Several Roads Lead to Safe Auto Storage
Question: We plan to leave for a vacation for several months and will leave our new Chrysler in the garage. What should we do to store the car properly? We have heard all kinds of conflicting advice on this.--D.L.H.
Answer: The reason for the conflicting advice is that experts can’t quite agree on how much preparation is necessary for storing a car. If you plan to leave the car for less than a month, you don’t need to do very much, but after a month, the car may need some more elaborate protection. Few owners’ manuals take up the subject, though it is certainly an important issue.
The most critical problem that you face involves the gasoline, because after a certain point the gasoline will begin to form gum or varnish that will do serious damage to your fuel system. The gas tank, gas line and carburetor or fuel injection system can be plugged up by these gum or varnish deposits.
Experts give widely different advice on how long one can safely keep the same gasoline in a tank while the car is in storage. It ranges from as little as two months to a full year.
Most major brands of gasoline contain additives to help stabilize the fuel and prevent the formation of gum or varnish. But some of the cheaper gasolines on the market do not contain these additives and will go bad in as few as two months.
Manufacturers of the higher-quality gasolines that contain a good additive package make the claim that their fuels can be stored up to a year without problems.
The varnish or gum forms through oxidation, in which the gasoline chemically reacts with oxygen. That is why it is important to keep your tank as full as possible if you are going to be storing the car with gasoline in it.
The Auto Club of Southern California, however, advises motorists that if they plan to store a car for more than 30 days they should drain their fuel systems dry. The only safe and practical way to do that for an average motorist is to allow the car to run out of gas in the driveway. But be careful not to let it idle for too long, because that’s not good for the engine either.
Among the other advice provided by the club for storing a car for more than one month is to change the oil, wax the car, pour SAE 10W motor oil into the carburetor, drain the coolant, remove the battery, inflate the tires to maximum pressure, set the car on blocks and remove the windshield wipers.
You’ll need a vacation after all that. I would guess that involves about six to eight hours of work. And when you get back, you are supposed to change the oil again and refill the coolant. If you want some extra work, the club suggests you can remove the spark plugs and squirt oil into the cylinders before attempting to start the car.
