winter storage check list

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

winter storage check list

tc · St.Thomas On member

Pray for Springgggggggg!!!

admin · Nov 11, 2019

I don't have a list but, I don't take the batteries out , to many lawn-mowers, cars etc.. I make sure they are disconnected and use battery tenders on them they are not to expensive and I have had my batteries live longer than I ever expected.. I also cut a cup of about 4 inches off those water bottles, stuff a dryer sheet in and put several generous drops of Pepermint oil on the dryer sheets to deter mice. I have tried a thousand products to no avail but finally discovered pepermint oil and have never had mice trouble since.. it's about 15bucks for a four ounce bottle at the local craft store in town and it goes a long way I place the cups under the seats, in any compartment they might like to "cuddle" up in, any area with wiring and mix it with a little water spray bottle and spray it around the perimiter of the shop.. Works for me.. and fuel stabilzer is a must.. and run the carb dry.. give it a affectionate hug, pull a cover over it and like TC said, pray for spring..

Matchless · Vineland On Rod-Side Member

......jack the vehicle to take weight off the tires for a long period of sitting.........double check the percentage of anti-freeze.....

FLEET 51 · Portland On Rod-Side Member

I am showing my age , but I still run it hot , change the oil & filter , then run it hot again and drizzle ATF down the carb till it smokes heavily and snuff it . That way , I lub all the " fuel side " of the engine ( valve stems etc ) , as well as the exhaust system . In my opinion , starting it every six weeks or so just loads the exhaust with condensate . That's my take -- LATER -- DON/FLEET 51

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

Thank you. I learned about Battery Tenders the hard way. I thought I could just leave them on for winter but come Spring, the battery lasted about a week. The gentleman at the battery shop said to leave the tender on until the light turns green. Then repeat the process every 30 - 45 days. To leave the tender on all winter turns the inside fluid into a gel and renders the battery useless. At least that was my experience. I forgot about the fuel stabilizer. I'll do that today. If I run the carb dry, won't that dry out the gaskets over the winter ?

admin · Nov 16, 2019

Cuddles: I would respectfully disagree with you on a battery tender.. you may have had an issue with your battery or you were using a small trickle charger as opposed to a tender.. Battery tenders will not overcharge your battery. they have special designed circutry to control the charge and are actually designed for storing and maintaing a battery..They will not overcharge a battery I have four of them on my vehicles at the present time and have used them for several years with NO issues or battery failures ever.. a trickle charger is not the same as a battery tender which will automaticly turn off and on as required.. There is a ton of information out there to support the plus side of maintaining a battery with a battery tender to extend the life of your battery.. I would suggest you read up on the positive use of a tender.. Just say'n.. I think the battery guy who gave you that suggestion/information was ill informed in my opinion.. I would do my own research before I just acept one persons opinion including mine.. This maybe hard to beleive but ... Even I make mistakes..and tell lies.. biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin I am sold on Battery tenders. However even a battery tender can go bad or be defective.. I have never had that happen to me..

and just to add to list..

Do not leave the parking brake on.

If your vehicle will not be moved at all during winter, jack your car up and place it on jack-stands to take the weight off the wheels. This will prevent flat spots on the tires.

consider getting a battery tender. It can be left on all winter and will automatically turn off when the battery reaches full charge.

Get a can of silicone lubricating compound and spray all the rubber door seals and trunk lid seals Spray the tires with it, as well and any rubber hoses under the hood.

Get some aromatic peppermint oil (available at any health food store) and dilute it 10:1 (10 parts water: 1 part oil) with warm water in a hand spray bottle. Spritz the floor carpet lightly and the trunk area and under the hood. This will keep the critters from making nests in your vehicle. You may have to repeat this once or twice over the winter depending on the critter population in your garage.

