Hey guys,

well, its about that time, about to put my S away for its first winter storage. it will be in a garage, but it will not be heated, and our winters can sometimes get to -30 celcius.

anyways, one thing i keep seeing come up on all "winterization" checklists is to change the engine oil and filter....now normally i would follow what i find to be great advice, but just wondering if theres any way i could skip this one on the list for this time.

I just changed the oil 3,000 KM (not miles) ago, along with the tranny and diff, and would hate to have to throw the $50 i spent on that mobil 1 down the drain and replace it again since its barely been used.

Well s2ki....can i get away with it or do i suck it up?

 

Yes, you need to change your oil. It has fuel, acids and other contaminants in it that will be harmful to your engine. Fresh oil will not have this problem. Also, used oil tends to settle into a sludge like (thick black crap) substance in your pan. This is very evident to me when I take my used oil in for recycling. It doesn't take long for this to occur either. Do not start your engine for short periods of time when it is stored either. This will just add more fuel to the oil sitting in your pan.

 

can you just drain the oil and put nothing back in till winter is over?

 

yea but what if you periodicly start your car like 2 or 3 times a week?

also what about people who are storing there car who still have the break-in oil in ??? c

 

Just do it, if you have the money to own an s2k, you can afford to change your oil. If you want you can put non-synthetic in it and save some $$.

 

Change the oil AFTER the winter. This way any condensation or contamination is removed.

Not 100% necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

 

or you can continue to drive it except in snow. its not a ferrari

 

Wal-mart ........

Mobile 1 change should only cost 20-25 dollars.

Wouldn't be a bad Idea to run the motor at the half way point until warm.

-Greg

 

Changing the oil is likely worth the $50, if you're going to store the car for more than 90 days. I recommend slightly over-filling the engine and DO NOT start the engine - that's about the worst thing you can do for a car that's being stored and not actually driven. All you are doing by starting the car periodically is causing a LOT of wear. If the car is going to sit - don't start it.

Here's the best storage advice:
- Fresh oil and filter - and consider over-filling the engine crank case by about 0.5-1 qt. Either change the oil again when you pull it out of storage, or drain the requisite amount out (carefully) prior to running it again (that takes a steady hand with the drain plug).
- Take a quality engine fogging spray oil and spray into the throttle body/intake, rotate the crank about 90 degrees, spray again, and repeat until you go around a couple times.
- pull the spark plugs and spray some fogging oil into each combustion chamber directly, then replace the plugs to hand tight.
- Take a 19mm ratcheting combo wrench and every week or so rotate the crank over by hand by approximately 90 degrees or so. This prevents the same valves from remaining open (same valve springs from being compressed) the entire time it's in storage. Turning the engine over slowly by hand (especially with well fogged cylinders) will functionally accomplish what is intended by starting the car periodically, but without the associated wear. Fogging the cylinders helps prevent rust from forming.
If you store a car for more than a year - consider removing the cam-shafts if no one is available to rotate the crank periodically. My car was in storage for 3 years while I was stationed in the Middle East and I opted to pull the cams.
- Remove the battery from the car and store it in a location off the ground.
- For longer-term storage (greater than 6 months) it's a good idea to take the weight off the suspension by placing the car on jack stands, but you also need to consider slightly loading the suspension if you do so. This can be done by using RV leveling jack stands (screw type) under the lower ball joints. See picture below.
- Use a quality protectant and coat all surfaces that may dry out during the winter. I have had the best luck with 303 Aerospace protectant. I use it on all plastic, leather, rubber and vinyl (soft top) surfaces. I have found it may not be the best for all clear plastic surfaces in some cases - not that it hurts the surfaces at all, but it leaves a residue that's not always easy to get off. Coat all the surfaces well, let sit for about 5 minutes, and then remove any excess.
Your car will be as good as the day you stored it.

 

Or throw some Dunlop Wintersport M3's on and drive it in the snow. 50/50 balace + good tires = great winter traction.