Mothballing a Carb/MPFi Car

Preamble
It’s that time of the year when most car owners go away on holidays abroad for extended periods and are rightly concerned about the well being of their cars while they’re away.

In the following para’s, therefore, I’ve tried to put in some do’s and don’t if one has to shut down one’s car for extended periods.

(A) Short Term - one to two months

1. Consume fuel in the Tank upto ‘E’ level and then fill up 10-lrs of ‘Speed’ type detergent pre-mixed petrol from a reliable Pump, or equivalent diesel for that matter for a diesel car. Run the Car for at least 20-25 kms prior to shutting it down.

2. Inflate all the 5 Wheels to (+) 20% of recommended tyre pressure, using a reliable Gauge.

3. Find a secure, covered and well-ventilated place to park it in. If not possible, then securely put on a good quality car-cover over it, after completing the following.

4. Do not switch off the engine till the radiator fan comes on at least twice. DO NOT ‘RACE’ THE ENGINE’ BEFORE SW OFF. JUST TURN OFF THE KEY AFTER THE RF HAS STOPPED RUNNING FOR THE SECOND TIME.

5. DON’T engage the Hand Brake. Put it into I/Rev gear and if necessary, ‘chock’ the front rear wheels with a couple of bricks.

6. Make sure there are no perishables like food/debris in the Cabin. Sprinkle a generous amount of Naphthalene/mothballs all over/under the Seats and inside the Glove Compartment. Roll-up all the Windows completely

7. Disconnect and remove the Battery for storage at another place where it can be periodically ‘trickle-charged’, say, over night once a week. Or else, be prepared to have a permanently dead battery on your hands upon return.

8. Disconnect Electrical Power Supply to the chosen parking area, if any.

(B) Long Term - more than two months

Procedure essentially as above, but with following major ADDITIONS :

1. With the Engine Cold, before first start, take out ~ 0.5 to 0.75 lrs of Coolant/mixture from the Overflow bottle/radiator and replace with equal amount of fresh/pure coolant. This to increase its concentration to ~ 50% during long-term storage to prevent rust formation in the Cooling System.

2. Upon return to the Secure Parking area, after sw off the engine as above, remove all the Spark plugs, squirt at least two tbs pure engine oil into each cylinder and crank the starter a few revs. Put back the SPs normally/finger tight. This is to prevent rust formation within the cylinders.

3. Hoist all the four road wheels one by one and put a sturdy metal ‘ghodi’ under each wheel at a suitable place, to raise them at least 1″ above ground. These cost ~ Rs: 150/- each and are a good investment for all times to come. This will save the tyres from permanent damage at their road contact area.

(C) Re-Start after Storage.

1. Check the Coolant/Engine Oil/Brake fluid levels and Tyre pressures. Restore all, as required. Get the 4 - Wheels on ground one by one, if jacked for long term.

2. Install a fully charged Battery/check Battery Terminals for any Sulphation. If noticed, clean them first with hot water/fine emery paper and reconnect properly.

3. Look underneath to check whether it’s dropped any fluids noticeably. If so, then after topping up/starting, take it to your Garage if ‘road worthy’.

4. Shift to neutral, engage Parking Brake fully and turn the key to ‘Ingn on’ position BUT don’t crank the Starter.

5. Upon doing so, in an Mpfi some earlier Carb Cars, you should be able to hear the Elect Fuel Pump come on for a few secs and then go off with a ‘click’. Soon after this, give it a ‘longish’ crank. If your Battery is healthy and the fuel lines aren’t clogged, the Car should fire w/o any problem.

6. For a Carb Car, follow the ‘Cold Start’ instns given in your Owners Handbook.

7. Once it fires in first/second attempt, let it run on it’s own without revving it up atleast for a couple on minutes, to let it stabilise and above all, ensure that sufficient engine oil has reached all the nooks and corners in the engine.

8. Hereafter, you can drive off gently for the first couple of Kms, depending on your Tyre pressures etc as above.

9. In case your Battery has flattened out - DON’T attempt to push start any Mpfi Car as it won’t start that way and in the process, you can damage its Catcon. Call your Garage to come with a healthy Battery and ‘jump-start’ Cables to do the needful.