TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

Winter storage
Posted By: Ted Shasta on Sunday, 6 September 1998, at 11:39 a.m.

Based on 25 years of experience and advice from a variety of professionals, here are my thoughts on winter storage.

1. Heated storage is a must. The issue is not the cold, but rather fluctuations in temperature and dew point. Here is what happens, at least in the Northeast. You have a stretch of cold weather during which the air is very dry and temperatures remain in a narrow range, say between 10 and 25 degrees. Then the weather changes, and a "warm" front moves in with temperatures in the 40's or even 50's and a dew point to match. Every surface of your vehicle, including those you cannot even see or touch, is now 20 degrees or more below the dew point, and moisture in the atmosphere continues to condense on these surfaces until their temperature rises above the dew point. This is a catastrophe which destroys plated parts, rusts brake and clutch components, ruins the interior, rots the canvas top, contaminates fluids and corrodes electrical components. About the only things that hold up well in these conditions are tires and painted surfaces, particulary if they have been waxed.

2. Change engine oil and filter. The old oil will do no damage (the filter has trapped any impurities), but this way the car is ready to go come spring. All other fluids should be changed at the intervals specified by Porsche.

3. Flat spotting of tires is an issue, and seems to vary with the brand of tire. To avoid any problems, pump the tires up to 50# and place a strip of 3/4" plywood under each tire to provide insulation from the concrete floor (which is very cold even in a heated garage). If you want to be super attentive, roll the car by hand every week so that the tires are rotated 90 degrees. To prevent the car from rolling off the plywood, attach 3/4" cleats at each end of the plywood strips. The cleats will keep the car in place. The rolling circumfrence of the tire is approximately seven feet. A 4x8 sheet of plywood ripped into four 1x8 strips is dandy if you have the room. Blocks are definitely overkill. DO NOT START THE ENGINE ONCE A WEEK TO MOVE THE CAR OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON!!!!! A cold start followed by a prolonged period of idling is very destructive because it is during this period that the greatest internal contamination occurs from unburned gasoline and moisture (an internal combusiton engine creates one gallon of water for every gallon of gasoline burned). Resist the temptation.

4. I do recommend starting the engine once a month (this should be no more than three or four starts over the course of the winter) and letting it run for no more than a minute or two while you rock the car with the gearbox and use the brakes. The purpose of this is to lubricate all internal components. Run the defroster (AC compressor) at the same time.

5. Detail the car before you put it away, and cover it with a lightweight cover which breathes. This will keep dust off the car and make spring detailing a breeze.

6. Definitely use a trickle charger which has the ability to monitor battery voltage and turn itself on and off as necessary. Porsche make an excellent unit which retails for approximately $70. Beware the 12 volt outlet, the contacts of which are likely to lose their grip as you fuss with the car over the winter. Choose an appropriate location and hard wire a plug that is mechanically tenacious. BMW equips its motorcycles with such plugs, and they can be purchased separately. If you go the hard wire route, your work must be professional and incorporate a fuse. I suggest using a two amp fuse as the Porsche battery charger operates at 1/2 amp. SCREW THIS UP AND YOU ARE RISKING A FIRE.

7. Leave the doors, hood and trunk slightly ajar, thereby avoiding needless compression of the gaskets. Watch out for any courtesy lights.

8. Leave the soft top in the "up" position.

9. BEWARE RODENTS!!! If mice get into your car and start chewing on the interior or the electrical system, you will have an expensive mess on your hands. If a mouse dies in some inaccessible spot, the stench can be horrific.

I'm sure there's more, but this is as much as I can dredge up at this time.

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