Hi there,

I live in northern Canada and I plan to park my car for the winter, from October until May. The temperatures here reach
a balmy - 20 to -30C for a minimum of 3 months and we get 1.5 - 2 meters of snow. I am building a garage for it but the
garage won't be heated. Besides putting it up on stands, antifreeze and giving her a warm blanky is there anything else
I need to do. I don't think the car was built with a block heater in mind. :-)

Thanks,

Tom

 

Hey there I am from the right coast I have been storing cars in Canadian winters for a long time. Here's what I do:

Jack stands
Battery tender ----- very important to get a decent one.
Make sure coolant is good for low temps ( we rarely get below -20c around here )
Put fuel stabilizer in when between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank then fill the tank to the brim and drive for a few miles to make sure it's well mixed and circulated.

(There is some controversy about filling the tank if there is a lot of ethanol in your local gas. Thankfully there is ZERO around here).

There are threads about this if you can make the search function work for you

Mine always start right up in spring with no issues

 

Ozbot,

As Barry suggested there are threads on what to do. One example below.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...rtible-194289/
However Cobratom said he had a semi-heated garage though.

A few other thoughts
+1 to Barry's suggestion and I would find a non-ethanol fuel and fill her up to the cap with an added fuel stabilizer.
Beware frozen rubber ie windscreen wipers could stick to the glass.
I would also put bait traps to stop any rodents that find their way inside your garage.
Hand brake off

I would also try to find the time to visit the car periodically and run the engine just to keep the car "alive." Otherwise you may have to do a full service prior to the summer release, regardless of mileage.

There are other threads too on how to bring a car out of deep hibernation.

 

There is a block heater available for the Jaguar V8. This is from JTIS:




During development, Jaguar based their XK8 winter test program at Timmins, Ontario.

Graham

 

+1 on the rodent baits, change your oil when you get back to the garage after the final gasoline fill, condition the leather thoroughly, wash the wheels before the last drive as you want the rotors dry before storage, wash the car body and dry it if covering (not recommended if stored indoors), the block heater is unnecessary if the vehicle is not to be used.

avoid starting the car. one season will not affect anything. simply run the air conditioning on the last drive home.

i have mixed feelings as of late regarding jack stands. i have seen even full frame vehicles flex over time if not supported at the axle planes. this is not possible for these cars due to the aluminum cradle and control arms. it is better to inflate the tires to their maximum pressure. there is a company called Fit Rite that makes universal fit hard rubber and steel storage wheels for this purpose. it is an interesting concept. most auto body repair shops and restorers can order them for you.

 

In our cold climate I would strongly advise NOT to start the car during winter storage. It becomes almost impossible to fully warm it up and the various forms of condensate produced can be harmful.

I forgot about the oil change. It's very important as well. One of the best things about synthetic oils is that they don't absorb as much moisture as regular oil.

Use your own judgement and experience regarding vermin traps. It's not an issue around here but it might be in BC and rats an mice can really do a number on hoses and interiors

 

That advice really applies regardless of climate and storage conditions. Even in a warm climate the car needs to be driven for a while to burn off any condensation.

 

Thanks for your advice and suggestions. I never had to worry about this issue before since my other vehicles have
always had the block heaters installed and were year round drivers, even my 1980 trans am only gets plugged in and
tarped for winter. Starting the car up during the winter doesn't sound like a good idea but I'm thinking of insulating and
putting vapor barrier in the garage and adding a couple electric heaters to keep the edge off. The battery tender seems
like a good idea as does the fuel stabilizer and I'll definitely do that. Field mice can be a problem here and I always have
some extra traps at the ready. If not I have a job for the old ladies cat. :-) Having read Grahams post I see that the car
can be equipped with a block heater. Do you folks think it's worth doing and plugging her in for the really cold months?
The old girl has never seen sub zero temperatures before and I'm sure it will be a shock to the system., I just don't want
it to kill her.

Best Regards,

Tom

 

The biggest problem with long-term storage for these cars (especially the older ones) is that the fuel pumps tend to die. That is why you may want to consider starting and running the engine periodically....

 

The block heater is not required if your coolant ( anti-freeze ) is up to spec. Check your coolant and make sure that it's rated to approximately your lowest mean temperature. Also remember that even if it drops below that for a while , the coolant will not usually freeze HARD until substantially lower than that. This would be the least of my concerns. If it does get really cold also make sure to have winter ( -45c ) windshield wash in your tank and the lines or they may freeze and burst.

