Winterising – advice required please

fantasque · November 8, 2009, 12:48

I am going to lay up the 2 over winter and was looking for advice on do's and don'ts.

I have a secure, dry garage with a level concrete floor and have bought a cotton car cover so the paint doesn't get scratched and a breathable lightweight nylon cover to keep any dirt and dust off during the winter.

Should I leave the battery connected or disconnected? I don't have a trickle charger so if I leave the battery connected I guess it will eventually get drained down. Should the handbrake be on or off? Anything else I should be doing?

Any advice greatly accepted,

Thanks, Robin

mrzwei · November 8, 2009, 13:19

I really think it would pay you to invest in a trickle charger for the battery, this will go flat.
Condensation can be a real problem so despite the fact that the garage is dry, it is best to check at regular intervals.
It's a good idea also to rotate the road wheels at regular intervals to avoid the possibility of flat spots forming on the tyres (or keep the car jacked up).
Oil will drain from the top of the engine to the sump in a relatively short period of time so the cams and associated followers etc will dry out and there could be a problem with excessive wear when you finally start the engine (not to mention a hell of a knocking noise).
Leave the hand brake off.
My best advice would be to turn the engine over at regular intervals to keep the oil circulating (thus the need for a charged battery) and best of all would be to drive it from time to time but I appreciate that this may not be possible.

fantasque · November 8, 2009, 14:25

Thanks for the advice,
I will invest in a trickle charger and start the engine from time to time, unfortunately I cannot drive it as it will not be insured.
I will leave the handbrake off and chock the wheels, i'm not too bothered about the tyres as it will get a new set of Toyo's in the Spring.
Condensation is something I had forgotten about, is there something that can be left in the car to absorb any condensation?

blahpony · November 9, 2009, 01:54

Put dryer fabric softener sheets or urinal cakes in the cabin, engine bay and frunk. These will keep out mice during the winter.

Tem · November 9, 2009, 06:39

Here's what I've been doing for over a decade with several cars. Drive it in the garage, disconnect the battery, reconnect after 6 months and enjoy the car again. That's all you need for such a short period as few months over winter, anything else is really just about making yourself feel good.

Do NOT start the engine every now and then, cause it will actually cause more wear than starting it once on the spring. You may also get moisture inside the engine, unless you let it run at proper temp for some time.

Working batteries don't discharge if you disconnect them, so you don't really need a charger. If you do get one, get a good one, not a cheap one, which may hurt the battery more than just letting it stand.

Yes, you can buy moisture eater from all auto parts stores (at least over here, where it's common to let cars sleep over winter). Not really needed, if the car is indoors in a dry garage though.

Also, current fuels go bad within months, so might wanna store it with an emptyish fuel tank and fill it with fresh fuel as the first thing. And don't floor it with the old gas, they tend to cause knock.

fantasque · November 9, 2009, 10:13

Tem,
If I do as you suggest and just disconnect the battery over winter, am I likely to encounter any problems with the immobiliser/alarm/ECU not working properly or re-setting etc when I re-connect the battery again in the Spring?

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 12:43

Quote from: "fantasque"I am going to lay up the 2 over winter and was looking for advice on do's and don'ts.

Why are you winterising an MR2?

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 13:24

Quote from: "sjspitz"
Quote from: "fantasque"I am going to lay up the 2 over winter and was looking for advice on do's and don'ts.

Why are you winterising an MR2?

Maybe because he doesn't use it over winter. I certainly don't use mine.

roger · November 9, 2009, 13:32

I wondered when you might arrive Rob...you could give him painting, sand blasting and chroming to do lists and s:lol: :lol: s:lol: schedules over the winter

fantasque · November 9, 2009, 13:43

Rob has hit the nail on the head. We only use the MR2 as a "summer car" therefore it's not insured through the winter.

One of the reasons is that insurance is much more expensive here in France than in the UK so to keep costs down, the 2 is on a limited mileage and months policy. We both have less interesting cars (Diesel) that are driven all year.

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 14:21

Quote from: "roger"I wondered when you might arrive Rob...you could give him painting, sand blasting and chroming to do lists and s:lol: :lol: s:lol: schedules over the winter

Hey how did you guess chroming s:D

s:D s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

I tend to do a lot of cleaning over winter, as Roger has indicated, s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: I have shares in WD40 s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:wink: :wink: s:wink: I always recommend a good blast with the stuff, certainly around the suspension etc - avoid the brakes s:wink: :wink: s:wink: . Otherwise keep the vents open in the car, I don't tend to cover the car as I like it to breath, keep it on the ground I do increase the tyre pressure a little but modern tyres are pretty much robust when it comes to long stands.

