Long-term storage. Need advice...

40 to 332

Sorry, my mistake … it suggests removing the spark plugs leads, not the plugs themselves … which makes more sense.

kenchan

yah, that's if your improperly cared for battery has enough cca to start in the cold. by cold im talking sub 0F which is common in snow belt states.

kenchan

i suggest just plugging the battery into the wall (while still connected to the car) using a simple battery tender that will float the battery... if there is power available.

as for plug wires, id be more worried about mice. i use dcon under the car just in case. i dont have a mouse problem yet.

MacCool

Nah. Charge/discharge cycles is what hurts a lead-acid battery, not temperature. Especially discharge below 80%. True, extended cranking can discharge it below that, but making it work a little harder for the brief few seconds it takes to start a modern automobile won't hurt it. And although output is temperature dependent, longevity isn't. If it doesn't freeze, and it won't if it's on a float charger, the battery won't be damaged by the cold alone. Especially in storage, which was what we were talking about anyway.

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SouthArk370Z

You can supply power to the coils of the Starter Relay and the Starter Control Relay. Or use a jumper cable to go straight from the battery to the B terminal on the starter then jump from B to S to crank.

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DjSquall

I guess I should've mentioned that I do have a trickle charger. I usually put it on for the last week of winter storage. So from what I gathered, it would be best to leave it hooked up for te duration of the year. I'm that case, I'll use the old battery (there's nothing actually wrong with it, I'm only mentioning replacement due to it's age)

Also, I won't be doing that whole "pull the plugs and spray a little oil in there" method. That seems a bit of overkill tbh.

Now as far as cranking it over to get the cylinders oiled up - is it really worth the hassle? I wouldn't have a problem disconnecting power to the spark plugs, but my concern is the fuel that will be injected and not burned up. That means I should disconnect the fuel pump too, or cap off the fuel rails.. I'm pretty sure that fresh gasoline would cause some adverse effects with fresh oil inside the cylinders.

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40 to 332

Thanks SouthArk. One item of clarification: Since the B terminal on the starter is already powered by the battery, I'm not sure why you would need to connect a jumper cable from the battery to the B terminal. I understand jumping from the B terminal to the S terminal on the starter … which will then crank the engine without it firing.

Also, is the suggestion to crank the engine before starting it up really necessary? There are lots of folks who store their Zs over the winter. I've never seen mention of cranking the engine before the first start-up in the spring. There is some debate as to whether you should periodically start the car over the course of the winter versus leaving it sit without starting it, but I can't recall anybody mentioning the need to crank the engine before starting it for the first time. What do most folks do?

DjSquall

During winter storage, it is NOT good to start the car for short periods, because while the engine is cold, the moisture which is generated as a byproduct of combustion can condense on the cylinder walls and throughout the exhaust system. If you're gonna start the car mid-storage, you should run it long enough for all components to fully warm up and to expel all the unwated moisture out of the engine & exhaust.

This is why I'll be taking her for a nice hard drive just before parking her.

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MacCool

Trickle charger is different than a float charger. As the term is commonly used, a trickle charger provides a continuous charge at low amperage. A float charger will sense when the battery is charged and stop charging, will re-start charging if the charge state drops. It continually monitors the charge state.

Leaving a battery on a trickle charger risks boiling off the electrolyte. In that case, the best thing that could happen is that it ruins the battery. The worst thing would be a case rupture and possibly an explosion.

It's safe to leave a float charger like Battery Tender on a battery during extended storage. In fact, it's smart. Leaving a trickle charger on it is dangerous.

MacCool

Yes periodic starting through the winter is counterproductive. This is Minnesota. I have various vehicles in storage during the winter. I shut 'em down in November and leave 'em alone on a Battery Tender until the spring, when I get in them, push the button and drive 'em away.

DjSquall

Thanks Mac, I didn't know there was a difference. I'll add a battery tender to my shopping list.

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kenchan

yah, it's only like $20-25 shipped on amazon. just get the junior one. been using a few of these since like 8-9yrs ago. very reliable.

DjSquall

I've got a Canadian Tire store just 2 min away from here they have everything I'll need

You can just see it past the power lines in the attached pic (taken from my backyard)

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SouthArk370Z

You are correct. Brain-fart on my part.

A "pre-crank" shouldn't be necessary. I don't know if it's possible on the 3.7L but we used a drill motor to spin the oil pump on old engines (driven by bottom of distributor shaft) to pre-lube before startup.

Starting the car during storage is not bad as long as you let the engine warm up completely. When I was working on the transmission of the '67 Mustang I had, I would start the engine every week and let it run for about 30 minutes.

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Troyz

Have you considered loaning it to a trusted friend of family member just to drive it 20 minutes a month?