Storing rx8 long term question
 

Good day everyone, I maybe relocating and might need to sell my 2011 R3, or pickle it and put it in long term storage.

What would you do to your 8 if you were going to store it for three years or so?

change all fluids. (engine oil, trans and diff, flush brake fluid, coolant,
Change spark plugs,
Nitrogen in the tires,
remove battery from car, and keyless remotes
wash and wax exterior
Seal intake,and exhaust openings.
Block off fresh air recirc intake by the in cabin filter,
Cover seats, steering wheel and dash with plastic.

Place on jack stands to unload suspension during storage.
And cover,
What else would you do?

edit... Drain fuel,
get feral cat to eat the rats,and traps

Thanks in advance for your input..

Drain the fuel tank.

I'd personally recommend changing the spark plugs *after* but eh.

yeah change the plugs after. fill the radiator with 100% coolant.

you will also want a rat trap and such under the car.

The plugs would be replaced when storage has ended, along with the coils.

The plugs will be removed to inject some Royal Purple into the engine.
And the threads will be treated with lube to protect the plugs from seizing
in the housings. I don't want to install old plugs after RP treatment.

Drain the fuel, take out the battery, drain the oil and take out the oil filter. Before you start the car again, make sure you put back all those things you took out.

monchie, why would you drain the oil and leave the oil filter uninstalled?

I would drain most of the fuels - also do not put Nitrogen into the tires, that whole thing is a marketing scheme - I learned in Chemistry last year that tires don't keep in all of the gas that you put into them - some will diffuse out and the rate of Nitrogen compared to Oxygen proves that Nitrogen will diffuse (leak) out faster than Oxygen itself - just an fyi to anyone thinking Nitrogen helps.

Your question is for 3 years. Do you want to leave the oil there for 3 years and start the car after 3 years with the same oil? I don't think so...

oil doesn't rust. machined parts that are SUPPOSED to be in oil, but aren't WILL rust.

i'd leave the oil in, you will change it before or right after the first restart.

my friend parked his GSL-SE so long (53k original miles!) that the top of the ring gear rusted, it made a funny noise for about half a block as the gear got oiled and knocked the rust away.

You should always soak metal parts in oil. oil will coat the parts so it does not expose to "air", which will ultimately form something called Rust.

No need to drain it, oil can actually last quite long even if it's in the car (opened) and you never use it. Just drain it and fill before you start your car, then drive it around for 30 minutes, then do the drain & fill again. DONE.

and for fuel, drain it if you can (if you really gonna store it for 3 yrs) completely, when I say completely, after you drain your tank, start your car and let it run till it just dies (should be fast). so you have nothing left in the tank/lines.

it's been underground a whole lot longer

Mini thread revival here.

I'm wondering if injecting two stroke or idemitsu into the spark plug holes, essentially submerging everything in oil will help keep things from rusting/sticking while in storage. Perhaps every month or two months rotating the engine to keep things nice and coated.

Any thoughts on this?

When it comes time to remove the car from storage, remove the fuel pump fuse and crank the engine over with the spark plugs out and have an assistant with a rag catch the excess oil with a large rag to keep the mess to a minimum and reduce the amount of two-stroke being burned off during initial start-up.

Synthetic oil isn't the best for rust protection (depending on the exact type of synthetic).

AeroShell Turbine Oil 500 is near the top on my list of oils out there.

The argument is kinda complicated and I'm hardly the expert. However, if one argues that synthetic flows better at all temperatures and is less sticky than conventional oil, one simultaneously argues than that oil will more easily slide/drip off of metal surfaces that one wishes to stay coated while in storage.

wrt turbine oils: they live in an extremely different environment that auto engine oils. Turbines are far cleaner for one, so are unlikely to have enough detergents, dispersants, et al, to deal with normal engine dirt. Also, esters in general don't like water contamination and can break down through hydrolysis when exposed to water.

Regardless, turning over (but not starting) the engine every so often while in storage is a good idea in order to re-establish the oil film. I successfully stored 2 cars for 5 years in a barn this way. The only problem I had was a leak developing in one radiator, probably from corrosion caused by not renewing the anti-freeze before parking them in the barn.

The project I have been working on now for the past year or so has now progressed to the point that it requires my full attention. It is simply not an option to transport my RX. So it has to go,

Go into storage, or go to a new home.

My R3 will be listed for sale and if the one person out there that is in the market for a RX does not appear, then it will be vacuum rapped for the next five years.

The reality of the question posted Oct. 2012 is here.

If I store my RX for 5 years, let say $200 month ($12,000) , along with the toll the long term storage will take on any number of rubber components. is it not better just to sell my 8 to someone that will enjoy driving it?

Lets face it, in five years, it will be worth less than the 12K it took to store it.

It truly pains me to even consider selling but I think it is better to find someone that is looking for a true drivers car.

Of all the cars I've owned this R3 is at top of my list right next to
the 64 Nova SS that I had in storage for 28 years.


What do you think?

yeah financially it doesnt make much sense to store it...

I'm in a similar situation, I LOVE my 8, but will be living in New York City for 3 years and simply cannot keep it.

Best solution: you have any friends you like who live somewhere rural, or at least suburbia where they have space (if not a garage) to keep it easily? Offer to sell it to them and buy it back for the same price or slightly lower in 5 years. You're basically covering the cost of depreciation. Could agree to drive and enjoy it, but keep the mileage buildup pretty low (a few thousand a years?) and pay to register/insure it. It would essentially cost you a few thousand bucks in depreciation, the car will be taken care of with minimal wear, and your friend will be very happy to have the low-cost use of an amazing sports car for a while to use on weekends.

Straight up storing it just doesnt make sense, and who knows if all those protective efforts will really work well?