My gas never gets to its one week old birthday before I turn it into noise and smoke. Every month last year when I started the integra on its leftover gas, it barely sterted, smoked and ran with a misfire for about 5 minutes before it cleared up enough to run. The same thing happens to my S when it is parked for a few days or so after a run of bad weather when I start it up. Starts, dies, restart, run rough, sputter, choke, and smoke but after its cleared out by a few throttle blips its ok. My cars must not be morning people or something.

 

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- Fill up the tank with. You want the smallest air gap in the tank because temp changes will cause condensation. 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 I. do not bring it out until we have had the last salting of the road, followed by 1 or 2 major rainstorms
3- Oil change
4- Pump tires to about 45 to 50 psi
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.
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.
15- If you have a big exhaust tip (4" on CRX-Si) stuff a rag into the end so it is closed.
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 make a list of how many you placed in the car and where.
18- 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.
- 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 you do this.
- When the car is rolled back into the garage make sure the tape is in a different position.
- 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

When winter is over I do:
A- Pull out that exhaust plug/rag
B- Get rid of all the mothballs
C- Spray a bit for Febreeze on the carpets to help cut down on the mothball smell
D- Put battery back in
E- Bring the tire pressure back down to 32 or whatever you are running and remove the duct tape.
F- 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.
G- Turn the key and do a personal prayer
H- Go enjoy!

My original (can you believe longer) post was at

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...highlight=mouse

 

Thanks triple H, very informative, I forgot about ading oil to cylinders before starting. Good piont. Im sure your CRX will last forever.

 

Ask a dozen different owners how to store a car and you

 

Storing your cars already?! It's c-top weather in MI for the next couple days! I'm not going to store mine until the first snow...hopefully sometime in December. Out of curiosity, why are you guys storing your cars already?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FULLTHROTTLE
[B]Every month last year when I started the integra on its leftover gas, it barely sterted, smoked and ran with a misfire for about 5 minutes before it cleared up enough to run.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Nside
[B]Storing your cars already?!

 

I posted my routine somewhere, but it is very simple.

1. full tank of gas
2. car on stands and pull the wheels.
3. wash car
4. make sure the oil is reasonably fresh and full
5. make sure all other fluids are full.
6. remove everything from the car.
7. crack windows
8. put cover on

No need to start the car - the car won't get fully warmed sitting there. I also don't remove the battery or use Stabil.

My $.02

 

My S has been away two weeks already.
If there is one good thing about long Canadian winters, its that you have lots and lots of time to ensure that the car will look its best come spring. Provided you have a heated garage that is
Every so often, I'll wander into my garage and Zaino a panel or two, before covering it back up again. That way by Spring, I'll have at least 3-4 coats on there. Perfect!
A

 

I put S2000 into storage yesterday (since we've had a couple light snows I quess it's time) but I still managed some top down driving in the MG yesterday as well.

Afterwards I was wondering if our friends at Honda had anything to say about storage and lo and behold, there is a step by step process all outlined on page 202 of the owner's manual. Who would have thought to look there!

They too recommend filling the gas tank. Putting the gearshift in reverse is a new one for me. Anyways, you may wish to check it out.