Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Colin_B on 19 October 2008, 13:14:31
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Hi - I need to lay up my V6 Omega for about 1-2 years. I inherited the car from my Dad and it is in top condition and want to keep it that way. I will be storing it in a dry, insulated garage. Any advice on how to prep the car for this?
Thanks, Colin.
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I would store it on axle stands and put cover over it.Starting it now and again would help.
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Grease up any cables and linkages. Leave handbrake off. If manual operate clutch on a regular basis to prevent siezing of friction and pressure plate. Disconnect battery. Slacken off spark plugs.Give breather system thorough clean :y
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.............and grease / WD40 up all wires, bolts and brake pipes under the car :y
In addition to keeping the car jacked on blocks as already suggested, I would remove the road wheels to keep the weight off all running components. :y
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I personally would change the oil just before too :y
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Good tips here .. ::
http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/classic_car_layup.htm
http://www.thevintagecar.co.uk/StoringLayingUpVintageCar.html
When I used to have to stick my motors in storage for extended periods (up to 6 months) I found the tips here very useful .. :)
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if youve got alloys then i would coat them in old fashioned car wax but dont polish it off, also useful on chromework.
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Thanks for all the good advice - hopefully it can't come to too much harm in a dry garage.
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I would store it on axle stands and put cover over it.Starting it now and again would help.
I disagree. Change the oil and filter before laying it up, as said, give it a short run afterwards but don't be tempted to run it at all until it's ready to go back on the road. Running an engine without driving it will just rot the exhaust and build up corrosive acids in the engine.
Remove the battery while it's laid up and give it a charge every 2 months or so.
I would leave the petrol tank as close to empty as possible and when putting it back on the road fill it with a couple of jerry cans of super unleaded as any fuel that was left in it will need diluting with the good stuff.
Not leaving the handbrake applied is sound advice.
Make sure the coolant is in top condition (I'd flush it and refill) because it will get colder than a car that's driven regularly, and corrosion will still take place if the coolant isn't inhibiting it.
Might be worth getting a tub of desiccant granules and leaving it in the interior to prevent it getting damp.
EDIT: Oh, and give it a thorough clean, wax polish the bodywork and perhaps give the underside a coat of waxoyl to protect it.
Kevin
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Chief,
Judging by the amount of piston slap and bottom end rumble coming from that engine you should just trade it in.
Probably should be able to p.ex for a mobility scooter I reckon.
Andy
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This forum is for Omega owners only. Please take your Alfa to a local quarry and give it a decent burial. :y
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Thanks for all the good advice - hopefully it can't come to too much harm in a dry garage.
Your garage wont be dry, changes in ambient temperature will result in condensation which will corrode and seize , it's unavoidable unless you get one of these.http://www.airflow-uk.com/index.htm
I've had this one for ten years now with it running 24/7/52 . It does what it says and is vastly superior to the Carcoon item.
If it's a good car and you want to keep that way these are definatley worth the investment and you can sell it when you put the car back on the road.
Don
'Bye the way I put it up on axle stands sitting on 18mm ply ( to protect the plastic floor liner ) when it's not going to be used for long periods ,which have been up to a year.I use the battery conditioner from the same company and always turn the engine over with the coil disconnected until the oil pressure gets up to operating level prior to firing up.Not certain how you'd do that with a DIS pack though.....
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t261/olympia5776/DSCF0001.jpg)
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That garage is far to clean........................ :-[ :-[ :-[
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Thats because everything was piled up behind me when I took the photo......... ;D
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Thanks for all the good advice - hopefully it can't come to too much harm in a dry garage.
Your garage wont be dry, changes in ambient temperature will result in condensation which will corrode and seize , it's unavoidable unless you get one of these.http://www.airflow-uk.com/index.htm
I've had this one for ten years now with it running 24/7/52 . It does what it says and is vastly superior to the Carcoon item.
If it's a good car and you want to keep that way these are definatley worth the investment and you can sell it when you put the car back on the road.
