Carpokes

Great reminder! I use mothballs to 'protect' other stuff like potential homesteads under porch furniture, outdoor kitchen and grill covers, etc.. My double-top-secret don't-tell-anybody-else method has a couple mothballs each in sandwich/snack bags. Poke a couple holes in the bags to control release of the fragrance. Fragrance density is somehow related to the number of holes I suspect. Re-dos are cheap. The plastic bag tends to protect the surface they sit on from the chems if you can put the holes only facing up. Similar to your Benefiber lids. For the car, with multiple mouse-leap entry points for the engine undertray, I needed a dozen little bags. But once I have it up on stands to get to those entry points underneath, I can just go a foot or so higher onto the tall stands, and avoid the fragrance issues completely. It took me a few years here to figure that out. Slow and steady...

Meanwhile, my sealed snap-lid food storage container for the moth balls is really easy to find in the garage. K drops them down burrowing-rodent tunnels in her garden too.

The bucket traps have peanut-butter globs on a Saran Wrap layer around a common plastic water bottle, arranged so the bottle is balanced on a wire axle until a mouse leaps to the food. The wire axle is supported at the rim, and allows the bottle to spin easily when a mouse unbalances it. A couple inches of RV antifreeze in the bottom pickles them after they roll off the bottle, and a bit of trim lumber makes a nice freeway access ramp from the floor to the top edge of the bucket.

More on winter storage from a re-posted and updated Hagerty Media article. It's much of what's already been said above but with a few twists, some of which might be helpful. It's a good, concise presentation. There are also a couple of caveats to consider, depending on individual situations.

"The Best Tips for Winter Car Storage and Care"

https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenan ... d568259d8a

Thanks Tim! More good info.

The tip about fogging oil is interesting. As a former ex has-been learned my lesson boat owner, fogging the engine as described in the Hagerty piece was done with oil directly into cylinders, coating the top rings and the combustion area walls. For extended storage a tablespoon of ATF in a plug hole happens first, the engine gets hand-rotated once to distribute the oil. Then the fogging oil. Plugs go back in finger tight and plug wire disconnected. Then in spring the plugs come out, spin the engine on the starter a few revolutions to clear the cylinders, then restore everything and good to go.

For carburetor cars the engine gets run out of fuel with the pump off. Some carburetors have float bowl drain, so you can get that last bit of corrosive ethanol-laced fuel out of the aluminum float bowl.

The Hagerty tip about using drier sheets is interesting because it's targeted at the inside of the car. In a bit of drier-sheet history, the first ones were an experiment when some specialty waterproof paper was being developed. That same company also made liquid fabric softener. You can easily duplicate the effect by adding a little scented fabric softener to a rag or towel, just as you can in the clothes drier. In your home clothes drier it takes just 2 or 3 drops of fabric softener in a dedicated washcloth to go in with the normal clothes to dry. Way cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the drier sheets you buy in a box. Thinking further, I should add a few drops of scented fabric softener to the cabin air filter when the car gets cleaned and detailed... I may try that on one of the DD's first.

All good stuff!

dr bob wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2024 9:54 am Thanks Tim! More good info.

The tip about fogging oil is interesting. As a former ex has-been learned my lesson boat owner, fogging the engine as described in the Hagerty piece was done with oil directly into cylinders, coating the top rings and the combustion area walls. For extended storage a tablespoon of ATF in a plug hole happens first, the engine gets hand-rotated once to distribute the oil. Then the fogging oil. Plugs go back in finger tight and plug wire disconnected. Then in spring the plugs come out, spin the engine on the starter a few revolutions to clear the cylinders, then restore everything and good to go.

For carburetor cars the engine gets run out of fuel with the pump off. Some carburetors have float bowl drain, so you can get that last bit of corrosive ethanol-laced fuel out of the aluminum float bowl.

The Hagerty tip about using drier sheets is interesting because it's targeted at the inside of the car. In a bit of drier-sheet history, the first ones were an experiment when some specialty waterproof paper was being developed. That same company also made liquid fabric softener. You can easily duplicate the effect by adding a little scented fabric softener to a rag or towel, just as you can in the clothes drier. In your home clothes drier it takes just 2 or 3 drops of fabric softener in a dedicated washcloth to go in with the normal clothes to dry. Way cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the drier sheets you buy in a box. Thinking further, I should add a few drops of scented fabric softener to the cabin air filter when the car gets cleaned and detailed... I may try that on one of the DD's first.

