[Tricky Dicky]

OK folks, advice please. I am taking my R33 GTR off the road for about 6months. :bawling: With ref. to the battery, should I disconnect and remove it or leave it in situ and connect a battery charger to trickle charge it for a couple hours / week.
If I disconnected the battery would I have to ensure that the car was level and the front wheels straight, for hicas etc.
Thanks

 

[Mookistar]

i think tyres are the main worry when laying up a car?

 

[mattysupra]

you can buy a small charger for about 15 quid from halfords etc that you leave connected and turned on to keep battery in good condition.


Ye and tyres tend to go 'off ' I would at least jack the car up a bit so the tyres stay in shape rather being stood with 1.5 ton on the same spot for 6 months etc.

 

[dan-hipgrave]

My winter storage checklist is roughly the following:

- A thorough wash, wax and oil change
- Car cover to protect paintwork
- Car placed on axle stands to prevent tyre flat-spots
- Battery charger connected
- handbrake off to prevent siezure

Thats about it. If laying up for a long period it is advised to rotate the engine and driveshafts by hand to keep the moving parts ok. When you go back to it, just remember to check all fluid levels before starting.

 

[godzirra]

I'm about to lay up a car for about 2-3 months.

Is it better to take off the battery terminals?

Or start the car 2-3 times a week and leave running for a while?

Sorry not very mechanically minded...

 

[dan-hipgrave]

Probably best to leave it alone. Starting a car and not driving it can ruin the sparkplugs, and your oil wont get upto temp and could start to get a bit of white junk in it from condensation.

 

[alpeag]

What if you don't have axle stands? would increasing the tyre pressure help?

 

[Snowfiend]

Mine routine is simular to Dan-Hipgrave but I have a spare set of wheels with tyres I dont care about so I fit them rather then leave it jacked up.

I get mine spanner checked, serviced & all fluids changed the moment it comes out of storage.

Nearly time for mine to go away for the winter now

 

[AlexH]

yea pretty much the same routine as myself

just pop it on stands (halfords £22) for 4
i personally take my batt out as the cold gets to them and kill's them, so mine lives under the kitchen table for the winter, my garage is alarmed with the house though
then i cover it up, making sure it's spotless before it gets the cover
the other good thing i like to do is to loosen the cooland cap, this wayyou can keep a eye on the coolant levels very easy
then it is simply torture walking past it everytime im in the garage knowing i cant take it out, even if it is a nice day !!!!!!!

still it is worth it though, the underside of mine is spotless and thats how i intend to keep it


Alex

 

[godzirra]

how about if I take it around the neighbourhood once a week to get the oil temp up?

not enough road to get any boost though, will the turbos be ok?

or not worth it...?

 

[SPEED MERCHANT]

I use to run my 33 up & down outside the batcave until everything warmed up once a month (as long as it's dry) & then put the C-TEK inteligent charger on it for a day! I never jacked it up though <gulp> !?!!!

Thinking that maybe I need to do that this year though

 

[Min-e]

I'd follow what Dan has said to a degree. If you're storing your car outside then try to avoid using a car cover (unless you're positive its not going to flap about in the wind) as the wind blowing over the cover continually moves the cover and can mark the paint if it’s rubbing.

If you don't have the option of putting the car on axle stands then blow the tyres up to a much higher psi. Most car manufacturers put quite a high psi in the tyres to avoid deformation when being stored for long periods after being assembled. The max. psi of your tyres should be stated on the tyre wall. If you do blow the tyres up to a higher pressure, try and rock the car backwards and forwards to avoid the tyres sticking to your garage floor if it’s painted.

Starting your car every now and again can do more damage than good, because condensation can gather in places you don't necessarily want it to and then rust can start appearing. Just make sure to give the car a damn good prep before firing her up! If you are worried about the engine not receiving oil for a prolonged period of time then simply spin the engine over without actually firing it up, this should build enough oil pressure to get the oil circulating.

Taking the battery off is a good option but this depends on whether you're storing the car inside or out. If this isn't an option then as has already been stated, a trickle charger will be perfect for the job.

James

 

[kaibo]

when i lay up cars i jack them up remove all the wheels leave the hand brake off so it does not stick on i've had a few problems with various cars in the past stickin on. make sure it is nice and dry before you lay it up get a good quality car cover if it is to be out side.

 

[archaeic_bloke]

how do you spin the motor by hand?

 

[dan-hipgrave]

Not by hand exactly, but by turning it over on the ignition with something from the sparking system removed so it wont fire, but will get oil pressure. On cars with HT leads, you remove the king lead, but with Skylines I dont know what you remove (ignition amp plug?).

 

[godzirra]

took it out for a slow drive round the estate.... water temp to about midway and oil temp to about 75C

is it ok to do this about 1/week? or just leave it as is?

 

[Pete G]

Don't store it, drive it,- problem solved !!

 

[godzirra]

im about to take the battery out of the car

does the car need to be straight and level for the hicas? its just parked on a slight slope as my driveway is not strait

 

[alpeag]

maybe a dumb question, but will the PFC map be saved if I disconnect the battery for a long period of time? going to lay up the car for 6 months and just had a thought.

 

[SPEED MERCHANT]

Just had an idea to resurrect this thread but ALPEAG's question is a good one as I have often wondered!

After I saw a privateer team in an old photo working on their Skyline at a meeting they put the back of their car on tyres! Yeah, yeah save the funny comments cause I know cars run on tyres, but what I mean is after jacking the car up they put the rear wheels of the car on two old tyres laid horizontally underneath the rear wheels!

So the ole noodle started going & for those of us worried about our tyres if the car is left standing a long time then surely this could work in preserving your wheels in storage as they're on something soft!? Yes the horizontal tyres are just tyres, no alloys or steels inside them!

Am I right, or am I wrong?