Spring Checklist - Help!

[DrCactus]

Hey folks, I just wanted to touch base to get an idea from everyone what their top 10 Spring things to check would be when taking their car back out from winter storage....

Thanks very much everyone as always... Happy 2017 Season !! :dance:

[pomerlo]

Looking forward to also get the Boxster out of the barn pretty soon.... :dance:

Here is my checklist .... shorter than the one I used for storage last fall tough.

- If the battery wasn't charged for the whole winter, give it a charge.
- Remove the car cover without sliding it over the paint.... accumulated dust can scratch.
- Check oil and coolant level ... any sign of leak underneath ?
- Check if tires air pressure is OK.
- Install the battery
- Start the engine without revving it .... let it warm up for 5 min.

If applies, get home and wash the car in and out ..... might be good to also clay and wax.
I also like to use the pressure washer with the curved wan and wash underneath the car to remove dust.

[mikefocke]

Brake fluid level check
Recall when last oil change done (should be before hybernation).
Drive gently for the first 5 miles as lubrication needs to circulate in the transmission and drive train too. Plus you need to grind off any surface rust on the rotors with easy stops before you need to STOP RIGHT NOW.

[Bald Eagle]

All of the above plus... DO THE HAPPY IT'S SPRING DANCE to celebrate that you finally have your beloved Boxster back on the road!!! Some fanatics adorn themselves for this dance with body paint and bells attached to the ankles to keep away all the IMS, AOS, RMS and jiggly suspension demons.

I'm practicing my dancing steps now to get in shape for the first day it's warm enough to put down the top after it comes out of storage.

Larry (the bald eagle)

[Ciao]

roll down a slight hill, just to circulate the cylinders, key off using 5th gear to get oil in cylinders then crank engine

[Anker]

Originally Posted by Ciao

roll down a slight hill, just to circulate the cylinders, key off using 5th gear to get oil in cylinders then crank engine

And how do you get it there?

[Ciao]

Originally Posted by Anker

And how do you get it there?

Roll it out of your garage.

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by Ciao

roll down a slight hill, just to circulate the cylinders, key off using 5th gear to get oil in cylinders then crank engine

This is the Manitoba, the closest 'slight hill' is in Alberta.

[Ciao]

Originally Posted by paulofto

This is the Manitoba, the closest 'slight hill' is in Alberta.

you have my sympathies; If you have friends, perhaps a tug or a push from your friends, (clutch depressed) for a few yards then release clutch might be useful.

[pomerlo]

Ciao : I dont get the point.. how turning an engine using the powertrain would be safer than using normal explosion in combustion chamber ? I even think that warming up the engine as soon as possible would even be better ?

[Ciao]

Originally Posted by pomerlo

Ciao : I dont get the point.. how turning an engine using the powertrain would be safer than using normal explosion in combustion chamber ? I even think that warming up the engine as soon as possible would even be better ?

The point is simply that it is an option to circulate oil in the cylinders before firing up an engine that has been stored for months with dry cylinders.The point is not about safety as much as it is about best practices in taking a Boxster out of a long winter storage. Warming up the engine is always suggested year-round.

[DWBOX2000]

Great year here in boston this winter. A couple of snow storms but overall really dry.
Car might have sat for a month but I've been driving a lot this winter.

I typically try to drive once a month as long as the salt is mostly gone and everything is dry.

[DrCactus]

Yeah I know what you mean Paulofto... it was -30C here in Ottawa this past weekend.

Does anyone know how long one should drive the car to make sure the battery gets a 100% charge on it... installing it after a long winter (even after manual charge) doesn't always put full charge on the battery.... how long would I need to drive the car to ensure 100% charge ?

[Anker]

DrCactus. Put a battery maintainer on the battery when it is out of the car during storage. Letting it sit and discharge ruins it.

[DrCactus]

@ Anker - I just ordered the Deltran Battery Tender Jr. 12v .75A Charger

https://fortnine.ca/en/battery-tender-junior-charger

I hope this is good one to use!

[p3230]

Eh Scott don't be in a hurry to take it out, with all the snow we had this winter I think we'll be in snow till mid April. I'm going golfing in Pennsylvania on April the 9th and coming back on the 14th and then I'll take her out. I have an appointment on the 18th at the dealer to get the oil changed and I'll get the transmission oil done as well.

[Anker]

Yup, looks good. Just hook it up to the battery and make sure the green light comes on and stays on after a while.

I had one on my battery since putting the Boxster in winter storage. I didn't remove the battery from the Box and it fired right up a few days ago.

If someone is the nervous type get the Porsche one for over $100, but it does the same job.

[Jamesp]

Clean the drains. You'll be glad you did.

[DrCactus]

@ Frank Yes good point, plus with all the salt on the road it wouldn't do the car any good taking it out too early. Its hard not to want to get it back out there though... I will give it some time to clean the salt up and I'll clean the car up in the garage to get it ready for a nice day drive. I bought the car to drive it with the top down so if the weather isn't warm enough for top down there isn't much point for me to drive it. I will have to just wait it out and hope for the nice weather to soon to come. In the mean time I will just fly my plane... I get better mileage in winter in that at least.