Winter Tips (Page 1/2) SamanthaM NOV 20, 09:30 AM I live in Ohio and the winters here can get quite nasty. I have a small graveled garage that I cleaned up to store the 86 in. I put layered cardboard down and drove her in for the winter. I put Irish Spring soap around the garage and a couple under the car to keep rats and mice away. I also put dryer sheets inside the car, the trunk, and front storage compartments. I made sure she was clean outside, filled the tank 3/4 of the way, put a good gas treatment in her and checked all my fluids. I plan on doing a bit of work on her over the winter. My questions.... How often should I start her up and let her run? I plan on no snow days to run her up and down the driveway, is that a good idea or bad? How often should I change out the cardboard underneath her? Any other suggestions I should do or not do???? Thanks in advance. Habanera Hal NOV 20, 09:51 AM Move to Florida. edfiero NOV 20, 10:19 AM Unless you run it long enough for the OIL to get up to operating temp, don't bother starting it. If she doesn't got good and hot, then it just causes condensation every where which in turn causes rust. (Oil takes much longer to get up to temp than the Coolant does). Gall757 NOV 20, 11:54 AM +1 I would not start the car at all, because I would take the battery out and store it somewhere warm (not on concrete). David Hambleton NOV 20, 01:42 PM quote Originally posted by Gall757: store it somewhere warm (not on concrete). FWIW: Info from a Google search "storing batteries on concrete": Car batteries used to be encased in hard rubber, a substance that was porous enough that battery acid could seep through it and create a conductive path through the damp concrete, draining the battery. The cases of today’s batteries, however, are made of sturdier stuff that far better contains their contents than those of yesteryear. As well, time has brought technological improvements to the seals around the posts and the vent systems. These days, the problem of car battery electrolyte seepage and migration has been all but eliminated. Says battery manufacturer Yuasa, “Nowadays, containers are made from a solid plastic that does not allow any current to flow through it, so the batteries do not discharge, even if they sit in a few inches of water.” Interestingly, some experts (including Car Talk’s Click and Clack) believe that storing car batteries on concrete floors might actually be a better idea than keeping them on shelves or other surfaces because the cold of the floor works t Gall757 NOV 20, 02:51 PM quote Originally posted by David Hambleton: FWIW: Info from a Google search "storing batteries on concrete": These days, the problem of car battery electrolyte seepage and migration has been all but eliminated. Ha! Anybody care to guess how old I am? I have ruined a few batteries by storing them on a concrete floor..... SamanthaM NOV 20, 04:01 PM quote Originally posted by Habanera Hal: Move to Florida. Oh how I wish I could! Then I could drive my fiero all the time without worries! SamanthaM NOV 20, 04:05 PM quote Originally posted by edfiero: Unless you run it long enough for the OIL to get up to operating temp, don't bother starting it. If she doesn't got good and hot, then it just causes condensation every where which in turn causes rust. (Oil takes much longer to get up to temp than the Coolant does). I have been letting it run at least 15-20 minutes and since we haven't had a lot of snow yet, I have been backing it out of the garage and running it up and down my driveway? I only drive it on the driveway when it is dry or ground is at least frozen? I have only been doing this once a week? pmbrunelle NOV 20, 08:50 PM I would just leave the car to hibernate for the winter; it's not that long. How dry are your winters? I'm thinking that one of the items at risk would be the brake rotors that could rust, and then pulsate thereafter. When I used to store my Fiero outside, I sprayed Rust-Check oil on the brake rotors. Of course, the brakes didn't work in springtime; the first thing I did after warming up the engine for the first time was to drive around on the gas and brake pedals at the same time; overheating the brakes to drive out the oil. Once the brakes cooled down and the smoke went away, they worked fine. quote Originally posted by David Hambleton: The cases of today’s batteries, however, are made of sturdier stuff that far better contains their contents than those of yesteryear. Polypropylene. olejoedad NOV 20, 09:06 PM Next time you back it out of the garage, put a layer of plastic sheeting on top of the cardboard to stop moisture wicking up from the ground.