SC430 Storage / Winter Storage Master Thread (merged)
01-08-04, 07:17 PM
#17
Driver School Candidate
Trickle Charger
I was instructed by Oakville Lexus to buy a Trickle Charger from Canadian Tire. It cost me $29.99. I plugged it to the battery and the other end to an outlet in my garage. It was a real no-brainer.
In addition, I also inflated the tires to max 40 PSI to prevent warping. I bought Pink Fuel Stabilizer from Canadian Tire and poured into a full tank of gas. I also conditioned the leather interior to prevent cracking. Finally, I covered her with a cloth car cover.
That's it ... won't be driving her again until Spring.
Cheers, Nick
In addition, I also inflated the tires to max 40 PSI to prevent warping. I bought Pink Fuel Stabilizer from Canadian Tire and poured into a full tank of gas. I also conditioned the leather interior to prevent cracking. Finally, I covered her with a cloth car cover.
That's it ... won't be driving her again until Spring.
Cheers, Nick
01-08-04, 08:01 PM
#18
Driver
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Funny I did the exact same thing, same stuff pink gas Stabil from Crappy Tire and same PSI on the tires.
How did you hook up the tender? I think I'll get one, Do you remember what brand? I wonder if its strong enough to bring a fully dead battery up to charge, my thinking is that it is onlt made for keeping it within a set range...
How did you hook up the tender? I think I'll get one, Do you remember what brand? I wonder if its strong enough to bring a fully dead battery up to charge, my thinking is that it is onlt made for keeping it within a set range...
01-08-04, 08:21 PM
#19
Driver School Candidate
Go to Canadian Tire and check it out ... they have all sorts of battery chargers from really cheap to really expensive. I am sure you will find what you need there given your situation.
Later, Nikos
Later, Nikos
01-10-04, 10:31 AM
#20
Even if you recharge a dead battery right away after being fully discharged, it'd never be the same (close with a desulfating charger though). If you left it for any length of tiime, it's toast buddy.
Buy a new one, and hook it up to a 'battery tender plus', or any other 'smart' battery charger. No need to disconnect it from the car as long as the charging rate is 1.25 amps or less (like the BT+). I charge mine every 2 weeks. I prefer not to leave it hooked up all the time, but the 'plus' is supposedly designed for that.
Finally, no, a trickle charger like the BT+ won't bring back a dead battery; you need a 10 amp load for that. But again, buy a new one, and just maintain it from now on. If you need to use the car, it'd take you a minute to unhook the charger from the battery posts and close the hood. Oh, I almost forgot: REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THE CAR to check the electrolyte level; if you fill it to the 'max' level in the car, it'll be overfilled, and splash acid all over the engine. Don't ask me how Lexus designed that great feature (NO acid ever reached the 'drain' tube; go figure), and also don't ask me how I felt when that happened to my brand new, 50-mile car.
Good weekend folks.
JC
Buy a new one, and hook it up to a 'battery tender plus', or any other 'smart' battery charger. No need to disconnect it from the car as long as the charging rate is 1.25 amps or less (like the BT+). I charge mine every 2 weeks. I prefer not to leave it hooked up all the time, but the 'plus' is supposedly designed for that.
Finally, no, a trickle charger like the BT+ won't bring back a dead battery; you need a 10 amp load for that. But again, buy a new one, and just maintain it from now on. If you need to use the car, it'd take you a minute to unhook the charger from the battery posts and close the hood. Oh, I almost forgot: REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THE CAR to check the electrolyte level; if you fill it to the 'max' level in the car, it'll be overfilled, and splash acid all over the engine. Don't ask me how Lexus designed that great feature (NO acid ever reached the 'drain' tube; go figure), and also don't ask me how I felt when that happened to my brand new, 50-mile car.
Good weekend folks.
JC
01-10-04, 01:50 PM
#21
This past summer, some idiot (I) left the door of my Outback open for about three days and drained the battery to zilch.
I hooked up the BatteryTender to it but because the battery was so exhausted, the BT did not recognize that there was anything connected. I pushed the car out of the garage and started it up using jumper cables attached to another car. This gave the battery enough oomph to allow the BT to recognize a connection. I reconnected the BT to the battery and after three days the battery was fully charged. I've been driving it with that battery ever since.
Incidentally, for the past two days the Outback sat idle in my 13º F garage, but started up this morning with no problem. The high temp around here has been about zero and overnight has hovered around -15º F.
Can we generalize this experience to other cars including the SC? Beats me.
