[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]That's not gonna stop me, though!

 

This is why I suggested dry gas on the last tank you use before storage

Of course some air gets in evertime you go through a tank of gas, and some of it will condense and end up at the bottom of the tank if there is nothing for it to combine with (as in "dry gas").

But while the car is in storage, I expect that the system is sealed enough that no new air whatsoever will get into the tank. The total pressure of petrol vapors and air inside the tank is always greater than atmosphere, from what I understand.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by xviper
[B]
Ahhhh, but now you're talking "addictions" and "fixes".

 

It takes a good 5-10 mile run to overcome the new moisture condensed during idling in the crankcase and in the exhaust. The only good thing about our S is that our exhaust system has an air pump and rich mixture at idle that accelerates the exhaust temperature.

Personally, I would NEVER run practice idling the car during storage.

Oh, and don't forget one of the most important things to do when you do run the car: RUN THE A/C!!! From what I've read, the oil settles out of the refrigerant and leaves the seals, leading to leaks.


[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chazmo
[B]Gernby,

And I'll concede that maybe starting the car every few weeks is probably more wear on the oil-starved engine than just leaving it cold through the winter.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Destiny2002
[B]It takes a good 5-10 mile run to overcome the new moisture condensed during idling in the crankcase and in the exhaust.

 

I am not sure what you are saying about the A/C. I agree that the A/C should be run from time to time, but I really don't think it would hurt it to sit for 2 months without being run. I've had 7 Hondas, and I've kept 5 of them for well over 100K miles without ever having an A/C failure. I have never made any special effort to run my A/C on any regular basis.

I think this is another of those practices that has carried over from the old days.

I also don't think that a 15 minute charge of the battery every couple weeks is worth a cold start. Just disconnect the battery, and if you're worried about it, trickle charge it every couple weeks.

 

Hmm... Gernby, I wonder if it's the opposite, i.e., maybe the change away from CFC refrigerant in recent years is significant. I had a '90 Miata (CFC refrigerant, I think) which was garaged for 10 winters and I never ran the A/C... Worked like a champ at the time I got rid of it this year.

I think a lot of this is interesting for long-term storage, guys, but back to WRS2K's original query... I still think that two months in the garage is probably not worth prepping for or worrying about.

 

A '90 Miata was definitely R-12 refrigerant. The new stuff didn't start showing up in cars for a couple years after that, and it was only in the expensive cars. However, I don't think the type of refrigerant is really the issue as much as the improvements in seals since then. I haven't had a leak of any kind (oil, coolant, brake, refrigerant, etc.) in a decade.

 

Check the owner's manual for instructions regarding running the A/C, it's a current recommendation.

134 refrigerant was phased into new cars 93-95 if I remember correctly. If models were being revised, they would wait until the new generation. Otherwise, they would changeover the system mid-gen on more expensive cars. This was because much of the system required different parts than R-12.

 

Thanks for all the info, guys... I haven't had a Japanese car of recent vintage with any kinds of leaks either, Gernby, but this may be my first with the new refrigerant.

So, hmm, I wonder why running they're concerned about leakage? Anyway, that's a good reminder. Next time out, I'll surely do that.