Spring start-up after winter storage??? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

boxsternut · 03-09-2010, 08:31 AM

Getting ready to bring my Boxster out of winter storage as we have been blessed with higher temps in the Toronto region recently (in the 50's!!!). Are there any special procedures to do before start-up? Battery was trickle charged all winter, tires inflated to 52lbs and fuel stab. was added. Thanks for any and all input!!!
Can't wait to get driving!! Anyone else in southern Ontario doing the same?

Lil bastard · 03-09-2010, 09:10 AM

Was car left in gear? Parking Brake on? These may have siezed over the winter (it's best to leave the car in neutral and block the wheels). The motor too - rings stuck to the cylinder walls.

Best thing is to put it in gear (5th is best) and push it about 10 feet - if you don't have that much space, put the car in neutral and push it back (NEUTRAL - do NOT counter-rotate the engine), place it back in 5th and push some more until a total of 10 feet.

This will loosen any stuck parts without destroying them. The starter motor is very high torque and if you try it with the starter and something did sieze, you're gonna cause some damage.

Other than that, try to drive it a bit and refill the tank at 3/4 and 1/2 so that you continually dilute the stale fuel until it's all gone.

Cheers!

boxsternut · 03-09-2010, 11:05 AM

Thanks for the advice Lil Bastard (how'd you get that one???). It was kept in gear, with no emergency brake on. Question..."place in 5th gear and move the car forward 10 feet"...with the clutch in???

Lil bastard · 03-09-2010, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxsternut

Thanks for the advice Lil Bastard (how'd you get that one???). It was kept in gear, with no emergency brake on. Question..."place in 5th gear and move the car forward 10 feet"...with the clutch in???

Lb? Well that was the name of James Dean's ill-fated 550 Spyder - had it written across the boot as the one in my avatar which is at the James Dean Museum in Fairmont, IN - now closed as I understand it.

Yes... you're trying to rotate the drivetrain to be sure that everything is loose. 5th gear because it's the gear that gives you the best advantage... you'd have to be the Hulk to move it in 1st.

Cheers!

willd · 03-09-2010, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Other than that, try to drive it a bit and refill the tank at 3/4 and 1/2 so that you continually dilute the stale fuel until it's all gone.

Cheers!

Stale fuel.......how long does petrol (gas, sorry guys

) take to go stale?

And if it did, i'm presuming it would just be absorbing moisture from the air in the tank.....what would the symptoms be?

I'm just wondering about my own, it's been laid up in the cold months and I haven't re-fuelled, and it's idling badly....

Lil bastard · 03-09-2010, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willd

Stale fuel.......how long does petrol (gas, sorry guys

) take to go stale?

And if it did, i'm presuming it would just be absorbing moisture from the air in the tank.....what would the symptoms be?

I'm just wondering about my own, it's been laid up in the cold months and I haven't re-fuelled, and it's idling badly....

Euro gas (petrol in Brit speak) is more highly refined than US gas. Unfortunately that also means it goes off sooner - 30-35 days vs 35-60. This can be extended by using a fuel stabilizer to 3-4 months.

Moisture absoption is an issue, but the real problem is that gasoline is a very chemically unstable compound. It changes over time. Gums and varnishes (parafins) come out of solution plus the octane rating drops. When this happens, the fuel is less able to withstand compression and combusts too soon causing knock, ping and general poor starting/running.

Fortunately, is doesn't take more than a couple gallons of fresh fuel to somewhat 'revive' the old fuel making it at least capable of running the car and being burned.

Whether you use stabilizer or not, it's a good idea to keep diluting older gas by short-filling it 3 or 4 times before emptying the tank.

Cheers!

boxsternut · 03-09-2010, 03:57 PM

Thanks for the name explanation LB!!! Interesting! I will give the 5th gear move and refill the tank a few times...makes a lot of sense. This is my first time around at storing and waking as I just purchased in Sept. '09. I really like to stay aware of the technical side though!!!

Mike_Yi · 03-09-2010, 04:12 PM

Something else that is very important is to prime the engine. It's been sitting for months. Where do you think the oil is right now? On the rings? Nope. It's all in the sump.

So what you do is disconnect the coil(s) and crank it until you get a normal oil pressure reading. Unfortunately, in this car there isn't an oil pressure gauge. So you'll just have to crank it for a bit. Anything is better than just firing it up. In my Firehawk, it generally takes about 10-15 seconds of cranking to get a normal oil pressure. Since you don't have a gauge, and this motor is not a GM v-8, I'd crank it for 20-30 seconds to be sure. Then, reconnect the coil(s) and fire her up.

By disconnecting the coil, you will be preventing combustion. This will prevent putting a lot of pressure against the piston while there is no oil in the engine.

Of course, the best way to prime the engine is with a primer. On GM V-8s, you can remove the distributor (which is driven by a gear off the oil pump) and use a special tool on a drill which will spin the oil pump. I don't know if there is a way to do that on the Boxster.

McDuff · 03-24-2013, 03:46 PM

My 99 Boxter is a tiptronic not a standard 6 speed, any suggestions on best practice for spring start up?

Bobiam · 03-25-2013, 08:25 AM

A few months in storage? Personally, I'd turn the key and start it.

pidj · 01-13-2018, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobiam

A few months in storage? Personally, I'd turn the key and start it.

Thank GOD for some sanity!

This thread is unravelling into nonsense. What's next? "using a 10cc syringe place 8cc's of synthetic into each cylinder ... then put a heating pad on the motor and light some incense .."

Get in, turn the key and you're good to go.

BYprodriver · 01-13-2018, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidj

Thank GOD for some sanity!

This thread is unravelling into nonsense. What's next? "using a 10cc syringe place 8cc's of synthetic into each cylinder ... then put a heating pad on the motor and light some incense .."

Get in, turn the key and you're good to go.

Better safe than sorry, you may not get a second chance.

husker boxster · 01-13-2018, 01:52 PM

Ummmm... this is a 5 yr old thread.