Miata Mailing List: September 1994, Message #36
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   From: a.mccombs3@genie.geis.com
Subject: Looking for advice on storage
   Date: Fri, 2 Sep 1994 05:46:04 -0400

Mike Holly asks advice on winter storage.  Well, Mike, we lived in Oshkosh,
WI for ten years with our '71 Datsun 240Z, and we parked it in an unheated
garage every winter.  Pretty similar to your situation.
 
I never did anything special, other than pulling the battery out and keeping
it in the house so it wouldn't freeze after discharging.  (it doesn't take
much discharge to freeze a battery when it hits 28 below, which we saw
once.)  Other than a car cover, that's it.
 
I'd put the battery back in come spring and crank the engine with the
(manual) choke open for a while, so as not to get any significant amount of
fuel into the engine - didn't want to fire it up right away, just wanted to
get the oil pump to distribute some oil through the engine - say about 30
seconds of cranking.  Choke on, and it would fire up in just a couple
seconds.  Back it out of the garage, and drive away.
 
I suppose there are things I could have done to make life easier on the
engine and car, but I still have that same engine in the car now, and it has
about 180,000 miles on it and is just starting to reach the point where it
occasionally needs to have a quart of oil added between oil changes each
3,000 miles - it occasionally gets a quart down after 2500 - 3000 miles.
 
Antirust technology is much better than it was in '71, so a Miata might last
longer even if you drive it in the salt.  OTOH, if MN is like WI, your
insurance will probably be happy to suspend your liability for the winter
and reinstate when you call them in the spring.  They never heard of that in
MD, and as a consequence I drive the Z year round.  It had no rust at all
after 17 years, until we drove it winters for the past 5 years after moving
to MD - it rusted out to the point of needing a restoration in 2 - 3 years
of MD winter salt.
 
We drive our '90 Miata year round too, as did the previous owner, who put a
LOT of miles on it.  No rust at all after 5 years.  They make 'em better
nowadays.  Take your choice --
                                                --Jack M. & Kansei--