I will be leaving my 2000 TransAm at a storage unit in Arizona for roughly two years. I plan to have a friend drive it around town at least once a month to make sure that it's running fine. I've done a substantial amount of research about the topic in general, but am curious if anyone has any LS1 specific advice. Thanks!

 

During those once-a-month drives, I'd make sure to get it fully warmed up or just not do them at all.

Not exactly LS1 specific, but more in regards to any EFI vehicle with an in-tank fuel pump: Pump failure rates seem to be higher after storage periods when the tank is left in a low fuel state. Keeping the pump submerged (tank topped off) seems to show much better results, not to mention less opportunity for air (thus moisture) to be trapped in the tank and create issues with typical E10-type fuels.

Coolant is another concern. If it's close to being due for a change, I'd make sure to do that prior to this period. Oil should also be reasonably fresh.

Honestly, if you intend to have someone use the car once per month then there isn't much to do in terms of prep/precautions since it's not truly "in storage". If they are not diligent about getting the engine fully warmed up during those drives, then it may be best to do an oil change at some mid-point during the storage period.

 

I agree.

I'd also consider seeking out Ethanol-free gas, if it's available in your area, and filling up the car with it, before it gets parked. Maybe some Sta-Bil in the gas tank, too. If your "friend" isn't able to get to the car regularly, and the battery loses charge, is there a place at the storage facility, to plug in a battery charger, to re-charge the battery? If not, I'd suggest backing the car into it's parking spot, so jumper cables could easily be hooked up.


One other thing...if you plan on having your friend drive it around for you, make sure the insurance is left on the car, and it's paid up.

 

If it were my car I would change the oil, drive it for a bit. Put a full tank of gas in it with plenty of stabilizer and drive it a bit more. Back it into the storage locker and disconnect the battery where I would just leave it be.

 

If it were me I'd do something like this. Fresh gas, no ethanol, add sta-bil. If it is on concrete get it up off the ground. Disconnect battery. Add a natural repellant like peppermint oil to keep the mice out. There is no need to drive it every month in my opinion.

 

I agree about just parking it for the two years rather than having someone else drive it every month. That's what I would do as well.

E10 fuel is the only thing available in some areas, such as mine, and this should be OK for 24 months if you double the dosage of Stabil and get/keep the tank as full as possible (thus keeping air/moisture out - which is where the real problems with ethanol begin.)

Since you won't be there to tend to the battery (I wouldn't be comfortable hooking up a battery tender and then just leaving the car unattended for ~2 years), I also agree with disconnecting it (perhaps even remove it from the car just in case it starts to leak during that period when nobody is watching.)

You can jack the car up for long term storage if you're worried about the tires, but make sure you do so in such a way as to properly load the suspension (as though the car were still on the ground.) Don't just let the tires hang, since this is not a natural position for the shocks or other components. For storage of ~12 months or less, I wouldn't even worry about this unless the tires were super soft competition compound/bias ply; even at two years any flat spotting would likely be temporary if they are just normal Z-rated radials (however I would fill them up to max rated PSI and park them on carpet - that's what I've always done for storage periods of <12 months, probably would be fine for a bit longer too.)

You could put some moisture absorbing material inside the car to help control humidity (such as a tub or two of Damp Rid), but it will likely need to be changed out a couple times during that period (more if the environment is very humid.) You could put plastic/rubber (a tarp or rubber mats) under the vehicle to block ground moisture as well.

 

So this is basically how a shop I worked/played at stored our race cars in the off season/long term storage, a couple things we obviously didn't do if it was just a couple months.. And since your in AZ humidity is a transient problem but it IS a problem in Monsoon season.I didn't come up with this the old guy that owned the place did..

- When your ready to park, (This comes for marine storage) There are Aerosol cans called "Fogger oil" The boat engine guys get the motor nice and warm, then gently at idle, fog the engine with the aerosol until it fouls out and dies, this leaves the top of the pistons/valves/cylinders oily. Or pull the plugs and put a small amount of oil in the cylinders and rotate by hand a couple turns with the plugs out. Replace the plugs, just finger tight. don't attach plug wires keeps the boots from taking a set let them just hang.

