Post-winter storage startup procedure (Page 2/2)
RichLo1 APR 01, 10:09 AM
Im in the ballpark with letting it sit all winter and fire it up once your ready to drive it for the first time.

And dont drive it until after the first heavy rain storm to wash all of the salt off the roads! Dont get anxious on that first warm day, be patient and avoid rust
Skybax APR 04, 11:04 AM
Lots of good tips, based on replies and what I learned over the decades it would seem the best course of action for winter storage would be...

1. Change oil in autumn before the car goes into storage (not in springtime) so there is less contaminants in oil while in winter storage
2. Run fuel tank as low as you are comfortable with, go to ethanol-free gas station, add fuel stabilizer, and fill tank (full tank = less condensation)
3. Disconnect and remove battery from the car, store battery in a good indoor environment, and put it on trickle charge once a month if you can
4. If you have access to the car, push it forward/back occasionally noting tire valve stem location, so tires are not sitting same spot to avoid flat spots
5. Starting it occasionally/briefly throughout the winter is not a good idea due to condensation/moisture created that doesn't get burned off
6. Many northern states use salt brine to treat roads, so when weather starts to change you have to be patient and wait for clean salt-free roads
7. When you are ready to bring it out of storage in the springtime install battery, check tire pressure, check fluid levels, and check for any leaks
8. Disconnect leads at distributor to ignition module so you can crank engine over to get oil circulating without starting it or harming ignition system
* NOTE: Only turn the engine over a handful of times [i.e. 5 revolutions], then pause for 5 seconds, then a 2nd time (prevents starter abuse)
9. Now reconnect your ignition module, start car like normal, let it warm up for a few minutes, then take it for minimum 30 minute drive
10. You will want to use up that fuel as soon as possible, run it down to 1/8 tank, and fill it up with fresh fuel

[This message has been edited by Skybax (edited 04-05-2022).]

theogre APR 04, 11:56 AM
In many areas you Can Not get Ethanol Free Gas AKA Rec Fuel.
In some areas you Can get non-E But is Dyed for off road or marine use and if found using for street vehicles is Illegal and you can have State and Fed Tax problems.
See https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/100066.html
Skybax APR 04, 12:20 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

In many areas you Can Not get Ethanol Free Gas AKA Rec Fuel.




My link/map shows its available in most areas, and for the few people who can't get it, oh well, just put fuel stabilizer in and move on with life...
skywurz APR 04, 01:32 PM
If you wanted to make sure you built up oil pressure could you not just disconnect the fuel pump relay and start the car? the pump would kick in as soon as you build enough pressure.

AFAIK low RPM cranks are hard on the engine you dont have the higher RPMs to build pressure in the pump.
If im storing something long term that is hard to drain 0I will Fill it with high octane gas. The higher octane takes longer to break down. IE 87 will start having issues sitting for 3 months but 93 will not start seeing a difference for 9. The more Air in the tank and air circulation the faster the gas will degrade. Also using Summer blend you don't have the butane evaporation like with winter blend. I stored my Fiero for 7 years I filled it with 91 (the highest at the pump in CA) dropped stabilizer and octane boost in. I started it and ran it for 30-45 min every 3-6 months over that time enough to get the engine to temp for a bit. Year 7 I put it back on the road the gas had just started to smell sour and had just below a half a tank left. I drained the tank best I could without dropping it put some new gas in and off I went.
RSJR APR 06, 11:51 AM

quote
Originally posted by reinhart:

If you have a garage, why wouldn't you be starting it regularly throughout the winter? Let it idle for 5-10 minutes every 3 weeks.



This is what I do. Otherwise, I don't do anything special to get it ready. Only thing I do for winter storage is unplug my cigarette lighter phone charger.
reinhart APR 09, 07:54 PM

quote
Originally posted by pmbrunelle: In the cold winter, if you start the car, the mixture is rich, so you contaminate your oil faster with fuel and condensation, and just running a bit in your driveway doesn't get everything up to operating temperature.




The engine gets up to operating temperature just fine without driving it around. If it doesn't, you have a bad thermostat. Also the car can be revved a bit (which I would receommend) and would heat it up even faster.



quote
Originally posted by pmbrunelle:


I wouldn't do it in the garage... carbon monoxide poisoning ya know?



I assumed you would be smart enough to understand to open the garage door at least part way before running your car for 20 minutes.
Rhodesia1977 APR 09, 09:49 PM

quote
Originally posted by Skybax:

Since springtime is just around the corner in the northern states, many folks will be bringing their hobby car out of winter storage.

I was curious what other Fiero owners do for their post-winter startup procedure to minimize harm? For example...

- Healthy battery was disconnected all winter so I usually put a slow trickle charge on it the day before I fire it up.

- Remove the fuel pump fuse so it doesn't start? (but ignition will still be active, so if there is fuel drips from injectors it could fire up dry)

- Disconnect ignition so there is no spark? (but have to be careful which method you use because you could damage module or other component)

- Crank engine over several times to get oil moving around without actually starting it so engine doesn't fire up dry. (giving starter a break after X amount of revolutions)

Re-connect whichever you disabled (ignition or fuel or both) and let it rip!




I am up here in central Michigan. I keep my 86 GT in a garage (not heated). I simply go out and run her for about 15 minutes every 2 weeks during the winter. Nothing is disconnected. I have had no problems over the years with either my 85 SE or my 86 GT.
nero APR 09, 10:06 PM
There are lots of arguments of starting your car while in storage to get all the fluids moving etc vs not doing anything at all other than disconnecting the battery / topping up the gas and putting some fuel stabilizer in it. I have always taken my battery out, put fuel stabilizer in, and changed the oil before putting a car into storage for 6-7 months and never had an issue. Its an age old argument... I have been plugging away at my Fiero for almost 3 years now. I drained out the fuel before I started working on it, and shorty after drained out the oil as I had to put a new oil pan on it. Its been in my garage for all that time and I only put oil back in it a few weeks ago. I put a socket / bar on the crank and it took no effort at all to turn over the engine. If your car is stored inside and in good working order, it takes a very long time for all of the oil to drip down and loose all the lubrication. The engine is a big air pump that needs to be fully sealed to work properly, so as long as its not sitting around for decades, then there is usually not much of an issue. Look at all the 'barn find' videos where they get them to start up with little effort.

[This message has been edited by nero (edited 04-09-2022).]