All good stuff!

More excellent info Dr B! I used to fog (or have it done) the V-8 motor of a boat I had for many years as part of the winterizing process. Of course, the boat was stored outside on its hydra-hoist I had in its covered storage slip, so it had more exposure to winter elements which meant that decent prep was all-important.

Good info on dryer sheets and also the development history I never knew or even thought about! Don't these types of innovations and developments just happen in a vacuum and magically appear on store shelves of their own volition? (Lol)

Tom wrote: Thu Nov 07, 2024 6:23 pm
First, I want to come back as one of your cars. Should they all be so lucky! Second, I was going to make some wise crack about the height an average mouse is willingness to jump, and how one might know that, only to discover a disturbing number of YouTube videos dedicated to mouse jumping. Figure 13 to 16 inches for a stationary leap, and up to 24 inches with a running start, though it varies by breed.

blueline wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2024 10:32 am

dr bob wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2024 9:54 am Thanks Tim! More good info.

The tip about fogging oil is interesting. As a former ex has-been learned my lesson boat owner, fogging the engine as described in the Hagerty piece was done with oil directly into cylinders, coating the top rings and the combustion area walls. For extended storage a tablespoon of ATF in a plug hole happens first, the engine gets hand-rotated once to distribute the oil. Then the fogging oil. Plugs go back in finger tight and plug wire disconnected. Then in spring the plugs come out, spin the engine on the starter a few revolutions to clear the cylinders, then restore everything and good to go.

For carburetor cars the engine gets run out of fuel with the pump off. Some carburetors have float bowl drain, so you can get that last bit of corrosive ethanol-laced fuel out of the aluminum float bowl.

The Hagerty tip about using drier sheets is interesting because it's targeted at the inside of the car. In a bit of drier-sheet history, the first ones were an experiment when some specialty waterproof paper was being developed. That same company also made liquid fabric softener. You can easily duplicate the effect by adding a little scented fabric softener to a rag or towel, just as you can in the clothes drier. In your home clothes drier it takes just 2 or 3 drops of fabric softener in a dedicated washcloth to go in with the normal clothes to dry. Way cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the drier sheets you buy in a box. Thinking further, I should add a few drops of scented fabric softener to the cabin air filter when the car gets cleaned and detailed... I may try that on one of the DD's first.

All good stuff!

<<..>>

Good info on dryer sheets and also the development history I never knew or even thought about! Don't these types of innovations and developments just happen in a vacuum and magically appear on store shelves of their own volition? (Lol)

I wasn't there when it happened but knew guys (that was an almost all-guys company until the mid 1970's) that were. Their challenge had been to make a waterproof (like underwater-proof) paper for something, and they tried their favorite glycol-based fabric softener on it to, well, soften it. The fabric softeners have evolved since then. Plus we have 'scented beads' now if you want a bit more fragrance.

Thanks to all for the great information!

The STA-BIL question from my overly cautious new P car ownership, this being the first winter storage of the Cayman. We used STA-BIL and fogging oil on the boats when I lived in NY on Lake Ontario. Full can sprayed into the carburetor until the engine stalled, plus STA-BIL in the gas. We used mothballs too as others have mentioned around the boat on the ground and hanging off the tarp to deter visitors.

The Cayman is tucked away with the gas treated and CTEK hooked up via the footwell cig plug. The sequence that worked for me was a) Cig adapter plugged into footwell socket - ignition off b) Ignition on, plug in CTEK to wall outlet c) Check that the CTEK lights were advancing and green light is on. Set to AGM mode. d) Ignition off, CTEK lights are still lit e) locked car
The sequence maybe overkill but the charger is onto Step 7 with a green light after a few hours and happy

Off to get some workout floor squares at Home Depot for the tires and an overfill of 8-10 psi. Mouse traps are set and looking into fabric softener of some sort. No moth balls as the Cayman is in the garage with my wife's car and do not want to subject here to the moth ball smell

Pachanga718 wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2024 6:19 am Thanks to all for the great information!

