How should I hibernate my Hilux?

GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 08:47

To all those more knowledgeable. I just bought for my wife and I, a 2016 model dual cab Toyota Hilux 4x4 here in Chile. It is a 2.4l turbo diesel SR type model. I was so lucky, it was in immaculate condition (considering how Chileans treat their vehicles in general !!). We plan to be using it for trips in and around Chile over the next 10 to 15 years.

Since we live in Australia for most of the year and will be making one or two trips to Chile each year for a couple of months I will need to put the car into hibernation for those months whilst we are back home in Australia. So my question to those more knowledgeable is what should I do to the vehicle to prepare it for several months of hibernation at a time. These are the things that I have thought about already but are there others?

  1. I will put the vehicle on stands so as to just lift the tyres off the ground.
  2. I will connect a smart battery charger so it will maintain trickle charging.
  3. I am going to put an ultrasonic pest repeller in the engine bay so as to repel rats/mice/rodents which may chew wiring. I will also put rat poison there too.
  4. I will put a rag in exhaust pipe.
  5. Should I fill fuel tank or leave it empty?
  6. I have heard it may be a good idea to put in a bottle of mould inhibitor in diesel fuel tank?

Vehicle will be kept in a secured driveway covered with a tarp. Temperature environment will be +5 to +25C only.

Any advice greatly appreciated, thank you.

Automotive

Comments

  • Ryanek on 01/03/2019 - 08:59
    +6

    It's actually recommended to keep the tank full. It'll prevent moisture from building up in the fuel tank and will stop the seals from drying out. You can also get a fuel stabilizer like Sta-bil to protect the engine from rust and keep the the gas fresh for up to 12 months.

    Also don't use the parking brake as they could fuse.

    • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 09:03
      +1

      Ryanek: great advice-I will see if I can find that brand in Chile.

  • Euphemistic on 01/03/2019 - 09:11

    How wet and humid is it there?

    If you are putting it under a tarp I’d also suggest a carport over the top or something to maintain an air gap between it and the paint.

    • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2019 - 10:12
      +1

      Agree. Do not place tarp directly onto the duco.

      • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 10:48

        Ok thanks for advice on tarp. I was planning on putting a soft blanket on duco first then tarp on top of that!

    • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 10:47

      Basically, I’m located near the southern edge of the Atacama Desert, annual rainfall here is 25 mm per year (1”). Am about 3km from beach, can be a bit humid from cloud cover in winter especially.

  • abb on 01/03/2019 - 10:26
    +1

    I will connect a smart battery charger so it will maintain trickle charging

    Continually charging is not the best for long-term storage. Most manufacturers recommend fully charging, then a periodic (every x months) top-up. See if you can find a charger that does that, rather than putting 13.8V on there all year long.

    Another, highly recommended, maintenance strategy is to buy me a plane ticket to drive it around for you occasionally ;)

    • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2019 - 10:41
      +2

      smart battery charger

      Keyword here is smart.

      • abb on 01/03/2019 - 15:49

        Smart is meaningless marketing puffery.

    • toristo on 01/03/2019 - 10:44

      I do like abb's plan… and happy to offer my services too.

      Plan B might be to find a local who you would trust (mechanic or whoever's driveway it is perhaps) and pay them an agreed amount to check on it, take it for a drive, charge the battery, check air pressure on the tyres to keep it running a few times a year.

      • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 10:55

        That would be ideal. Problem is because I won’t be there, I plan to cancel my insurance during my absence and possibly rego if it can be done in Chile.

        I was thinking of maybe remotely starting vehicle. Currently, whilst I am in Chile I remotely start my Subaru which is my garage in Adelaide once about every two weeks from here in Chile. Works fine, I can even hear it running. I run the engine for about 10 minutes each time until it comes up to operating temperature!!

        • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2019 - 11:01
          +2

          What happens if you can't turn it off? Also being a modern car it probably up to running temp in a few minutes but 10 minutes is good. Can you rev it remotely? That would be an awesome party trick.

        • salmon123 on 01/03/2019 - 11:04
          +1

          I plan to cancel my insurance during my absence

          What's your plan for theft and fire?

          I remotely start my Subaru which is my garage in Adelaide once about every two weeks from here in Chile. Works fine, I can even hear it running. I run the engine for about 10 minutes each time until it comes up to operating temperature!!

          That's pretty neat, what software/tools do you use for that? Do you have any concerns about CO build up in the garage, while you're running it? How do you monitor the engine temperature or is 10m just a guess? Can you control the throttle too? What's your plan for when the car runs out of petrol?

          If you're able to start the engine remotely, then I would question the need to attach the battery to a charger.

          • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 12:03
            +2

            @salmon123: To remotely start/stop my Subaru in Adelaide from Chile I built myself a little circuit using a raspberry pi which is connected to my local LAN. I can access it remotely anywhere on the internet via a DDNS I set up on it. I set it up so that it runs for a user input number of seconds (typically 600s). When I send the START command, it starts an local internal clock countdown so that if I loose internet the program locally will turn it off.

            I can monitor temperature because I have a webcam sitting on my steering wheel so I can see my dashboard. I can see rpm and the temperature gauge. I can also hear engine running via microphone built in to webcam. Hasn’t failed me yet. Currently, I cannot rev engine.

            I main reason I can do it is my vehicle is a 1993 Subaru, it was easy to intercept ignition wires and insert raspberry pi operated relays to start car. I think it would be much more difficult to do with my much more modern 2016 hilux with all its security features build in. However one CAN purchase a remote start kit for it (common in cold climates) to do this. If it has a remote button then I could make that work on internet-next project???

            As for CO buildup, yes it could be a problem, but nobody is there- by the time I get home, it will have dissipated since the last engine run, but will open the garage doors for a while before I enter anyway-good point though.

            Finally, it won’t run out of petrol, I left it with a full tank!! That would last a very long time, only running it for 10-15 mins every 2 weeks!!

            • salmon123 on 01/03/2019 - 12:45

              @GOCAT9: Kudos!

              I think it would be much more difficult to do with my much more modern 2016 hilux with all its security features build in.

              Nah - it's not. I mean manufacturers like to tout all the security features in new cars, but they're almost as simple to hotwire as it was 20 years ago. I haven't tried a high end car like a BMW or Mercedes, but it can be done for Toyota/Hyundai easily.

              I can monitor temperature because I have a webcam sitting on my steering wheel so I can see my dashboard. I can see rpm and the temperature gauge.

              Have you looked at adding a bluetooth OBD module to the car? I wonder if that'll give you better temperature readings.

              • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 13:39

                @salmon123: Yep, but my Subaru is pre OBD (1993).

                Hilux should work. Unfortunately, as far as I know vehicles cannot be started via OBD (sigh). That would make them too easy to steal I guess.

                • salmon123 on 01/03/2019 - 13:44

                  @GOCAT9:

                  Unfortunately, as far as I know vehicles cannot be started via OBD (sigh)

                  Yeah - OBD is a read-only interface! I'm sure there's other interfaces available for inputting data too, just not sure if they standardized or proprietary. I guess this like locking/unlocking might be standardized, as it's used all over the place with car-sharing schemes.

                  • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 22:06

                    @salmon123: Salmon123. This device https://shop.autopi.io/ Could be interesting to watch. They suggest starting via OBD is possible with some vehicles although they don’t say which. Basically it uses a Raspberry Pi interface to OBD!

                  • brendanm on 04/03/2019 - 17:51

                    @salmon123: Obd is not read only, I flash ECUs using obd.

            • Randxyz123 on 01/03/2019 - 13:39

              @GOCAT9: Wow that is impressive!!

              Nice bit of hacking there. As suggested a bluetooth OBD module might even be able to give you live stats.

              If you felt like it was safe you could also wire up your garage door so it opens for a minute? let the CO out. I would only do that if there was a gate between the garage and the street. Just in case.

              As a quick solution what you've already proposed sounds good.

              As a long term solution, I'd start searching on ebay for remote starter kits and see if you can wire them into a raspberryPi for the Hilux.

              • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 13:43

                @Randxyz123: Yes Nick007, good idea, remote start kits are available, not that cheap though. Once it’s installed, interfacing to a RPi and hence internet would be a snap. I can also start it via sms if required!

    • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 10:50

      That sound like a good idea abb, I’ll bear that in mind!!

    • Randxyz123 on 01/03/2019 - 11:02

      You can get a "charge n maintain" which trickle charges the battery and maintains the voltage.

      I wouldn't cancel your insurance. Get whatever the equivalent of theft insurance is over there.

      If it is in a driveway, will it be undercover so you can charge the battery? I would just take it out and leave it on the charge/maintain charger somewhere undercover.

      • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 12:10

        I was thinking of taking the battery out, but not sure what that could do to the vehicle’s ECU etc since it would be for a long time. Not sure what effect this can have in a relatively modern vehicle. Probably not a problem for my old Subaru!

  • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 11:31

    Yes, I think that is the type of smart charger I have. I bought it from Aldi a few months ago and I seem to remember that it does just that!

    As for theft, it would be difficult to steal. Firstly, it is not visible from the street, behind a locked gate and will be on car stands. It also has a car alarm.

    • Randxyz123 on 01/03/2019 - 13:32

      If you bought it from Aldi Australia, Check the voltage!!!

      • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 13:45

        As far as I know all 12V battery based vehicles world wide should be the same electrically, even though my Hilux is left hand drive of course!

        • Randxyz123 on 01/03/2019 - 13:51

          If you bought the smart charger in Australia just double check it is 110-240v

          • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 14:02

            @Randxyz123: Oh, I see what you mean! Chile is 220V, 50Hz, so should be fine! Good point, tho, I’ll check anyway.

  • Toons on 01/03/2019 - 14:29

    Can't go past the ctek Charger maintainer you hook it up to terminals and it does the rest good for recovering maintaining most car / bike batteries it's paid for itself in covering supposedly dead batteries alone for me and my mates.

    (https://www.ctek.com/products/vehicle/mxs-5-0) I leave it connected to cars I'm not using for a while it's great. although they are in a garage not just the driveway. so elements is less of an issue.

    I understand it's good to get the car turned over everynow and then but you really need to get it moving tyres are not that great being left with all that weight on them stationary which you have planned for, If you plan on remote starting it might want to rethink point 4 :-) the old banana in the tailpipe, it also goes against the recommendation to keep the fuel topped to the brim to avoid those issues.

    Good luck, be nice to know what you finally end up doing and what worked and what didn't as a bit of shared learnings for those interested.

    • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 22:14

      I agree about those CTEKs. I also have the 5A model back in Adelaide and its great. I have also used the regenerate (?) mode with success. After reading the manual and using the ALDI model it seems that it is a pretty smart charger also and I think does much the same thing. It was only $30 compared to about $100-$120 for the ctek.

      • nige0090 on 03/03/2019 - 12:32

        I've used an Aldi smart charger to maintain a battery in a rarely driven vehicle for 6 or 7 years.
        When the Aldi charger died, I replaced it with a CTEK and haven't noticed much difference, for maintenance purposes.
        If the CTEK dies in 6 or 7 years I dunno if I will replace it with an Aldi or CTEK charger :-)

        • GOCAT9 on 04/03/2019 - 03:10

          I have the same ALDI charger I think-your experience is a good endorsement for the ALDI charger I think.-ta!

  • apple2016 on 01/03/2019 - 14:43
    +1

    how long would you use the car in a year?
    If its less than one month, it would be economical to sell the car and rent when you want.
    You would avoid all the maintenance cost, insurance, rego, avoid depreciation etc.

  • GOCAT9 on 01/03/2019 - 22:34

    Apple2016 I would agree with that rental suggestion in certain circumstances. However, most of our trips to Chile will be about 2 to 3 months at a time over the next 10 to 15 years. We are planning to do a lot of travel in Chile, Patagonia and neighbouring countries and some of it will involve high altitude driving on dirt roads with four-wheel-drive, whilst not essential, would be a significant advantage, especially in some circumstances. Our driving will be on roads up to 5500m above sea level. Chile has the highest public road in the world at about 20000’ above sea level!! This is but one example of where we want to go:

    https://relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribution/publ…

    I have checked on rentals in Chile, to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle like a Hillux costs about $200 per day. That means that just our first trip of 2 to 3 months the vehicle would have paid for it self (90 days at $200 per day = $18,000). I paid AUD$30,000 for the 2016 duall cab four-wheel-drive Hilux - in immaculate condition . It even still had a Toyota warranty which was pretty rare in Chile as most people with Toyotas less than five years old don’t have a warranty because they don’t take it back to Toyota for servicing because Toyota charges a lot more than a local mechanic.

    When not travelling in Chile we live in our house here and the Hilux will also give us local transportation

  • packeteer on 02/03/2019 - 07:51

    Hilux of that era run low oil pressure at idle, so the upper galleries don't get wet
    ie. the engine should not be idled only, it sound be revved gently

    I'd replace all the oils after each trip, using in dusty environments means you have to change more often

    use a quality smart charger on the battery, it's probably best to remove from the car

    • GOCAT9 on 02/03/2019 - 08:05

      Interesting, thanks. Didn’t know that about oil pressure!

    • brendanm on 04/03/2019 - 17:52

      Haha 2016 hiluxs run low oil pressure at idle? This is patently false.

  • shaybisc on 02/03/2019 - 09:01
    -1

    If rats can get into your garage you've got a problem and your solutions won't stop them.

  • HeWhoKnows on 03/03/2019 - 15:05

    I would lock it away in a garage out of sight!
    If you make it obvious you are not around it will disappear!

    • GOCAT9 on 04/03/2019 - 03:05

      Ack!! we do have 3xCCTV cameras looking at it 24/7 that I can view real-time from home in Australia. If something was happening I guess I would call the local cops here from Australia.

      We also have a friendly neighbour living opposite to us here who would would be happy to keep an eye out for unexpected activity on our property.

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