Long Term Storage

I'd leave tanks full, with some gas showing in the fill tube. That minimizes the area exposed to air.

Would be willing to try to send you some Sta-Bil fuel preservative if you think it would make it thru customs.

 

I agree with Verell (who could NOT agree with him?), the tank should be full. An empty fuel tank will produce a significant amount of condensation on the inside over the course of a year unless it is in a heated, dehumidified garage. As far as gas stabilizer goes, I find it hard to believe that there is no such product in Europe. Take Verell up on his offer. You don't need a lot, but it will help keep the fuel from turning to varnish in the course of a year and clogging up the fuel system. Add the stabilizer before you top up the tank so that it mixes completely with the gas and the mixture works its way through the gas line and injectors on the ride home from the filling station.

 

Put pure nitrogen into your tires, especially your spare (if you have one). nitrogen doesn't carry much water, which helps prevent dry rot on the inside of your tires. There are some special parking mats that will prevent flat spots on your tires; otherwise, you'll want to jack the car up for long term storage.

Disconnect your battery, and connect a negative ground cable to your frame to help prevent rust from forming.

Put a zinc anode into the top of your radiator fill tank. This helps prevent electrolysis.

Sta-Bil goes into a full gas tank, of course.

 

I have left a car for more than 1 year without being started. The problem I had was rust causing the fuel pump to jam. So better to fill the tank for the reasons stated. The car did start OK after I changed the fuel pump, so the fuel hadn't gone off.

 

One year isn't long term storage; you're talking overkill!

Fill the petrol tank and change the oil. Put a battery tender on the battery, that's about it.

Do not jack the car up as suggested. Leaving the suspension hanging unloaded is about the worst thing you can do.

 

Before starting your car upon your return to Italy, consider jacking up the rear end, with your car in gear, and then hand-turning your rear wheels in order to start your oil circulating. This is a poor-man's pre-oil lube.

OTHERWISE: Some people disconnect their fuel injection and simply run their starter motors for a few seconds (not in gear)...prior to first starting their cars after an extended absence. Your mileage may vary.

Either way circulates your oil prior to starting your car.

 

As far as flat spots on your tires go, I move the car a few feet once a month. I don't care much for tires cradles or jacking up the car.

 

Living for periods in south africa I have stored my boxer at various points over the past 10 years for periods of up to 14 months.


The list learnt from experience is as follows.

1 Change oil within 100 mi of staorage(fresh oil doent have acids etc)
2 Pump tires to 50 psi to avoid or mtigate flar spots.
3 Fill tank and add stabil in quantity
4 remove battery
5 I store car in a large bag with dessicant to bring humidity below 50%
this keeps car pristine and free of insects, animals and curious eyes

The storage bags can be bought in europe as they are advertised in classic car magazines. I think it is called a permabag. These bags are not like a carcoon, they dont blow up with fans or anything. A large zip just seals the car and the dessicant supplied with it reduces the humidity. A good wash and wax is also a good idea before storage.


At the end of staorage its quite fun to unzipcar and see it exactly as put away, kinda like opening a gift as a three year old. I put battery back in. Check underneath for any major leaks, check fluids, turn ignition on, let fuel pumps build pressure and away we go. I let it warm up for a while and then drive real slow with low revs untill all temps seem norrmal.

Usualy I drain most of the old gas and use it in a civillian car like my wifes suv. The stabil works great keeping the injectors clean amongst other necessities, but the old fuel seems to lack power after a year or so.


After my last long storage car was started and driven about 80mi all in one go. i have been doing this for 10 years and the car has always started and run beautifully.

If brake and coolant are more than a year old i would change them also before staorage. Also make sure you put stabil in with fresh gas and drive the car few miles so stabilised feul goes through the entire system.

In the end its no big deal and car will be fine if stored properly.

 

If I were putting my car away for a year I would mostly follow Boxermans suggestions, but I would:

Remove the wheels and tires and leave the car on blocks so as to keep the suspension compressed. Put the tires on thier sides, stacked, and under pressure.