I hooked up the BatteryTender to it but because the battery was so exhausted, the BT did not recognize that there was anything connected. I pushed the car out of the garage and started it up using jumper cables attached to another car. This gave the battery enough oomph to allow the BT to recognize a connection. I reconnected the BT to the battery and after three days the battery was fully charged. I've been driving it with that battery ever since.
Incidentally, for the past two days the Outback sat idle in my 13º F garage, but started up this morning with no problem. The high temp around here has been about zero and overnight has hovered around -15º F.
Can we generalize this experience to other cars including the SC? Beats me.
01-10-04, 02:04 PM
#22
I didn't mean the battery wouldn't hold a charge like you said; that would happen to almost any battery, but it's charging capacity is significantly reduced. It can last a day or many months more. For less than $100, it's not worth the risk to me.
To each is own, of course.
Have a nice weekend.
JC
To each is own, of course.
Have a nice weekend.
JC
01-12-04, 02:36 PM
#23
Lexus Test Driver
o.k. I had my former battery die twice on me... removed to recharge it and then all was good... and it never went dead on me again (even after 4 months of driving and 10K+ miles)
09-29-05, 12:20 PM
#25
Lexus Test Driver
Would appreciate any tips on storage.
I decided to make my `04 SC430 my "fun" car, meaning that I would drive it primarily on weekends and not at all in the Winter. The car is always garaged. I purchased an `05.5 Audi A4 2.0 T Quattro in August and will use that car as my "daily driver" (and full-time Winter vehicle whenever my wife is using our `04 GX470, which is her "daily driver"). My question is what sorts of things do I need to do in the Winter with the SC430 when it's sitting in the garage? All thoughts and suggestions welcomed and appreciated!
Thanks!
Thanks!
09-29-05, 12:45 PM
#26
HOpe this helps. Taken from another forum.
The first thing you need to do is clean the vehicle. There is no such thing as too clean for storage. On a warm, dry day give the vehicle a thorough wash and wax. Two coats of wax is good, three coats are better and four coats is excellent. Make sure you get the underbody of the car as clean as possible as well, especially the wheel well areas. The dirt will hold moisture and will combine with air and cause the iron and steel parts of your car to rust and rot.
As for the interior, there are three things you need to do; clean, clean, clean. Use a heavy-duty shop vacuum or household vacuum cleaner. Those little battery operated ones or the ones you plug into the cigarette lighter don't have the power to do a good job. Use the crevice tools to get into all the little nooks and crannies. What you want to do is get all the crumbs, pizza crusts, French fries and dog food out. Critters will be attracted by this stuff and will make a home inside your vehicle.
A good carpet shampooing is an extra step that will help keep those little varmints out of your vehicle while you are away.
Leave all the windows open and let the car air dry. If your storage area has a dirt or cement floor, lay a large piece of heavy gauge plastic or tarp on the floor to create a vapor barrier. If it has a dirt floor, make a couple of "drive ons" from plywood and put it on top of the vapor barrier.
Take the spark plugs out and put some oil into the cylinders. This will prevent the cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. Regular motor oil is good or you can get a spray can of fogging oil from a marine supply store. Turn the engine over by hand six or seven times to make sure the oil coats everything.
Now put a little anti-seize on the spark plugs and reinstall them. A dab of die-electric grease in the spark plug terminals before reconnecting them will keep them from corroding and make them easier to remove.
Remove the battery cables, negative cable first, and take out the battery. Clean the battery with battery cleaner to remove any dirt or grease that will hold moisture. Put the battery on a clean, dry surface, block of wood or a thick piece of polystyrene is good.
Now hook up a trickle charger, one designed to maintain the batteries charge over a long period of time. While the battery is out, look over the battery box and see if there is any rust or corrosion. Clean and repair any damage as necessary.
Get a tub of white lithium grease and lubricate the hood latch and hinges and the door hinges to keep air and moisture out. Don't use the spray white grease, that stuff is near about useless. Also don't use any type of rust penetrant such as WD-40 or Liquid Wrench; they will dry out.
Inspect the brake fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air and will cause the brake system to rust and corrode from the inside out. If it has been more than two years since the brake fluid was replaced, get it flushed and filled with clean, fresh fluid. If the storage period will be two years or more, I recommend using a non-hygroscopic (not moisture-absorbing) silicone brake fluid.
Check the coolant level and make sure it is topped off and the reserve bottle is filled to the proper level. Also check the protection level to make sure it is low enough to protect the cooling system from winter temperatures.