Don
'Bye the way I put it up on axle stands sitting on 18mm ply ( to protect the plastic floor liner ) when it's not going to be used for long periods ,which have been up to a year.I use the battery conditioner from the same company and always turn the engine over with the coil disconnected until the oil pressure gets up to operating level prior to firing up.Not certain how you'd do that with a DIS pack though.....
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t261/olympia5776/DSCF0001.jpg)
That is a mightily fine car you have in that bubble thing :y
Mike
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Great solution - as I've also got a couple of bikes to store, it's probably more cost effective to buy a space dehumidifier for the garage.
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Great solution - as I've also got a couple of bikes to store, it's probably more cost effective to buy a space dehumidifier for the garage.
The problem with dehumidifying a garage is that, by necessity, they are well ventilated. This means the dehumidifier will just run constantly when it's damp. It'll be a good source of water for topping up your battery, but the leccy bill could get high. If you reduce the ventilation you need to insulate and heat or dehumidify at all times or you will have damp problems.
The real issue arises when you have a cold spell where everything cools down, followed by a warmer, more humid spell. A car has a lot of thermal inertia so it remains cold for some time after the weather has warmed, and attracts condensation. The best soultion is to gently heat or dehumidify the space only when the weather has changed in such a way. A thermostat based on the differential between indoor and outdoor temperature would probably do it. Not sure if such a thing is available though.
Kevin
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Hmm - some back of envelope calcs suggest that my 2kW garage heater could raise the temp. of the garage from 15C to 20C and dehumidify from 85% (today in Ireland) to 60% in 1.5 hours. This would cost me about £70/year in electricity if I ran it every night for 1.5 hours for 7 (winter) months a year. The plastic enclosure is a pretty salty £400 - I'm only gone for one year. I think the conclusion here is to keep it quite well sealed, with a little ventilation, and heat it periodically. :y
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The point is that you don't have to heat it every night. It doesn't matter how cold things get, just that, when the conditions for condensation occur, you give it a bit of heat / dehumidifier.
Kevin
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Oil in upper cylinders may be an idea as well
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Yes - I take your point, but living in Ireland, the humidity in the winter months is usually 95-99% i.e. there is always a film of moisture on any cold metal surface. It kills anything subject to corrosion as I found out to my cost when my old Norton was ravaged by wintering in a cold, damp shed one year.
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This Kevin Wood bloke, how does he know all these things...? :o
;D
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This Kevin Wood bloke, how does he know all these things...? :o
;D
'Cos he am cleverer than wot I is ... :y :y :y
he's also a really nice guy as well .... :)
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This Kevin Wood bloke, how does he know all these things...? :o
;D
'Cos he am cleverer than wot I is ... :y :y :y
he's also a really nice guy as well .... :)
Hmmm.... is there a 'wood conspiracy at OOF? :o
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This Kevin Wood bloke, how does he know all these things...? :o
;D
:-[
.. cos he used to have a seriously damp garage containing his pride and joy, and all his tools, and tried most things to sort it. ;)
Had I not moved house I was going to build a thermostat that maintained inside temperature a degree or two above outside temperature if, and only if, the humidity was above a certain level. Probably would have been overkill but I reckon it would have worked, and not cost a fortune to run.
Kevin
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I put my 98 mv6 in nice dry barn april o5 to sept 07.Fresh oil and filter,new antifreeze,new brake fluid,44psi in tyres,good wash and wax,20 mile hard drive to really get some heat in the brakes exhaust etc and then parked up hot,handbrake off.Battery removed,never restarted.
28 mts later,some fresh petrol,refit battery,started first time,passed mot and did 4500 miles all over europe in 6 weeks.............
worked for me
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Good to hear it worked out for you - I'll try it. Thanks.
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This Kevin Wood bloke, how does he know all these things...? :o
;D
'Cos he am cleverer than wot I is ... :y :y :y
he's also a really nice guy as well .... :)
Hmmm.... is there a 'wood conspiracy at OOF? :o
that can be taken so many different ways.................. ::) ::) whatever floats your boat :P
;D ;D ;D ;D
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I've heard that auto boxes tend to sieze unless completly filled with auto trans fluid
Steve