Winter care ?

[Mr MoJo]

Just wondering if there are any reccomended procedures for winter storage.

The car is not being used as much over the winter months as I had imagined, what with wet salty muddy lanes and roads around where I live.

It's kept in a secure barn, connected to an accumate at all time and under a Weathershield cover. I am concerned about not running it very often though. At the moment I'm starting it weekly but not neccesarily taking it out to play How often should I run the engine and for how long / upto what temp ? I am running it with the fans on until it reaches normal running temp at the moment and thats about it.

Checked all fluid levels etc before it was put away so they are fine. Just wanted to check there's nothing I'm missing to keep it perfect.
It's not being kept as a garage queen or anything, but don't particularly want to clog up the chassis with the crap thats on the roads at the moment. As soon as the wet muddy stuff dries up a bit it will be used again, whether this be next week or next month, I can't see it not being used for long
Any advice gladly received.


Cheers
Simon.

[GJR]

What you're doing sounds good Simon. If the battery is being topped up I'd do as you say and turn it over once a week/fortnight and run it until it comes up to temp and the fans cut in. Check all the electrics are still working fine etc. Worth checking around the engine bay before starting to make sure nothing has decided to nest/chew wires etc. especially if it's in a barn. Worth checking the fluids too in case something has leaked/drained over a few weeks !??

Polish, admire and when cooled... re-cover.

G

Edited by GJR on Wednesday 17th December 14:10

[Mr MoJo]

Cheers GJR, will continue as I am then !!

[Superali]

I would suggest (because of the cold temperatures outside) reversing the car in and out of the barn whenever you get the chance to stop the clutch from sticking and brakes from rusting.

If this is not an option, you can cut a plank of timber to suit and use it to keep the clutch fully pressed. Rest the other end of the plank on against the driver’s seat using a piece of foam or polystyrene to cushion protecting against damage to the seat.

When the car is warmed up after starting, look out for any condensation on the windows, front and rear screen and wipe it off. It'll help save against moistening window seals and the leather.

If the car stays on the same spot for a long time, it will cause soft spots in the tyres. Carefully jack the car up and rotate the tyres 1/4 turn every couple of weeks or so and it'll help keep your tyres tip top. You will appreciate that tyres these days are not a cheap replacement and essential to driving a TVR.

I’m sure you have read the manual for the trickle charger, but you should not leave the battery on charge unattended for long periods of time. Give it a breather for a couple of days now and again.

Happy hibernation

Edited by Superali on Wednesday 17th December 20:28

[ESDavey]

I would also feed the leather

[Mr MoJo]

I hadn't thought of that !! Good idea.

skulks off to find leather care cream in the cupboard under the stairs

[RichB]

Superali said:

I’m sure you have read the manual for the trickle charger, but you should not leave the battery on charge unattended for long periods of time.

Although in this case the Accumate is not a "trickle charger" but an "intelligent battery conditioner" and experience suggests it's fine to hook it up and leave it on.

[Loubaruch]

To minimise tyre spotting If you dont feel like jacking the car up and rotating every so often its worth over inflating to around 45 lbs/sq inch to minimise the contact area. Worth leaving a note on the dash as if you forget to deflate in the Spring your first outing could be rather more exciting!

[GarryM]

There is a school of thought that regularly starting up to warm the engine whilst left in the garage (at tickover) will accelerate cam wear. I used to do this on mine and the cam needed replacing after only 25-30k miles. Of course, I can't be sure why my cam wore out so soon but the warming up procedure (during periods when the car stayed in the garage) was offered as a possible cause.

Since then, I only start mine when I'm going for a drive which sometimes means several weeks between starts. It is a concern but so far (last two years) it has always started first time without any problems. Sorry if my post has just raised anxiety levels!

[MoreSteam]

GarryM said:

There is a school of thought that regularly starting up to warm the engine whilst left in the garage (at tickover) will accelerate cam wear. I used to do this on mine and the cam needed replacing after only 25-30k miles. Of course, I can't be sure why my cam wore out so soon but the warming up procedure (during periods when the car stayed in the garage) was offered as a possible cause.

Since then, I only start mine when I'm going for a drive which sometimes means several weeks between starts. It is a concern but so far (last two years) it has always started first time without any problems. Sorry if my post has just raised anxiety levels!

Theres a similar discussion going on over on the Chim forum.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Simpo Two]

RichB said:

Although in this case the Accumate is not a "trickle charger" but an "intelligent battery conditioner" and experience suggests it's fine to hook it up and leave it on.

I have a similar device and it's excellent. It only delivers a small current (max 500mA IIRC) and switches off when the battery is happy again Mine stays plugged in to the cig socket.