I found this while surfing:
http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/storage.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Store-a-Car

Long Term: http://www.essortment.com/auto-maint...ime-61416.html

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQh58rivbFk

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=segwJG9AXtE

Sta-Bil Video: http://www.goldeagle.com/multimedia/default.aspx?id=6

 

One thing I have thought about avoiding moisture is to put rice bags in the car to absorb mosture and avoid mold.

 

The condition of a car can rapidly deteriorate when it is stored. By taking a few simple safeguards you can keep the car in good condition. Here are some storage tips to help preserve your precious investment.


- Drain/flush the cooling system.
- Top up the trans/differential/steering box.
- Top off the brake fluid.
- Wash and wax the paint and brightwork.
- Remove the battery, then clean the battery and battery case.

 

I have a thought and question. Need a little help.

I have parked my 850. I start it about once per week, mainly to try to keep oil throughout the motor and keep the battery charged. I'm a little concerned with stating it only once per month. My thought is that oil drains off the motor, into the oil pan over time. If it sits to long, maybe a month, so much oil would have drained off that it would be like starting a dry motor, like a new rebuilt car for the first time.

What I'm wondering is, would it be a good idea to fill the motor with oil (all the way to the top of the motor, just below the filler neck) and disconnect the battery and not start it until I'm ready to drive it again. And right before I drive it, drain all of the oil out and put new oil in it, the right amount? If I fill the motor up to the filler neck, will it leak into some vacuum lines or somewhere that it is not suppose to be, like the oil trap. Or is there a lot of oil trapped throughout the motor and I really don't need to worry about starting it weekly or after I start it in a year? What would be best?

 

You're putting more wear on the engine by starting it weekly for a short time and loading the exhaust with moisture.
Pull the battery and put a battery tender on it.
Pull the plugs and squirt oil into the cylinders.
Bag the car... Totally enclose it in a bag.
Squirt more oil into the cylinders before starting it again.
The old gasoline is the biggest problem, in the tank, pump, lines, injectors...
Ed

 

I was letting it run for about 20 to 30 minutes then driving it around the block.

It's in the garage so, I don't know about finding a bag to put over it. I have it closed up so I'll toss a bag of rice in there to keep down the moisture. Maybe I should put a little bag in the exhaust to try to dry that out as well.

I don't have a batery tender. If they cost more than a battery I'll just let the battery site and do it's thing. It's 2 years old so I'm not sure how long it will last.

Thanks for the tip Ed. Also, I'm open to other thoughts so keep them coming.

 

Ok, I have read a few more articles on the subject and have a couple of concerns.

1. Most say fill the tank, one say take it low, both say add stabilizer. My tank is almost empty. Not sure what to do. Also, Volvo tanks are plastic not metal like most. They also say to run the stabilizer into the system so I guess I should run the car after adding the stabilizer to mix it through the system.

2. Thinking about jacking it up. I think I want to jack the wheel off the ground, then lower it about 2 inches and block it there. Leaves some pressure on the shocks, springs, etc., and takes some pressure off the tires. The thing about it is I only have 2 good tires and the main reason I'm parking it is because I need tires. Also, I don't see how shocks would be effected by the car sitting, maybe the springs and bushings. Shocks don't have any pressure either way, unless the car is jacked up. I probably need to replace the shocks also, so maybe I should just leave the car sitting on the ground.

3. I haven't replaced plugs since I had the car and they have about 30,000 miles on them so I guess I'll just purchase some new plugs to install when I decide to drive it again.

4. What does "TOP OFF" mean? Fill to the brim? or Just make sure it's at the proper level?

5. They say use baking soda, wouldn't a bag of rice be better to keep it dry?

6. Someone recommended relieving the fuel pressure by pulling the plug on the fuel system while running.

What do you guys think.

 

well, i'm not much of a mechanic but here it goes....

1. seafoam and yes run it so it gets througout your system.
2. no idea, i think the only reason to do this would be to keep your tires from getting lopsided etc.. i mean you don't jack your car up to save the springs each night when you drive it for a year.
3. yes, throw some new plugs in that baby when you start it up again. might as well. and you can throw some oil in the holes as well. mwahaha
4. top it off, I would assume to mean fill it to the normal amount I.E. if you have 3/4 tank fill it the rest of the way. (i think this serves the purpose of mixing any stabilizer (or seafoam) in the tank.
5. "beter"? could be, i think as far as moisture volume, you are going to absorb more moisture with a bag of rice. my only question would be how efficient rice is at removing moisture.
6. I have never heared about this. But i'm not a mechanic so...

 

Ok, here is an example of what you don't want to happen. I have seen/heard of this happening several times over the past 2 years. People parking the car somewhere and not keeping the critters out.

I was talking to a friend of mine and he started talking about his '76 Monte Carlo. He was excited. Talked about it several minutes and he talked me into going to his place to see it and get it running. When I got there today, I seen the hood up just a little, unlatched. The car was sitting under a carport, looked like it had been there at least 2 years. He had a jump box sitting next to it, I guess he was thinking that we would fire it up and hear it run.

When I pulled the hood open, I seen this huge nest almost totally covering the engine bay. Then I seen a rat, about 8 inches long stick it's head up and stared at us. He didn't see it at first but finally did. Then it got up, walked across the motor and down the passenger side. The past few stories I seen like this resulted in the rats/rodents eating up the wires under the hood. Once he gets this one cleaned out, we'll see if this one is in the same condition.