Lincoln Nautilus: Storing Your Vehicle / Preparing Your Vehicle for Storage
If you plan on storing your vehicle for 30
days or more, the following maintenance
recommendations ensures your vehicle stays
in good operating condition.
Under various conditions, long-term storage
may lead to degraded engine performance
or failure unless you use specific precautions
to preserve your vehicle.
General
- Store all vehicles in a dry, ventilated
place.
- If vehicles are stored outside, they
require regular maintenance to protect
against rust and weather damage.
- Make sure all linkages, cables, levers and
pins under your vehicle are covered with
grease to prevent rust.
- Move vehicles at least 25 ft (7.5 m) every
15 days to lubricate working parts and
prevent corrosion.
- Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fuel
until the first automatic shutoff of the fuel
pump nozzle.
Engine
- Change the engine oil and filter prior to
storage because used engine oil contains
contaminants which may cause engine
damage.
- Start the engine every 15 days for a
minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idle
with the climate controls set to defrost
until the engine reaches normal
operating temperature.
- With your foot on the brake, shift through
all the gears while the engine is running.
Body
- Wash your vehicle thoroughly to remove
dirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from exterior
surfaces, rear-wheel housings and the
underside of front fenders.
- Periodically wash your vehicle if it is
stored in exposed locations.
- Touch-up exposed or primed metal to
prevent rust.
- Cover chrome and stainless steel parts
with a thick coat of auto wax to prevent
discoloration. Re-wax as necessary when
you wash your vehicle.
- Lubricate all hood, door and luggage
compartment hinges and latches with a
light grade oil.
- Cover interior trim to prevent fading.
- Keep all rubber parts free from oil and
solvents.
Hybrid Battery Systems
We recommend the following actions for your
vehicle:
- When storing your vehicle for greater
than 30 days the state of charge should
be approximately 50%. Additionally we
recommend disconnecting the 12V
battery which will reduce system loads
on the HV battery.
12 Volt Battery
- Check and recharge as necessary. Keep
connections clean.
Note: It is necessary to reset memory
features if you disconnect the battery cables.
Brakes
Make sure the brakes and parking brake
release fully.
Note: If you intend on parking your vehicle
for an extended period after cleaning the
wheels with a wheel cleaner, drive your
vehicle for a few minutes before doing so to
reduce the risk of increased corrosion of the
brake discs, brake pads and linings.
Tires
- Maintain recommended air pressure.
Note: If you intend on parking your vehicle
for an extended period after cleaning the
wheels with a wheel cleaner, drive your
vehicle for a few minutes before doing so.
This reduces the risk of corrosion of the
brake discs, brake pads and linings.
When your vehicle is ready to come out of
storage, do the following:
We recommend that you change the
engine oil before you use your vehicle
again...
Other information:
Inspection
NOTE:
Removal steps in this procedure may contain installation details.
Inspect the hood-to-body dimensions.
Refer to: Body and Frame (501-26 Body Repairs - Vehicle Specific Information and Tolerance Checks, Description and Operation)...
Special Tool(s) /
General Equipment
Vehicle/Axle Stands
Removal
NOTICE:
Suspension fasteners are critical parts that affect the
performance of vital components and systems. Failure of these fasteners
may result in major service expense...