Cover your vehicle with a good quality, breathable car cover not a plastic sheet or tarp good luck and to quote TC.."pray for spring"

WHEN TO USE A BATTERY TENDER OR MAINTAINER

Every type of vehicle needs power to start the engine and operate any electronics, and it derives that power from the battery. Just starting the car on a regular basis can keep the battery charged, so it should come as no surprise that a car that the owner rarely drives — such as a vehicle in storage — may end up with a battery problem. Fortunately, this issue is avoidable, as battery tenders can keep any car battery charged at all times. Here’s how battery tenders work.

BATTERY TENDER VS BATTERY CHARGER

A lot of people aren’t sure what makes a battery tender — which is also called a battery maintainer — different from a charger. The main detail to remember is that a battery charger typically sends a constant charge to the battery, with no regard to whether it actually needs to continue being charged. This means it’s possible to overcharge the battery with a charger — which can result in damage to the battery.

On the other hand, a battery tender can sense how much of a charge the battery needs, so it slowly sends a trickle charge to it over a period of several hours. It stops sending a charge once the battery is full. The result is that a battery tender won’t overcharge the battery like a charger might, which can help extend the life of the battery overall.

THE BEST TIME TO USE A BATTERY TENDER

Clearly, the main advantage of battery tenders is that they won’t overcharge the vehicle’s battery. This makes them perfect for keeping car batteries charged up while the vehicle is in storage. After all, leaving a battery charger connected to a car for months will overcharge the battery, but leaving a battery tender connected for that long is fine because charging will simply stop once the battery is full. This way, car owners can be sure their battery will be fully charged and ready to start the car even after spending months in storage.

Whether you’re about to put your car in storage or have noticed some signs of a bad battery in your vehicle, it may be time to give your car the extra attention it needs.

toomuchjunk · Nov 16, 2019

I'm sure everyone has their own idea on how to store their vehicle. I'm also sure that whatever process they use works well for them.
Years ago I used to remove the batteries and store them in a heated area. That worked well. At one time I had 3 vehicles stored along with a motorhome. I got tired of slugging and storing batteries. Then I started just disconnecting one of the battery cables (with a fully charged battery) and just leave it in the car. I've had no problems with that process. The battery on your driver probably sits outside in the cold. I always use fuel stabiliser. I don't bother draining the fuel out of the carb I just make sure the stabiliser is into the fuel in the bowl. I've been using the same carb on my old Ford for 23 years now and it still works fine.
This is just my method of storing.
TMJ

Beans · Courtice On Rod-Side Member Pin Striper

all I do now is fuel stabilizer and change the oil, put the batteries on a tender.. I'm a bit spoiled though and have a heated garage now.

oldkoot · Brockville On, Old Autos Star

To start I never use ethanol gas during the season or for storage. Change the oil/filter and lube the chassis, before storing I take the car for a drive, fill the tank and add a can of seafoam, then drive back home. When I get back, let the car cool down, air the tires up to the max pressure on the sidewalls, bleed the brakes to get fresh fluid in the calipers, hook up the battery tender and put on the car cover. Once a month I'll roll the car forward a foot to prevent flat spotting.The garage is heated to 50* for the winter. Probably overkill but you stick with what works for you.

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

Thank you everyone. To be clear, I have a trickle charger and stopped using it / needing it once I bought the Battery Tender. And I did read the instructions fully. I guess I just got a defective one. Lucky me. But all the other points you made are very helpful. I will certainly listen to all the wisdom found here. Thank you again.

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

Well I am no authority but for those who are, I dropped into Peterborough Battery again today and told him of the opinions given and he said that as a certified mechanic and a battery guy, he advised that I run the battery tender overnight every month -month and a half. He instructed me that the new batteries are more environmentally friendly and are different from conventional batteries and they will not last as long if left to charge for long periods even with a tender. He said that I will get 2-4 years out of a battery if a tender is left on over winter but I'll get 11-12 years if I follow his instructions. I'm not saying I doubt the experiences of those contributing to this site. I'm just saying I feel stuck in the middle because I'm not an authority. Thank you everyone.

