I don't know that fits under any section, so I figured this section is a fairly busy one. Anyhow I am parking my 07 ss/sc this winter and I was woundering the do's and dont's. It is hopefully going to be inside (non heated), but let me know your tricks

 

Clean and detail the car, fresh oil change, fill the tires to their max inflation (on the tire as this prevents flatspots) and if you can park the car with tires on four peices of carpet or plastic as this will help prevent the rubber that is in contact with the floor to not dry out, next turn the heater/vent controls to off and the temp to full hot, this can help prevent critters finding their way into a new home, finally disconnect the negative battery cable and your done. A car cover is nice to keep dust off the car for the storage months. I store a couple of cars every winter and this works great. I have been storing my 81 Z28 for the last 20 years and the cobalt ss/sc has been put away again for the winter. I detail and empty the cars out of everything except the owners manuals as in the spring it is just like getting into the car for the first time since ne
If you are worried about mice or the possibility of mice you can use moth ***** to keep them out, I would place them on the fresh air intake at the base of the hood and a couple on the floor around the car. You can put them in the car if you wish but the smell isnt pleasant. The alternative to the interior is to place several bounce fabric softner sheets in the interior as this also keeps mice away and smells better.
Good luck!

 

Anything to do with plugging the exhaust, removing the hood liner, etc.?

 

I have never had a problem with either, You could plug the exhaust and remove the hood liner, but I would only do that if your really worried about mice.

 

what bout the gasoline that is left over once the winters gone do we need to add fuel stabilizer or can we just plug stuff back on and drive once winter is over

 

Ill be storing my car, anything wrong with having it sit on jack stands? not sure if thats bad or good for the suspenstion to be unloaded for soo long.

 

Dont leave it on jack stands I have heard that that is very bad for you suspension. If you going to take the rims off and clean them then it is fine for a little while but dont leave them on the stands over the whole winter. I am also woundering about the gas, how much should i leave in the tank and is it good to go next summer ?

 

last winter i stored my car and used that stabilzer stuff and i didnt have any starting problems or anything after winter

any good tips for storing it outside? thats what im doing this winter. also where can i get a good car cover

 

This is what I did.

Placed a sock or dirty shop rag in the exhaust pipe
Put a car cover over my car
Inflated air in the tires to almost max allowed
Changed oil
Cleaned car out
Put moth ***** around base of car and a few in the trunk
I started mine once a week for 20 minutes and then shut it off
Also make sure you put the good stuff (premium) in the car. Fuel stablizer is NOT needed unless you plan on storing it in a cold barn and it's like below 0.


Leave the battery connected (if where storing it is cold), it's actually worse to leave it disconnected. The car will pull just enough juice to make the acid move around inside and not freeze (thanks Anti Theft system). Disconnect the battery and it will most indefinitly be a big piece of **** after one winter.

03-05 Cavailer Car Cover works perfect on the Cobalt. Local auto parts store usually sell the car covers.

Storing your car outside will rust the **** out of the under carriage indefinitly and the brakes might have problems too.

 

haha okay so are you guys saying that there is no point parking my car if it is going to be outside????

 

id highly recomend storing it inside, or at least under an overhang or stand up awning.

i consider fuel stabilizer a must. gas has a shelf life of about 60 days (iirc), stabilizer is cheap insurace to make sure your fuel system isnt gummed up in spring. id keep the battery connected with a battery tender on it. most of all, make sure you start it for 10-15 minutes every week or 2.

 

Dont use fuel stabilizer, I have rebuilt carbs and cleaned fuel injectors that have had that **** go bad as it leaves a detergent buildup if sitting too long. Over winter your fuel will be fine. As for starting it up, don't, you will cause more wear and tear than leaving it alone for the months, this changes if it is in heated storage. IF you are worried about dry start up, use the Lucas oil additive. The running for 20min never lets the whole system really warm up and causes a build up of condensation in the convertor as it never reaches operating temperatures leading to a shorter life span. It also builds condensation in the oil pan faster as the temps go up and then cool down causing condensation, again this is not allowed to evaporate out of the oil as temps dont reach true operation conditions, so you are just adding water to your oil. The best thing you can do is park it, and leave it alone. If your parking it outdoors it is still worth doing as temps will be more than cold enough to keep condensation to a minimum and the car will not be subject to shitty roads, other drivers, calcium chloride, and extreme weather. But I would recommend a good car cover and not a tarp as a tarp will not breath properly and can cause paint damage.

 

i heard that once rippin ( about the not starting it thing, with condensation) so with the battery should i disconnect it and hook it to a charger every once in a while or what?

 

i like to start it once a month to get it all moving and warm and make sure no rodents are inside things, it only seems to take about 10 minutes idling to get to 180 degree coolant temps, i usually wait till the exhaust stops blowing out condensation and i run the a/c and heater for another 10 minutes or so to give it a little workout and make sure no mold is growing inside the vents or anything. All in all in keep it going for about a full half hour, i would drive it around the block if i could too. I usually wait for the warmer days of the winter to start it up and get it going though.

I also put the fuel stabilizer in the tank before i put it away, usually one of those whole small bottles worth. I bought a heavy duty outdoor car cover, it does buff the paint a little bit after being on for the whole winter, but it beats debree falling on it and people rubbing up against it and scratching it.

 

Even better, get it out on the highway for a good cruise and get any moisture burned off.

Too many people start the car once a month and let it idle for one minute and think its good, but that's probably worse than never starting it at all.

 

If you have a good battery it will be fine in the trunk with the negative disconnected, however if you can bring it in the house that is better, just dont store it on a concrete floor, put a piece of wood or carpet under it, cold kills batteries. It will be easier to put a charge into it if you have it indoors as well. Again, I strongly suggest not running or driving the car once it is parked for storage, you will be better off leaving it alone.

 

Ohh my god haha this so frusterating because one person says one thing and then another says the complete opposite. Maybe does anyone know of or can find a website that I can fin dsome info on???