I would cancel the insurance period…The amount of “Stabil” you are going to add is only 4-6 ounces so the amount of fuel in the tank is not an issue. When you fill it, DO NOT OVERFILL IT! when the nozzle clicks off, that is that…If you then burn off a gallon of that fuel, that’s fine, the tank does not have to be full to the brim…
By eleven months at the most I will put it back on the road just so it doesnt sit longer and I can make sure nothing is wrong.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and help!
Why have the gas tank full when you’re storing the car? (just curious…)
Why have the gas tank full when you’re storing the car?
It can reduce the amount of condensation in the tank.
The gasoline stores better when the tank is full or near full…Today’s fuel systems keep the gas tank under slight pressure, (Google gasoline vapor pressure) this insures there will be no condensation and a full tank reduces this possibility even further…
A full tank also reduces the amount of air (and oxygen) in contact with the gas, which might reduce the amount of degredation to the gas. Maybe.
I’m all set, I have the stabil and a battery tender. I plan to take the car off the road in a few days.
If I have the battery tender attached, is there any point in starting the car up every 2 months or so?
No. It’s better to leave it undisturbed…
You asked about starting it.
You should start it weekly.
You should also let it reach operating temperature.
WHY can you not drive it for a year?
Are you leaving the country ?
Changing the oil before storing it is pointless.
It will just sit in the bottom of the pan.
Don’t waste your money.
Change the oil when you restart it.
No need to start it every week or two if it has a charger on it and stabilizer in the tank. The oil would deteriorate faster starting it for only a few minutes at a time than if you just let it sit, because unless it runs long enough to reach full operating temperature it wouldn’t burn off the moisture in the oil. In just the last two months I’ve put a timing belt /water pump and new battery in one of my dad’s cars and put it back on the road after it had been parked since shortly after his death in June 2010 and it’s doing fine. Even after sitting with the same gas in it without stabilizer for about 2 years it started up and is running great.
Do not start it weekly. You only start it occasionally if you’re unable to keep the battery charged, not the case here.
I am in disagreement with what econobox2bwm has to say.
DO NOT start it, let it sit. The “time to come to full operating temperature” he mentions is longer than you would think. Staring and running the car for short periods of time in storage causes condensation, unburnt fuel and byproducts of combustion to build up in the oil.
The contamination of the oil is the reason you absolutely need to change the oil before you put the vehicle in storage for any length of time over a month or so. A lot of crap gets dispersed into the motor oil and some of it is corrosive. You want fresh oil in the engine during storage. Change the oil just before putting the car up and just run the engine long enough to get the fresh oil circulated.
Preparing to attach my battery tender to stored vehicle, 1998 subaru impreza outback.
According to instructions, how can I tell if I have a negative or positive ground system?
Cant I just attach the red clip to the red terminal on the battery, and the black clip to the black clip on the battery?
Do I have to attach one of them to the vehicle chasis, as indicated in the instructions? If yes, how is this done?
All post 1960 cars I know of are negative ground, as is yours.
So, the directions say to attach the red alligator clip of the battery tender to the positive battery post, no problem.
It then says to connect the black (negative) alligator clip of the battery tender to the vehicle chasis—make the connection to the engine block or a heavy gague metal part of the frame; HOW DO I DO THIS?
Preparing to attach my battery tender to stored vehicle, 1998 subaru impreza outback.
According to instructions, how can I tell if I have a negative or positive ground system?
Cant I just attatch the red clip to the red terminal on the battery, and the black clip to the black clip on the battery?
Do I have to attach one of them to the vehicle chasis? If yes, how is this done?
It then says to connect the black (negative) alligator clip of the battery tender to the vehicle chasis—make the connection to the engine block or a heavy gague metal part of the frame; HOW DO I DO THIS?
If you follow the black lead from the battery it will end at a bolt. Clip to the head of the bolt.
Any chance that car was delivered new to an owner in the UK (or another country that use positive grounds.)Your battery tender has been lawyered…NO country since about 1960 used positive ground…Just connect it to the battery using common sense and THEN plug it in…
When batteries charge, especially when they are being heavily charged (20 amps or more) they produce both hydrogen and oxygen gas…Most of this gas is re-combined inside the battery forming H2O, water. Some escapes out the vents. The hydrogen is VERY light and QUICKLY dissipates into the upper atmosphere where it oxidizes (combines with oxygen) to form water…
There is a SLIGHT chance that a lead-acid battery being heavily charged can vent enough hydrogen gas that a SPARK can ignite this hydrogen and cause a battery explosion…
That’s why they want you to make that last connection to a spot somewhat removed from the battery, in case there should be a spark, it won’t ignite the hydrogen gas that MIGHT be collecting around the battery…So find a spot on the engine that’s bare metal you can clip that negative lead to…
Marlar75:
You never answered the question someone previously asked - which is how old is your battery?
If it’s more than 3 years old, then I would forget the battery tender, pull out the old battery, and buy a new battery when the car is taken out of storage.