Junior · Race starter St.Thomas Drags Rod-side Aylmer On Member

Cuddles wrote:
Well I am no authority but for those who are, I dropped into Peterborough Battery again today and told him of the opinions given and he said that as a certified mechanic and a battery guy, he advised that I run the battery tender overnight every month -month and a half. He instructed me that the new batteries are more environmentally friendly and are different from conventional batteries and they will not last as long if left to charge for long periods even with a tender. He said that I will get 2-4 years out of a battery if a tender is left on over winter but I'll get 11-12 years if I follow his instructions. I'm not saying I doubt the experiences of those contributing to this site. I'm just saying I feel stuck in the middle because I'm not an authority. Thank you everyone.

I am going to go out on a Limb here; I suspect he is referring to the AMG type or Sealed Battery like Optima etc. When I worked behind the counter at CTC many years ago ,I bought a Dual Duty 42 month warranty battery,got 7 years out of it and did nothing to it /with it but leave it in the car. The Tender will probably work with wet cell regular type automotive batteries.In my opinion smile

junior

admin · Nov 27, 2019

the tender or maintainer is not a miracle worker. It's just a specialized charger which will help keep the battery in tip-top shape while a car sits. The normal lifespan of a regular battery is around 5 years. While a maintainer (or tender, if you like) won't extend the life of the battery, it should allow you to get the full lifespan of the battery. Plus, the battery will be completely charged when you go to start the vehicle. It will also prevent sulfation on the plates inside the battery due to the battery getting run down after sitting for a long period of time. This is a particular killer of batteries which aren't getting used regularly.

I have to say that as soon as l read he said you would get 11 or 12 years from your battery I had serious doubts about his knowledge.. I can't say I have ever had that much from any battery nor do I know of anyone who has.. I have heard people say thay had a uncle or cousin that did but all I am sayin is I have never had a battery give me hardly five years..it would for sure not not be a common thing to have a battery last 11 or 12 years for sure.. it would be extremely rare..

Quote "he said that as a certified mechanic and a battery guy, he advised that I run the battery tender overnight every month -month and a half. He instructed me that the new batteries are more environmentally friendly and are different from conventional batteries and they will not last as long if left to charge for long periods even with a tender. He said that I will get 2-4 years out of a battery if a tender is left on over winter but I'll get 11-12 years if I follow his instructions. I'm not saying I doubt the experiences of those contributing to this site. I'm just saying I feel stuck in the middle because I'm not an authority. Thank you everyone."

I do appreciate what you say about being stuck in the middle but I will say I am a licensed mechanic but that does not mean I know squat about batteries other than the basics.. Anyway I sure understand when you get several opinions it's hard to know what.. So it's just my opinion that he is wrong.. once the battery is fully charged with the tender/maintainer. It will shut off.. when it sense's the voltage has dropped below a certain predetermined voltage as sensed by the tender sensor it will bring it back up and then repeat the process.. Not to dwell on the subject nor am I a battery expert but, he is wrong.. from everything I have read or studied about his opinion.. however I am always learning new things I just was unable to find any information to support his theory.. for the most part a wet lead-acid battery has not changed that much over the years.. they still sulphate and have a limited life span of about 5 years or less in many applications..

Cuddles · Keene Ontario member

Thank you Fatchuk (and everyone). I have to keep in mind that the guy at Ptbo Battery is business oriented as well so perhaps he is attempting to ensure I come back ? Who knows ? What I DO know is that I can trust the people on this site to lend me the benefit of their experience and I am VERY grateful. Thank you one and all. What a great site.

There is no elevator to success — you have to take the stairs.

BATTERY TENDER VS BATTERY CHARGER

THE BEST TIME TO USE A BATTERY TENDER

There is no elevator to success — you have to take the stairs.

There is no elevator to success — you have to take the stairs.