WINTERIZATION

SPECIAL ED_old · October 11, 2006 at 9:33 PM

Well..It's getting towards that time of year for us northern folks. What do you do to your K, if anything, before and during a 5 month rest?

66KGT_old · October 11, 2006 at 9:46 PM

Oil change, stabil, battery tender. That's about it.

SPECIAL ED_old · October 11, 2006 at 10:47 PM

I do the stabil and roll it 2 or 3 feet forward and back each week to avoid tire flat spots and to turn the wheel bearings. Take the battery out and trickle charge it each month. Why not leave the oil and change it before firing it up in the spring? Some folk recommend starting it up now and then but I don't like to do that. Gets real cold in upstate NY so I would rather let it sleep. Thinking about draining the coolant. When it gets real cold hoses contract and coolant could leak. Happened to me once at the heater box. Don't want that stuff getting on the carpet. When the temp drops below 15 degrees I check the clamps and tighten them if necessary.

Kman_old · October 12, 2006 at 8:30 AM

I typically change the oil, full tank of fuel with stabil, add around 5 or 6 lbs of air to the tires, remove the battery and store it in my house, put a couple of bars of Irish Spring soap under the seats (supposedly good for rodent control)and throw on the car cover. After going through some carb issues the last two years when doing the spring startup, I am contemplating removing, draining and storing the carb indoors this year, or maybe just doing a perodic start up and drive as weather permits, as I will be storing the car in my own garage for the first time in ten years.

Jack

noelfisher_old · October 12, 2006 at 9:31 AM

I am a little surprised that no one seems to use a bubble. Too expensive?

SPECIAL ED_old · October 12, 2006 at 10:07 AM

Would love to drive in the winter as weather permits but with all the salt on the roads up here....thats a no no. Never had a problem with a carb in the spring if I used stabil during the winter.

Laki_old · October 12, 2006 at 12:14 PM

Boy do I feel sorry for you guys back East because there is no way that I could my Kar under wraps for 5 months without a little spin somewhere. California living. <img src=images/icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>Laki

round2K_old · October 12, 2006 at 3:26 PM

I'm with Laki;I drive it when the rains let up.

don_old · October 12, 2006 at 3:45 PM

Yet another reason I left Chicago !

SPECIAL ED_old · October 12, 2006 at 8:04 PM

<div class="bbcode_quote_head">Quote:
Yet another reason I left Chicago !

Don...the DSO for my K was Chicago. It spent its whole life in IL. until I brought it to NY in August from Palatine IL. Near your old neck of the woods?
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66KGT_old · October 12, 2006 at 8:29 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

I am a little surprised that no one seems to use a bubble. Too expensive?

If I could afford it I'd probably have one so to answer your question - YES.

REAL K GT_old · October 12, 2006 at 10:37 PM

My k has been in heated storage since Sept.30 where it will stay until May 1. Yes it stays in storage for 7 months of the year. Before storage I changed the oil, washed and cleaned the car, filled the tank with fuel and stabil, disconnected the battery but left it in the car and then covered it with a cover. Done.

66gtk · October 12, 2006 at 11:05 PM

I agree with the winter statements, but I'll add that I usually change the oil in the spring B4 the first start rather than change it in the fall. I'm not sure which is better. I also use "Seafoam" instead of Stabil. I try and fill up the tank and use the additive prior to storing it so that the "treated" gas has a chance to work through the entire fuel system and especially the carb. You will have a gunked up carb if old gas sits in there too long so no sense in just adding fuel stabilizer to the tank only if you aren't going to run it for a while before hibernation.

I also take the battery inside the house.

Palatine??? That's where I used to live before moving to MN. I never knew of another "K" while I was there. I think Morelos got his car from Palatine as well.

s2ms · October 12, 2006 at 11:34 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

Boy do I feel sorry for you guys back East because there is no way that I could my Kar under wraps for 5 months without a little spin somewhere. California living. <img src=images/icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>Laki

Even up here in the rainy Seattle area I can usually find at least one dry day a month for some car exercise in the winter. I do check tire pressures before each winter drive and trickle charge the battery at least every 60 days. Regardless of what time of year I always disconnect the neg. cable when the car is sitting. Currently have one of the old acid Autolite repops which is now 5 years old and still going strong.

LuvKcodes_old · October 13, 2006 at 1:30 PM

I try to drive each car at least every couple of weeks. Keep them in a dry garage and this is a dry climate. Even in winter there will be some dry days I can take them out for a run a few times. I never let them get wet and the garage is always warmer in winter than outside. I always disconnect the neg battery cable, I've seen guys lose cars and garages from fires, I've had wiring burn up in a couple of cars myself. If I'm not actually driving it the cable is off. Don't need to trickle charge battery, just drive it every couple of weeks, the battery will stay up fine unless it's got a dead cell. Because the cars are inside most of the time the batteries don't get hot and cold extremes that often so tend to last a lot longer. I change the oil at least once a year, use Mobil 1 in most cars, check fluids, tires, etc regularly.

SPECIAL ED_old · October 13, 2006 at 3:33 PM

For those of you who don't drive or start the car during the winter....If you change the oil in the fall, do you change it again in the spring? Why not leave the 2006 oil in and change it one time in the spring?

REAL K GT_old · October 13, 2006 at 5:56 PM

I change the oil and filter in the fall at storage time so that no contaminants in the oil are left behind. Byproducts of combustion produce acids in the oil which will harm the inner metal surfaces.

SPECIAL ED_old · October 13, 2006 at 6:52 PM

<div class="bbcode_quote_head">Quote:
I change the oil and filter in the fall at storage time so that no contaminants in the oil are left behind. Byproducts of combustion produce acids in the oil which will harm the inner metal surfaces.

Do you change the oil again in the spring?
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63Kcode_old · October 13, 2006 at 9:31 PM

It's recommended that you change before you put it up for winter. To remove acids. Then again in spring. In case condensation accumulates in the engine. I don't worry about either. Good thing about living in Tx. there is always afew days a week to drive a old car.

Larry

LuvKcodes_old · October 14, 2006 at 12:05 AM

If I were going to store the car I'd change the oil in the fall but since I drive them every couple of weeks year around I change it whenever I think it needs doing. Probably doesn't make much difference if you do it in the spring or fall if the car isn't going to be run since the oil, and any contaminants in it, is just going to sit in the oil pan and can't hurt the engine there.

Some cars run cleaner than others, newer cars for instance and the oil stays cleaner longer. But some cars run too rich so gas gets in the oil. This is very bad for the engine. When you check your oil, smell the dipstick, if it smells like gas, change the oil. If the car runs clean it won't need to be changed as often. Gas is a solvent and as such breaks down oil, that's why oil needs to be changed often, every 3000 miles is what many recommend. I don't drive my oldies 3000 miles a year so I just do about yearly or sooner if I think it needs it.

Edited by - LuvKcodes on 10/14/2006 00:21:06

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