CAV TOUGH

I've had my '12 GT in storage for 8 months now, since June of last year. I'll be getting home from Afghanistan next month and I'm curious if it will be best to replace any/all of the fluids.

The car is at 12k miles and I changed the oil at 10k about 2 months before I put it in storage. Its currently on jacks in the garage and my wife has been starting it every other week letting it run for 30-45 mins each time. I live in Texas so it wasn’t unbearably cold over the winter, but got below freezing a few nights.

Anything else I’m missing? Thanks for your input.

Nuke

Being that you stored it with 2k on the current oil, I'd think it would be okay (if you hadn't had your wife start it) but I'd personally change it since that 2k miles prior to storage may have allowed enough time for acids and other nasty stuff to begin forming, depending on how it was driven in those 2k miles. Also, the engine would have been better off NOT started than started every so often. Idling doesn't allow the engine, tranny, etc to heat up properly (no load) . Based on that, I'd change the oil. Everything else should be fine unless the fuel degraded (did you use and stabilizer?). Expect some possible "thump-thump" until the tires round out from being flat-spotted.

jz78817

running it at idle (even for 30-40 minutes) isn't a great thing; it takes a long time for an engine to warm up just idling, and during that time a bunch of contaminants are being dumped into the oil. better to take a nice, long drive, then put it away and leave it alone for those 8 months. I parked my '12 GT in late November, and only took it out 2.5 weeks ago to stretch its legs on a long freeway run. that said, I wouldn't worry too much. when you get home, change the oil and go for a nice long drive.

US .mil? if so, welcome home sir.

algregory

You may not have the long term park thing again, but if you do, having on stands was a good thing. The start up and idle not a good thing. The contaminants on old carb engines were said to build up and that the engine wouldn't get hot enough to burn them off for 20 minutes, then of course you get condensation in the exhaust. Since the new injection technology and such really not sure about the contaminate part since FI doesn't dump fuel in cold running like old carb chokes did. Far better to let it sit and have a "Battery Tender" plugged into it. In your case I'd change out the oil, the rest should be OK. I don't know what the fuel tank is made out of, in the old days when you parked your ride, motorcycle thinking, you wanted to have the fuel tank full so you would have less area open to condensation. Whenever I have my bike sitting longer than I desire I give it a heavy dose of an excellent quality fuel additive for the tank already there, and then I cycle in fresh gas sooner than waiting for the "empty" quadrant to show up and feed it more fuel additive again.

Goldenpony

Change the oil, add a 20 oz. bottle of Chevron Techron and drive it & enjoy it. Thank you for your service.

dlazrael

Different question, if you were to store for an extended period, would it be bad to place the car on jackstands for the duration? (Prevent tire flat spots), if so would you load or unload the suspension.

CAV TOUGH

Thanks for the quick responses. I did put STA-BIL in the full tank when I put the car into storage. It's now at about 3/4 tank. I also had the wifey rev it a few times while she had it turned over....so hopefully this got the engine hot enough to burn off some of the contaminants. If not, I plan on doing some spirited driving when I get home.