Leaving a car unused and not started for 8 months?

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daz1968, Apr 17, 3:27pm
Hi
I'm heading overseas soon and have a falcon xr6 ute,its 2002 model,and auto,Im just wondering can it cause major damage to the vehicle if I just store it for about 8 or 9 months!any thoughts or adice
tonyrockyhorror, Apr 17, 3:31pm
None at all. Just disconnect the battery (you can put it on a charge & maintain charger too if you like).
intrade, Apr 17, 3:37pm
try store it in a garage .run it warm , hot befor shutting down then disconect battery and do not tighten handbrake and it should be fine put some ratpoison round the car so they dont need to go live inside it over winter. thats about all .
richardmayes, Apr 17, 3:47pm
I've heard others suggest the following, don't really know if it's silly or not:

(1) tape over the end of the exhaust pipe (to keep moisture out of the engine in case she stops with an exhaust valve open) and

(2) remove the air filter assembly and tape over the end of the air intake (to keep moisture out of the throttles etc.)
ninja_man, Apr 17, 3:48pm
and maybe get a service/new oil when you start using it again
daz1968, Apr 17, 3:56pm
thanks for your opinions I was fairly sure it would be ok,yeah dissconnecting battery etc sounds likegood idea,and will get it fully serviced first,its due.
intrade, Apr 17, 3:58pm
i get the oil change done just before you shut it down hot that way fresh oil in engine while it is stored
kazbanz, Apr 17, 4:34pm
Daz-8 months will be no problem.If its in a place it can't be "fiddled" with this is what I would do.
Jack the car up and put it on 4 axle stands.Leave the park brake OFF
disconnect the battery. Put a plastic bag over the end of the exhaust.

I sopose if you really wanted to be super carefull You would
1) wash the car -to make sure theres no bird poo on it to etch into the paint
2)Take the car for a long drive to get it hot and dry out from washing
3) fill the car up with 98 fuel -to prevent condensation
4) change the oil/filter.
5) plastic bag over air intake. plastic bag over exhaust end.to stop moisture getting in.
6) jack car up on axle stands to protect tyres -park brake off to stop cable stretch and issues with pads
7) spray a light coat of CRC onto brake disks to prevent corrossion -I did say LIGHT coat
8) disconnect battery -preferably leave it on a battery tender
When putting it back on the roadgive the disks a spray with brakecleanthen it should just drop down.and fire back up.
807, Apr 17, 8:16pm
Good sensible advice there, people.
mopar63, Apr 18, 4:49am
,also get your radio code from ya ford dealer first and tape it to ya dash,
realtrader1, Apr 18, 5:28am
Axle stands, yes.but earthquakes may cause more damage from the vehicle tipping off.Counteract that by getting a random set of wheels and popping them on instead,
serf407, Apr 18, 5:56am
Before you start the vehicle up , get a hose if you can and tip a little bit of engine oil in the top of the engine. Some engines you can get a bit of oil a long the top of the engines.
socram, Apr 18, 7:03am
It doesn't need to be high on the axle stands, just enough to take the weight off the tyres and also the wheel bearings.
I am not too sure about the wisdom of leaving it with a full tank of fuel, as the modern fuel is pretty crap after a matter of weeks, rather than months.
I always leave ours with as little fuel in the tank as possible.
Modern battery charger on (Ctek) and without disconnecting the battery, preserves the radio codes and also keeps the alarm active.
bellky, Apr 18, 7:08am
Make sure it's dry stored in a proper garage.
Disconnect battery. (Keep it charged if you can)
Don't engage handbrake. (Use chocks)
You could put a plastic bag over the exhaust.
That's it.
tonyrockyhorror, Apr 18, 7:09am
Yep, waste of time. If the tank is plastic it takes pretty extreme cold before condensation forms on the inside plus I presume it'll be garaged which will reduce that chance to virtually nil.
bellky, Apr 18, 7:09am
Axle stands will do more harm than good.
bellky, Apr 18, 7:11am
Why change oil and filter!

That's better done when you come back.
tonyrockyhorror, Apr 18, 7:17am
Yep, just give it a good run before storage to remove any moisture that is in the crankcase.
dian2, Apr 18, 7:18am
After an unfortunate experience, my advice would be to check your oil and water levels, and have a good look under the hood for any signs of bird or rodent nesting before restarting.
elect70, Apr 18, 12:04pm
Buy smart charger otherwise the battery will be stuffed if notkept charged.Better if someone can run it once a week .
bellky, Apr 18, 12:14pm
There's also an argument that taking it for a good run is going to get everything hot, and so all the oil will be hot and thin and run off all the surfaces during storage.
a18a, Apr 18, 7:20pm
put the rego on hold
singing1, Apr 18, 9:54pm
I have stored cars for more then ten years and fired them up with no problem.
I give it a good run and then remove the air cleaner and pump tectyl into the carby with a oil can or similar. You don't need a huge amount just enough to make the car smoke like crazy for a minute or so. This lines the internals and the exhaust. Put it on Jack stands and when it came to to fire it up again I just clean the spark plugs and shes away. Oil does a similar thing if not storing for too long.
flybye_in_a_rx7, Apr 19, 8:51am
good one no one mentioned that yet
tonyrockyhorror, Apr 19, 2:38pm
Not Magnatec! Hahaha

I wasn't talking about immediately before storage anyway - just in the days prior.