The STA-BIL question from my overly cautious new P car ownership, this being the first winter storage of the Cayman. We used STA-BIL and fogging oil on the boats when I lived in NY on Lake Ontario. Full can sprayed into the carburetor until the engine stalled, plus STA-BIL in the gas. We used mothballs too as others have mentioned around the boat on the ground and hanging off the tarp to deter visitors.

The Cayman is tucked away with the gas treated and CTEK hooked up via the footwell cig plug. The sequence that worked for me was a) Cig adapter plugged into footwell socket - ignition off b) Ignition on, plug in CTEK to wall outlet c) Check that the CTEK lights were advancing and green light is on. Set to AGM mode. d) Ignition off, CTEK lights are still lit e) locked car
The sequence maybe overkill but the charger is onto Step 7 with a green light after a few hours and happy

Off to get some workout floor squares at Home Depot for the tires and an overfill of 8-10 psi. Mouse traps are set and looking into fabric softener of some sort. No moth balls as the Cayman is in the garage with my wife's car and do not want to subject here to the moth ball smell

Per the concise Hagerty storage guide I linked above, dryer sheets are said to be better than moth balls and certainly less offensive to the olfactory receptors. That's now a fairly well accepted consensus but I don't have personal experience so no idea if it's true or not. You could give the dryer sheets a shot to see how they work. The Hagerty link again:

https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenan ... d568259d8a

For what its worth, regarding stored/garaged vehicles, I've never had any kind of rodent issue in my garage or elsewhere. I guess I've been fortunate or lucky in that regard. The current garage is heated and air-conditioned and sealed extremely well so maybe that has something to do with it. However, going back to the beginning of time (referring to my life ), I've never had garage/storage rodent issues before (knock on wood) and I've had some crappy barn-like storage spaces in the past. BUT, I know many have had bad experiences, so far better to use an abundance of caution than suffer the consequences.

Regarding the Ctek, check it periodically. On my 992 w/Lithium battery the Ctek will at times (maybe after a couple of weeks or three) lapse into a protect mode (all yellow lights and the green off with the red LED flashing). This may be due to the Turbo S' UVP kicking in or, more likely, the Ctek reading the Lithium battery and discontinuing the maintenance process out of an abundance of caution. The Cteks are pretty smart.

If that happens. just unplug the Ctek from the car's accessory port, turn car's the ignition on and back off and re-plug the Ctek. All should be good. I don't think that you will face this issue with a 718. (I don't think it will be an issue with a regular battery in any car - I suspect it's a Lithium battery protection and safety protocol.)

One last bit of my experience to share, and that is I've never had to utilize any kind of sequence on any of my vehicles using battery maintenance devices. (I have experimented quite a bit with sequences but never found that they made a difference.) I just attach the maintainer (Ctek or the Granite Digital) to the car via an accessory plug (or sometimes via alligator clips to the proper terminals) and then plug the maintainer into AC. It always works for me but that's just been my experience. Others have reported different results so YMMV. Let us know if you try any different approaches and whether or not any of them work for you.

Happy Winter rest to your sweet 718!

blueline wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2024 9:33 am
Happy Winter rest to your sweet 718!

@blueline Thanks for the additional CTEK info and will certainly check it from time to time and reactivate if off. So far so good.

Going to try dryer sheets along with the traps. The garage is pretty well sealed but I am always doing something in the garage with the door open so opportunity for some residents to take advantage.

Thanks again to you and all others who replied as I continue through my rookie year with my first P car.

blueline wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2024 9:33 am [
If that happens. just unplug the Ctek from the car's accessory port, turn car's the ignition on and back off and re-plug the Ctek. All should be good. I don't think that you will face this issue with a 718. (I don't think it will be an issue with a regular battery in any car - I suspect it's a Lithium battery protection and safety protocol.)
............................
Happy Winter rest to your sweet 718!

Little bit of an update as the 718 slumbers for the winter. The green light (#8) has not gone out and have been checking it frequently. Of the 5 traps I set in November, one just recently caught a visitor. All is good, although now with the distractions of the holidays being over and the doldrums of the winter in full force (pict from last weekend 15 F and snowing), it is hard to be patient!
Thanks for the support!