Power1010 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Hello All, Great forum here!! i have been researching on here for the last 6 months or so and need some help, Im going to apologize right off the bat for this lengthy post but any help would be greatly appreciated. last September 2011, i bought a 2012 Black Gt500 SVTPP and i drove it sparingly for a few months til i put it away for the winter. I live in Canada and my commute to work is 125 Km both ways(78 miles i believe) and imo it just isn't worth it to make it a daily driver. So its a weekend toy. However since i put it in storage i haven't touched it, i have read on here on how to properly store a car for the winter so many times that i have those threads memorized. Now i want to take it out of storage but i'm afraid since i have never stored a car. I'm not sure what to expect when i finally sit in it once again and turn the key, i have searched and forgive me if i missed it but i cant find a thread on how to properly take a car out of storage. my car is stored in a garage, on anti fatigue mats with a ctek trickle charger attached, full tank of gas and since it is so new the original oil from when i bought the car is still in it, as of now it has about 800 km's on it or so. it hasn't been started in about 6 months, at the beginning before i had the ctek charger i would start it and let it run for 20 mins or so but i found that just wasted the fuel and drained the battery. So i read on here to just connect it and forget it til the time comes to drive it again. so i followed that advice but now i am worried as to what i need to do to get it on the road again. i just had a baby boy, (three months old yesterday actually) and this is something i intend on keeping and passing on to him one day, that is if he enjoys cars as much as i do it took me a lot of years to be able to afford this car and i have gone through many cars hoping they would scratch that Shelby itch i've had for so long, but nothing ever came close. Now that it is a reality i don't want the experience to get ruined because of something i am doing wrong when i could have saved myself a lot of heart ache and just asked. so sorry for the long first post, i am a veteran member on many other forums and i know it gets people angry when a "noob" comes in asking dumb questions lol!! as i said any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks and God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boidster Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 If it were mine, I'd check the tire pressure and fluids, start it up, drive it home, change the oil, and give it a good wash & wax. That's it. And really, the oil is probably OK, but I tend to be pretty anal about the oil in my cars. Drive the hell out of it during the summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power1010 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks for the reply Boidster, i really dont need to drive it home, i should have said it was in my garage i had planned on taking it to a close by Ford dealership to get the oil changed and have them check the car over. it's a non svt dealership though if that makes any difference. since it hasn't been started in 6 months, how long should i let it run before actually driving it away? this is my first car with a supercharger so dont really know what needed to be done, i have had turbo's on 3 other cars but never had a S\C before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71sixpack Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 When I pulled mine of storage I turned the key to ON position and let the fuel pump power up a couple seconds before starting. In my case I didn't use a trickle charger and had to jump it. Fired right up and let it idle for about 5 minutes before I drove it. I also verified tire pressure before driving around. Before even trying to start it I installed a JLT Oil Separator on the Passenger side and installed Jaeger Bros front splash guards. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecrissman Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 I agree with the above. 6months really isnt that long. Wouldnt suprise me if some sat that long at a dealership without being started. If it had sat longer than that then i would consider a re- commission process where you add a squirt of marvins oil in each cylinder, and do an oil change before starting. Six months not that big a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power1010 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks for the replies so far gents, so do you think starting it up and driving it down to my local ford dealership (non SVT) is safe then? i was just concerned that cause it sat for a whole winter without fluids moving through out it that things might have dried up and cause issues while driving, like i said never stored a car before always drove whatever car i owned everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71sixpack Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Is the non-SVT dealer using the right oil? I believe the Shelby is the only current Ford using 5W-50. The non-SVT dealer may not carry it in stock. You don't want it filled with the 5W-20 from the drum that they use for the other cars. if they don't have the right oil buy 7qts of the correct full Synthetic 5W-50 and bring it with you for them to put in. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power1010 Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks Joe, i will be sure they carry and use the correct oil, hell maybe i should just learn to do it myself!! last thing i want though is for them to pull some sort of Warranty BS down the line if something happens and they relate back to me doing my own oil changes. Thanks for all your help today guys, i will start her up this weekend and see how it goes. if anyone else however does have anything to add or feels something has been missed, please feel free to chime in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCD Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 Get some fresh gas in it before you hit the boost too much... 6 month old gas can and probably will loose a few octane points... