Winter storage

[Johnnie]

put my '87 GN safely away in a garage for winter -- changed oil and all filters (except for trans ), checked coolant strength, on jack stands with tires off the floor and covered with a cotton GM car cover, and disconnected the battery. Should I have concern about the ECM ( car has a stock chip ) having no power for such a long time?
The garage is insulated but has no electric , so that rules out a battery tender.......hence the battery disconnect. Just wondering....

 

[whitehot1]

I suggest taking the battery out and store it in your house. Place it somewhere out of the way ( i sit mine on a piece of cardboard ) It is up to you what you want to sit it on if anything. I also use a small amp battery charger to ensure it is fully charged if it needs it. That way you know the battery will be in good condition when you are ready to start the car in the Spring time. I treat my battery very well, after all the whole car depends on it to run good.

It would also be a good idea to add some fuel stabilizer to the gas. It would be even better if you had ran the engine with it in the tank before storing the car, to help the injectors from sticking after sitting for so long.

 

[Johnnie]

Thank you, whitehot1. I did forget to mention the stabil360 that I added. Kinda funny, though, because I must've had some dirty injectors. After I added the stabil, I drove it for awhile. I went to my favorite stretch of straight / deserted road, came to a full stop, then matted the gas pedal. The thing spooled up quicker than ever and broke the tires loose a heluva lot sooner than I expected. Got my attention.

I will remove the battery today and put it on a battery tender here at home. BTW, my old man told me to never put a battery *directly* on concrete, but on wood or , as you suggest, cardboard . Probably an old wive's tale, but he said it would discharge over time. Sounds like Mythbusters needs to investigate that one

 

[whitehot1]

Thank you, whitehot1. I did forget to mention the stabil360 that I added. Kinda funny, though, because I must've had some dirty injectors. After I added the stabil, I drove it for awhile. I went to my favorite stretch of straight / deserted road, came to a full stop, then matted the gas pedal. The thing spooled up quicker than ever and broke the tires loose a heluva lot sooner than I expected. Got my attention.

I will remove the battery today and put it on a battery tender here at home. BTW, my old man told me to never put a battery *directly* on concrete, but on wood or , as you suggest, cardboard . Probably an old wive's tale, but he said it would discharge over time. Sounds like Mythbusters needs to investigate that one

Yeah i know people say it's not necessary to put the battery on anything when you sit it down. But one thing i know from experience and it's been many years " I've never had a problem from a battery by sitting it on cardboard or plywood".

 

[Nick Micale]

......... BTW, my old man told me to never put a battery *directly* on concrete, but on wood or , as you suggest, cardboard . Probably an old wive's tale, but he said it would discharge over time. Sounds like Mythbusters needs to investigate that one

Your old man was right on the money when to told you "never on concrete".

Before your time on this earth, battery cases were made basically of rubber. Concrete or metal would suck the life out of a battery if left there.

Look a some VERY old cars and you will see wood as the base of the battery tray to avoid this situation,

In our "modern" world we now have plastics and their derivatives to make our lives simpler and easier!