So I joined the Service and I am leaving for Basic Training and then on to Advanced training at the end of May, I will be gone for 5 months. My issue is I just moved to Milwaukee and I know absolutely no one up here. Knowing my wife, she won't even go start the car for me once a week like I need her to. Anyone know what issues I'm looking at by leaving the S40 in the garage for 5 months? Dry rotting,dead battery, etc? How long can I leave it sit before it should be run and driven?

 

First off, thanks for serving your country.

I have stored cars away for as much as 7 months with no ill effects, and here's what I did.

Clean the car as best you can, given the weather.....
Buy some Stabil, and fill the tank with super. Make sure to run the car, so the gas with the Stabil in it, runs through the fuel lines/injectors etc.. (this should only take a few minuets.)
Pour the Stabil in before filling up, to help the mixture process.

Change the oil, to synthetic, and run the car a bit with the new oil (but not too long, as dirty oil becomes acidic over time)
Stuff a rag in your tail pipe to keep rodents out, and leave yourself a note on the steering wheel to remove said rag before starting the car again.

You can buy some cradles that your tires rest on, so they don't get fat spots, or you can also over inflate the tires a little, this will lessen the flat spots. (my car usually had flat spots, but was always able to get them ran out on the first drive.)

Remove the battery, and let it sit, or you can get a trickle charger for it...As long as it's sitting on something other than concrete, it should be ready to go.

When you return, check the oil level, and fire it up!
Change the oil at the next chance you get.
Try to run as much gas out of the tank as you can before filling up again.

Dry rot shouldn't be an issue for this amount of time.

 

Thank you so much, I was starting to think no one had an answer for me!
I run semi-synthetic in it now, will this suffice? So just disconnetcing the battery and letting it sit in it's normal housing will work? Thanks for your help and your detailed post.

 

The most important aspect of the oil, is the cleanliness....more so than if it's syn, or not.
I'd stick with whatever you usually use.

With the battery, depending on their age, they can take a long period without any action. Some might not make it...so you can give it a shot, and leaving it in the car disconnected is fine.

If you can find a few dessicant packs, place them in a bowl in the foot wells of the car, to help keep the interior from getting too damp. (isn't really a problem if in a garage)