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-2 weeks and my car will be back on the road!

Joined
23 October 2001
Messages
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Location
Zürich, Switzerland
Now my question (it was my first storage winter). What should I do after I reconnect the battery? Switch the car on and let it idle? How long? Then use AC? Deflate the tires to normal temperature and try the ABS when back on the road?

Is it safe to drive around for one week before going to the garage for a service (change all fluids and fix the plastic door handle
frown.gif
). The last oil+filter change was done 8 months/5k miles ago.

The car has been sleeping since 1st November.
 
Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
What should I do after I reconnect the battery? Switch the car on and let it idle? How long?

Turn the car on, let it idle for perhaps 30 seconds, and drive it for at least 20 minutes, so that the battery gets charged in case it's not fully charged. (Did you have it on a charger?)

Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
Then use AC? Deflate the tires to normal temperature and try the ABS when back on the road?

Yes, turn on the A/C for a few minutes and try the ABS when you're driving it.

Before you start the car, check the tire pressure (not temperature
wink.gif
). If they're overinflated, let enough air out so they're at the proper pressure. FWIW, I find that my tires lose about 1 psi per month over the winter.

Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
Is it safe to drive around for one week before going to the garage for a service (change all fluids and fix the plastic door handle

Yes, it should be okay, but I wouldn't drive it for long distances before you get the service done.
 
While its hard to say exactly what condition the oil is in, 5k is getting close to the limit of a synthetic oil, depending on how you drove it before it went into storage.

I'd drive it to get it serviced, only. The TBN, rating the amount of additives that eat acids and the overall ability for the oil to absorb combustion by-products, is likely shot on that batch of oil, more so if its a non-synthetic.
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html

Warm up and drive gently to where you regularly get serviced and that would be it besides the above checks.

Sunny

[This message has been edited by JaguarXJ6 (edited 11 February 2003).]
 
frown.gif
I will have to wait one week from when I get my number plate (=insurance) back until when I can bring the car for service. Should I really not drive it? The car has slept in a garage slightly heated at constant 60.F (15.C), wouldn't this help?

PS: nsxstasy, I forgot to answer to this - no the battery was not on a charger, was simply disconnected.
 
Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
Should I really not drive it?

Feel free to drive it. It's not going to hurt anything. Just get the service done as soon as you can.

Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
PS: nsxstasy, I forgot to answer to this - no the battery was not on a charger, was simply disconnected.

In that case, it's possible that the battery has run down. If you have a charger, charge it before starting the car; otherwise, start the car (using jumper cables if necessary - have them handy) and, as noted above, make sure you drive it at least 20 minutes without turning the ignition off, to give the battery a chance to recharge.
 
Originally posted by gheba_nsx:
...and try the ABS when back on the road?

By "try ABS" I assume you mean hit the brakes. You do not need to do this to make sure that ABS is working. If the brakes feel firm under normal braking pressure, and unless you get a warning light, you should assume that ABS is working.

Regards.
 
Originally posted by NSXaholic:
By "try ABS" I assume you mean hit the brakes. You do not need to do this to make sure that ABS is working.

However, you do need to do this to exercise the solenoid in the ABS system to keep it from sticking. You should "try ABS" meaning not just hit the brakes, but slam them hard enough for the ABS to kick in (you'll feel the vibration in the pulse). You should do this once a month.

And you really have to slam them HARD to get the ABS to kick in - right, Vik?
biggrin.gif


Originally posted by NSXaholic:
If the brakes feel firm under normal braking pressure, and unless you get a warning light, you should assume that ABS is working.

I'm not so sure that this is true. Perhaps our technical gurus can comment further.
 
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