As much as I hate to think about it, some of us in the colder regions only have a month or so left before old-man winter sets in. With this in mind, today I went and rented one of those U-Store-It places to put the Lightning in for the winter.

Anyway, I'm looking for advise on winterizing the truck to prevent damage. I've looked at a couple of internet sights and have come up with the following list:

1) Wash/wax and clean the truck inside and out.

2) Top-off the gas tank and add a gas stabilizer.

3) Put a plastic cover/tarp down on the parking area to help prevent condensation.

4) Support the truck by the axles and suspension with jack stands (not the frame).

5) Change the oil and filter at the storage facility.

6) Remove the battery.

7) Drain the radiator (I'm not sure if this is necessary).

8) Cover the exhaust pipes and air intake with a paper bag.

9) Place mothballs around the truck/storage area (mice hate mothballs).

10) Cover the car with a car-cover or soft cotton blanket.

11) Check the area every couple of weeks for signs of vermin and pump the truck's brake pedal during these visits.

12) Remove the spark plugs and spray in a small amount of light oil (Has anyone tried to remove their plugs yet???)

NOTE: Most of this information was obtained from the internet sight http://www.renc.igs.net/~smcnabb/winstore.htm. This sight contained the most complete information I found on winter storage.

Is there anything else I should do to make sure that when spring comes I don't have any problems? It seems that there are two schools of thought on if you should start the truck every month or not. Some say it does more harm than good unless you can take it out and drive it for at least a half an hour.

Let me know what you think.

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--Scooter
'99 RED LIGHTNING

 

Great list!!!! Don't forget to put a bit of some type of spray or lube on the door seals. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about the plugs. Best thing to do is NOT to start it up over the winter at all. This causes more damage than anything else.

Unfortunately for me, this is my only vehicle and therefore, I have to drive mine this year in the snow, so I am looking for some steel wheels and a good set of snow tires.......

Paul G.

 

Scooter,
Thanks a lot man for posting that information. I have a 94 Pontiac Grand AM which I will drive all winter, but I really needed to talk with someone about winter storage. Could you possibly tell me what type of cover you will be using or buying? I really would like to purchase one, but I am not sure which one is the best.

Thanks,
Metallic Blue

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Death called while you were out, so I gave him your pager number.

• 1999.5 Black SVT Lightning
• (Lowered by Roush soon)
• (Filter charger kit soon)
• (Many mods coming soon)
• (I could keep doing this all night could'nt I)
• CD Changer,
• Tonneau Cover,
• Class III Tow Hitch.

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/pontiacmuscle/contact.html

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/pontiacmuscle/mycar.html

[IMG]

 

Metallic Blue,

I purchased a "Budge Lite" cover from carparts.com for $46 including shipping and handling. The cover is breathable, water repellent and UV treated. Since the truck is going to be stored indoors, I didn't think I needed anything better. They do have several more expensive covers available if your needs are different.

 

Hey Scooter, Sal here. That's a great list. Only thing I'd like to comment on, is the jacking up part. You don't want to jack the truck up by the suspension, you want to jack it up by the chassis. The reason you put a stored vehicle on jackstands, is to take the load off the suspension, so that the springs will not "memorize" the stored position, which weakens the springs. Just figured I'd mention that.

SAL

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Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!!
http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

Another addition for the list...

When I store my T/A for the winter, I get a pound of "Silica Gel" ( the stuff that is packed with computers and electronics in the box) to absorb any moisture in the air. I place it in a plastic bowl and center it in the interior of the car.

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'99.5 "White Lightning", CD Changer, tow, tonneau, GTS Omni-Guard, Vent Visors, GTS headlight covers, tint, Steel Horse bed-rug, Snug Lid on order.

'94 Pontiac 25th Anniversary Trans Am GT Convertible

 

Sal the bushing and tires memorize, and the springs and suspension components can get stress corrosion, (unlikely). But, if the spring where design poor, you are right, that they will take a set (reduce height), but if designed any where near right the installed stress should not be high enough to cause set.

 

my winter kit consists of a pair of rubber gloves to wash it. that tap water in the wash bucket can get down in the 40's.

 

If you jack the truck off the ground, you might consider removing the tires so that the weight of those tires does not put extended strain on the lifted parts.

If you are storing in a part of the country that will get very cold, you might consider draining your windshield washer fluid container, or, make sure you have fluid in there that will not freeze, depending on your worst cold days. If you "add" this type of fluid and don't drain the old one, your not going to benefit, so if you need to change that, drain the old first. If you keep stuff which will freeze, the pump and the lines might not survive.

If you have a soft tonneau cover, make sure you leave your tailgate open, otherwise, vermin might *try* to get into the bed, it's just easier to open the tonneau, or the gate.

Before you stop your vehicle for the first time, make sure your climate controls are set to MAX AC which will block the air intake from the exterior, this might keep out small vermin. Once set to MAX AC and the vehicle is running, just shut the engine off.

My cousin used to pour engine oil down his carburator when he was winterizing, while it was running (me pressing the gas pedal) until it stalled. They average -50 celsius there, perhaps that is drastic, but if you put oil down the pistons, just use engine oil, and crank it over a couple times. When you start up next year, it will smoke like a 76 datsun, and I don't know what the ECM will do about that...he had a 76 trans-am.

0.02!

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David
'99 F150 XLT SC, STYLESIDE
4X4 ORP 5.4L, AUTOMATIC,
139wb, Rhino, K&N,
BugGuard, RainGuards
Superchip

 

Thanks for the info everyone--great posts, I never would have thought about putting the silica gel inside the truck to remove moisture (excellent idea). WhiteLite99, where do you find a whole pound of the stuff?

As for keeping the car up off the ground, I originally thought that putting the jack stands under the frame was the right thing to do but now I'm not so sure.

When you keep the truck lifted by the frame aren't you stressing/extending the shocks and springs in a way that they weren't designed to handle?

Anyway, thanks for all the great posts!

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--Scooter
'99 RED LIGHTNING


[This message has been edited by Scooter (edited 10-14-1999).]

 

Hey Scooter,

Let me "add support" to SAL's words on storing the truck by the frame from my experience. I have about 15 years of knowledge from storing various vehicles. One year I put away my Chevelle "just for the winter", I decided not to put it up on the stands...well spring & summer also came and went. Finally in Autumn, I took the car out. I wound up having to replace some of the suspension parts that I had just put in new the previous summer!!! This from the weight of the car pressing DOWN on the suspension. It's always better to take the weight off by the frame.

As far as the Silica Gel goes...in the NorthEast, we have a chain store called "Home Depot"...it's a hardware supermarket. I'm not sure if you have one (or something like it) where you are at. But they sell the stuff specifically for storing items where you need to keep the moisture out. Drop me an e-mail if you can't find it by you...I'll get you some.

-Dominoe

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'99.5 "White Lightning", CD Changer, tow, tonneau, GTS Omni-Guard, Vent Visors, GTS headlight covers, tint, Steel Horse bed-rug, Snug Lid on order.

'94 Pontiac 25th Anniversary Trans Am GT Convertible