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boidster Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 You shouldn't really need to idle it for long at all. Modern engines don't require a real "warm up" period like old engines did (my other Mustang's 289 is almost undrivable in cool weather until it's had a couple of minutes to warm up). Give it 30-60 seconds and be on your way. The oil is going to get everywhere it needs to be just moments after the engine starts. Just stay off the boost as OCD said, until you can fill up with fresh gas. Thanks Joe, i will be sure they carry and use the correct oil, hell maybe i should just learn to do it myself!! DO IT! It's not a difficult job at all, and it gives you a chance to crawl under your car and see what's up. Not much to see for the first 20K miles, probably, but I always like to check suspension parts, exhaust, etc. when I'm under there. Plus I know exactly how much oil (and what color - black is fine, but grey or milky can be bad) I got out of it, exactly what type of oil and how much I put into it, that the drain plug or the oil filter isn't cross-threaded, etc. (I don't mean to scare you; 99% of the time oil changes at a dealer will go fine. As I said, I'm just anal.) You won't catch any crap on warranty issues due to doing your own oil changes. Unless you put 5w20 or something crazy like that in there. You can use Castrol or Mobil 1 5w50 synthetic and be fine. Or buy the Motorcraft stuff from the dealer. I keep a little 3x5 or so flip notebook in all my cars and document each oil change (or other work). If you can show them that you've been changing the oil regularly, they aren't going to bicker about not bringing it in to a dealer. Definitely use either a Motorcraft filter or a quality 3rd-party filter like Amsoil or Pureone or Wix. If you put Fram on that car you're dead to me. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71sixpack Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Did my own oil change after pulling it out of storage, easy as pie. I was surprised at all the inspection marks under the car. I thought that went away in the 60's when everything was done by hand, not with modern torque set power tools at modern factories. God help anyone trying to recreate the factory marks 30 years from now. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal_driver Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 I take it real easy for the first few miles to let the tires regain their shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boidster Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 I take it real easy for the first few miles to let the tires regain their shape. Actually, above about 130MPH, centripetal force will round out those tires in just a few moments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose17 Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Storage... I have an 89 GT convertible that was in storage for 3 years while I was stationed abroad in the military. It was up on jacks and the storage facility would start it and run it periodically. I had a couple problems upon recommissioning. Keep in mind it was an 89 stored from 98-01. First off, since they started and ran it a bit once in awhile, but never got it up to speed and higher RPMs, water pooled in the mufflers and rusted both of them out. And the other problem was the seals on the engine dried out a bit and contracted. The car leaked oil around the valve cover gaskets and rear main bearing. With a newer car and shorter storage periods, you shouldn't have any problems for some time. If it were my car though, I'd be tempted to get it out once a month or so on a nice day and drive it. Mechanical things do not like to sit around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power1010 Posted May 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks for all the replies gents, Very Very much appreciated!!! I fully plan on getting it out of storage (the garage) by June 1st. my other issue is, i want to start it and back it out of the garage so i can at least wash it but i think after letting it sit 6 or so month and only starting it up to back it out, it would only be on for maybe 3-5 mins of idling and backing her up and then shutting her down again. i'm guessing this isn't a good call? should I just take it and get the oil changed and then take it home to wash? this sounds like the better idea. I guess i should look for a DIY on this board for changing the your own oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boidster Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Don't stress about backing it up to wash it. You'll be fine. The car is so new, and 6 months really isn't that long, you can more or less treat it like it's only been in there a week. The toughest moment, from the engine's point of view, will be the initial start-up, but there is nothing to worry about there. The Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) cylinder lining is extremely durable and low-friction, and your engine internals are brand new so there's just not much to worry about. As for a DIY oil change, here's a good writeup (with pictures) on another forum. Some comments on that guy's method: I'm a fan of the closed-top oil drain pans like this (but you want one that is 8 quarts or more), rather than the open pan he used; the closed ones have a screen in the top which lets oil into the container, but catches the drain plug if you drop it. You can probably borrow the oil filter wrenches (he shows two kinds) from a local parts store; you should not need them after the first oil change. Apparently they torque the filter on really tight at the factory, but you should not need that much force. They're not too expensive if you just want to buy one to have on hand. You also could probably borrow the torque wrench, and they can show you how to use it if you're not familiar. I don't even use a torque wrench on the oil drain plug - I just get it "good and tight" - but I probably should considering I own one and it's right there in the toolbox. Definitely get the nitrile gloves. Probably can find them at any Wal-Mart pharmacy, or Home Depot (I buy 'em 500 pairs at a time from Costco). I use those things all the time around the house and especially when working on the cars. Saves cleanup time. I'd recommend a dropcloth if you care about stains on the driveway/garage. Especially your first time, you might get surprised by the places oil will squirt, drip, and splatter. Don't wear any clothes that you want to keep. It's not usually a very messy job, but it is your first time. Old flight suits from a military surplus store are excellent for working on cars. He's using home-built wooden ramps, which are great if you have the tools to build them; otherwise you can use plastic ramps like these. I have some like that and the GT500's front just clears them when going up. Don't get ramps that are too steep, or the front end will scrape. Double-check that you replaced the drain plug and filter before pouring in new oil. I've gotten as far as 3 quarts before noticing the expanding puddle of fresh oil on the ground. But then, I'm an idiot. :fool: Finally, it might be a good idea to find a friend who does his/her own oil changes and have a second set of eyes there the first time. It's a really, really simple job to do, but it could be unnerving if you've never worked on cars and your first time is with your Shelby dream car! Ask me about drilling holes in my brand new GT500 to mount some gas hood struts. :o I had second and third thoughts before I bit the bullet! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power1010 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Thank you so much Boidster and everyone who replied, i will let you know how it goes hopefully this weekend she gets a wash and next weekend oil change on the road!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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