MN Z owners...

mnz

GLW the Move!

Arc

Temps in MN seem to be warming up. It was a balmy 8 degrees yesterday.

The freeways and major roads seem to be clear, but most of the residential roads don't seem to be affected by the mild heat burst.

I don't have a car cover. One, I couldn't find one that is made for winter, and two, if the roads are clear in the winter, I could do some driving, mainly to work (2 miles away).

I didn't know that, thanks for the tip.
I'll do that tomorrow morning, after I clear some of the snow off my Z.

1cleanZ

Its not the actual snow I try and avoid, its the sand/salt....and evvvvery road has it all over right now.

I was lucky, Friday I spent the entire day moving, and the Uhaul I rented broke up the bank at the bottom of my driveway enough for me to get the Z out. The roads were perfectly dry, so I decided to chance it...and damn glad I did when I did. Saturday morning woke up to snow and slop, which continued all damn day yesterday and into this morning.

Long story short..the Z made it to my new apt complex, and is safely stored away under her cover Even double checked my full exhaust and all my suspension to make sure no salt or dampness got to it.

On a side note, there's a silver 370 parked in the complex. NY plates, and doesn't look like its moved since winter has hit. Might leave him a note on the windshield to hop on here.

mnz

Good to hear the move was easy and a success, and is the z parked outside now?

1cleanZ

Merry Xmas Eve everyone! Looking forward to a GREAT 2014!!!!!

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2009 PW Nismo #0021 -My Built Progress >>1cleanG to 1cleanZ<<
Team NextLevel

mnz

Merry Xmas to you to! Gladly I'm down in Texas with warm weather!







Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

1cleanZ

TX? I hate you.... was -12 degrees on the way to work this morning

__________________
2009 PW Nismo #0021 -My Built Progress >>1cleanG to 1cleanZ<<
Team NextLevel

mnz

Damn its cold over there still! yeah its like 40-50 over here, and i got two weeks off from work so i'll be here all week.

SmoothZ

Merry Xmas everyone!

I read in a previous post about someone who's storing their Z outside. I did that once and had a cover on it. Took the battery out and left a full tank of gas with Stabil in it. It was fine, but I never started it once. From what I've read, you shouldn't do that if you're storing it. But I guess if you do it regularly, then I guess it's like driving. However, the condensation after turning off the car may actually hurt the car. :dunno:

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"Once you go Asian, you never go Caucasian."

"I talk to myself, and when I do that, I know I'm talking to an intelligent person."

mnz

Never heard of anyone ever saying problems from condensation, cause wouldn't that happen to everyone else that drives in the winter also? I just do it so the fluids don't and don't get clogged anywhere. Kinda what lance said, motors are made to be running. But i haven't took my battery out yet, is that something i should do or i should be safe just starting it up once a week?

silverbulletZ

Just let the car be... If you plan on leaving it stored for awhile (6 months) just make sure that:

1. Gas tank is full with Stabil in the tank and a fresh oil change

2. Make sure tire pressure is full or even better have it on jack stands to eliminate possible square spots on tires (shouldn't be a problem if psi is at max and check it often)

3. If you plan on leaving the battery in the car disconnect the negative cable and if possible throw a battery tender on it. (Otherwise what I do is I put mine on the charger for a couple hours than bring it inside and when the time comes to take the car out I put it back on the charger again before hooking it up)

4. Throw some fabric softener sheets in the Z ( it deters animals and smells good after you have to take the Z out)

5. Plug the exhaust tips with a rag of some sort (optional, but further prevents animals from getting inside the motor if you have a pest problem)

6. Always make sure the Z is fully washed and waxed before putting away


I've been storing vehicles forover 10 years and never have I started my vehicles while they were in storage. If you have to start it up it's best to let it run for over 1/2 and hour just so that it does burn up the moisture. THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I DO NOT START MY VEHICLES IN THE WINTER... JUST LEAVE IT BE.

One last option you can do if you're mechanically inclined is take out each spark plug and spray a mist of WD 40 in the cylinders to prevent rusting then insert the plug again. But I only recommend that if you plan on storing it for a year..

I should also mention that you DO NOT want to have the ebrake set while the car is in storage, the brake pads could stick to the rotors.

SmoothZ

Think about the difference between a daily driver and a stored car. The DD burns off whatever happens each day or other day. The stored car sits with fluctuating temps depending on your garage settings. If you keep warming it up to get the fluids going, I don't think that will harm the car. I simply think it's better to have the car sit w/o being started. I used to do the routine of starting it every week or 2 a long time ago, but over time I realized more people left the car alone and didn't start until it was ready to be driven.

The fluids don't get clogged. It just settles.

I normally take the battery out of the car and store that in the house basement or have it sit on a work bench in the garage. Just don't let the battery sit on the cold, concrete floor or it will drain. Otherwise, go get yourself a battery tender.

__________________
"Once you go Asian, you never go Caucasian."

"I talk to myself, and when I do that, I know I'm talking to an intelligent person."

mnz

Thanks for the info, just things i heard from friends that store their cars. Its my first rwd and first time storing a car, appreciate all the tips!

silverbulletZ

Lance, apartment???? Are you waiting for a new house to be built or just to do some more saving for a new place.

1cleanZ

Greg!!!! Yup, back to the previous apartment. Was just a good time for us to sell the house since we purchased back in 2010. We signed a 13 month lease which in that time we're looking at all options, buying new or building. Tough thing I've already found with buying is finding a house with a large enough garage for my liking. They just don't build garages in communities like the one I had (3 1/2 stall, heated, insulated, running water and drained). The search I have my narrowed down to a pretty strict criteria, so won't be buying until we find exact what we'd like for the long haul.

By next fall, if we don't find anything, we'll probably end up building.

__________________
2009 PW Nismo #0021 -My Built Progress >>1cleanG to 1cleanZ<<
Team NextLevel