Do seals dry out?

[Harley94]

A friend of mine is getting ready to leave their home AZ and leave their van there for 6 months or so. He was told to have someone start the van from time to time to keep the seals from drying out (trans, steering box, etc.). Is that possible with today's new seal composition? He'll do the obvious with battery & gas but this seal question has me thinking. The vehicle is a 5-7 yr old van and I'm not sure the make.
Any thoughts?

 

[JCQuick]

yes they do and wear out also

 

[Bob C]

Just 6 months? Oh i doubt it in that time frame. My old 89 GMC K2500 sat for six years. I got it back on the road again last november and it isn't leaking anywhere.

 

[RECox286]

Yes. Seals are not self lubricating, so when taken out of the

ocean they do tend to dry out.

Uncle Bob

 

[mike_81]

My dad has an 82 Camaro that he has stored every winter since new except for one (stored Nov-Apr) and has never had an issue. It usually fires right up in april without a charger.

Is the van going to be parked indoors?

 

[1949 caddyman]

I think it would do more harm than good starting and not runing long enough to heat up the oil to burn off any moisture. Cars sit on the dealers lot for a long time without starting.

 

[softailgarage]

Yes they do and yes, they will, especially in the Arizona heat. I see it a lot with junk yard ******'s. They sit in a salvage yard, no oil circulating to keep them pliable, they soon dry up, crack, and leak. Thats why I always try to discourage customers from buying junk units, sure as **** they're gonna leak.

 

[alan camby]

They will dry out in the sun

 

[bazzateer]

Met a couple of the Navy type and they were never dry, just one sniff of British beer and they were pissed as farts!

 

[Harley94]

It will be stored in their garage, but I don't have any idea just how hot it would get in the summer inside there. Thanks for the info, I'll pass it on and let him make the decision how he wants to handle it.

 

[Randy in Maine]

Usually when I store a car over the winter, before I park it it has:

1) a full fresh tank of gas with Stabil in it,
2) a nice fresh oil change,
3) the battery removed from the car and placed on a bettery tender, and
3) a fresh wash job (and I make sure it is all dry).

Never an issue come spring.

If you are going to start it up once in a while, I would suggest tanking it on a nice long drive at highway speeds to get all of the oil up to operating temperature. Otherwise I say don't start it at all.

 

[CNGsaves]

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