1997 Tahoe sitting for a year or 2.......

Pennzoil motor oil
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Chris B.

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I have a 1997 Tahoe that has been sitting unused for about 1 year and will sit for another year before being put back into service. Before I stored it I put fresh Castrol GTX 5w30 in it and greased it up. All other fluids were checked and are ok. I drove it about 15 miles to get it nice and hot and parked it in the garage. Battery is on a charger to keep it powered up.
What else should be done to it while it is sitting unused? I did have to start her up once last month to move it for a project in the garage but it was only running for less then a minute....hope that did not hurt it.

Also next year when it goes back into use should I change the oil again or will the 2 year oil Castrol still be good? Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You've got everything covered. The tires though might end up being flat spotted. Maybe air them up a bit more then normal?


How about getting 4 Bottle Jacks so the tires are off the ground, give the springs and shocks a rest too.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You've got everything covered. The tires though might end up being flat spotted. Maybe air them up a bit more then normal?


Forgot to mention that but I have been keeping the tires aired up. Also have the tank filled up 100% with Sta-Bil added to it.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
If you can, I would do another 15-20 mile run with it, to keep everything lubed and free.


I can but I have the tank 100% full and treated with the proper amount of Sta-Bil. I guess I could refill that small amount that would be burned off but the Sta-Bil bottle I have does not treat for under a couple gallons soI would have to guess on the amount to add???
 
Jack up each tire every week and rotate it 90 degrees. (that will be good fodder for the next installment of "This Week in BITOG").
grin2.gif
 
Last edited:
Forgot to ask:

Should I burn off the gas in the truck at one year(right now)? The Sta-Bil says it only keeps gas fresh for a year. Would it be bad to let this truck sit for another year with this same gas in the tank? I could run it and burn it off and then fill it with fresh gas again.
 
Originally Posted By: c3po
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You've got everything covered. The tires though might end up being flat spotted. Maybe air them up a bit more then normal?


How about getting 4 Bottle Jacks so the tires are off the ground, give the springs and shocks a rest too.


Will do!
 
Depending on how anal you want to get, and how difficult they are to remove, you could remove the spark plugs, squirt a little engine oil, and then put the plugs back in.
Maybe overkill for a year, but for two years, I'd do it. Jackstands for sure if it were mine.
 
I think he meant to say 4 jack stands, why would anyone want to use FOUR jacks? Not to mention the cost associated compared to jack stands.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris
BI can but I have the tank 100% full and treated with the proper amount of Sta-Bil. I guess I could refill that small amount that would be burned off but the Sta-Bil bottle I have does not treat for under a couple gallons soI would have to guess on the amount to add???


Chris, one thing I have experience with is storing. In fact, I stored a '97 Chevy p/u for just over 2 years.

Regarding the gas question, Stabil is a great idea. You may have missed it, but it says on its bottle you can use a double dose to achieve 2 years of gas freshness. I did that and it worked. I think you could burn a 1/4 tank or so, then re-add another dose and refill.

Topping the tank off was good, too. Less air above the gas surface, hepls condensation issures.

Jack stands are basically a left over idea from years past when everyone had biased ply tires. Radials won't easily flat spot. I just put 40-45 psi in mine, and periodically moved it around enough to reposition the wheels. Worked fine.

I drained the old oil out ASAP when I took it out of storage. For $20, I had peace of mind. I did reuse the "new" filter, though.

The steps above worked perfectly for me.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: c3po
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You've got everything covered. The tires though might end up being flat spotted. Maybe air them up a bit more then normal?


How about getting 4 Bottle Jacks so the tires are off the ground, give the springs and shocks a rest too.



This is a good idea, at least the intent is. Bottle Jacks are not the correct thing for long-term storage. Jack stands or cinderblocks (be careful that you have proper cushion (plywood)) are the ticket. Jackstands have the possible advantage that you can unload the suspension.
 
If you want to unload the tires, yes use jackstands, not jacks. That's not the proper use of jacks.

There isn't a need to give the suspension "a rest" though, springs don't "tire out" under a constant load within their elastic limit. Springs wear out when you use them (i.e. cyclic load, when they are being compressed and uncompressed on the road). You can't wear out springs just having them sitting there, that's a big myth.
 
I skipped putting the Tahoe on jack stands.....guess it wont help any. I did air up the tires to 40lbs though.
 
Originally Posted By: c3po
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You've got everything covered. The tires though might end up being flat spotted. Maybe air them up a bit more then normal?


How about getting 4 Bottle Jacks so the tires are off the ground, give the springs and shocks a rest too.


There is no need for that at all, springs and shocks don't get tired just by sitting, in fact sitting in the garage is much easier on them than daily driving, so if they can last 150-200k miles with daily driving, they won't wear out by sitting.

I would leave the car the way it is, no driving or anything. Just make sure you don't have a mice nest somwhere that might chew on your wiring or air filter.
 
So how long till I should burn off the gas in the tank. It was treated for 1 year with Sta-Bil and is getting close to a year.
 
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