I would remove the battery, and unless I was around to monitor it, would charge it well and leave it in a cool place. Chargers and tenders and batteries should always be monitored IMO.

If you cant find Stabil for the fuel, you could use SeaFoam, or Marvel Mystery Oil, but if the car is in a cool place and filled with the best highest octane fuel, you "should" be okay there.

I would consider changing the trans oil and/or possibly overfilling it if the possibility of high humidity is present.

I would also pull the plugs and pour some oil into the cylinders and spin it over once, pour more oil in and put the plugs back. Good insurance against stuck rings and a ruined engine. Or you could at least fog the engine through a vacuum port while its running.

And I would put out traps and poison for mice and other rodents.

I would do those things because I live in a harsh climate with temps that "can" fluctuate from as low as -45 F in winter, to as high as 104 or more F in summer, and humidity levels from almost 0% to 100%. Uninsulated spaces seem to be the worst places as the temperture swings can cause a great deal of condensation to develope on the car and in the engine.

I especially like Boxermans idea of a bag for the car but without the fans. A good heavy insulated bag filled with desicant could elleviate a lot of trouble. Be hard to remove the wheels that way though. Unless it fastened together with a zipper?

 

Depending on where you will be going in Asia, you might want to leave the car ready to drive at a moments notice.

Trust me, you'll need the therapy from time to time, even if it means flying back to Italy every other month.

 

I'd agree here. I wouldn't leave the battery on a charger and then leave for a year. Take it out and store it in a cool place.

When I store my car I always "fog" the engine. I spray fogging oil down the carbs while the engine is running until I get a nice thick smoke coming from the tailpipes and then pull the plugs, fog each of the cylinders and then roll the engine over with the starter before putting the plugs back in. Coats all the engine internals and protects them from rust.

Good tip on the rodent control. Last year when I brought my car out from winter storage I found that a mouse had made the trunk his winter home.

 

I'm not sure what removing the battery will acomplish. I would just pull the quick diconnect from the battery and let it sit.

 

Agreed, and put a battery maintainer on it!

Whether it's for a day or a year; what's the diff.??

Sheesh, mechanically F-cars aren't as different from other cars as many think them to be.

All of this 'high faluttin' F-car stuff really gets to me.

Does anyone perform special so called storage procedures to their home furnaces when the seasons change? I doubt it!

A Ferrari is a machine, treat it like any other.

A year in hibernation is not a long time. Misting the cylinders and a lot of other suggestions are going way overboard.

Just change the oil and fill the tank, and put a battery maintainer on the battery.

The car will be ready to roll when you are!!

 

But if the battery leaks, it will not rust the car if it is not in the car...

 

I treat all machines alike, Ferrari or otherwise. I am not high faluttin either, I can barely afford to own my 308 and buying all the parts to make it run again is shorting me some. I'll remove the battery from the garden tractor if I think of it during winter, or some of the other cars if I'm not using them. Batteries get nasty when they sit, they even sweat if there are drops in temp. But when you charge or maintain a battery, it outgasses corrosive fumes, and loses electrolite. If the "maintainer" happens to go nuts and wont stop charging, your battery can catch fire, or explode. I watched a brand new $70K motorhome catch fire and burn to the ground and the probable cause was the battery maintainer. Imagine what a burning car would do inside a building with other "machines". At least the motorhome was parked outside away from everything. And not maintaining a furnace up here in Minnesota cost people thier lives every year from Co poisoning. Usually kids.

Removing the wheels protects the tire from flat spotting, and covering them protects them from oxidation. Storing the battery outside the car protects the car. A good well charged battery will hold a charge a year or more and still start your car. If it wont, it wasnt that good anyway. At the very least you can pull the cables off and leave it in the car, just make sure its clean and charged.

As far as short notice, putting the wheels on and putting a battery back in the car shouldnt take more than an hour. If you need faster notice, leave the car with an enthusiast or trustworthy mechanic. I would be more than happy to keep your car ready for you for a small fee.