Regular Maintenance schedule

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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AndreThornton
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:31 am
Your car is a: 1974 Spider

Regular Maintenance schedule

Post by AndreThornton »

Hi.....recently bought a 1982 2000. Does anyone have a suggested regular maintenance program to share? My "season" is about 8 months long....April to Mid-December or so. What to do and how often?
Successful regimens greatly appreciated!
maxdog
Patron 2019
Patron 2019
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:27 pm
Your car is a: 1979 spyder 124
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada

Re: Regular Maintenance schedule

Post by maxdog »

HI Andre
I am surprised there has been no response so far , I hope this will be helpful , perhaps others will add their comments
My driving season is about as long as yours ,I usually manage 3-5000KM per year . The car is stored in an un heated ,critter free garage .
Before I put the car away I spend a day on maintenance
Wash and wax the exterior , clean the interior and empty the junk from the trunk .
Add a litre of methanol to the fuel tank this is to keep any condensed water in the tank from separating out .I then fill the tank to minimise condensation in the tank . I have never had problems from gunge in gasoline so I don't use " gas stabilisers "
Drain and refill the sump . Change the oil filter . Check the gear box and rear axle oil levels ,check and grease the front wheel bearings .
Check the brake pads ,adjust and grease the parking brake .Replace the brake fluid periodically by bleeding the entire system .
Inspect the brake hoses
Check the anti freeze strength , change it every three seasons , inspect the hoses and hose clips
Inflate the tires to 35 psi .Put the car onto jack stands , with the tires off the ground .Support the rear with stands under the axle to facilitate bleeding the brakes.
Disconnect the battery , keep it charged over the winter
I put up the top on a warm day before washing the car ,[ it is the only time my top is up ]
Store the car with the top up and windows closed to frustrate any stray hibernating wild life
Store the car under a good cover to protect it from dust, dirt and snow shovel dings in a crowded garage .
When spring arrives , it is snowing today in Montreal , all you need to do is refit the battery , remove the jack stands and drive away
Cheers
Maxdog
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RRoller123
Patron 2020
Patron 2020
Posts: 8179
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:04 pm
Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
Location: SAGAMORE BEACH, MA USA

Re: Regular Maintenance schedule

Post by RRoller123 »

Good stuff.

I also make sure that I run the engine every month or so during storage, and enough to get a few fan cycles. Ten or 15 minutes, with a short drive if no snow or salt, usually does it. It is important to heat the engine internals enough to drive out any moisture that may have condensed in there.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle
AndreThornton
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:31 am
Your car is a: 1974 Spider

Re: Regular Maintenance schedule

Post by AndreThornton »

Many thanks Gents! Quite a laundry list and I am appreciative.
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