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Things to do for vehicle storage (9-12 Months)

handloader90

handloader90

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Hello,

I'm headed out on another deployment within the next few months and wanted to know what would be the best things to do to my '76 K10 for storage purposes. I want to be able to come home, put gas in it and go.

I'm guessing an oil change, draining the fuel tanks and removing the battery?

Is there anything I can do to the tires to prevent dry rot?

All recommendations are greatly appreciated!
 
I'd run it out of gas and fill the carb (if it has one) with some diesel or thin weight motor oil,so the accelerator pump wont dry out and the insides of the carb wont fuzz up with that white crap from moisture..wont hurt to either pull the spark plugs and dump a little motor oil in each cylinder,to avoid any rust formation..

If you cover it up with a tarp,etc, ,make sure it can "breathe",otherwise moisture will buld up inside and mildew and mold will form in the rugs and seats..if it has any rust holes mice will nest inside it too,I hear using fabric softener sheets repels them...a feral cat works better IMO!..
I've not had much luck keeping tires from cracking,and stuff like Armor-All seems to make them crack faster in my experience..jacking the weight off them is a good idea though...brake fluid or silicone spray might help more to keep them soft and from cracking..

Another way to avoid all this is to keep it registered and let someone else drive it several miles a month...even when stored properly,sometimes vehicles still have "problems" after they get woken up from sitting idle a long time..
 
Maybe you can get some crappy tires to swap on and put yours in a shed or something?

Other than that, Sta-bil in the gas, pull the battery, and your done.
 
I'm an artillery CPT so keep safe wherever you're going. That said, I've been in your shoes. The best thing you can do, as mentioned, is cover it when necessary and have a buddy you trust drive it periodically. I'm convinced that letting them sit is just torture on vehicles. seals dry up, rubber dry rots, moisture gathers and rust develops or spreads.
 
Heck, most of my cars sit for months at a time.

Id actually fill the tank and add staybil. I would.do that to.prevent condensation.
Disconnect the battery, and put some stock or not so good tires on it. A cover would be nice.

Also, try and plug the exhaust pipes with one of the those rubber hose clamp things from.a hardware store. If your in a moisture area it can keep rust and condensation from getting in the pipes and mufflers and rusting out.

Yiu can get crazy with fogging oil down the intake also.

Make.sure air filter is sealed good so water cant drip down the air stud
 
The rubber expansion plug in the tailpipe(s) isn't a bad idea for another reason--MICE!..they often love to build nests in mufflers,and sometimes will crawl all the way up into a cylinder (yes,they can fit under an open exhaust valve!),and fill them with nuts & shells,and pee and poop in there,it'll destroy an engine in no time..we lost a lot of "good" engines at the junkyard from mice getting in them..

Though I advised to drain the gas tank,it might allow it to rust inside easier --its a toss up,with todays ethanol gas,whether to drain it or leave it full with some stabilizer--it sours in about 3 months,so make sure any stabilizer you add is specifically for ethanol fuels,the "regular" stuff is not really effective in ethanol fuels...

I have let my G-10 van sit idle for 11 years since I last had it registered,and I did start it and run it about a half hour every 6 months or a year or so,until I ran it out of gas..since then I have only started it a few times in the past 6 years or so,and I used a gas can right to the fuel pump,rather than add gas to the tank...it did suffer some from sitting--the carb now has a bad bog like the accelerator pump died in it,and the oil on the dipstick looked milky from condensation,and I'm sure the cylinders probably had some surface rust on them...I dont know if it'll ever see the road again..

My diesel Suburban had almost 18 months since the last time I had it running,but it started last december fairly easy when I had to move it for the winter,and the last time I tried about 2 weeks ago..diesels seem to be a lot more forgiving as far as fuel going bad--it still has 1/4 tank that was full when I got it in fall of 2009!..
 
I have ran on year or two old gas a handful of times. Each time the truck ran surprisingly well. Even without any stabil in it. I wouldn'tworry too much about the gas. But iI would do as othershave said, fill it up, and the stabil qwhen you fill it so that by the time you get home there is some in the carb. And then forget about it.
 
Sorry for not replying lately. I am married, so I guess showing my Wife how to start it and drive it would be the best option and keeping it covered when it's not driven.

How often would you recommend it being driven... once a week, once every two weeks? How many miles per drive, 5 or so?

Also, every morning I go to start my truck up it fires up fine, but as soon as it fires up the engine goes to about 2,000 RPM, within about 1 second, I tape the gas pedal and RPM's drop all the way until the engine shuts off. It does this twice (crank - High RPM - give it gas - dies), the third time I crank it it's fine and I go to work. It's never really been a concern, but Maybe something is kind of screwy and It would probably be easier on my Wife to maintain my truck while I'm away if I can get it to fire up regularly.
 
Just firing it up will only lubricate the engine/trans. This will help keep oil on seals, etc. Ideally, it needs to be driven at operating temp for about 20 minutes or so. This is to make sure that condensation in the fluids boils off. If it's just sporadically fired up for a few minutes it may start developing sludge in the oil if condensation is prevalent in your area. Plus driving it exercises everything, suspension, tires, rear end, etc. I had mine driven at least every other week while deployed. Even my daily driver.

Obviously it would be better to fix the carb prior to leaving, but I know how those go. I wouldn't put it before spending a day with your family or whatever else you wanna do before you ship. Maybe just teach the wife the quirks.
 
I plan on having my Wife drive it around after it warms up and have here drive it a few miles. I was thinking about having here drive it like every friday or so. I'm going to do an oil change before I leave which should last until I get back,

So that high RPM upon cranking it over in the morning sounds like the Carb, Do you know specifically what it might be?
 
Nah. I'm no carb expert, I just know basic stuff. But the fact that it comes back to normal eventually makes me think something in the choke, or cold start, possibly a vacuum leak (except it goes away eventually)...something like that maybe. Or maybe something sticking because of the damn ethanol gas. Been a long time since I had a carb'd vehicle. Mine is a TBI.
 
When the choke is set (one light push of the throttle). Look at the drivers side of the carb, you will see the linkage arm. There will be a little adjustment screw towards the bottom, in which holds the linkage arm. Back that off a little, rinse and repeat until adjusted. That will adjust you high idle setting.
 
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