Other than what Tem has recommended you don't have to worry to much - the best form of protection is a carcoon but they are mega expensive just for winter, I use one for my Spitfire and that's outside - no dust / condensation on it - perfect storage conditions s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Rob.

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 14:24

Quote from: "fantasque"Rob has hit the nail on the head. We only use the MR2 as a "summer car" therefore it's not insured through the winter.

One of the reasons is that insurance is much more expensive here in France than in the UK so to keep costs down, the 2 is on a limited mileage and months policy. We both have less interesting cars (Diesel) that are driven all year.

The only concern I would have is, what if the car is damaged in the garage, I would recommend some kind of insurance even for storage.

Rob.

fantasque · November 9, 2009, 15:02

Rob, thanks for all the advice, I will get my trusty can of WD40 out this week-end and give it a good squirt.

Must be one hell of a carcoon to fit a Spitfire in!! Do the wings stick out very much?? s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Robin

roger · November 9, 2009, 15:56

Quote from: "FGRob"Hey how did you guess chroming s:D s:D s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Pulled from the dark - pure conjecture! Go on then, what are you doing.

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 15:57

I do this every year with the MR2 ( and previously with other makes), always putting them away before the first salt is put down. On a dry day I use the MR2 for at least 10 miles of spirited driving to ensure that everything is up to operating temperature then whilst keeping the engine running, put the tyre pressures up to about 45psi (3 bar), put the hard top on (because I can!) and park it in a dry garage. Switch off and connect a battery charger with a "float" charge facility to the battery. I have left the battery charger off some years but the battery then goes flat in about 6 weeks, so be sure to charge it every month at least. I prefer to leave the battery connected so that the alarm etc is operational. I do try to have the fuel tank either near full (not much can evaporate) or near empty (nice new fuel in spring) and have not had a problem with storage of 6 months or so.
Don`t run the engine again until your ready to use the car - it does no good, and probably does harm.

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 16:13

Quote from: "roger"
Quote from: "FGRob"Hey how did you guess chroming s:D s:D s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Pulled from the dark - pure conjecture! Go on then, what are you doing.

A little bit of shine in the engine area s:D

s:D s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

mrzwei · November 9, 2009, 16:56

Just a minor technical issue; most engine wear occurs when starting engines from cold; agreed.
So, given that most car owners start their engines from cold at least twice a day, how long do you increase the life of the engine by not starting it during a lay off period? For me, the oil drain was an actual problem and I reckon I got more wear as a result (that was only three weeks; the sound of oil starved cam followers or whatever). My battery is old and probably original but two weeks away and it is run down.
Also check out the other recent thread on here where a member was getting problems with condensation probably from moisture within the car, not without.
I believe it all boils down to keeping an eye on the condition of the vehicle.

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 17:40

Quote from: "fantasque"Rob, thanks for all the advice, I will get my trusty can of WD40 out this week-end and give it a good squirt.

Must be one hell of a carcoon to fit a Spitfire in!! Do the wings stick out very much?? s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Robin

Nahhhh - I've clipped it's wings, converted it to a convertable and put four wheels on it instead. s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 17:41

Quote from: "mrzwei"I believe it all boils down to keeping an eye on the condition of the vehicle.

s:D

Anonymous · November 9, 2009, 18:25

Quote from: "mrzwei"For me, the oil drain was an actual problem and I reckon I got more wear as a result

Wear due to oil drain is not really possible unless you pulled the sump or the filter (in which case you should turn over with the plugs out until you get oil pressure). Oil stays in the oilways otherwise because even if you drain the oil the pickup head remains covered. Believe me I have taken the oil pump off with a drained sump and got covered in oil that pissed out the oilways.

Why are you draining oil without putting new stuff in anyway - seems totally pointless.

mrzwei · November 9, 2009, 18:51

All I know is that I got oil starvation at the top of the engine when I went to start it after three weeks. I got a lot of noise until the engine warmed up. It's still not using any oil or making any funny noises so maybe no big deal. I think my reasoning is that engines are designed to be used, not not to be used. The concept of 'lay up' needs to be thought through. In the 'old days' whenever they were,' plugs out, fill the cylinders with a few shots of oil, jack it up, keep the battery charged, check for condensation, (the cam and followers were usually at the side of the engine) if possible turn the engine over, better still drive it. If things have moved on then sobeit.

Tem · November 9, 2009, 21:07

Quote from: "fantasque"Tem,
If I do as you suggest and just disconnect the battery over winter, am I likely to encounter any problems with the immobiliser/alarm/ECU not working properly or re-setting etc when I re-connect the battery again in the Spring?

The factory immobilizer doesn't mind it, and the ECU doesn't either. Can't be 100% sure about aftermarket/importer installed alarms, but they are usually fine with it, as long as they are off when you disconnect the battery.