I am putting my R into storage next month for 6 months (Apr - Sept):-( I have read I think nearly all the threads on here regarding storage and have got a good idea what to do, but i still have a few queries :-

<U>Coolant</U>
My coolant is due for replacement pretty soon, but I am going to just replace it after storage ok?

<U>Oil</U>
I replaced my oil & filter only in January, so do u think I should still change the oil before it goes into storage still?
If you do think I should, what oil can people recommend as would it not be a bit wasted if i put MOBIL1 in and then replace when i bring it out again!?

<U>Cambelt</U>(my biggest worry)
My cambelt is due for renewal(its reached time limit not mileage) while its in storage, round about July time, I am going to replace when I take her out, but the place its going to is going to start it occasionally, do u think this is something I should worry about? I dont really want to replace before in case the belt shapes/goes hard after not moving, then again i dont want the current one breaking.

FYI - The car is going into a dry, indoor unit, see below, the guy says he will start her up every so often and bring her out, hes not driving it on the road. I also had the option of putting her into a protective bubble, but i thought it was overkill (i did consider it thou! ), that unit is now nearly full by the way :-



I am happy with everything else, fill the tank, add some stabiliser, inflate tires a little higher than normal, drop window 1/2 inch, clean & wax her etc

 

replace your coolant, could have water and might rust steel parts inside.
Oil also could have moisture...
Timing belt should be ok for occasional use but replace before next big drive if you feel that it is worn.

and you might want the bubble, when I have my caR sitting for a month it collects dust from somewhere

 

When you say the coolant might have water in what do u mean? I thought it did have water in anyway.

Last time I changed it i used Honda Premixed.

 

anti-corrosion additives

 

;-) I will double check when i changed it last actually, I cant remember the replacement interval either to be honest, I suppose it helps that I used Honda OEM coolant.

I still have 1/2 a container of the premixed stuff left over, do u think thats probably had it thou...

I found this on HT, is this right? :-

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Coolant. With the new coolant now in use, the owner's manual (at least, the one for my '01 ITR) specifies changing it after 120K miles or 10 years, whichever comes first, and after that every 60K miles or 5 years. I would not change yours at this time. </TD></TR></TABLE>

What about the oil, if i change it do u think i could put a cheaper fully synth in or would u just go with what u usually put in?

Thanks Bbasso

 

It's really up to you, but 6 months in storage is a long time. and things can happen...

I'd change the oil before and depending on your current mileage I might change the coolant too

It can only hurt your pockets and not the car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bbasso &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">replace your coolant, could have water and might rust steel parts inside.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Uh, Aluminum block/head?

 

water pump impeller is made out of Al ??? probably not. How about the thermostat, Al... probably not.
Heater core too?

Com'on RJ, there are things that can go bad. I did say "might rust steel parts inside."

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bbasso &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">water pump impeller is made out of Al ??? probably not. How about the thermostat, Al... probably not.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

The housing is aluminum..... at any rate, if it has been recently changed with honda pre-mix there will not be any problems. 6 months is not terribly long - just change the oil before storage, put the battery on a trickle charger and no need to really start it and run it. If you're not going to run it until its up to operating temp (15-20 min) then there's no point in starting it at all and can do more harm than good (water condensation). One thing I would do is before pulling from storage, pull the 15A EFI fuse (in the underhood box) and crank the engine over for 15-20 seconds before starting it up

 

oil doesn't take long to change. the coolant doesn't take much to change either. i'd do the oil for sure and the coolant just because it's so easy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
pull the 15A EFI fuse (in the underhood box) and crank the engine over for 15-20 seconds before starting it up </TD></TR></TABLE>


...with the plugs out...

 

You shouldnt have a moisture problem in a sealed crankcase/engine. I parked my R last September with new oil, started it up last weekend and it fired up fine. There is no need to waste freshly changed, 6 month old oil.

 

What about pulling the dizzy harness and cranking it?

 

I checked my records last night, I replaced my coolant with Honda Type 2 36000kms(22000miles) ago, exactly 2 years ago.

What do u reckon? Change before or after, I suppose at least if i change it now, then its done for another 2 years and i dont have to mess about when i take her out.

I checked my cambelt and it actually isnt due until next year or in 10k miles. Thats using 5year/60k service interval, which I think is right.

I will change the oil, is everyone saying i dont have to bother changing it when i take it out? everyone says different things when I search!

 

Cambelt is 105k