Transported vehicle from the south (warmer weather)

[Jerry Diecidue]

Hi all,
New to this forum.

First and foremost – Hey Eric – watch your videos all the time, very informative and have learned a lot from you. Keep up the great work!

Now on to my question.

I had a 2005 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL transported from Florida and is now in my home state of Mass.

Once the warmer weather arrives, going to put it on the road.

Is there anything specific I need to change since it was in Florida that would not work here up north?

Are the tires the same? Oil? Anything specific I need to do?

Any and all input is appreciated

Thanks,
Jerry

Topic

[Ian]

Put some Stabil or other similar fuel preservative in the tank. Different regions use different blends of gasoline depending on the season, but I imagine a southern winter blend gasoline will be pretty close to a northern summer blend gasoline.

Change the oil if it hasn’t been done recently and fill it up with whatever viscosity you plan on using once the car is on the road. I’ve heard that blow-by gases from the engine can form acids in the oil pan that just go to town on the soft metals in bearings. Normally this isn’t a problem, assuming the oil is changed regularly. It is a problem for cars that sit for extended periods without fresh-ish oil in them.

Disconnect the battery so it doesn’t get drained. Better yet, remove it completely and keep it on a trickle charger. Most good shops do this with the batteries they have on hand so they’re good to go when and if a customer needs one.

Tires shouldn’t need to be changed, just make sure they don’t go flat.

[Mike]

Flush and change the coolant with a 50/50 or 60/40 antifreeze/distilled water mixture.

Coming from the south where freezing temperatures are a rarity, it wouldn’t be surprising if the previous owner ran the car on almost straight water. It probably would be a good idea to tune up the overall cooling system and replace the thermostat, rad cap as well as the rad and heater hoses. And, since it’s a warm weather car, the heater core probably got very little use, so you may find that it’s clogged internally. The other side of the coin is that the AC system, which would have been used a lot, may be sketchy, if it works at all.

Although not related to temperature, do you have the maintenance records for the car? If not, and depending on the mileage, you may want to consider changing the timing belt.

[Author]

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