Storing a Car for Winter

I don't know Fords but it should not.

Even on my 94 Camry the computer calculate new settings within 23km after a flat battery has been replaced.

Come ON! Is this "winter" a Phoenix, AZ winter or a long cold arctic one. No intelligent answer can come from your question. Is the battery removed from the vehicle?

How about some details.

No, it will be fine. You might not be able to reprogram the radio - depending on whether you kept the manual. It will take some time for the computer to reprogram itself, and there may be some odd thing that needs to be set by the dealer, but no actual damage will occur.

I would be much more worried about the mechanical parts of the car.

If you're just trying to keep the battery from going bad, you can buy a trickle charger that will keep the battery in good shape, and the computer alive. In fact you can get a solar one that sits on the roof and connects to the cigarette lighter jack. That's what I would do. If I lived somewhere that had a winter.

I have, "a solar one that sits on the roof and connects to the cigarette lighter jack" battery of my boat.

It's great.

...if the solar panel can get enough sun during winter months, that is.

I have numerous vehicles that have sat for winters and some years even and they all fair just fine. Your computer will need to relearn a few things the first time you drive it and your clock and radio will need resetting but for the most part sitting all winter or even a year or two wont drastically affect your vehicle. The possibility of if mice and rodents move in they could do more damage in that time than anything.

As far as seals and gaskets go the modern materials doesn't have the same drying out characteristics as the ones made 20+ years ago or more had. Your fuel will spoil in the tank and clog up the fuel pump before the engine and drive train seals dry out.

the computer will have to relearn it's compensations, relatively meaningless, though.

IMPORTANT: you may have to re-enter an anti-theft code in the radio. find this before, or the dealer will rape you to unlock it. check your owners manual for the procedure.

Don't know about a Ford, but my Mazda had a theft-proof radio, and if you put a security code in, the radio would be disabled when power was removed until you put the code back in. Bad news if you forgot the code, you only get so many guesses!

Don't disconnect it. Just make sure it is fully charged and park it. A charged battery will not freeze over the winter.

Do be careful if you choose the charge it and leave it option. Many vehicles these days have a number of "keep alive" circuits that can draw several milli-amps of current just sitting there. The manufacturers assume you will probably drive your car at least once a month so they factor in the battery capacity and keep those convenience features active (keyless entry, memory settings for the radio, engine control unit settings, etc.) If you do leave the battery connected a small trickle charger as mentioned in previous posts such as a solar PV panel work wonderfully.

Cheers !

What do you mean—Scew Up. Nonoperating electronic failure rates are typically magnitudes...low than operating. This should hold to even greater degree in cooler temperatures (within reason) provided temperarature stabilization within normal operating temparature range is assured before re-energizing chips. More likely to "screw up" will be the battery itself...again made less likely by proper maintenance such as a once-per-month charge.

Indeed, removal of battery should prove advantageous to greater lesser degree overwinter (non-use) storage of any motor car or vehicle using starter battery. Battery can be stored out of cold and more easily charge maintained. Battery cannot be stolen from car. Car much more difficult (for would be theives/temperers) to start without battery. No chance of corrosion of cables, clamps. No chance of static charge for battery coducting and causing corrosion to chips, active components, even non-conductive metallic car components.

This really should never have been an argument.

Incidentally, risk of storage in winter is less than storage in summer...primarily because gasoline is less stable in summer than winter...and can gunk things up.