I recently gave my son my '97 Accord (2.7 liter V-6) with 115,000 miles on it. He's going to Iraq for 9-12 months or so, and I was thinking that if he were to put some Sta-Bil in the tank after he tops it off and run it for 20 minutes or so that it would make a huge difference when he returns. Anything else other than maybe disconnecting the battery and putting up those window shades? He's on the west coast and I'm on the east coast so it's not like I can stop by every two months or so the run/drive it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dave.

 

Stabil or heat would help to keep water from building up in the tank. Also, there are varied opinions on this but putting a few squirts of some oil or wd-40 into the cylinders to make sure nothing rusts wouldn't hurt but you'd want to change the spark plugs when he gets home. Disconnect the battery as you stated and either leave it in the car or store it somewhere (not on a concrete floor)... When I left I honestly didn't do anything and just had my car sold about 9 months into my tour, (pontiac at the time) I was told it started just fine. What I would probably do is buy a cover for it, put some heat/stabil into the tank, run a bit into the motor, disconnect the battery and leave it. Then if you want to be really safe when he comes home squirt a little wd-40 into each cylinder and let it sit for a few hours to help break up any possible rust. Put the battery on a trickle charge for those two hours that it's sitting, re-connect the battery and fire it up. Also, make sure the gas tank is full before he leaves.


However, to be completely honest with you, when he returns I highly doubt he'll want to do any of that, most likely what will happen is he'll get home and want to do something so he'll hook up the battery and start the car (which is probably fine) and not worry about doing any of that other stuff. This typically happens for two reasons 1) you save a bunch of money while you're there 2) you're less concerned about hurting your car and more concerned about getting re-situated.

Hope this helps, fire off any other questions you have! What branch is he? what's his job?

 

I vote for StaBil rather than a simple gas-dryer. More chemical changes can happen to ruin gas over long storage so it's not just water you're worried about.

If it's parked somewhere that animals can get to it, he should cover the openings for the air intake & stuff like that. Mice just love to chew up the air filter element.

I'd have him change oil just before leaving. Oil becomes corrosive as it's used (combustion gases, etc) so fresh oil will help prevent corrosion inside the engine.

Pump up the tires to 45psi or whatever is the maximum on the sidewall of the tire. That'll help prevent flat-spotting from sitting in the same position for a year.

Mosly 9 months is borderline for this stuff being needed. Just covering the possibility that it turns into 18 or 24 months.

 

Thanks for the help guys. That's kinda what I thinking, I appreciate it.

My son's in the USMC, a PFC working currently at Mirimar, California on the jets as an electronics technician.

 

x2 on Sta-bil, disconnecting the battery and the car cover. Instead of filling the tank, I'd run it down to 1/8 full. Less gas means less gas to degrade. 45psi is above the rating of the tires, but the concept is sound ..... I'd say 40psi. As noted, the oil change is a good idea as well as a tranny fluid change. I'd probably flush the radiator as well so it has new coolant (use the yellow premix kind to avoid minerals from the water).

A good maintenance item that is easy and usually overlooked; silicone spray the weatherstrips on the doors. This will prevent corrosion or freezelocking the door. I never considered it, but the WD40 idea through the spark plug holes is a good suggestion too, just remember to get an oil change when he returns because the WD40 will seep through the rings if enough is sprayed in and degrade the oil. If you do this and intend to replace the plugs when he returns, leave the primary lead off of the coil as a reminder that it needs an oil change and new plugs. Also, buy the plugs and leave them on the passanger seat ..... maybe the oil and filter too.

Oh yeah .... clean the top of the battery, especially around the terminals with baking soda and water to neutralize any acid that may be there. Coat terminals with dielectric grease or rust inhibitor grease.


Much respect to your son!!! I and many others here are willing to go out of our way for our service men and women. Let me/us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.