Long Term Storage? a little help please

[hitchhike79]

Well im now living in italy for at least 3 years thanks to the US Navy stationing me here. well my mother was happy to take care of my 318ti while i was gone. although she fell in love with the car she just cant drive it all the time and has decided to garage it. so now i was thinking what do i need to do? put it on jack stands and drain it of all its fluids and throw a cover on it.... now with the jack stands will i ruin the springs being fully extended, also with the car cover will it mess up the paint to much? or would it just be better to get a good wax job on it and just let it sit? now the car is being kept in southern AZ so corrosion isnt really an issue. well any help would be great thanks
Thomas

[aceyx]

i thought i had replied to a post about winterizing cars but i can't find it. how long will the car be stored? as general rules:


change fluids, don't drain them. oil and coolant should be all you really need to take care of.

add sta-bil to a full tank and run the engine for a bit to get it in the entire fuel system.

just put the tires on 3/4" plywood rather than using jackstands.

put a rag into the air intake to prevent animals/insects from making a home in there. attach a BIG SIGN that will remind you to remove it (usually some of that blaze orange ribbon coming out of your hood is enough)

if the car is actually being garaged (and not subject to winds) then a car cover would really help. a towel over the dash will keep dust from settling and you want something to inside to absorb moisture and prevent mold from growing.


this works for about 6 months for sure, but would probably do well for as long as a year. if someone can roll the car back 1ft in four months then forward 2 ft at eight months over that time i think it would be okay.

[hitchhike79]

bump

[mischief]

you should drain the gas becouse in time the gas turns into goo
you can buy a liqued called STA-BIL fuel stabilizer you can find this at any auto store
heres a web site www.goldeagle.com

[aceyx]

uh, no.

draining the tank leaves it open to corrosion and condensation. when you fill it back up, you'll have water in your lines and bork the cylinders. leave it full and use the stabil, as i also mentioned earlier.


hitchhike; you haven't said for how much longer it will need stored.

[mischief]

leaving the tank full with fuel over time will turn into goo
and that goo when he starts the car will move all around the fuel system
clog up that the system costing alot more then replacing fuel tank

even with the stabil the stabil all dose is slows the fuel from turn into goo
so in time the fuel becomes goo

that best thing to do is have someone start the car ever mounth and drive it around
becouse if you dont start up the start the rubber components will dry up and will need replacing

like i said i own 2 318ti 95 and 97
i started my car up last year i found the rubber gaskets that go onto the rc-injectors need replacing and the fuel pressure regulator went bad after a week i had my car towed home.
pulled the regulator of toke it apart found goo bought a new weaponR regulator drove reset of the summer now this spring im puting a new fuel tank and a hiflo fuel pump.

[aceyx]

i'll admit that stabil has limitations, which is why i gave a timeframe of 6 months to a year, and repeatedly asked hitchhike about storage time (who doesn't seem to be reading my posts either).

for the most part though, the stuff works. i've stored 2-stroke motorcycles and carbeurated boats (where we call it varnish, not goo) this way since the dawn of time and have yet to have a problem with it.

dry rot of rubber is a problem, but varies depending on where you live. again, depending on what the length of storage is, i don't really expect it to be a problem in southern AZ.

[hitchhike79]

Well its almost been 2 years now and damn i miss driving my car. Im doing the mercedes thing here because i just couldnt find a decent euro BMW that i wouldnt mind getting the dings and dents you get here in Italy on the roads. So mom has been doing this and that with it but im going to have her take it in and get a good once over.
Well now to a few questions. I have been thinking over the mods if any i want to do to my car. An LSD, maybe some suspension work and some better wheels are pretty much all I think i want. Now i was wondering about the LSD, if i find one here in Italy would it have to be from a 318ti/z3 only or could i get one from a different e36 to swap in?
Also all these bmw's over here are pretty cheap and there are alot of parts, but im not sure what would be worth taking back to the states with me. Ive noticed a large difference in the quality and just general build of bmw's here so i doubt anything but the mechanical bits would be worth while. I have been trying to track down some euro m3 motors to maybe take back for sale and also some other random things. Im just unsure what would be of value other than the motor. Any ideas would be well recieved. I have tons of room to ship stuff when i leave and the military is paying for it all so all im limited by in the end is weight.
Oh and thanks to all you people, gave me lots of good info to read as i wait to get back to drive my car.

[m3outtanowhere]

if u do a search you will find many posts about the LSD. And part of the induction system from the euro m3 i would buy. Infact bring me a euro intake manifold/throttle bodies/c.p.u and harness/complete head/and the guages...YEA we could work something out. Do a search on this for euro conversion

[hitchhike79]

I have searched quiet a bit and read even more, on and off this forum. There really isnt much info for what works easy other than the 3.45 from ti... mostly what people had to modify or had problems with/questions about. I ask because our rearend is so different and yet still a 318 and i could not find good info on what works, just what everyone did to make the hard stuff fit. Im just looking for other options because its bleh that the ti's LSD commands such a price comparied to the others on the market.

As for the euro stuff... believe me im looking... these guys when they scrap cars are pretty brutal and Italy seemed to not get many M3's they have alot of other nice rides as well to choose from i guess. I have alot of time left so im going to keep looking.