Another very important thing is to keep rodents and other furry varmints out of your vehicle. They love to chew and will chew the ignition wires and wiring harnesses until nothing is left. They will also crawl inside into any opening to find a warm place to nest. I have pulled rats, chipmunks and mice nests out of air filter housings, HVAC ducts and even mufflers.
Sticking clean, heavy rags into the engine air intake, fresh air intake (if there is no screen mesh or cabin air filter) under the windshield and tail pipe. Mice like to use paper and cloth for their nests, so if you have mice in your area covering openings with metal screen mesh or stuffing with aluminum foil will necessary.
If the vehicle will be sitting for longer than five or six months, there is the problem of the tires developing flat spots. To prevent this from happening, get a set of four jack stands of at least a = ton capacity. Jack up the vehicle and place the jack stands under the lift points of the vehicle, usually under the lower control arms or under the frame. If you have a dirt floor, place a piece of 12" by 12" by 1" plywood under the jack stands to keep them from sinking into the dirt.
Remove the wiper blades from the wiper arms to prevent them from becoming glued to the windshield and leaving marks. Or you can get a block of wood and put it under the wiper arms to keep the wiper blades up and off the windshield. In either case apply a rubber lubricant to the wiper blades to keep them supple.
When this is all done, get a large container of mothballs and spread them around and under the vehicle to keep varmints away.
The first thing you need to do is clean the vehicle. There is no such thing as too clean for storage. On a warm, dry day give the vehicle a thorough wash and wax. Two coats of wax is good, three coats are better and four coats is excellent. Make sure you get the underbody of the car as clean as possible as well, especially the wheel well areas. The dirt will hold moisture and will combine with air and cause the iron and steel parts of your car to rust and rot.
As for the interior, there are three things you need to do; clean, clean, clean. Use a heavy-duty shop vacuum or household vacuum cleaner. Those little battery operated ones or the ones you plug into the cigarette lighter don't have the power to do a good job. Use the crevice tools to get into all the little nooks and crannies. What you want to do is get all the crumbs, pizza crusts, French fries and dog food out. Critters will be attracted by this stuff and will make a home inside your vehicle.
A good carpet shampooing is an extra step that will help keep those little varmints out of your vehicle while you are away.
Leave all the windows open and let the car air dry. If your storage area has a dirt or cement floor, lay a large piece of heavy gauge plastic or tarp on the floor to create a vapor barrier. If it has a dirt floor, make a couple of "drive ons" from plywood and put it on top of the vapor barrier.
Take the spark plugs out and put some oil into the cylinders. This will prevent the cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. Regular motor oil is good or you can get a spray can of fogging oil from a marine supply store. Turn the engine over by hand six or seven times to make sure the oil coats everything.
Now put a little anti-seize on the spark plugs and reinstall them. A dab of die-electric grease in the spark plug terminals before reconnecting them will keep them from corroding and make them easier to remove.
Remove the battery cables, negative cable first, and take out the battery. Clean the battery with battery cleaner to remove any dirt or grease that will hold moisture. Put the battery on a clean, dry surface, block of wood or a thick piece of polystyrene is good.
Now hook up a trickle charger, one designed to maintain the batteries charge over a long period of time. While the battery is out, look over the battery box and see if there is any rust or corrosion. Clean and repair any damage as necessary.
Get a tub of white lithium grease and lubricate the hood latch and hinges and the door hinges to keep air and moisture out. Don't use the spray white grease, that stuff is near about useless. Also don't use any type of rust penetrant such as WD-40 or Liquid Wrench; they will dry out.
Inspect the brake fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air and will cause the brake system to rust and corrode from the inside out. If it has been more than two years since the brake fluid was replaced, get it flushed and filled with clean, fresh fluid. If the storage period will be two years or more, I recommend using a non-hygroscopic (not moisture-absorbing) silicone brake fluid.
Check the coolant level and make sure it is topped off and the reserve bottle is filled to the proper level. Also check the protection level to make sure it is low enough to protect the cooling system from winter temperatures.
Another very important thing is to keep rodents and other furry varmints out of your vehicle. They love to chew and will chew the ignition wires and wiring harnesses until nothing is left. They will also crawl inside into any opening to find a warm place to nest. I have pulled rats, chipmunks and mice nests out of air filter housings, HVAC ducts and even mufflers.
Sticking clean, heavy rags into the engine air intake, fresh air intake (if there is no screen mesh or cabin air filter) under the windshield and tail pipe. Mice like to use paper and cloth for their nests, so if you have mice in your area covering openings with metal screen mesh or stuffing with aluminum foil will necessary.
