Never stored a car over the winter before. At this time it will be outside, rolled up atleast 4 inches off the ground (so the tires are not ground soaked)

What should I do about sealing off any potential rodent homes? gas? liquids? Any help would be great.. just not sure mechanicly if I should pull anything to lessen my chances of corrosion or any nasty engine build ups.

Also, any sort of "cover" I should use? snow/ice/debris protection?

Cheers,
Joel

Yep, I'm still in the family..

 

WOOHOO!! Just couldn't leave this dysfuntional (sp) family, could you?

 

I figure I have invested enough to justify holding onto it. Plus not many cars do it, but I get smile everytime I see this car.

and if I run into ample car funds, i have a top secret plan for her.

Cheers,
Joel

 

Good to hear. :-)

 

Yes!! Awesome

 

WAAAAAAAHHOOOOO!

 

You can store at a barn just south of Middlebury for a small fee....it would be out of the snow and ice.
As for winter storage...top off the coolant res with some full antifreeze and circulate that through the system...remove the battery...park it on a tarp so moisture doesn't kill the undercarriage...add fresh methanol mix to the windshield washer res and you should be good to go.
To keep the rodents out, you can put some wire mesh near holes where they would go.

 

Here are my recommendations:

1) Good that the tires are off the ground. That prevents flat spots. Make sure the emergency brake is OFF. It's worse with drum brakes, but you don't want any of the rear brake components sticking or rusting together. (Amazingly, the Jeep e-brake let go with no problems).

2) Fill the gas tank to prevent corrosion. Use StaBil fuel stabilizer or the equivalent to keep the gas from losing its volatility. If you don't do that, you'll be siphoning out the gas. Surprisingly, a mix of 1:1 new and 2 year old gas started, but that was pushing our luck.

3) If you can't store the battery some place where you can use a trickle charger on it, leave it in the car, disconnect the cables, and use a trickle charger every few weeks. After two years with periodic trickle charging, the Jeep's now four year old battery started it just fine.

4) Use a car cover! Leaves are hell on paint.

5) Use 303 Aerospace Protectant on door gaskets, trunk gasket, hood gasket, and any exposed rubber. It's excellent for rubber hoses any time.

6) If you start the vehicle while it's in storage, make sure it gets up to operating temp (I'd use the oil temp gage to determine this). If you're not willing to let it run that long, don't start it (forms condensation).

When you take it out of storage in less than 6 months:

1) Put air in the tires

2) Change the oil

3) Make sure battery is fully charged.

It should start fine! Let the fuel pump run about 10 seconds before cranking it.

 

I'll give you a call tomorrow about the barn storage.. would be nice to have a cheap option to keep the car out of the elements. Thanks!

Cheers,
CEL