Long term storage of my truck.

hey folks,

I'd be out of state from last week of Nov till the end of January, and was thinking of leaving my truck in my garage. About 2+ months.
It's bit early to ask now, but any advice for me for long term storage?
I know to un-hook the battery.
Anything else?
My neighbor tells me that any remaining gas in tank won't be good after 4+ weeks. Is this true?
I could use some general advice to store my truck while I'm away.
Thanks!

 

Battery unplug is all I know. I can say we have spare cars at work that sit for 4+ weeks on the regular and the gas in them is still used.

 

Cool. I think so too.
Disconnecting the Battery is the most important part.
And keeping the truck safe.
I think maybe I'd try to get the tank as close to Empty before I leave I suppose, not wanting to take any chances.
Thanks mate.

 

Disconnect the battery. AND plug your engine intake and your cabin air intake.. rags/plastic trash bags work good. to keep pesky mice/rats/spiders out..... my buddy didn't plug his intake for his cabin on his mustang...

And...

When he got back in the car.. it was an 8 legged house of horrors.. they literally were coming out of the vents...

Some bug barrier/rodent repellent in the cabin and in the engine bay will keep them from eating fuel and brake lines... not to mention nesting..

Besides that.. you aren't leaving long enough to worry about fuel/fuel stabilizers

 

I would put some sort of fuel stabilizer, the ethanol may not sit well. Better safe then sorry, what's it a 5 buck cost versus the PIA later

 

Fuel stabilizer would be in mine if I left it for a couple of months. Any auto parts store should have it.

 

When I would down my summer car I would disconnect the battery, dump in a bottle of fuel stabilizer, throw a couple of rags soaked in peppermint oil under the hood, above the fuel tank, and in the cabin. The mice hate that stuff, and it made the car smell fresh in the spring.

 

the gas will be fine for >5 years you do not need to screw with it whatsoever

stabilizer is a waste of money

20 years ago gas storage mattered, today in 2016 there is no more shit gas, anywhere

 

if you're that concerned with the fuel just fill the tank and put some fuel stabilizers in it. Can get them at any autoparts store.
disconnect battery
oil change before storing it.
if you want possibly put it on axle stands so the tires don't get flat spotted
the blocking of vent holes is a good idea but somewhat pointless depending on what you want to keep out, a stuffed rag will not stop mice, they'll just chew threw it. you're going for 2 months shouldn't be that bad.

I used to store one of my cars I had from november till april.
just disconnected the battery, lifted it off the ground and once a month would let it run to warm up the engine and keep everything lubricated.

 

I once read to place it on jack stands, so if your tires lose pressure they won't flat spot. don't know if that is really necessary though.

 

I would put Sta-Bil in the tank and fill it up, disconnect the battery and put something down to repel rodents.

 

if you circle each tire (or jack stand) with a good 6 inch wide dusting of capsaicin pepper powder
rodents won't screw with your truck at all. vacuum it up when you get back

 

I wouldn't bother with fuel stabilizer. Just my opinion.

 

It's been a while since I've put up a car for winter. I would do the following:

• Ignore the neighbor, he doesn't know Jack.
• Add enough Stabil for a full tank and fill it up with gasoline. You want to minimize air space and thus minimize condensation.
• Drive enough miles to ensure you've pulled treated fuel through to the injectors, so don't fill up a block away from home. Five miles should be way more than enough, even a couple miles would likely be okay, but I am guessing here.
• Put it up on blocks or jack stands to take weight off the tires -- avoids develping flat spots.
• Connect up a Battery Tender to the battery. Won't hurt to disconnect it from the car, but ideally you still want it on a Battery Tender.

 

I have an old jeep I put away every fall for about 4-6 months. Some years I don't do a thing other than put some of the insurance on hold, usually keep comprehensive on it though. (Just be careful because your home owners or renters policy probably may not cover it if it's stolen or the house burns down).

As for the gas. The modern ethanol/E10 gas does not do very well when left to sit. A few months is no big deal but even with a full tank and stabil my jeep doesn't run right until I get a fresh tank of gas in it. I found a local place selling 'pure gas' (ethanol free) and have tried a full tank of that with stabil for this winter to see if it does any better.

Otherwise I usually top off the tires, unhook the battery and call it good.

 

I use Sta-Bil 360 and a battery tender in my hot rods and no issues

 

depends on the climate.
if it gets really cold probably a good idea since the changing temp can change the air temp.

 

^^^ this^^^ I would go a step further and pull the battery and make sure it is somewhere warm though

 

Worrying about "storage" for 2 months is silly. Park it, and it'll be perfectly fine two months later.

Put the battery on a tender if you're really paranoid, but even that's not necessary.

 

Overthinking it.

Make sure you close the garage door before you leave.