Plug Your Pipes - Winter Storage
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 336
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Plug Your Pipes - Winter Storage
Learned a lesson this past weekend and wanted to share it with everyone. So my truck is stored away for the winter months in the upstairs of our barn. Now to give you a picture of our barn you could almost move into it because we keep it so clean. No animals, just our toys and work equipment. My truck has been sitting for 3 weeks now and I start it every few weeks over winter to keep the engine fresh. So I fired her up Saturday and walked around to the passenger side to find about a pound of acorns laying on the ground. A chipmunk had been storing them in one exhaust pipe for a winter stash. The lesson learned is always plug any holes on your trucks if it's in storage for long periods of time, whether it be exhausts, frames, carbs, etc.
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,587
Likes: 47
From: Eagle River, AK
For me, it was the opposite time of year that I noticed the issue. Due to my truck still being a "Project" and we always have a crazy, busy summer with kids in sports, family engagements and camping/fishing/hunting that I do not have much time at all to work on the truck during this time. Well, this fall, when I pulled the truck out of the back yard and crawled under it to take a look at things, I found 6 bee/yellow jacket/hornets hives that had started and one that was a little bigger than a cantaloupe and was active during the summer months. Luckily they were not active when I crawled under to look around.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,186
Likes: 5,792
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
I had the same issue with the son in laws "Razor" being stored at my place. So I start it the other day and grind grind grind, oh crap what was that.
There was a ton of acorns that had been put down the belt drive box vent tube by them furry little buggers..had to take the belt box off and wow what a mess in there. Just acorns, NO furry buggers, it now has a wire/screen over it.
Mice in my trucks....I use those rotate and lock open live catch traps and peanut butter.
There was a ton of acorns that had been put down the belt drive box vent tube by them furry little buggers..had to take the belt box off and wow what a mess in there. Just acorns, NO furry buggers, it now has a wire/screen over it.
Mice in my trucks....I use those rotate and lock open live catch traps and peanut butter.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,698
Likes: 7
From: Taxachusetts
If I could get the leaves out from the cowl and vents....not to mention the yaller jacket nests....This time of year it's not so bad with the bees, the nests can be grabbed out but the cats like the warm engine. Cat hair city all over the engine bay...but no wee critters.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,099
Likes: 8
From: York, Pa
I pulled a radiator out the other day I wanted use and it was full of mouse poison. At least I know where my poison got to.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,140
Likes: 13
From: Port Orchard Wa
PA74250 Just noticed you're from York. Grew up there. Mom and Dad are still in the West York/Shilo area. Sometimes I miss the rolling hills and farm land, but never the 98% humidity.......
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other.
It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other.
It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 885
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh
I use the following steps to do winter storage for my Mustang:
New oil change just before storage
Plug pipes with rags
Remove windshield wipers (rubber corrodes and leaves lines on windshield)
Fill up tank with high octane
Stabil in the fuel tank
Relieve fuel pressure
Disconnect negative battery cable (or put on a float charger)
I know some guys will also park on a large plastic tarp and then fold the ends up into the doors and what not so that critters can't crawl up underneath. Mine sits in a non-temp controlled garage though, so no critters to worry about.
Really no reason to "start it up every once in a while" if you store it correctly. Just an idea. It is tough to have a project truck that isn't quite "stored" but doesn't get much use.
New oil change just before storage
Plug pipes with rags
Remove windshield wipers (rubber corrodes and leaves lines on windshield)
Fill up tank with high octane
Stabil in the fuel tank
Relieve fuel pressure
Disconnect negative battery cable (or put on a float charger)
I know some guys will also park on a large plastic tarp and then fold the ends up into the doors and what not so that critters can't crawl up underneath. Mine sits in a non-temp controlled garage though, so no critters to worry about.
Really no reason to "start it up every once in a while" if you store it correctly. Just an idea. It is tough to have a project truck that isn't quite "stored" but doesn't get much use.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Good ideas there. You guys make me paranoid thinking about some of that stuff. Those little critters have flashlights, how the hell can they see anything all the way into a combustion chamber from the tailpipe?
Put a checklist on the drivers seat .. Lockout tags... (so you (or someone else) can remember to undo everything do'ed before startup.)
Put a checklist on the drivers seat .. Lockout tags... (so you (or someone else) can remember to undo everything do'ed before startup.)
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,099
Likes: 8
From: York, Pa
PA74250 Just noticed you're from York. Grew up there. Mom and Dad are still in the West York/Shilo area. Sometimes I miss the rolling hills and farm land, but never the 98% humidity.......
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other. It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other.
It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.
Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 17,708
Likes: 136
From: Calgary
My kitty cats have a few boyfriends that I let to set up in the shop, no mice or worse yet, skunks. See the skunk in the front yard but theres no sign of it in the back and theres always a tomcat or 2 in the shop, seems to be working just fine as both kitties are fixed.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
From: Amarillo TX
So this intrigues me, how about a picture of said barn.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,674
Likes: 16
From: Ideeho
PA74250 Just noticed you're from York. Grew up there. Mom and Dad are still in the West York/Shilo area. Sometimes I miss the rolling hills and farm land, but never the 98% humidity.......
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other. It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.
Had some critters in my garage get into the dog food and store it in the top end of my shop vac. Pulled the vac out one day to clean up the car, turned it on, and blew dog food from one end of the garage to the other.
It's funny now but i was not a happy camper at the time.My 96 F350 Powerstroke sat all one winter. Never moved. Went to use it the next spring fired it up and drove off.....BUT.......had no power and smoked like crazy........found that our friendly neighborhood mice had packed the intake duct full of dog food from the grille to the air filter....LOL
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