2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Long Term Storage

[madmanmanick]

I am placing my truck into long term storage for 10 months due to getting deployed. Is there anything anyone can suggest that I can do to the tires to prevent them from getting the flat spot on one side. The place says that I cannot place the truck on jack stands which would be awesome. Or what I can do when I get back to correct the flat spot without getting new tires. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[georgej]

How about some 2-3 inch thick rubber with enough give to spread the pressure around the tire some?

 

[AH64ID]

Increase the pressure, not to the Max but maybe 80% of max to allow for summer expansion. .

 

[Road Dog]

With radial tires it's not an issue. I park my truck 6 months of the year and I'm not worried. I'm more concerned about the batteries. A lead acid battery likes to be fully charged. So disconnect the batteries or pull them and leave with a friend to charge every few months.

 

[madmanmanick]

Taking Truck out of Long Term Storage

I am taking my truck out of long term storage in a few days. It has been there since Mar 10 of this year. Is there any maint. yall recommend to do to the truck besiedes change the oil to do to the truck before I drive it extensively. And how far would you say is to far for driving it before I change the oil. I can't remember if I topped off the fuel tank prior to putting it in, or if it was on idiot light condition. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Wiredawg]

Daren,



First, thanks for serving! We are much safer due to your efforts.



I would check all fluids, charge batteries, check tire pressure/add air as needed. If you iddn't change oil before you left, you may want to change it. Let us know how it works out.



I guess I ddin't see your post when you were getting it ready, but I would change fluids, es[cially engine oil, before setting up a long time. The impurities can separate and cause problems.



Take care and be safe,



Wiredawg

 

[Extreme1]

If it's a 12 valve, pour oil in the P7100 before you turn the engine over. Turning those dry after storage can be hard on them. That's right out of the service manual.

 

[Hammer]

Also...

Add some good biocide fuel treatment,like Bio-Con,to your fuel to ensure no moisture issues or alge in your tank from sitting..... Andy



P. S. -WELCOME BACK and THANK YOU!

 

[GAmes]

If storage is outside I have read that putting a plastic barrior between the tires and ground will help. Also air them to the max sidewall plus another 5-10. They will lose air over time and will probably be down to 50 or so when you return. Disconnect the batteries.

 

[TBartlett1]

I recently did a bit of work on a vehicle that had electrical issues because of mice chewing up some wires.

Someone suggested that he put moth balls in & around the vehicle. He had some that were in small plastic containers similar to an air freshener that were hanging in the engine compartment.

I don't know if it works but it sounds like a good idea.



Suggestions

1 Tires; air them up to max.

2 Fuel; add some fuel stabilizer or 2 stroke oil.

3 Engine; give it a hot supper before parking it.

4 Battery; disconnect.

5 Cooling system; check that it is clean & properly protected against freezing.

6 Park on it under cover on a hard dry surface (concrete) or put plastic down which helps keeps moisture from collecting on the cold steel as it comes out of the ground.

7 Do not pressure wash to remove any oil or grease, rather spray WD40 (my choice) over the entire engine and anything else you can see after it cools.



I once stored a 1974 Ducati 750 for more than 10 years in a very humid dirt floor barn.

The only thing I did was to saturate all parts of the bike with WD40 and put a bike cover on it. I did this for the first 3 or 4 years then forgot all about it.



When my son discovered the bike in the barn we pulled it out to start a restore project.

I was afraid to look. It looked terrible when we uncovered it. We used Simple Green to remove the dirt & oil (WD 40 residue) and what we found under the crud was a well preserved bike. I lucked out!



The procedure the Army used in the past was to warm the engine (diesel) then run Shell Rimula through the fuel system to prevent corrosion.

Shell Rimula is preservative oil we used when we prepped the Bradley Fighting Vehicle's transmission for long term storage.



When I park my Wife's BMW Z3 for the winter the ONLY thing I do is give it a hot supper up the mountain to dry the exhaust, run it into the garage & park it. That's it!

I do not start it until I'm ready to put it on the road & drive it.

Starting it in the winter & only letting it idle will destroy the exhaust system by filling it with water. This is particularly important with a gasoline engine.



Tim

 

[madmanmanick]

Running Like a Champ

I would like to thank all of you for the advice on the truck for putting it into and taking it out of long term storage. When I rehooked up the batteries it fired up like a champ. One tire was flat, but that was to be expected. The flat spots that I was worried about have all but gone away. Both batteries required replacing, but only because they were leaking battery acid out the terminals. I replaced the oil also, only had 4400 miles on that oil change, but it was definitely needed, the black sludge that came out of the drain plug really surprised me. Again, thanks for the advice, ya'll helped a lot.