One area I have ignored in my preps, mostly because I am clueless, is our cars. With a long SIP they may be sitting for quite some time. For those who are more mechanically inclined than I, what should I do to help keep them running, etc. Assuming we have gas, should I run them every few days and drive them up and down the driveway a bit? Additives for gas in the cars and in cans? What other things should I stock up on just in case? DH can fix a lot of things if he has instuctions. Is there a good basic mechanics book out there we should get?
just saw - my tittle was supposed to say Car(s)! Thanks in advance!
Bump
When TSHTF, should I pour StaBil in the gas tank before I SIP, or do you have to mix it with gasoline first before pouring it in; do I have to use up all of the existing non-StaBil gas in the tank & then refill with StaBil-ized gasoline…???
I am not a mechanic but I do own several cars and one will occasionally sit for several weeks or so. I know there are procedures for putting a car in “deep storage” so to speak but I assume you may need the car during SIP so long storage is not appropriate. IMHO you should not need to start the car every few days. Perhaps every 2–3 weeks. I have not had any undo mechanical issues with my cars which often sit this long. (I have owned 3 cars in my life and kept them 16, 15 and 8 years to date driving each an average of only 6000 miles/yr with routine maintainence.)
I have another question. Does anyone know of a good manual Siphon device to get gas out of the gas tank??? I figure I may have to take gas from one car to another and if TSHTF I suppose there may be a lot of cars sitting around with gas in them.
Your battery will run down from the automatic drain from all of the electronic devices in the new cars and trucks. You will need to unhook the lead to one of the two “terminals” on your battery when letting your vehicle sit for a long time. And then rehook the lead and run the engine once a month for five minutes or so.
Replace your fan belts and timing belts if they are old.
Buy a battery-run aircompressor for your car’s tires and check the air on them every month. Some of these devices will run off of the cigarette lighter unit in your car.
Have several cans of Fix-a-Flat.
Buy a spare rim and used tire at a salvage yard, and keep it aired up too.
Buy a tire-fixing kit such as adventure tourers have that allows you to fix a flat on a tire without removing it from the rim of the tire. These are cheap and effective unless a large gash has injured the tread. It is good for small nails, etc.
Have a good manual jack so you can easily remove a tire that is beyond repair and put on your spare. Check out what came with your vehicle. Sometimes these “free” jacks are worse than useless. And the good manual jacks that you can get at Farm Stores are also good for other “lifting” applications.
Be extremely careful when driving during a pandemic. I expect hazards to be put out on the roadway so that your car or your supplies can be highjacked.
And buy a spare battery for your car now. Put it up on a shelf in your utility closet and when the pandemic starts switch out the battery in your car and get the new one fully charged and then switch back to your still good original battery. If the pandemic holds off until next winter, it will still be good for then. And, who knows, your old battery may conk out this winter, pandemic or not.
You will have to secure your vehicle inside a garage or shed. Car parts and batteries will be like gold, plus they will punch the bottom of your gas tank to get your gas as they are doing now.
Medical Maven has some good tips, but here is another that I got from an old mechanic. Clean the top of your car battery. Wash it off with a wet rag and dry it with a clean dry rag. The dirt on top of the battery can, by itself, carry enough current to drain the battery of a car that is not being used for a long period.
Cleaning the top of the battery is an easy way to save a little bit of juice and maybe save your battery.
An auto battery will loose charge sitting on the shelf as well.
I still need an answer about siphoning gas.
sacmer – at 19:01 WalMart - boating section - fuel transfer syphon for outboard motors <$10
thanks for the tips!
sacmer - I read that the way tanks are designed on newer cars it’s almost impossible to syphon gas out of them. Anyone else know?
Calandriel – at 09:18.
Because gas goes “flat” in a couple months, I’m keeping enough stabil to treat 100 gallons of gas. 2 vehicles with 25 gallon tanks and 10 5 gallon gans = 100 gallons. When tshtf I will top off the cars and fill the cans. Unless your car has been sitting idle for a few months, you don’t need to empty the out the gas that is in your car and replace with fresh gas. Driving home from the gas station should give the new gas and the gas that was in the tank plenty of agitation to mix in the stabil, IMO.
JJF @ 12:05 - I appreciate the info…I’ll get a couple more gas cans & StaBil.
Bump for LauraB’s question @ 11:38
BEFORE you disconnect your battery, make sure that your car does not require an alternate source of power to keep the electronics from losing their programming. Older model cars are not usually a problem, but some newer ones are.
Laura B. Yep, that has been stated before somewhere else, and I tried to siphon from a recent model jeep and could not. Older cars you can do this, not sure how old.
I was able to siphon about 1/2 of the tank from my 98 Dodge Dakota back when my fuel pump died. I wasn’t able to keep the siphon hose on the bottom through the tiny fill tube hole so I had to take the tank off the truck to get the other 1/2 out.
sacmer – at 19:01 --- On some vehicles, especially newer imports, the manufacturers have installed anti-siphon devices at the bottom of the fill-pipe. Usually it’s a tapered coil that keeps tubes from being inserted all the way to the bottom of the tank. You may be able to get a couple of gallons out of a full gas tank, but not all. Check with the dealer to find out if one of those coils is in your tank.
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