Preparing an engine for storage

[cantfindausername]

Appologies if this would be better suited to another location in the forum.

I'm garaging my car over the winter period and plan on sorting out a few problems with it. The car really stands to be static for a period of about 6 months. Is there anything that I could or should do to the engine, or car in general to ensure its health after this period? Its always run on fully synth oil.

What about when it comes to starting after this period of rest. Any special priming required?

Thanks in advance,
Ant

[dflinkmann]

Hello Ant,

I remember a thread, where (not only) Guy explained what to do to store an engine for a longer time. One of the threads was following: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1706&start=0 , however I think there was a second one with more detailed hints.

What I have done when storing a whole car over the winter time, worked fine for me northern europe (snow and wet climate) is following:

Driving the car "hot" over the autobahn to dry up the exhaust and seal the exhaust pipes after driving to the garage.
Gas tank needs to be full to prevent rust.
Exchange old engine oil to prevent clogging.
In cold garages I add a non-electrical dehumidifier (moisture absorber) into the passenger room. It helped to prevent mildew.

Daniel

[cantfindausername]

Thanks for the link and the info. I've got some large silica pouches which I've used before and it seemed to do the trick. The seats will be removed so there should be less places to get damp if there is moisture in there.

The coolant in the engine is an anti rust glycol based solution so that should be fine in there. I'll definiately do an oil and filter change and give the car a good run on the final day too.