my truck is gonna sit for a year! help!

my truck is about to sit for a year, not going to move at all or even get started. is there anything i should do/put in it to so when i get back i wont have any issues when i try to drive it. im probably gonna pull my battery, and i live in a rather cold area when it comes to the winter so ill probably put some drygas into it to avoid moisture in the tank and ill grease everything. am i missing anything??

 

stabil fuel stabilizer.. or are you gonna drain the line?

 

i didnt want to drain the line i was just gonna do dry gas, a stabilizer would probably be a good idea. even with draining the lines i can still build up moisture from the worm summers then freeze during our winters.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ge...nventionally-powered-vehicles-1-6-months.html

In addition to that, I would think about changing the oil right when you get it back also..

 

never used drygas.. just fuel stabilizer but our winters and summers aren't bad here

 

Do you have any relatives or good friends that could take care of it for you while your away? I had my dad start mine every few weeks & drive it to the store occasionally while I was in Korea, & all was good when I returned. If your being deployed or doing a short tour like I did, the AF should pay for it to be stored if you choose that route & they would give you storage prep instructions I'm sure.

 

Find a cheap set of tires, jack stands or over inflate your tires to prevent flat spots

 

thank you for this link!

 

I would just drain the line to be extra safe.

 

Can you put it in climate controlled storage? That would be your best bet.

And put it on jack stands regardless.

 

no family and my friends out here are leaving with me. they said they wont pay for storage cause they have a "deployment lot" i think it B.S to be honest with you.

 

Just did 9 month rotation, change the oil, fuel stabilizer in the gas tank, disconnect battery, park on carpet squares (jack stands preferable) and box of open baking soda in cab. i parked in a covered area, no cover needed. Changed oil as soon as i got vback .No issues.

 

baking soda in the cab?

 

I did the same thing when I went to Iraq. Here is what I found on line to do. This is from a popular Mechanics article.

1. Full tank of gas so with fuel stabilizer. 1/2 tank will allow moisture to build up and cause rust or some shit. Not sure if this pertains to out plastic gas tanks.

2. Remove battery.

3. Put truck on jack stands to prevent flat spots on tires.

This is what I did.

1. Fuel stabilizer 3/4 tank of gas.

2. disconnected battery cable.

I parked my 2005 Corolla in a storage garage. Came back from Iraq a year latter with the wife (she went to Iraq with me) connected the cable and took off. We lived in the same city as Penn State and had no where to live. Our apartment was'nt ready for about another 4 days. There was a Penn State football game so we drove 2 hours to get a hotel, they were all booked up in State College. Bought some alcohol and had a wild time in the hotel for 4 days. If you are deploying, good luck, save your money, use the SDP and keep your head down.

 

Absorbs odors.

Most recommend placing the vehicle on jackstands with the vehicle still on its suspension, not sitting on the frame with the suspension hanging from the springs. Full tank of fuel so as to leave less room for condensation.

 

i see, never even thought of that with the baking soda. thank you.

 

^It's to absorb moisture in the air, needed in some areas due to high humidity year round. May not be necessary in Montana. And this is more scientific than a box of baking soda:

 

glad to hear you were able to have a good time when you got back. thank you sir.

 

The deployment lots for us will start your vehicle every few weeks, not sure if yours will. The jack stands like mentioned are needed to prevent flat spots on your tires but if you just remove the tires it will also be less stressful on your bearings and ball joints from holding that weight at those angles. If you don't bother with removing the tires your truck will still be fine in a year. If oil doesn't reach its operating temperature after a few weeks it will start breaking down and separating. If parked outside consider a truck cover unless it gets windy....that would just beat up your paint job and do more harm than good. Think about what you would need in a year when you get back like an air compressor and all the fluids. What about a battery tender? If you can get the truck in a garage then you can put a tender on your battery. When using the stabilizer, make sure you run the truck for a few minutes to get the stabilizer through everything...I have seen where people will add the stabilizer to the tank and call it a day. Moth balls or the moisture packs you get with new shoes would do some good. Dash pad or sun shade. Worse comes to worse, find a fellow Taco owner near you and give them a case of beer.

 

I'd be happy to move to Montana and take care of your truck for no charge. You'll need to help me find a Cisco network admin job though, and the case of beer would help too. Seriously, I'd love to go somewhere more rural than metro Iowa...