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As I intend to spare the S600 all the salt and sand on the roads during the upcoming winter, it will be stored for almost 6 months. Moreover, I will probably not be able start the engine during this time.
So, I wonder if it is a good idea to put rubber blocks underneath the four lift points to prevent potential sagging of the suspension?
Actually, my plan is to press the lift button, place rubber blocks under the lift points, and then lower the car again to make it rest on the rubber blocks in normal driving height. Is this a good idea or are there any problems?
get an ABC fluid flush - get any ethanol out of the petrol tank (that stuff is dangerous filth) and fill with normal petrol, put a trickle charger on it and pump the tyres up to 40 psi
OP setting the car on blocks so it ‘stays level’ is a recipe for disaster with ABC. Parking it on pads that keep tires from getting flat spots... can’t hurt.
Everything about ABC is designed to operate with pressure in it. Remove the pressure (car on a hoist as an example) often makes for dripping ABC struts that stop leaking when the weight of the car is back on the struts. Months on end without pressure in the system gives seals time to ‘get lazy’ and they are inclined to keep leaking once the car is started after sitting. If you are going to leave it for more then a few days set it on tip-toes (High position) before turning it off.
Arrange for someone to start the car and get it to operating temperature at least monthly. Have that individual ask ABC to get on tip-toes and back to normal several times to exercise it.
Thanks for your response! That was what I was fearing deep inside, and why I wanted a sanity check.
Is there an easy and safe way to just crank the engine a couple of seconds without starting so that oil pressure is built up after a month of sitting stil? I mean the V12 has such a ferocious cold start revving to 1500rpm instantly like crazy. Should be better to just crank it a couple of times before ignition or shouldn't it?
Last edited by KiloWatt; Oct 30, 2022 at 03:53 PM.
OP be sure she has fresh Mobil-1 synthetic oil and just start her up. There will still be oil on all surfaces inside the engine (one of the nice things about synthetics) so it is not ‘starting up dry’ like in the bad old days.
2 cents...not starting for 6 months in general is no issue at all. Furthermore, I would not be worried about E10 gas, either. The fuel system is sealed. It'll be fine. Frankly I think starting the engine and letting it idle for 10 minutes and shutting it off for a month probably does more harm than good. What you will want to do is keep a good charger on at least the aux battery (if you have that) if not both (if you have two).
My experience with Michelins is that they don't flat spot, by some miracle of engineering. But those little blocks seem like a good idea and are low effort so why not. Inflating to the max PSI on the sidewall is also a good idea.
As for the ABC comments, no idea. But I tend to agree with what John was saying.
Thanks, that's very soothing as I am not sure I or somebody else will be able to start the car every month or so. I have some experience with my W221 320CDI "winter car" that has been sitting still for 6+ summer months over the last couple of years. As you already mentioned: No problems whatsoever. But is has Airmatic of course (that is absolutely flat after such a long time), and I pulled the diesel pump relay to let it crank a little first. But then again, it would probably have been just fine without pulling the Diesel pump fuse before first start.
And yes, I have already bought the highest quality charger I am aware of (Victron) that I actually can control remotely over the internet. MY 2009 single battery, so only one charger fortunately.
kevm14 is correct there tends to be more damage starting an engine for short periods - piston engine's last best if you get the oil to 80C and do at least 10 miles - Damaged Cams, CATS and acid trashing the exhaust come from running every month - however the AC systems don't like doing nothing - cars last best with at least a 10 mile run every week
As for tractor fuel it doesn't really care - but modern petrol is a disaster zone - and now you should never leave old petrol in the vehicle long term... ethanol absorbs water assisting in corrosion of the pump and injectors etc... but remarkably, the nastier thing is it can grow bugs in there, and these excrete acetic acid that leads to erosion of metals, which then assists in the corrosion issues from the water - it also separates which can lead to injector pipework blocking with a jelly type mess
think old world petrol 10 plus years back, fairly safe to leave for 3 years (expect a bit of difficulty starting and won't perform as well - but it was still petrol)
modern fuel from the last few years, ought to get 6 months, may get away with longer but not the best of behaviours
ethanol inflected trash 3 months is a mistake - with it becoming more of an issue the higher the content
get a decent measuring flask - put in 100ml of petrol and 100ml of water, shake and check how much water now separates out - the difference is your ethanol filth content...
