Hey folks,

I am going on a working holiday overseas (12+months). Short of asking someone to take my mini for a spin every once in a while, I have decided to put it in my uncles garage for the time I am away.

QUESTION:
I have heard all sorts of things about long term storage, such as raise it off the tires to completely filling the engine with motor oil. Are these "old wives tales"? or are there certain things I should look at doing to ensure my mini starts up when I return to Aus?

Cheers,
Lachy

Yes, lift the weight off the tyres (prevents flat spots).
I wouldn't fill the engine with oil, but make sure the correct level is there and be prepared to change it + filter before you restart it afterwards.

When I did a similar thing with a motorbike while living O/S, I was advised to either fill the petrol tank right up or add about 5-10% Methylated spirits (which is hygroscopic so attracts and absorbs moisture) rather than leave the tank empty or worse still - partially empty. Again, you need to be prepared to drain and flush before starting.

Whilst there is some advantage in keeping the car running and the fluids and seals circulating and lubricated, the logistics of this may not be worth it.

KB

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Here's what I would do if not driving a car and not accessing it for 12 months +:

1. Get the car serviced, so grease all the joints, change the oil, and make sure the brake fluid and engine coolant are in good order with correct colour to them.

2. Get the wheels off the ground. Whether you raise the car on stands or put some old wheels on it that are allowed to go flat doesnt really matter. If the wheels come off the car, get some protectant on there if you can and get them out of the light.

3. Disconnect and remove the battery.

4. Fill the tank with (bp preferred) high octane fuel, or have it nearly empty. Don't use shell or ethanol crap, I've heard tales of tanks rusting out with cheaper fuels after storage.

5. Roll the windows down a bit, and put some sponge in there if worried about dust or critters. This will allow the interior to breathe a bit incase there's any moisture.

6. Put a cover over the car to keep dust and possible sunlight to a minimum.

12 months is not a long while, but-
I would definitely change the oil and filter- if you leave old oil in the motor/gearbox the acids in it will etch the bearings and layshaft in the gearbox.
I once had to change every bearing in a stored unit because of this (mind you it was stored by the PO for years).
I would also get an oil can and squirt some oil in thru the plug holes.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

If that's the gearbox we're both thinking of.... The oil was only about 10 miles old (changed it at home before delivery to storage location). And the car was stored for just over 4 years.

I bought a new battery (gave the old one away before leaving), replaced the storage tyres (which really didn't seem to suffer much anyway), rolled the engine over until it had oil pressure, whacked the fuel pump which was proving little recalcitrant and it fired up.

We did a few test miles and it passed NSW roadworthy the next day. I had Kev redo the box because I did it myself a few years before putting it in storage and it never worked as well as I wanted.

12 months is no big deal. As already suggested; fill the tank, change the oil, remove the battery, take the load off the tyres (or fit old ones) and leave in dark dry shed.

Cheers, Ian

Ian,
Nope I was talking about the Mini-K box that went into Barney, not yours.
The 1293A+ motor was in an 850 I bought- it had been rebuilt by Warwick Agustin years before, driven for a few years, then parked under a tarp for years with dirty oil in it.
I totally stripped the box and replaced every bearing. But the motor was fine, it replaced the 1098 + rodchange that was in Barney when bought.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

leave me the keys

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn...that was fun!"

Remove battery from car completely, sell or give it to someone who needs it. Buy a new one when you come back. Battery will be a throw away when you return if left in car. Spray battery box and terminals with INOX. Great protector.

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DID I MENTION THAT I AM THE BEST SUPPLIER FOR MINI ELECTRICAL PARTS AND REPAIRS?
"Let us remove your "SHORTS"

The best place to store your automobile is out of the weather, preferably inside a building that's cool, dark, and dry. If you don't have a garage, look into renting one. Prior to putting the vehicle into storage, a few precautions will help keep it in good shape. Sometimes, storage facility do it for you. Like, I do rent out self storage in Darlinghurst for my car and they do pre-storage tasks with my car before keeping it in storage.

Have someone start it every week and drive it round the block every 4th week , everything stays nice and free n lubed...

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66mini van,77 clubby,78 LS1275,60sRoundy.

I'd say he's back form holidays now.. it was almost two years ago!

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hahaah