Winter storage of the van-What preparations are needed?

[Ollie]

Hi all,

I am going to store the old beaten up, but beloved van(T25 Caravelle Syncro, 1988) for a year or more. What should I do of preparations of the van so it will stay in the best state possible? I do not have the opertunity to have it started once a week or regulary.

I have been given these tips so far:
'remove plugs and fill the plug barrels with new engine oil(how do I get this oil out later?)
*put the van on axel stands or similar to prevent the wheels to deform
*have the breaks off
*have gear in neutral
*drain engine oil or put on new oil right before i set it away for storage(what about the coolant? I have the VW red type in)
*disconnect starter and leisure battery
*store in dry environment. (does it matter if it gets below 0 degrees celsius?)
*Open the window a little to have air circulation

and someone suggested to put vaseline on the break disks to prevent them rusting(and then remove this with parafine, break cleaner or similar when i take it out of storage)


Any comments or other suggestions that could be useful?

All replies appreciated!!

Best regards
Ollie

[Bowton Lad]

The best thing to do is to keep your van on the road & drive it at least 10 miles once a week until the engine gets up to normal working temperature.

[KarlT]

What B'lad says is true. Even collectors cars stored in perfect/air-tight conditions need starting & moving to be kept in good order. If you really can't use or start it for over a year, best to sell.

[Ollie]

Thanx guys, but in this case I do not have the opurtunity to start it while in storage, and I do not want to sell it...

[DiscoDave]

Thanx guys, but in this case I do not have the opurtunity to start it while in storage, and I do not want to sell it...

as you said in your first post! good to see folk can read! make sure it's as clean and as dry as it can be before you put it away, inside and out all the things you you have said seem to make good sense, i'm not sure about the oil in the glow plug thing, i'd be interested to know tho!

[KarlT]

Any comments or other suggestions that could be useful?

All replies appreciated!!

good to see folk can read!

[hammy44]

to store a boat engine you use a spray called fogging you run the engine and spray the fogging into the intake until it stops i assume its something like an oil based spray because it oils the cylinders.i assume youshould be able to use it for vehicle engines in some way

[syncrosimon]

Dont forget to change the brake/clutch fluid to prevent rusting of the internal components.

[T-3PO]

I can recommend wegding the clutch pedal down to stop the clutch plates sticking together.

Not sure how bad it gets on VW's but I have an old Triumph Spitfire in my reasonable dry garage which has been stored for over a year, I didn't take on board all the recommendations of the Triumph Owners Club and guess who's clutch plates are now stuck together??!!