Maybe the answer is add an additive that is specifically designed for E10 gas storage and run it through the engine. Then it should be ok. I store ~25 gallons of gas in my shed and some of it is a year old (also in yard equipment). I have never had an issue but all of my gas gets treated with Sta-Bil right in the 5 gallon can. Never think about it, never a problem. The cans are sealed though so that does make a difference.
Snow blower sits all summer. Starts in 1 pull every November every single time. E10, Sta-bil, stored with fuel in the tank and carb. No problems.
Yes, today's fuels definitely are a disaster. I have had huge problems with my boat (that obviously is stored during winter too of course) with growth in the Diesel tank (even though I tried a couple of storage additives). Actually, the only times the boat engine has ever let me down was due to bad Diesel fuel.
Yes, this seem to be the main culprit. Maybe other things too...
Marine fuel stations here in Europe say they only sell "pure" Diesel without bio blend (at horrendous prices) due to the known huge problems for boats and yachts. But sometimes it's not as pure as they say. Quite a few black sheep obviously...
bio tractor fuel with a % of VEG fat in the diesel, seems to make glow plugs struggle (they go pop more frequently) and in high content, gums up the piston rings, leading to the pistons overheating and smearing themselves down the bore - alternate bio with real fuel each fill up-
on a side note big issue on some modern merc tractor engines with steel pistons, that fail - was a later design but early car's can randomly let go on one pot - and in the UK the std fix is to replace just the ONE piston that failed with the later design, leading to a harsh engine that's all out of balance - got to love your warranty
I don't drive mine during the late fall/winter and it sits for 5 months. Never had an issue with it starting or issues with the suspension. As long as your battery is good, there is no issue starting it up after it sits.
I always try to start and *use* every car/marine engine at least once every two weeks. This has worked well over the years
During storage however, I believe it might be better to just leave it rest without starting and idling it every now and then. Some experts say that every cold start wears an engine as much as a 300 mile trip. Not sure if this is always true. But it's always good to actually use the engine "in a meaningful way" if you decide to cold start it.
I don't drive mine during the late fall/winter and it sits for 5 months. Never had an issue with it starting or issues with the suspension. As long as your battery is good, there is no issue starting it up after it sits.
this is terrible advice - petrol is not what it used to be
I'm sure the fuel will ignite - but we already had one report of the metal fuel tank rot out and at $1200 for the part and I guess 4 hours of hell to try and fit it - ethanol free would be a better choice
you should never allow a cam to run slower than 2000 rpm it causes exceptional wear on the cam lobes - hence why as most of these drive up the road at 1200rpm we all have a rattle from the top end - from the cam followers wearing out
CATS, Cams, Cyls, fuel ratio (thus emissions and longevity) all work better above 2000rpm - and when fully warmed up, thorough exercise keeps things tip top - low revs, gentle use destroys engines
you should never allow a cam to run slower than 2000 rpm it causes exceptional wear on the cam lobes - hence why as most of these drive up the road at 1200rpm we all have a rattle from the top end - from the cam followers wearing out
CATS, Cams, Cyls, fuel ratio (thus emissions and longevity) all work better above 2000rpm - and when fully warmed up, thorough exercise keeps things tip top - low revs, gentle use destroys engines
Yes, I have driven not super bullet proof engines (old little BMW 2l 12 valve straight six, old V6 TDI, OM642) to between 300k and 500k kilometers without any big issues. But you have to treat them right as you say...
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