If I wanted to put my ’99 Honda Accord in my garage for ten months or so, is there anything special I should do to it besides disconnecting the battery? That is, should I drain any fluids or anything? Put it on stands or let it sit on the tires? Should I start it up and let it run for a period of time every month or so?

I have the Accord as well as a ’93 Volvo wagon and was just given a ’95 Toyota Camry in pretty good condition though it has 155,000 miles (the Accord has 90,000). I was planning on buying a new family vehicle probably next winter - at that time I would sell the Toyota and Volvo and keep the Honda as a commuter. In the meantime I was wanting to put miles, wear & tear etc on the Toyota / Volvo and of course stop paying insurance on the Honda.

 

From what I've heard

1) put it on stands so the tires don't get flat spots
2) fluids are ok to let it sit but make sure you do a oil change/gas additive etc when you take it out

If you start it up every so often I would imagine most of the fluids would be ok. You may want to drain the gas to as little an amount as possible as gas goes bad after some time.

 

I've heard to put some sort of fuel stabilizer in the gas as well.

now my grandfather, he goes to Florida for the fall/winter/spring . He drives down and his wife flies (back problems) so they leave one car back here in Michigan. He fills it up, gets an oil change, washes and waxes it then parks it in the garage. Thats it. Then my aunt goes over there and starts the car up every so often but doesn't drive it. The car gets driven for a one week period when they fly back for Christmas but thats it from September to May. He hasn't had any problems but I wouldn't do it like that.

 

Remove battery. Change oil, fresh oil is best for storage as it won't allow any crap to settle at the bottom of the pan, and possibly jam something on start up (you would be surprise at what you can find if you allow used oil to settle over 10 months lol). Put a gas line anti freeze (rust inhibiter) and make sure your tank is adleast 3/4 empty, gas will just go bad, burn it before you store it. Put it on 4 jack stands, remove tires, take the weight off the suspension so it doesn't wear.

Now, when you go to start it up. Check the oil, add a octane booster and charge the battery then reconnect it. If your car wasn't stored in a bad area everything will run mint. If it was, you might have mice issues and have weird smells in your vents.

Keep the car is a controlled environment, moisture free, and cover it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ludesrv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Put it on 4 jack stands, remove tires, take the weight off the suspension so it doesn't wear.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually leave weight on the suspension. When you jack it up and unload the suspension, the bushings will twist, and if you leave them like that for 10 months, they will tear and need to be replaced.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheMuffinMan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1) put it on stands so the tires don't get flat spots</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 02 accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Actually leave weight on the suspension.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Pump the tires up to their max rating (listed on sidewall). Since you're not driving, it's probably safe to go even higher. That way you can minimize flat-spotting while leaving it sit on the suspension.

 

Right, overfill the tires and LET IT SIT ON ITS OWN WEIGHT, the suspension was designed as such, stuff breaks otherwise.

 

WOW don't inflate the tires. I suggest putting it on jack stands. On the frame. Open a little bit of window so old car smell won't take over your current smell. Google it.

 

BTW , It takes YEARS to of sitting to cause flat spots on tires. And and empty gas tank has more air in it and air has moisture in it moisture is bad. Fill the tank up all the way. and add Sta-Bil.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Blamm!! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BTW , It takes YEARS to of sitting to cause flat spots on tires. And and empty gas tank has more air in it and air has moisture in it moisture is bad. Fill the tank up all the way. and add Sta-Bil. </TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah i've also heard something about making sure the fuel isnt formulated. Something about old formulated gas causes sludge build up. Not to sure. But mayeb thats the purpose of adding Sta-bil!

 

yes any modern "pump" gas gets thicker and varnishy after about 6 months and starts to REAK like shiity paint. (...really bad after a year or 2!! ) I have bought enough derby cars to know about cars that have been sitting.

 

Full Tank with gas stabilizer
Overinflated tires with the car sitting on its own weight, no jack stands damnit, flat spots on tires get run out when the car is put back into normal use. I have my 87 RX7 in storage right now, trust me, I've done all the legwork on the subject.

As far as fluid changes go I think thats splitting hairs, anything that runs down from upper parts of the engine just gets pumped back where it was etc. Pull the battery and keep it trickle charged on plywood or other non conductive material, i've heard of it grounding otherwise.
Crack the window, that helps.
Wash and wax also is great idea.

That is how I store my car indoors.

 

just a thought, if you change your oil and do it in the garage where ur gonna leave the car: i would suggest changing the oil and adding only 4.5 quarts, NOT 5:

WAIT:

reason being: when you come back in 10 months to start the car, all the oil from the top end will have drained out like bone dry, that way you can just add the last .5 quart and aha! you have oil in the top and bottom, start that accord up and get back to representin' teh 6th gen accord!

also (lol) i had thought that (hmmm) "if ur gonna be taking the tires off, and putting in on jackstands, in the garage at that, max security by taking the lugnuts with you, or lock them up somwhere?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Patman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Pull the battery and keep it trickle charged on plywood or other non conductive material, i've heard of it grounding otherwise.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats a old urban myth. i think that useto be true with batterys back in the day, but if you think about it, when was the last time you found a car battery not made of plastic? and last time i checked, plastic is a insulator, not a conductor.

 

Setting a battery on wood comes from people who have left a battery sit on concrete for awhile. Concrete will drain a battery for some reason.

 

To the battery thing. Keeping it on concrete will NOT drain the charge. Modern batteries with the plastic casings won't leak out a a charge. What will happen over time with a battery is the water inside of it will evaporate out of it. If you have the kind that you can add water, just add more water to the proper level. Your battery needs water to produce the electrical charge.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 361accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just a thought, if you change your oil and do it in the garage where ur gonna leave the car: i would suggest changing the oil and adding only 4.5 quarts, NOT 5:
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The capacity is 4.5 quarts so you mean to add 4.0 quarts at this time, not 4.5 quarts.

As for the battery, it's the original battery from when I bought the car in October '98 so it's really due to be replaced anyway. I would pull it and plan on buying a new one when I bring the car back out.

 

I am suprised that no one mentioned removing plugs and squirt oil into each cylander to prevent the rings from seizing on start up (do this just before you start the car)

it is just fine to let a car sit I left my 94 accord sit for 9 months and all I did when I got it was remove the plugs squirt in some engine oil and put the pluhs back in. started right up and smoked for like 30 seconds and all was good

 

yeah i knew i was going to be corrected, but you got the idea, so

 

there is NO CHANCE that the motor is going to lock up up after only 10 months.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Blamm!! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">there is NO CHANCE that the motor is going to lock up up after only 10 months. </TD></TR></TABLE>

never said it would, I stated the rings could seize since after 10 months ALL of the oil would be in the pan and it would take the engine longer than usual to presurise the system.....but to each his own.....