- Put in fresh fluids everywhere Engine oil, trans oil, diff, etc.

- Throw the battery away odds of it being a good battery in 2 years after being baked in the AZ sun are low..

- Fill the tank, but plan on pumping it out of the car into the lawn mower don't even try and start the car with it when you get back. I use a cheap electric fuel pump to back wash the lines with fresh fuel to the tank then drain the tank when I'm ready to restart.

- Pull the valve covers and remove the rocker arms, takes the tension off the springs and as a bonus its damn hard to steal. It also closes all the valves so there is no air movement or humidity in the cylinders. Store the rockers in a tub of 10wt non detergent oil.

- Put the car on tall jack stands ,, Put each jack stand in a pan 2" deep about the size of a oil drum or half a 5 gallon bucket wires as well , put an inch or two of thin non setting tar. (Keeps many bugs and rodents out.) Take the tires and wheel off and don't store them on the ground, wrap in plastic seal tightly. I thread a couple nasty bike locks through them or store them elsewhere preferably in a cool dry basement. (Helps preserve the rubber and a car without wheels is much harder to move.

- Assuming indoor storage, leave windows down a crack so car can breath.

- Mint oil the perimeter of the storage room. Hang 4 no pest strips in the space the chevron branded ones work the best, have your buddy change them out half way through the storage term. Almost no bug can survive them.

- dump the windshield washer bottle and rinse clean with water. The long term sitting will evaporate the fluid and leave goo behind.

- Option I've used this for the long term,, use PVC pipe to build a frame that the car can fit in , I used tie wraps to tie the cross beams to frame of car to hold the whole thing off the ground, make the frame about 1 foot wider longer and taller than car. Cover with painters plastic tarp so it hangs low enough to cover car, but not low enough for mice to use it to get to the car. This will keep mice from dropping to the car from above to get in,, (Yes the beasties are that tenacious.. ) This will also keep dust and such off the car and protect it from droppings if something nests above it. The idea is that nothing is actually touching the car body. Gorilla tape works good to hold the plastic on the frame to keep it from sagging.

- Do not start it, there is no benefit, the big car museums/collectors don't run their cars for a reason, it takes hours to heat soak everything enough to make sure its not damp, and it leaves the acids in the oil that cause most of the problems.

- When your ready to restart, turn engine a couple revs by hand and put in fresh plugs, back flush the fuel system, change the brake fluid. Be gentle with the start, don't rev, the seals tend to stick to the crank and any other rotating bits with seals and can tear when they have been left sit. On real expensive engines I use a oil primer to pre-oil before starting..

So thats the OCD geezer method of storing a car..

 

^ excellent post, I enjoyed it and very thorough for long term storage.

 

These are quite unnecessary for a ~24 month storage period IMO. I've gone as long as 84 months with a couple of cars, and still didn't do all of this and had zero problems as a result. Of course, after 7 years the fuel was garbage, but this should be a non-issue for terms of just 12-24 months. Tank full, double dose of Stabil, and there should be no need to pump out anything after just ~2 years.

For very long term, I agree with much of that engine prep advice. Not needed for just two years though, at least not with OEM/mild valvetrain. Certain aftermarket springs might vary though.

I would not do that. Better to keep it sealed up with some moisture dry (such as Damp Rid) inside, and swap it out every 3-6 months depending on how humid the environment is.

If the bottle is full, it certainly won't completely evaporate in just two years - not even close. This I know for certain.

I definitely agree here. Cold starts are where a typical street engine sees greatest wear - further compounded by not getting the engine and oil fully up to temp. No reason to start it just for the sake of starting it.

If the brake fluid was fresh prior to storage, there should be no need to change it after that period unless the system isn't well sealed. But, of course, it never hurts to change it. No need to flush the fuel system either, as long as it was stored with properly treated fresh fuel for those two years.

I've owned and maintained limited use/collector vehicles for about 20 years now, with storage terms ranging from ~6 months to 7 years, so all of my advice comes from personal experience as well.