Vehicle: 2005 Ram Daytona 1500 2door short bed 4WD 5.7L Hemi, 95k miles
Situation: want to store in through the winter
Conditions: Wisconsin, cold cold wet winter snowy
Storage unit with raised concrete floor metal walls, roof and rollup door. Appx 2 feet clearance on all sides, not a ton of space but some. No heat or electricity, no water intrusion, newer long multi unit storage "strip" of 16 units each with full width rool up garage door.
Any advice at all?
Current plan...which may be fool hardy..
1. Fill her to the tip top with no ethanol premium and Stabil, fresh oil also
2. Run the fuel thorougly through
3. Put a damp rid desicant pail in closed cab
4. Take out battery, store in warm house off of concrete floor
5. Cover tail pipes outlets with wire mesh.
6. Attempt to jack her up in four inner frame points as where it would normally be lifted by an in ground hoist as a dealership. AKA... Put her up on blocks so tires are barely touching concrete. To prevent flat spots and rotor warping.
7. Cover air cleaner intake snorkel with mesh (if I can where the snorkel truly begins in the fender)
8. Visit it every month or so to check for mice or moisture in cab issues
9. Springtime: charge battery, pull fuel injection fuse and perhpas some ignition fuse,
Crank her over to prime with oil, replace fuses, fill tires,drive away for spring and summer
Specific other Questions:
1. Put down anything on the concrete floor to sheuld underbody from moisture wicking? or no?
2. Is it possible to not run it at all for the 5-6 months? Or ill advised?
3. Will not running it at all for that timeframe jeopardize a rear main seal? Or are modern seals able to go without oil bathing for long periods?
4. Is suspending it on blocks, or at those points a bad idea, should I not use the fram but rather the axle tubes for the block to suspend the truck?
Need help fellas, i dont want to mess this up.
STORING a modern Truck for whole WINTER ..Advice?
- Thread starter SumpChump
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Set a few mouse traps and check them every few weeks to reload them if you've caught everything.
I think your plan is ok. I wouldn't bother starting it up periodically. Just check on it for rodents getting in.
I like all of your ideas, I would add a Fluid Film or equivalent treatment-the frame paint on the '06 Ram in my sig is a JOKE-literally any spray can Rustoleum would be better, & the fuel lines are unpainted steel & will rust rapidly. Add a cheap plastic HF tarp underneath to prevent any moisture coming from the floor & a cheap car cover (to stop dust & any potential bird droppings if one got in somehow), & you'd be all set.
I have several vehicles that don't get used in the MN winter. Seals should not be a problem. Jacking the vehicle by the axle just like the tires would give support and letting some air out should help with flat spots of the tires. Desicant in the winter probably not needed as winter air has very little moisture in it. If you can charge the battery every month so much the better. Filling with non ox gas and some stabil and ran abit to get into system. Most of the stuff is what most motorcycle owners have to do too.
Honestly, about the only two things I would do would be pull the battery and make sure that whatever fuel is in it is dosed with stabil (we like to run the tank down before parking it). Quite frankly, we've been parking a vehicle in a non-heated pole barn all winter in Northern MN for decades, and that is the extent of the treatment they get. Have not had any issues.
Rather than traps, we use mouse poison and have never had any issues.
Having stored a car over a Wisconsin winter for several years, I'd suggest the following modifications:
1) Do put a polyethylene sheet under the truck to prevent moisture infiltrating through the floor
2) Don't suspend the tires - suspensions typically don't like being held in an unnatural position for long periods. Inflate the tires to the max pressure indicated on the sidewall instead.
3) Visit the truck but don't start it until spring. Pushing it a few feet by hand may be appreciated by tires and wheel bearings
4) Steel wool works well for sealing exhaust and intake openings and may be easier to handle than mesh
5) Roof flashing attached to 2x4s makes a great mouse shield when the truck is surrounded by it
6) If you want to cover the truck, use cotton sheets or something very breathable; temperature changes will creat condensation on all metal surfaces
7) I use fogging spray in each cylinder, but then again my 4 are probably more accessible than your 8
8) No need to pull fuses in the spring, just crank the engine with the accelerator floored - this cuts off fuel flow to the engine
Good luck!
Remove plugs. Throw a shot of oil in each cylinder. Crank to distribute oil. Replace plugs. Just like a lawnmower. It'll give you a nice safe start in the spring.
I am wondering if you put some mothballs in an open jar on the floor under the passenger side dash would help keep rodents away.
The stink of the mothballs would permeate the whole dash and all the HVAC ducts and be right under the cabin air filter.
That's what I would try anyway...
Fill the tank and make sure the tires are up to pressure and park it.
Take the battery out and put it on a tender someplace where AC is available or just an ordinary charger on it once each month.
That's it.
No extraordinary efforts are required for anything left undriven for only a few months.
I've done this for decades with winter-stored vehicles without any problems.
Fill the tank and add a double dose of Stabil
over inflate the tires 10%
Change the oil & filter.
Get several sticky pad mouse traps for under the hood.
Back it in the unit so you can remove the battery easily or jump start it if you leave the battery in.
Lock it and go home. If you get real industrious and leave the battery in....come start it every 4-5 weeks.
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
6. Attempt to jack her up in four inner frame points as where it would normally be lifted by an in ground hoist as a dealership. AKA... Put her up on blocks so tires are barely touching concrete. To prevent flat spots and rotor warping.
Keep battery on a temp compensated battery maintainer.
Moth balls in the car also.
You can keep battery in car. Or on concrete floor. Does not have to go on a wood block if the battery was made after about 1950 when they had rubber cases.
Keep the battery somewhere cool. Cool keeps the chemical reactions down, including those that slowly destroy the battery.
Below freezing would be bad if the battery runs down-- it could freeze. If you disconnect a terminal you could leave it in the truck. Back in so you can jump start it, or retrieve the battery for an overnight charge in March. You could also keep it in your home basement or whatever if you want to pay attention to it.
I parked my Mercedes diesel over last winter. Just topped the battery off with a charger once on a sunny day, and it didn't need it. The clock kept time. No computers exist on that car to drain current. 
The wire mesh (hardware cloth) and overinflated tires are a good idea.
I parked on 6 inch blocks to get more air under the undercarriage. I parked outside (!) in the snow, but as far back from the road as I could, so I wouldn't get salt spray.
The wire mesh (hardware cloth) and overinflated tires are a good idea.
I parked on 6 inch blocks to get more air under the undercarriage. I parked outside (!) in the snow, but as far back from the road as I could, so I wouldn't get salt spray.
Agree with many folks here.
I usually try to drive mine around the neighborhood until the first snowfall or so, then park her till spring. Usually just put extra air in the tires, add stabill, and check on it. If the weather stays decent, if even gets warmed up a bit.
Plan on getting a battery tender this year to charge it a bit more......
Car has been fine so far....
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
All I would do is pull the battery and air the tires up the the max on the sidewall. Then put mouse traps in the unit. Nothing else.
The fuel should be fine. I filled up the 1970 VW Beetle in August with gas, before that it had been since January. 7 month old gas, it ran fantastic. Couldn't tell a bit of difference. And that's with a 46 year old carbureted pig!
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