Car storage question?

[rayg]

I will be leaving my car in the garage in Florida for about 5-6 monthss. Will have a trickle charger on the battery and a neighbor will run the car once in a while. My question, should I leave the A/C on and let it run for that short time once in a while, or tun it off? Don't know if any seals in the A/C would dry out in the car if not run.
Rayt

[togor]

If the charger is going to be connected to the battery and plugged in continuously, then it's a good idea for it to be one that can switch itself on and off. Some people call those "maintenance chargers". I have a 2/10/50A charger, and I'll use it in the winter on the low setting for a day or so to bring up the battery on vehicle that I'm not using, but I wouldn't leave that charger on continuously all the time.

If someone is going to get in there and start the car periodically, then yes I would have them run the AC as well. And when they run the engine, I'd suggest a good 20 minutes or so to dry things out. A running engine generates moisture, and in a cold engine some of that moisture goes into the crankcase oil, for awhile. It's important to get that case hot enough so that the oil drys out. And probably not a bad idea to put some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank as well, since that gas is going to be there for awhile.

The other one that crosses my mind (more of a northern car thing) is whether you have tires that bleed down air. Steel wheels are pretty good, but sometimes cast aluminum rims can leak at the bead because of salt corrosion. It sort of is what it is, and in this case there probably isn't a lot you can do about it except maybe have a small portable compressed air tank when you return. Farmers sometimes use these small tanks (say 7gal) to lug air from the shop to the field.

[barretcreek]

If you can get non-ethanol 100% gasoline, run down the tank as low as you dare and put in five gallons or so. Bloody ethanol decays so fast I'm not sure stabilizer works well.

[togor]

Good point on the Ethanol. Stabilizer works in my small engine tanks but I'm putting premium Ethanol free gas in them.

[Roadkingtrax]

Id do an oil change before you leave, and after you get back.

[noslack327]

Jeep says to run the A/C for 30 min as winter approaches, keeps seals ok.

[Allen]

Long term storage would require completely draining the fuel tank, changing all other fluids and putting the car up on blocks. For 5 to 6 months it would be best to just drive the car around for 30 minutes or so every couple of weeks. This will lubricate everything in the trans, differential and engine along with circulating the Freon/oil mix in the a/c system, engine coolant system and power steering. It will also get rid of any minor corrosion and surface rust on the brake rotors, starter and alternator internals. The longer your car and any part of it sits idle the less dependable it will become.

[Roadkingtrax]

Jeep says to run the A/C for 30 min as winter approaches, keeps seals ok.

I thought that was one reasoning behind the cycling of the compressor clutch during defrosting of the front windshield?

[togor]

I thought that was one reasoning behind the cycling of the compressor clutch during defrosting of the front windshield?

I think he means putting the jeep away for the winter.

[Mark in Ottawa]

Friends of ours were telling us the other night that they lost both their cars and part of their garage when their trickle charger started a fire in one of the cars while they were wintering in Florida. Apparently this was a not uncommon problem with some chargers. It might be safer to just back the car into the garage so that it's easy to give the battery a boost when you come home, if that's necessary.

[Emri]

If you can get non-ethanol 100% gasoline, run down the tank as low as you dare and put in five gallons or so. Bloody ethanol decays so fast I'm not sure stabilizer works well.

100% gas or 10% ethanol, be sure to FILL the tank. A partially empty tank condenses moisture in the air space and can cause problems. Stabil brand additive does fine with ethanol gas. If the neighbor is going to start it occasionally, there is no need for a trickle charger unless you have a battery at the end of it's life span. I just put a new battery that I bought over a year ago in my '68 Biscayne and it had enough charge to start.
Also, make sure there are NO food items or scraps in it to attract rodents.

[togor]

Rodents! Hate them! Lost a mint headliner in a '71 Plymouth to the little bastards. Even if you bait them there is the chance that they die in the nooks & crannies.

[RED]

Stay from trickle chargers. They tend to evaoprate the electrolite and will over time ruin the battery. Be sure the battery is fully charged then unhook the negative cable. 6 months and it should be fine. New batteries routinely sit on store shelves 4 to 6 months.

[Roadkingtrax]

Would a gel battery be better for storage? I know they are more expensive overall.

[togor]

If there is a desire to have someone start the car periodically, then disconnecting or otherwise futzing the battery is more trouble then it is worth. If someone starts it every 2-3 weeks and lets the car run for 20 minutes, then that will probably keep things going without a charger. Modern fuel injected motors can idle like that without fouling the oil (unlike choked/carburated engines). A lot depends on what one feels like asking of their neighbor looking in on the car. But if the only tool they have is a car key, periodic starts will keep things going. As others have said, fresh oil in the crankcase and a fresh, full gas tank are excellent ideas.