Long term vehicle storage - Diesel Cruiser

Craig you will no doubt get a bucket of comments back.However I will impart to you 2 simple examples.

The first was a sedan that only ever came out for a rally once a year for 8 years.When I put it back in the shed I placed an adjustable stand to support each wheel off the ground.I then disconnected the battery and fitted a trickle charger to the same and shut the door. Each year after reversing the process the car started in 10 -20 secs every year. In fact the battery guy said that its not req,d to disconnect as you mess with readings etc. I also put 2 queensize sheets over the car so I did not have to wash it !

The second example was an old 37 Oldsmobile that I purchased from Tas and had shipped over it was in a shed for 12 years. I placed it in a shed for 10 further years till a mate bought it off me. We decided to see if it would start before loading it up. Since it had no carby I had an old stromberg carby that matched the bolts on the manifold so on it went after filling the fuel reservoir ,we then put a gallon tin of fuel on the mudguard with a hose leading from it to the carby. We put a 12 volt battery { bugger the 6 volt } in it and kicked it the guts !

After 30 secs no go ! so I tipped some fuel down the carby and whoosho! away she went .... well she just sat their idling and slowly filling the shed with exhaust fumes that took 10 mins to clear ! " Oh Wot a feeling "

Cheers John

hi cruiser would be interested to know the thoughts on wether to fill diesel tanks
in my opinion I would probably fill them to stop mould growth ect

I would put a bit of Chemtec in both tanks before filling, fill both tanks to the brim, drive home a park up. If you have any algae this will kill it and prevent more from forming. When you get back home I would have spare fuel filter handy to change after you have given it a bit of a run, also change the engine oil on your return.

Cruiser 74
I would suggest that any fuel treatment be done at least one tank BEFORE putting it into storage with full tanks. I would also suggest that the coolant and brake fluid be replaced with good quality products shortly before storage, and possibly replaced again at the end of the storage, this is to reduce or prevent corrosion and/or electrolysis in those systems. I would also find a cool dry place for the storage and jack all wheels off the ground. A trickle charger could save the battery, but the loss of a battery would be a minor cost compared to the holiday that you will be experiencing.
An oily rag in the exhaust pipe may prevent moisture and/or rodents from finding their way into sensitive parts. Depending on your location you may also find rodents like to nest in the air filter box or under the bonnet, so appropriate baits may be a prudent measure.

Enjoy your travels.
Athol (Retired motor mechanic)

I hear all sorts of bad things with regards to cars left unstarted for long periods. Is it possible someone could run the Cruiser every now and then?

Gday
There is a place in Braeside Melbourne outer east that stores vehicles. They will jack them up on stands and run them when you wish .

A lot less problems with diesel than there would be if it was petrol.

the published shelf life of petrol these days is around 90 days, and is definitely off after 6 months.

Diesel has an indefinite shelf life.

less problems with seals drying out.

If you are running a good quality dieel spec oil..they are engineered for very long drain intervals.

Yeh that brake fluid and coolant are issues......failure to replace brake fluid and coolant are responsible for a great many unnecessary repairs.

Both should be replaces every 2 years max......so replace before you store.

Tyres well...yeh they will go flat if the weight is not off them...but these days they are only suposed t have a 6 year life anyway.

cheers

Mate put his 60 series in the care of the RACQ for 3 and a half years. They put the vehicle in a warehouse (old woolshed actually), on blocks, treated the mostly empty diesel tanks with stabilizer and anti fungal, and disconnected the battery. Battery got a hit once a month and was still good after storage time. Mate did the underside with Lanotec, emptied a can of WD40 into the engine well, and waxed the paint before storage. RACQ drained and filled the diesel and connected the battery before he picked it up; like it just went to suspended animation for 3.5 years. No problems and no discernible deterioration over the storage time. Take what you will from the story but if you like the vehicle, the example may be what you need to make a decision.

Iza

Thanks to everyone for your responses so far, some great options and advice to consider, everything I was hoping for and more! Cheers

Craig

diesel in my ranger handbook,it says add an ant-oxidant to your diesel fuel tank for long term storage,of more than 2 months,another idea if the engine has not been run for awhile try and turn it over to get some oil pressure up before starting,might have to disconnect a wire somewhere,bye barry