Manx Club

I was wondering what steps you take to maintain your buggy's condition throughout the cold winter months.  I realize some in the club use their buggy year round so the standard maintenance applies ie; tune, oil change, valve adjust, brake inspection and adjustment.  For those that store their buggies in the cold months what do you do to prepare your car for hibernation.

Right now the only thing I have done since I parked the buggy after Mammoth was dust it off and start it from time to time.  Prior to the mammoth weekend I went through the car and performed all the items I listed above.  The only difference is that now I have about a half tank of fuel remaining, the same fuel I had in September. Should I top it off and add stabilizer?  The battery was a bit weak when I started it up on Saturday. I will be placing it on a charger and then test it tomorrow.  I was hoping to have some time to devote to a repair/improve/rebuild but things change and now the car is in a holding pattern so storage is in it's immediate future.

Is there anything else I should do?

While I'm fortunate enough to use my buggy all year long, when it does sit for long periods of time I add fuel stabilizer and top off the tank.  I read an article years ago that said that a full tank of gas has no room for water condensation or rust.  So far, it has worked. 
Like you described, it's a good idea to fire it up once in a while.  You don't want to allow the gas in the carburetor to evaporate.  It leaves a white chalky residue that can clog your jets. 

Tom,

I if remember correctly you are using an oddesy battery. If you are using a regular battery charger, EVEN THE HOME TYPE!, they will destroy the battery.

You need a special type of charger that is made to charge AGM batteries.

AGM batteries cannot take the 16volts that most charger put out. It cooks the acid in the mat.

There are special chargers out there.

I bought mine from www.kodiakindustries.com in Gilroy, CA.

Joseph,



I did know about the different charging requirements of an Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) type battery. In fact, here's a link that I found while researching batteries for my buggy.   My home charger is a 2/6/10 amp smart charger. I also have a charger at work that can be set specifically to charge an AGM battery. I used it last year about this time, more for it's diagnostic abilities than the actual charge, battery tested in perfect health back then. My battery just lost charge after trying to start the buggy. I ended up jump starting the car as it had been sitting for a couple weeks and it was being stubborn.



Thanks for pointing out the different needs though. I'll take a look at that link you gave later, right now it's down for maintenance.