can you leaves a car undriven for 6 months?

[David Niven (David Niven)]

I am leaving my car in Bali, unattended and undriven for 6 months.
What steps should I take, to make sure, that it will start when I return and that it is still ok to drive?
Some of my friends say, to leave the hand brakes off, as it would seize and also to over inflate the tires pressure. And to have a full tank of petrol to prevent water condensstion.
My concern is, it won't start after sitting that long and possible engine damage.
It is s 2008 car.
Any useful tips are welcome.

[Oggie (Peter)]

Those are all good advice, but the most likely scenario is that you are likely to have a flat battery after 6 months of non-use. Probably best to completely disconnect the battery so that the car systems won't completely drain it. Even so, you still may need to charge it before use. Ideally, the battery should be left connected to a trickle charger.

[astro_nutt]

Hi Dave!
Regarding the engine, if possible, remove the spark plugs and give a good 5 second spray of WD-40 or similar into the cylinder. This will help stop corrosion in the cylinder and piston rings. Before you restart the motor after 6 months....
Check the engine coolant level.
Check the engine oil level and take note of the oil's colour, if any water or contaminates are present. If you are unsure, change the oil and oil filter before you start the engine.
Check and clean the spark plugs. With the spark plugs removed, turn the engine over for a few seconds. Replace the spark plugs and start the engine.
Next, check the brake fluid, power steering fluid, tyre pressures, lights, etc.
Refer to you owners handbook for more info.
Cheers!

[billdan (Bill)]

I would also reccomend you jack up the car and leave it on supports to prevent flat spotting the tyres. When I went for a long overseas holiday, I thought I had all bases covered, but the water pump had rusted out, not much you can do about that.

Bill

[raymo]

Several things to consider. Firstly, how old is your car? If it is a modern car, disconnecting the battery will mean you'll have to recode the radio.
Car batteries in good condition last about 8 weeks on average, if left in the car. It won't last 6 months even if it is disconnected, so the best way all round is to leave it hooked up to a trickle charger, as Oggie said.
If it is a manual, a good idea is to find a bit of wood and wedge it between the clutch pedal and the front of the driver's seat so that it depresses the clutch pedal about 25-35mm. When left for a long period,
the clutch plate sometimes sticks to the flywheel. Sometimes it can be jarred free, but sometimes you can end up having to remove the gearbox
to free it off. It is also a good idea to take the cap off of the brake master cylinder and put a piece of cling wrap over the open top of the cylinder, and then screw the cap back on.Same with the clutch master cyl
if it's a manual.
raymo

[acropolite (Phil)]

Originally Posted by astronut

Check the engine oil level and take note of the oil's colour, if any water or contaminates are present. If you are unsure, change the oil and oil filter before you start the engine.

The best thing to do is to actually change the oil before you leave. Acid and moisture buildup are what causes the majority of damage in any engine, in addition to the other suggestions it would be well worth changing the oil before you go.

[doppler (Rick)]

Make sure that you have high quality coolant in the radiator, you don't want the engine rusting out from the inside and disconect the battery an over discharged battery can become unchargable.
Rick

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

Get a solar cell that will keep the battery topped up.
All the other advice is relevant.
I also put an oily rag in the exhaust and intake.
Changing the oil is the best advice along with fluids an brakes off.
I leave my car every year for 6 months and my boat for the other 6 months
No problems so far.

[David Niven (David Niven)]

Thanks for the advices everyone.
My car is a 2008 Honda Civic, automatic.
Bought it on a spur of the moment as I was feedup renting cars .
Will the tires wall cracked from not rolling and the water pump rust due to not running?

[David Niven (David Niven)]

Also, I intend to get a spare battery , so I can swap it over.

[Curt]

Give the car to friends or family so it can be started and driven a few times a month. Maybe they can check on your house when your away too.

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Hi Dave!
"Regarding the engine, if possible, remove the spark plugs and give a good 5 second spray of WD-40 or similar into the cylinder. This will help stop corrosion in the cylinder and piston rings". astro_nutt

Astro, WD-40 is water based, some light machine oil would be a better option.
Greg.