It is easier and cheaper to replace a fuel pump than deal with internal engine or emissions system damage caused by unevaporated condensation. Unless you are willing to run the car long enough and fast enough to fully evaporate all condensation , I would strongly advise NOT to start the car.

If you cover your car in the garage , use an interior grade car cover which basically just keeps off dust and dirt. A tarp may lead to unwanted condensation as the temperature fluctuates over the season.

Speaking from a 40 year career in building science ; don't bother with vapour barrier if you decide to insulate your garage. The interior sheathing is sufficient since nobody is actually living in there and producing a daily moisture load.

My car is stored from when the first salt hits the road ( usually late October - early November ) until we have a really good rain after the last salt is applied ( late April - early May ). It always starts just the same as if I drove it the day before

 

Hi Barry,

Thanks for your advice. Sounds like we get basically the same winters, too long and too cold. I have
friends here from Corner Brook and they say it's worth the time to drive across Canada to see the rock.
I'm not going to start the car during the winter. I'd have to run it idling for quite a while to get her up to
normal operating temperature and taking it out for a drive with 2 meters of snow is impossible. Some days
we get snow falls deep enough to bury the car. Good call on the vapor barrier. The only time anyone will
be in the shed is when I go check on the car and shovel the roof. Thank again to everyone who has taken
the time to help me out.

Tom

 

I have no choice but to leave my XKR outside under a "monsoon" car cover during winter lay up. In addition to the battery tender, fuel stabiliser, oil change etc I also put a condensation trap/dehumidifier in the passenger footwell and boot. After 4 months or so of storage they are usually half full of water. I also give a good spray of insect killer inside the cabin before final door close. Stops all the creepy crawlies multiplying and damaging the headlining etc. Finally inflate tyres to 40 psi (check monthly).

So far after 10 years of this she always starts first time and the interior is dry and pest free.


Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the idea about the pest control. Will look into it and do.
Not much for bugs around here. Most die off in the winter freeze.
My friends are the worst pests, always asking to take my car out for
a drive. :-) Moisture won't be an issue. I've been a carpenter for over
35 years so I'll be able to build a water proof / snow proof garage without
to many problems.

Best Regards,

Tom

 

Hi Tom

Jealous

Wish I could do that here. Draconian planning restrictions sadly prevent it.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

That's to bad. I hate it when dumb laws get in the way of good ideas.
Not a problem though. I can build a double garage and you can store
it on this side of the pond for the winter.

 

You could help keep your fuel pump from dying during storage by running the pump now and then, (using the Jump Wire Method).
Or do something more permanent like Paul Pavlik (fuel pump foibles) on page two..

No need to start the engine or turn the ignition on to run the pump when using the jump wire method.

 

I was just revisiting this thread as I am going to be parking the car for the winter at the end of the month. After
rereading WhiteHats comments about jack stands and possible flexing of the aluminum cradle and control arms
I was wondering if it would be better to get 4 screw jacks and raising the car up at the jacking points so that the
tires are just touching the ground. This would take the load off the suspension etc but would long term storage,
5 - 6 months, with the screw jacks at these points cause other damage? Any ideas or comments would be most
welcome.

 

cars are meant to sit on their wheel or at least the axle planes. it is not that the subframe and control arms will flex but that the body rails could possibly as there would be a lot of weight cantilevering from the rocker panel jacking points.

inflate the tires to the maximum pressure and it will be fine. i have stored cars on their wheels for over a decade without issue. in one case on the wheels with wooden blocks instead of tires. the suspension springs wear through use not constant bearing of weight. lookup cyclic stress/failure if you are curious.

rodents are the bigger nightmare and do not put a car away wet.

 

Ozbot,

Thought I'd through in another tip I learned many years ago, and have personally found to be very effective for winter storage. Dryer fabric softener sheets, are an excellent deterrent against rodents, they HATE the smell! Consensus of those that do this find "Bounce" fabric softener dryer sheets work wonderfully.
I have tried this in several vehicles over the years that see summer only use. I'll put them in the engine bay, interior, and in the boot. never once have I found rodent feces, nests, or chewed wires in my vehicles, still use them in my XKR during winter storage. The odor is very low, and the "outdoor fresh" scent is refreshing after a winters hibernation

Cheers, BK

 

Years ago I stored my Saab 900 in a ramshackle metal building while assigned overseas with the army. At the time it was recommended by local farmers to put Exlax chews in the engine compartment to keep mice and rats away.

Upon my return 2.5 years later there was zero rodent damage. Turns out I had other issues but nothing I could blame on pests.