I'll record the sound of my engine and put it on CD. Then in the winter I can sit in the car, throw in the CD and pretend.

It sooo very sad, but that's as close as it will get to the road.

 

Went in for normal maintainance today and asked about how to put the car away for the winter.

The service manager highly suggested the following:
o Putting the car up on jack stands in such away as to keep the tires from touching the ground and to relieve strain on the suspension.
o Putting fuel stabalizer into the gas tank.
o Disconnecting the battery.

Interestingly he said not to start it up monthly only because most people do not run the car long enough to remove the condensation and wind up doing more harm then good.

He also said that if I was absolutely against putting the car up on jack stands to inflate the tires to 50psi to keep them from getting a flat spot.

I think since the users manual suggests putting it up on stands and the service manager highly suggests it I will wind up doing it.

Sears is running a special on a 2 ton jack stand with 2 2ton jack stands for $59.98. Just need to pick up another couple of stands.

Now, exactly where do I put these things....hmmmm... Should've had him show me but I spaced it.

http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary/pr...pid=00950178000

 

I've been storing my '90 CRX-Si in an unheated garage (Upstate New York) for as long as I have owned it. Generally from beginning of November to end of April.
To store the car I do the following:
1- Each and every time I go for a drive in October when I bring the car home I wash and dry it and fill it up with gas so the tank is full. You want the smallest air gap in the tank because temp changes will cause condensation in there and we all know how wonderful water is in the gas tank. I've never been a big advocate of fuel stabilizer but some are and that is okay if you want to go that route.
2- As soon as the first snow flies the car is grounded, because when it is out there it is usually flying! I do not bring it out, and this is the part that hurts, until we have had the last salting of the road, followed by 1 or 2 major rainstorms. The salt and dried chemicals they use here is like a dusty powder when the roads are dry and that dust will get to places under the car that I will never be able to clean.
3- Oil change
4- Pump tires to about 45 to 50 psi. If you were going to put it on jack stands it would be on 4 and they would be on the 4 jack points, just inside from the 4 wheel openings. I have some strange karma and am afraid of putting it on jack stands for fear I may have to get it out of a burning garage someday and if it is on jack stands I won't be able to do a thing except stand there and cry. Hey- I said it was strange!
5- Mark the top of the tire with a strip of duct tape.
6- Be sure the window wash fluid is the anti-freeze kind and not some straight water.
7- Check anti-freeze for how low it is good for and adjust as needed.
8- Every 3 years radiator flush
9- Every 3 years tranny fluid change
10- Top off any other fluids under the hood. The CRX-Si does not have power steering but there is brake fluid and some cars have a clutch fluid reservoir.
11- Remove battery and take it to the warmth of the heated house.
12- Open up the battery cells and fill up with distilled water.
13- Put the trickle charger on the battery (2-3 amp) and run it each and every weekend, but not during the weekdays, so it is 5 off and 2 on all winter long.
14- Clean out the interior really well, leave nothing behind, check all small compartments, you don't want a pack of gum left in a storage compartment or a used piece wadded up in the ash tray - trust me on this!
15- If you have a big exhaust tip (4" on CRX-Si ) stuff a rag into the end so it is closed, without a catalytic converter and a 2.5" free flow exhaust I'm scarred to think how far up into the engine a small rodent could go. Even if you know you don't have a mouse problem plan ahead, trust me on this!
16- Spray lightly a bit of Febreeze (fabric deodorizer) on both floor mats, it off sets the bad smell of the next one.
17- Place several mothballs around the interior and in cubbyholes, placing them on small paper plates so they are not in contact with the car. AND based upon my experience, make a list of how many you placed in the car and where, I've had years where I smelt that crap until mid summer when I finally opened a compartment and realized there was a moth ball still in the car- UGH!
18- Open sunroof, roll windows down half way and put its little custom fit blankie on. You do not want to seal the cabin closed because of that condensation thing again.
19- Place several mouse traps around the car, bait them with peanut butter, and remember even if you know you don't have a mouse problem, plan ahead, trust me on this!
During the winter I do the following:
- I do not start the car unless it is a really warm day - like 60 degrees or so. During the 5 months I might start the car once or twice. I see no real advantage of starting it up and really think it does more harm than good. And if I do start it up, I let it run outside the garage for a very long time and then I let it sit out there until it is completely cold. I plan on several hours and several, several beers if I do this. Remember of course you have to remove the cover, put the battery back in and unplug the exhaust and then take the battery back out and re-plug the exhaust and put its blankie back on - see #11, 15 and 18!
- When the car is rolled back into the garage make sure the tape is in a different position and watch out for those damn traps, who the hell put them there anyway?!? - see #5 and 19!
- If there has been no warm days once a month roll the car forward or backward or get out the jack and rotate the tires 1/4 turn - see #5
- Check to make sure the traps don't have a mouse in them. You know what to do if they do! They love peanut butter!!!
- Front rotor change. With the number of track miles it gets I replace rotors at least once a year.
- Check back rotors and once again say out loud "I can't believe these things have lasted another year!"
When winter is over I do:
A- Remove cover and pull out that exhaust plug/rag
B- Get rid of all the mothballs - remember that list - see #17
C- Spray a bit for Febreeze on the carpets to help cut down on the mothball smell
D- Reset all the radio stations
E- Put battery back in
F- Bring the tire pressure back down to 32 or whatever you are running and remove the duct tape.
G- Remove all the spark plugs and put a LITTLE bit of oil down in there and put plugs back in. This will burn off quickly and will help immediately lubricate the piston because over the winter almost every trace of oil has run to the pan.
H- Turn the key and do a personal prayer
I- Go enjoy!

Sorry so long but I believe in complete. Actually this is a draft for an article going into a Newsletter I publish. I know I have to add more humor but this is good for the purpose of your post. If I think of more important car related stuff I will post again Wednesday AM.

Any why do we live up here???

 

Man, there's no way I'm putting my car away for winter!

 

I'm with Rick....

Here's my rules for winter storage:

Live somewhere where it snows but they don't salt the roads or have traffic jams.

Buy some form of aggressive snow and ice tires...all four.....

Find a good ski cap and lined leather gloves.

Smile and feel the power of an F20C sucking ten deg F air.

Why is this man smiling?



Barry

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DavS2K
[B]I'm from Philadelphia, I know what is means to be in a blizzard .

 

My hat is off to you guys who bolt on the snow tires, drop the top and crank up the heat!
The amount of snow in Upstate New York is why I have a Nissan XE-V6 4x4 KingCab, which is a blast to drive in the snow! If you have ever heard the weather channel talk about lake effect snow, well let me tell ya it is amazing. The winds come across Lake Ontario/Lake Erie from Canada, pick up the moisture in the air over the water and drop it, once it gets to land. One inch of snow per hour, lasting for half a day is not all that uncommon. Driving in the snow is one thing, but trying to drive in snow that is much deeper than you have ground clearance is yet another matter.
It's okay. I LOVE to pop the truck in 4-wheel and mash the throttle coming out of a stoplight. It is the huge gobs of snow that come flying past the outside rear-view mirrors from the front tires that gives me this reaction ! And when it is not so bad that 4-wheel is needed, I have the optional locking rear differential, and it sure is a great way to hone your rear-wheel driving skills because when you loose traction, you are not eating up tires.

 

Thanks. It is pure fun.

Quote:

.. it sure is a great way to hone your rear-wheel driving skills because when you loose traction, you are not eating up tires.

Same for us. Imagine acres of parking lot, three to six inches of snow, no hard, immovable objects.

It lets you play with a loose rear end all you want.