Miatta Storage question

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Art McClinton - 12 Feb 2005 14:40 GMT

My Son parked his 99 Miatta in my garage when he went over seas for what
he and I thought was a 2-3 month trip. It is now 2 years and although
at first I would drive the car out of the garage and idle it in the
driveway, it has now set idle for the last 6 months. Since the car is
titled in his name, I can not get license plates or insurance. It does
not appear he is returning any time soon, what can I do to best store
the car?

Art

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Leon van Dommelen - 12 Feb 2005 15:09 GMT

>My Son parked his 99 Miatta in my garage when he went over seas for what
>he and I thought was a 2-3 month trip. It is now 2 years and although
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Art

I wish they would put this on miata.net. Two messages posted here in
the past:

From bill.fischer@t8000.com Tue Dec 21 17:47:40 1999
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From: "William J. (Bill) Fischer" <bill.fischer@t8000.com>
Organization: Electronic Countermeasures Inc.
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Subject: Re: Long term (years) storage
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D Nutting wrote:

> I have a chance to move to Italy, but will have to leave my 91 BRG in storage
> here in Missouri. (Yes, I am considering shipping it over). If I do decide to
> store it for years (over 3) what should I do.

Change the oil to 5/30 Mobil 1 synthetic, with a new filter, and run it
till it's hot. 20 minutes at 2K rpm will do it if you don't want to
drive it. Flush the cooling system and then drain it. Drain the gas.
Remove the battery. Store the car on jack stands or blocks in an
unheated mouse-free garage. Deflate the tires. Seal the exhaust pipe
and intake. Wax it lightly, but don't buff it. Use a car cover.

It will be as good as new when you return.

When you return, remove the cover, install the battery, fresh coolant,
some gas, and remove the exhaust/intake seals. Inflate the tires. Pull
the fuel injection relay and crank it over until there is oil pressure
showing on the gauge. Put the relay back in and start it up. Wash it to
remove any dust, and then buff the wax. Go for a drive.

Enjoy your travels, and ...
--
Best regards,

W.J. (Bill) Fischer
Yellow

Signature

Best regards,

W. J. (Bill) Fischer @ Electronic Countermeasures Inc.
65 - 31 Avenue South West, Calgary, Alberta, T2S 2Y7 CANADA
(403) 233-0644 * Fax: (403) 233-8849 * Cell: (403) 804-1534
MailTo:bill.fischer@T8000.com * http://www.t8000.com/eci

From kaufmann@nb.net.OFF.invalid Mon Oct 08 02:35:30 2001
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Subject: Re: Parking the miata for 6 months.
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In article <lr9w7.39934$Pr1.11898598@news1.rdc1.tn.home.com>, Larry
Kime <larrykime1@home.com> wrote:

> I am in the military and am being deployed for six months. I will be leaving
> my 97 miata garaged while I am gone. what do I need to do to get it ready
> to hibernate for 6 months. I was planning on doing the following. not in
> any order.

> 1. Giving it a oil change right before I leave.

> 2. Disconnecting the battery

Depending on where you are located, you may want to remove the
battery and keep it inside.

> 3. Topping off the fuel tank

And use a few ounces of fuel stabilizer.

> 4. A fresh coat of wax (maybe a detail job)

> 5. Jackstands to save the new toyo T1S Proxies

This may not be a good idea. You might be better off inflating to 45
or 50 psi to prevent flat spots, then deflate before driving again.

> 6. Cover it with a car cover to keep things off it.

> What am I forgetting

7. Pull plugs and put a little oil in each cylinder, then return plugs.

8. Cover air intake and tailpipe with aluminum foil, to keep out little
critters.

9. Depress clutch pedal (I use a board between pedal and seat) to save
the clutch lining.

Good luck!

Signature

John

From chuck@nospam.msn.com Wed Aug 09 20:42:57 2000
From: "chuck" <chuck@nospam.msn.com>
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Subject: Re: LONG TERM STORAGE 2+YEARS
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The best possible thing is to have someone drive it now and then!

Before storage:
Change all fluids and filters
Flush brake lines
Spray rubber belts, hoses, and tires with a preservative
loosen all belts
Disconnect and remove the battery--You will ned to buy a new one anyway
Place moisture absorbing bags in the trunk, and inside the car. Use a type
that does not become corrosive.
Add fuel stabilizer to the last tank of gas.
Place covers over the engine air intake and exhaust pipe.
A foam filter can be saturated with oil and placed in the intake to the air
filter and the exhaust pipe under the cover.
Use of a car cover depends on storage location and conditions. Sometimes
they help, and sometimes they can cause problems.

Place the car on "blocks" and reduce the tire pressure by about 20%

> I am offered a job over seas and wanted to know what to do to store my 96

> Edition for over 2 years?
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Thanks,

Signature

Leon van Dommelen :) Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata
EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen)

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chuckk - 20 Feb 2005 15:33 GMT

Actually, you can obtain your son's power of attorney to deal with the
license and other issues.
Meantime, It's really better to at least start the car, and move it around
in the driveway.
Since it has already sat for 6 months, I'd likely spray some penetrating oil
into the intake before I got serious about starting it.

There are a lot of things to do if what you want is to have the car just set
in the garage without periodic use.
Another message in the chain outlines things quite well. I'd really
recommend replacing the tires and all belts and hoses when the car is put
back into service. The slave cylinder will likely need a rebuild or
replacement, since moisture collects in it during storage. The same thing
may be true of the wheel brake cylinders.
When you run an engine for brief periods, acids and other byproducts tend to
collect in the oil, so changing the oil periodically is preferred.

> My Son parked his 99 Miatta in my garage when he went over seas for what
> he and I thought was a 2-3 month trip. It is now 2 years and although at
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Art

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