It's been a while... Poor Sarge just sits these days...

[TahoeRunner]

Hi all,

 

I haven't been on here in a few months so I've been trying to catch up on any possible vital information!

 

So about 3-4 weeks after getting my pathfinder in the spring, I finally got a company truck again (hadn't had one in a few years due the economy and my position doesn't "require" one) so now my almost new 95 is being pretty much preserved in the garage. It just sits there and comes out on the weekends occasionally to run errands or we take it up to the lake instead of my wifes Mazda5. I finally filled up the tank after 2 months and it still had a little over 1/4 tank in it.

 

Anyways, so if this thing gets less than 3-4k miles a year on it, is there anything I should be keeping up with due to it sitting in the garage other than fresh oil and keeping fresh gas in it? I'm at least trying to run it somewhere once a week but that doesn't always happen. I originally planned on changing the oil every 3,000-3500 miles or so but if I don't hit that in 9-12 months I'll probably change it at least once a year. I figure if I keep this up, I can give it to my 2 year old when he turns 16! I'm sure he'll be thrilled!

 

My one other question, is that this thing is going to become our outdoor adventure vehicle for us and I want to set it up for camping and we are actually discussing getting a tent trailer in the spring. We are looking at ones that are 2500-3000lbs max.The two things I need to get here soon are a tow kit and a roof basket. The truck doesn't have a factory roof rack. I saw this inexpensive roof basket that has the rubber feet on it and uses short straps to hook into the door frames and then folds up flat to where you can hang it on the garage wall for storage. Anybody done a temp one like this or is it better to get a roof rack kit that you permanently mount to the truck (I've seen some various kits on Ebay that look like the factory one, but maybe a little beefier). I don't think I'm adventourous enough to attack the Xterra rack install that I saw someone do on here.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I'll try to chime in more often!

[Trogdor636]

I'd throw some gas stabilizer in the tank, and maybe put a battery tender in it. If its going to just sit and not move for more than a few months, get it on jackstands so the tires don't flat spot. As for the roof rack, I'm unfamiliar with the style you are talking about, but I'd play it safe and get a solid rack if the one you are talking about seems kinda sketchy.<br />

Edited September 12, 2012 by Trogdor636

[Slartibartfast]

The strap-on rack sounds like a great way to discourage people from tailgating you! I'd probably go for permanent.

[TahoeRunner]

Slartibartfast: Yeah you might be right...

 

This is what I had in mind for the roof basket. http://www.amazon.com/Highland-35036-Universal-Basket-Carrier/dp/B000DZFMUA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347465052&sr=8-2&keywords=roof+basket

 

But maybe it would be better if I just got one of the cargo trays that mounts int the tow hitch instead. If and when we get a tent trailer, it wouldn't be used.

 

As far as it sitting, it at least gets driven 2-3 times a month. And I'll put my wife in the kids in it for a day or two during the month so it gets driven so It won't just sit for months at a time. I was more talking about it just not getting more than a few thousand miles a year. Like with oil, most people don't realize that there is a time interval on some things along with mileage so its whichever interval you hit first. So can I still get 100 k miles out of a timing belt or do they have a time limit? stuff like that.

[Towncivilian]

Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, flush it out every 2 years. Check for animals nests in the air box. Get a good battery tender. Everything else should be good as long as you get everything nice and hot once in a while to boil off any accumulated moisture.

[Precise1]

The strap-on rack sounds like a great way to discourage people from tailgating you! I'd probably go for permanent.

*snort*

 

I'd say to do your best to drive it once a week, even if it is only 5 miles (after you warm it up) to keep the battery charged, all fluids cycled, flex the suspension, spin the tires, etc. This will keep it ready for moments notice type duty. Keep the gas tank @ 1/4 or less and use some gas stabilizer as mentioned. Don't worry about not putting a lot of miles on it, that means you'll have it a lot longer! (I'm in a similar position, my Pathy only drives a few thousand miles a year and is a 1995 with 106k on it now.)

Nunya is another extremely low mileage annual mileage driver and he changes his oil annually. Timing belts have a recommended age limit as well as mileage (4 years IIRC), but when I changed the 13 year old timing belt on my current pathy (@ 98k miles) it still looked good with no significant cracking or shredding so don't worry about the duration as much as mileage. Well, at least in moderate climes without road salt, etc...

 

B

[silverton]

You do live in Nevada so there is extreme heat, rubber isn't a fan of that. My 200SX was a very low mileage-per-year vehicle. ~5,000 a year, with 113k as of last year. And was on its original timing belt up to 128,000.

[Precise1]

You do live in Nevada so there is extreme heat, rubber isn't a fan of that.

Up to a point, yes, but remember that the T-belt is enclosed on the front of the engine around the water pump so you can assume the operating temperature is much hotter than being parked on a hot day. This is part of my arguement to drive the vehicle on a frequent basis though as timing belt tensioned and never rotating could 'set' in position, shortening it's effective life when rotating. I've seen this with fan belts as well, so it's good to spin things regularly.

 

Automotive/industrial rubbers last a surprisingly long time under harsh conditions. Just consider a radiator hose and the temperature changes, heat and pressure they deal with for years and even decades before failing. I suspect inaction is a bigger factor in damage than ambient temperature.

 

B

[TahoeRunner]

That and the truck has been garaged its entire life and is still being garaged now so its not seeing extreme temps while parked, or even sunlight for that matter. And in our part of nevada our extreme heat is highs cresting 100 a few days of the summer. But I'll keep track of time also and make sure i'm at least changing the oil once a year at a max. My wife likes driving it too, so I'll just put her and the kids driving it around a couple of days a month to keep everything good and cycled. And if we do anything outdoorsy, even if its just driving up to the lake to have lunch, we'll take Sarge for the excuse of it!

 

 

So as far as the roof rack, I understand that its not the coolest application and may even look a little geeky, but I'm looking for basic functionality of it and like the idea of being able to throw it on there few times a year when we go camping or take an overnight trip somewhere where we can't fit all the kids crap inside the pathy and leave it off the rest of the time since the truck doesn't need any help with wind noise. Ultimately I want to do something more permanent or at least complete like a yakima rack and such.