If the vehicle will be sitting for longer than five or six months, there is the problem of the tires developing flat spots. To prevent this from happening, get a set of four jack stands of at least a = ton capacity. Jack up the vehicle and place the jack stands under the lift points of the vehicle, usually under the lower control arms or under the frame. If you have a dirt floor, place a piece of 12" by 12" by 1" plywood under the jack stands to keep them from sinking into the dirt.
Remove the wiper blades from the wiper arms to prevent them from becoming glued to the windshield and leaving marks. Or you can get a block of wood and put it under the wiper arms to keep the wiper blades up and off the windshield. In either case apply a rubber lubricant to the wiper blades to keep them supple.
When this is all done, get a large container of mothballs and spread them around and under the vehicle to keep varmints away.
10-01-05, 05:36 AM
#28
Lead Lap
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by sexylexysc430
geez... that's a lot of work just to store a car for a few months! i'd rather just take the car once a week during the winter. Or is that bad for the car?
Is this a good idea?
10-03-05, 08:03 AM
#29
I've been storing my SC430 every winter (approximately Thanksgiving to Easter) since 2001.
1. I add some of that gas stabilizer stuff and fill the tank.
2. I wash it and park it in a cement-floored garage with a vapor barrier (Smart Park Clean Park). Although this vinyl mat comes with plastic edging to contain the salt water and ice that falls off a car, I didn't bother attaching them because the car is not driven in the winter. Google Smart Park Clean Park - they're sold by many retailers.
3. I attach a Battery Tender Plus http://batterytender.com/default.php?cPath=11_2 and ensure that it's working properly. It has a quick connect harness (the wire is in two parts). I leave the battery end connected all year long and only have to insert the quick connect plug from the Tender end when I put it away.
4. I kiss it good night, count and place some Havoc chiclets strategically around the garage, and close the door.
5. During the winter, I occasionally check to make sure the Battery Tender is working okay and count the Havoc chiclets to determine if some little varmint sqeezed its way into the garage. Been lucky so far.
Some tires tend to get flat spots if left for a while. I'm using Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires which are very susceptible to this phenomenon. The flat spots "drive out" after about 4 or 5 miles, but I was concerned that leaving the car all winter would result in permanent flat spots that would ruin the tires, so I purchased a set of Tire Cradles (http://www.tirecradle.com/tcradle.htm) They're expensive, but they work. If your tires are not susceptible to flat spots, then don't bother.
Every spring I simply detach the Battery Tender, start the car, and enjoy another spring, summer, and fall of driving pleasure.
1. I add some of that gas stabilizer stuff and fill the tank.
2. I wash it and park it in a cement-floored garage with a vapor barrier (Smart Park Clean Park). Although this vinyl mat comes with plastic edging to contain the salt water and ice that falls off a car, I didn't bother attaching them because the car is not driven in the winter. Google Smart Park Clean Park - they're sold by many retailers.
3. I attach a Battery Tender Plus http://batterytender.com/default.php?cPath=11_2 and ensure that it's working properly. It has a quick connect harness (the wire is in two parts). I leave the battery end connected all year long and only have to insert the quick connect plug from the Tender end when I put it away.
4. I kiss it good night, count and place some Havoc chiclets strategically around the garage, and close the door.
5. During the winter, I occasionally check to make sure the Battery Tender is working okay and count the Havoc chiclets to determine if some little varmint sqeezed its way into the garage. Been lucky so far.
Some tires tend to get flat spots if left for a while. I'm using Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires which are very susceptible to this phenomenon. The flat spots "drive out" after about 4 or 5 miles, but I was concerned that leaving the car all winter would result in permanent flat spots that would ruin the tires, so I purchased a set of Tire Cradles (http://www.tirecradle.com/tcradle.htm) They're expensive, but they work. If your tires are not susceptible to flat spots, then don't bother.
Every spring I simply detach the Battery Tender, start the car, and enjoy another spring, summer, and fall of driving pleasure.
12-12-05, 08:32 PM
#30
Lexus Test Driver
1NICESC430,
Did you choose the 12V or 6V model? Is there a difference?
Do you think this will work outdoors? I don't have a garage, but I do have a driveway. And it takes a good 10ft to reach the hood of the car from the electrical outlet in my house. Do you think this charger is waterproof?
Thx.
Did you choose the 12V or 6V model? Is there a difference?
Do you think this will work outdoors? I don't have a garage, but I do have a driveway. And it takes a good 10ft to reach the hood of the car from the electrical outlet in my house. Do you think this charger is waterproof?
Thx.