Yet another winterization question

Sneakygoat

Sorry guys but tis the season.

Getting ready to put the Nismo away for the winter. I am fortunate enough to be able to store it in a clean finished garage that is heated.

When I returned from my last trip I literally coasted in on fumes, there has to be very little fuel left in tank.

Am I better off leaving her empty for the winter or filling it up and putting some stabilizer in it?

Thanks

mishuko

How long was that trip? I think you need to get a shop to take a look at it. It shouldn't be leaking gas at all assuming you closed the fuel tank of course

Sneakygoat

I think you missed my point

I just didn't fill it when I returned home. No problem with the fuel system I am just wondering if I am better off leaving it close to empty for the winter or topping it off with stabilizer in it?

MacCool

Leave it full. Empty will promote condensation. If you can fill it with non-oxygenated premium (alcohol adsorbs water), so much the better. If not, don't worry about it. With a full tank you won't get enough water condensing to worry about.

You can use a fuel stabilizer, but it's not necessary for storage of periods about 3 months or less. You won't get enough octane loss in three month to make much difference.

Throw a Battery Tender on the battery (leave it connected), cover it if you want, start it back up in the spring. Don't start it while it's hibernating.

Sneakygoat

Thanks MacCool,

You said don't start with while it's hibernating? Since the garage is connected to my house am I better off walking out and starting it once every 3 weeks and letting her run or just put a tender on it and not start it the entire winter? I have seen threads that argue for both.

Edit: It probably won't come out of the garage till April, winters here are.....well they are awful. That being said maybe I should put some stabilizer in it if it's going to be in the garage for 5 months?

mishuko

I thought you meant reaching back to your garage with fumes!

Seems every search I did previously said top up to first ding. Something about a half empty tank potentially getting condensation of h2o. Less free air = less potential water in the tank.

mishuko

Leave a tender on, don't bother start/stop as its arguable that the components won't warm up enough and evaporate any condensation. On another note it's in your finished garage, wouldn't put a cover on.

Wash/wax, clean it out, fill up and optional stabil, toss on the tender and put some wire gauze in your tail pipes.

mishuko

Lol mac you beat me to it, damn phone fails lol

SouthArk370Z

If the car is kept in a controlled environment, it's not going to make that much difference if the tank is full or empty. But, as others have mentioned, keeping the tank full is usually the best option.

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MacCool

Stabilizer, plus or minus. Probably no harm in putting some SeaFoam or StaBil in.

Proponents of starting it base that on trying to get the oil pumped around the engine every few weeks. Modern oils have enough film strength that that's unnecessary. In fact, probably does more harm that good since the heating /cooling from starting will just promote condensation. You'd have to run it for awhile at temp to boil off any water. It's pointless.

Condensation occurs when the temperature falls below the dew point (think dew on the grass, which turns to frost if it gets cold enough), so if your garage is heated, condensation isn't much of an issue as long as the garage temp remains constantly higher than the dew point. A full tank is still a smart idea.

Zipper 104

In a few weeks I'll be putting mine away pretty much the same way I did my motorcycles for years. Detailed, full tank of fuel, Stabil, battery out on a Tender inside the home, roll the tires up onto plywood squares and throw the cover over it until the end of March.

104

MacCool

Why would you pull the battery if you're going to put it on a Battery Tender?

lpsscc

In case the battery tender goes crazy, over charges the battery, the battery pops leaking acid all over the engine compartment, ruining paint, wires, etc.

I too run in the motorcycle community where the pulling the battery deal is pretty common when you have your battery on a charger for 5 months or more. Just a thing I guess. Not necessary but hurts nothing.

mults

Put mine away yesterday in anticipation of winter coming. Full tank, can of Sea-Foam, batttery tender on, cover on...see you in April.

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Zipper 104

The simple answer to your question is that I can't put a Tender on it where it's parked. I've always pulled the battery on my bikes and brought them inside.
I don't like the idea of leaving the battery out in the car for 4 months without a Tender on it.
I'm with you though. I'd probably leave it in the car if I could put a Tender on it where it is.

104