Need some advice on putting up my Disco. Its gonna sit for about 3 yrs in a garage. & I am wondering if I need to anything spectatcular. Gonna add some Sea Foam which I use pretty regular on all my vehicles to flush lines & also acts as a fuel stab, of course Battery D/C. Was also thinking about draining oil to avoid the settlement & subsequent junk on the bottom getting up in engine any advice? No problems outta this vehicle addressed all teh usual issues already with success, & just did a transmission filter change w/ Lucas oil additive( Thanks Disco Mike). It will be in North Fla. Longets its ever sat was about 8 months, & teh thing cranked right up, after batt reconnect. Tires were not even low, of course oil late came on within a few min, & i went to get a change.

2003 Disco
115k

 

unless you're really attached to it I would just sell it and buy another one in 3 years..especially since it's an '03. You can probably buy an '04 (the best DII) in 3 years for what you could sell the '03 for now.

I'm not sure what procedures you should take to store it but when you bring it back to life there are a few things you can do.

1. change oil and filter of course
2. add about 1 teaspoon of oil to each cylinder
3. disconnect ignition wires and turn engine over about 30 seconds before starting engine

 

i would do the following

-clean the truck like it was new, and prepare to store it inside. condition the leather.

-pull the tires off and deflate them to 15psi, wash them really good and stack them on top of each other with a cover

-support the truck on stands and crack the window 1/4 inch

-flush the engine oil and then change the oil and filter

-check radiator levels and if needed flush the coolant.

-remove the battery, dont even bother putting a trickle on it. it will be bad in 3 years anyways unless you have another car.

-grab a cup of silica gel from the arts store and put it in a container with no lid, to adsorb moisture

-cover the trucks entry spots with a blanket (IE the duct for fresh air) you don't want a dead mouse on your heating duct, trust me i've been there.

-a good car cover, i suggest using some old cotton sheets underneath the cover so it doesn't hurt the paint.

-the more empty the gas tank the better, it doesn't matter what you add to it, 3 years will ruin the gas no matter what. so run the truck in the driveway until you don't think you would make it to the next station.

thats all i can think of... oh yea add lucas oil stabilizer to the oil at least 2 quarts.

 

an empty fuel tank will condensate unless totally dry. The fuel wil last that long. fill it as full as you can and add stabiliser.

Get a can of fogging oil and pull each plug and spray some in each cylinder.

Keep the crankcase oil in it, but do a fresh change with synthetic.

It is easier to pull the fuel pump relay and crank the engine a few times to prime, but I would prime it before firing.

Other than jackng it off the tires and dropping the PSI a little that is it.

 

i'm curious...where are you going?

 

Change the oil and filter the day before you store it.
Fill the gas tank and add the full can of Sea Foam and drive it for 30 min, top it back off and then park it.
Leave the windows all the way up, cedar ***** in the fresh air cowling, and spread all through out the truck will help keep out mice.
A trickle charger is a good idea, but thats up to you.
Put jack stands under the axles to support the weight.
If it is going to sit outside put blankets over the seats to keep them from fading.
Do not park it under a tree.
Do not set the parking brake.
Do not start it in while in storage.
You can buy engine fog, snowmobile and boat shops sell it, it is for oiling your cylinder walls to keep them from rusting.
It sticks to the cylinder walls better than something like Liquid Wrench.
When you take it out of storage check the oil before you start it.
After you start it let it idle for 15 mins then drive it like grandma for the first week.
Change the oil after the first 100 miles or so.

 

AHHHHH Curiosity killed the cat!!!! I'm in the Military moving to Italy fro 3 yr. I have the disco, a 99 Dakot aRT V8 5.9, & a 94 Carolla w/ 60k on it, ( 4cyl) #1 Big cars /trucks dont work in europe, @ least not that will, hard for parking, & gas aint cheap. speaking of which I do get vouchers for like 350 gallons a month, which is probably good, but not need to push it with big engine vehicles. #3 The dak & the disco are pretty custom & dont want any unwanted attention. #4 teh place I'm going is a beachu vacation town for italians so summers get crowded & HARD to even drive anywhre, big vehicle really complicates things. Neither will be outside both will be in my garage @ hme. I'll be doing the same for my dak, jet ski's & scooter too, so. Batt stay on trickle b/c i have so many recreational vehicles. Thanks for all the advice. No body answered my ? about what they thought about me draining the oil pain, to avoid settlement. planned to do oil change, fresh filter, drain pain, replug, refill when I return. I should say technically it may get driven 1x a yr, cuz I will come back that often at least

 

I answered it, do a fresh oil change with a good synthetic. If you drain the oil pan, your pump will be harder to prime. Synthetic will not break down over the time you are gone.

 

Put the vehicle on jack stands, remove the tires and stack them, do not air them down.
Change your oil and filter do not empty the oil from the crank case while gone, as mentioned, when you are actually ready to shut it down, put a little oil, as mentioned, in each spark plug, turn the engine over for one or two revolutions, do not start it.
Remove the battery, it is probably already old and being stored for 3 years will kill it. Just install a new one when you come home.
1/2 tank of gas with stabilizer, wait on any other additive cause it will just evaporate anyway.
I wouldn't leave any windows open, no need to let bugs and nice in while you are gone.
As for your coolant, drain it and throw in just water and a bottle of Water Wetter, DexCool starts turning acidic in 2 years.
Have a good trip.

 

you're going to europe for 3 years and need a small fuel efficient vehicle...diesel D90! you can pick them up cheap over there