, etc. etc. etc. all over the place within your storage unit.
7. Say good-by and lock storage unit... :-)

Optional - Some say to leave the fuel tank full for moisture reasons. If not going to be driven or started at all, I would probably add a fuel stabilizer the last week prior to storage and drive the tank to near empty. Leave just a tad in the tank and fill it up when you pull it out of storage.


When you return I would pull the plugs and crank the engine with them out. Perform numerous crank sessions not to exceed say 10 second cranking times. Doing this will allow the oil pressure to build and re-lube your bearings while not under any engine load. Replace (re-install) plugs and start her up.

The above is what I have done as well as many other friends storing street rods etc..

Good luck and enjoy Hawaii

Smitty

 

After 3 days parked in the garage, my TPMS sensors went off. Everything returned back to normal after a drive. Just a little FYI so you would be prepared.

Good luck and have fun in Hawaii!