[LewisM]

No, WD-40 is NOT water based - it is oil and solvent based.

The WD in WD 40 stands for Water Displacement.

Whilst WD40's formulation is still relatively unknown, it most assuredly does NOT contain water. It's use as a light lubricant and water dispersant would be ineffectual if it did!

EDIT: direct from WD40.com (official website):

What does WD-40 Multi-Use Product contain?

While the ingredients in WD-40 Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain.

WD-40 Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

[The_bluester (Paul)]

I think for six months I would firstly make sure I had any required radio codes and that there was not a lot of fuel in it then pull out the spark plugs, squirt some machine oil into the holes (Only a couple of teaspoons required in each) then crank the car over for a couple of seconds using a bypass to manually crank it with the ignition switched off (Bodgy people flash the starter with a screwdriver) then put the plugs back in.

Aside form that I would disconnect the battery and if you can give it to someone to charge up every couple of weeks then good. Otherwise you may find a dead battery when you get home even discunnected as they all do have an internal discharge rate of some sort.

When you return you could pull the spark plugs and do the bypass crank thing again after refitting the battery but crank it for about 30 seconds so you should get oil pressure up and some initial lubrication to the top of the engine with no load on things. Then just refit the spark plugs and start it up.

After that it would depend on when it was last serviced, if the service was recent I would fill it with fresh fuel, check all the levels and if all are good, drive it for a day or two before changing the oil and oil filter, maybe change the brake fluid and I would just monitor the condition of the coolant.


The last "Sitting" car I dealt with had been unstarted for 12 years. I put some fuel in it then cranked it with the plugs out until it got oil pressure, gave it another 30 seconds for good measure before putting the plugs back in then started it up, it drove straight onto the trailer to take it home (Project car)

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Lewis,
You are correct it does not contain water but WD-40 isn't actually a true lubricant either. It's main use is as a solvent or rust dissolver and it is hygoscopic. I would still recommend a lightweight oil.
But the best advice that David could use would be to consult a mechanic, but I do like the idea of someone taking it for a quiet drive once a month and topping up the fuel, it goes of quite quickly and EFI systems are more sensitive than carburettors.
Greg.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

I meant to put in my agreement with Greg also. I would use machine oil or even just some of the standard engine loil for your car in preference to CRC 5.56/WD40 or similar products. They are thinner and will dry off quicker than a machine/engine oil but given what they are used for they may also disperse the existing engine oil as well and that could leave you worse off not better.

The worst you might get if you ladle in a bit much machine or engine oil is a car that blows smoke for a couple of minutes when you first fire it up again after returning.

As was posted above, if you can get someone to drive it about twice a month for 20 minutes or so it pretty well avoids all of these considerations and it helps keep things like brakes and exhaust systems from attracting moisture and deteriorating too.

[leon]

The car will be fine, just disconnect the battery and charge when you get back an refit, it will fire up no problems after a few cranks.

We leave our second car for months on end and go traveling, other than maybe a low battery if fires up fine.

Leon

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

Originally Posted by leon

The car will be fine, just disconnect the battery and charge when you get back an refit, it will fire up no problems after a few cranks.

We leave our second car for months on end and go traveling, other than maybe a low battery if fires up fine.

Leon

At last some sensible advice! Sorry to most of the other posters, but you are going to extremes that are unnecessary for a six month lay up.
Having worked away for similar periods for 40 years, the above is all I have ever done and has worked for me.

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

agreed. my hr sits for months on end .. havnt started it for over a year, charged battery, turned the fan to turn the crankshaft , make sure no seizures .. a few mins later she fired up ..mind you, running as rough as guts ..I did have to take off the air filter to block the carbies but she works.

matt

[The_bluester (Paul)]

If I knew it was going to be unstarted for six months I would oil it up and drop the battery but that would be about it. Six months is enough time to see some rust forming in a bore with an open valve or rust making the same open valve stick for a while.