Long story short, I moved from Florida to Wisconsin and decided to put my Jaguar XK8 convertible into storage until the salt season is over.
Now I wonder what all needs to be done to get the car back on the road again.

Have never done this before and really need some advice.

Convincing-John

 

Welcome to the forums John,

I've moved your question from Jaguar Forums Feedback & Suggestion Centre to XK8/XKR forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some information about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum.
Question is what did you do before you put it away?
Put an extra 5 psi in tyres to stop them getting a flat spot ...?
Run the petrol well down ? So you need a fill up to avoid sour petrol...
Did you take the battery home and keep it charged ? did you even disconnect it ?
At the very least give the battery a good charge before you try and start it .
When you do get it going you need a battery tender on it when not in use ..that will save many problems.
Prior preparation prevents pi$$ poor performance? ( the 7 p's)

 

I live in Norway and my XKR is in storage 5-6 months every winter. I just charge the battery, check fluids and tire pressure, and start it up every spring. Let it idle and check for leaks, oil pressure, charging and engine temp. Then drive like normal. Never had any issues either with my 2000 Jag, my 1960 Cadillac or my wife's 2005 Mercedes SLK.

 

I also park the car for 6 months each year up here in northern Canada. I leave the car on a battery tender over winter and every spring it starts up just fine with no issues. I basically do the same as NorXKR checking the fluid levels and tire pressure and before the first drive I let it run for 15 minutes or so and recheck for leaks.

 

Since your car may never have to taste the yuck of road salt on its undersides again (YAAAY!), you can also consider ONE anti-salt cleaning of the undercarriage. It's easy. Mix some dish soap and a few tablespoons of Arm-n-Hammer baking soda (NOT soda powder---I mean the baking soda that comes in the little boxes to deodorize your fridge smells with).
Mix those two in some warm water, and spray (or spritz, if all you can find is a wife's houseplant spray bottle) the entire underside. From front axle and wheel wells, clear to the back axle and wheel wells. All the nooks and crannies you can find behind the bumpers, all the cables, and screws you can spot under there.
Leave it to dry white (even for a few days...doesn't matter, cuz baking soda is harmless on surfaces---it only cancels out the corrosiveness of SALT chemicals).
Then take the car for a steam-undercarriage wash (if you can find an elegant looking car wash place in Florida), or if you can't do the steam---no worries, just use your garden hose and sprayer.
Not only does your underside (errr... your CAR'S underside) come out looking like it's had a bath... but the winter salts that hide in the hard to splash areas under your car will get to be cancelled out... before Florida's famous humidity start to help the salt eat metal over time.

And while you're down there, say hi to Crocket and Tubbs for us!

 

I live in the neighboring state of MN, store the vehicle for 6 months also. No trickle charger, the storage facility checks the tire pressure and starts it for me when i pick it up. Runs great from the moment i pick it up and nothing more to be done.

 

I'm in the peoples republic of Pennsylvania and just got the XK out of the garage last week for the first time since last September. I keep a battery tender connected all winter so all I did was check the fluids, tire pressures, and drive it like I stole it.

 

pistnbroke-

thanks for your response. we did what you mentioned, but there were no electrical outlets.

we can get the battery charged but have other concerns. would you pull the valve covers and squirt oil on the lifters? change the fluid in the power top? and we topped off the gas and now have 20 gallons of waste to get rid of. the beat goes on

 

norxkr-

thank you for your response. you have a very enviable stable of rides. can't be a lot of convertible jags in your neighborhood.

 

ozbot

thanks for your response to my question. and thanks for the photo you posted. have you had any problems with your water pump or the timing chain guides?

 

Hi John,

I replaced my blown motor with a rebuilt last year and the timing chain tensioners and guides were replaced with the latest models. Water pump was also replaced when the new engine went in. The old water pump looks good still and I kept it as a spare..

 

dont pull the valve covers or you will be in for a big can of worms and expensive gaskets. Check the fluids .reset the windows ,push throttle up and down a couple of times with ign on to re set the Throttle position sensor and start it up.