5th Gen Storage and Battery?

Hey everyone,

I had to leave the country on short notice, and my 4Runner will be sitting for anywhere from 4-6 months.

Before leaving I put it on jack stands, poured Lucas fuel stabilizer into full tank of non-ethanol gas, and replaced engine with fresh oil.

One thing I overlooked was the battery. So here is my question:

Will letting the battery die, and stay in the 4Runner until I get back potentially cause any damage to the vehicle?

It is a relatively new battery since the car only has about 5000 miles on it. I know the battery will be dead and might need to be replaced entirely when I return, but am I causing any issues to the vehicle itself by doing this?

I’m not worried about having to redo the window settings, but I read that it’s possible for the car to not recognize your key fob after such a long time? Is this true?

Thanks for any help.

 

Depending on where/how it's being stored, you might want to plan some anti-vermin measures. I'd also recommend a quick squirt of oil down the spark plug galleys if you're able. For that short of time, it may not even be an issue. If you're not worried about maintaining the battery, I would remove it just to be on the safe side.

I don't know about the key fob thing, but I highly doubt it.

 

No concerns beyond battery, but i’m not sure it’s guaranteed to die.

As for the fob, maybe you’ll need to wake something up but I can’t imagine needing more than the physical key or pushing a button on it.

 

My lawn mower battery has survived 4 Wis winters without issue. A car bat is a bit more robust. I bet it fires right up when the time comes.

 

As far as vermin - I forgot to mention that I covered the garage in sticky pads (for rats) and rat traps all over. I sprayed rodent deterrent all around as well.

I did not think about the spark plugs at all.

It’s too late for me to remove it now, but my wife is still there for a few more days. I could ask a friend to maybe remove it, but didn’t want to introduce any chances of something getting done wrong if just leaving the battery in would be ok.

I came across the key fob thing on some Toyota mechanic Q and A type website that came up in my searches. I’ve never actually heard of it happening before, but key fobs and their exact tech isn’t something I’m that familiar with.

Another thought that popped into my head:

Would I even be able to unlock the doors with a completely dead battery? Do 2024’s even come with a physical key?

 

I wouldn't worry about the battery. It will most likely be dead when you return. There are parasitic drains on the battery from the radio and some of the ECUs. It will just die and everything will have to be reset. We left my wife's '99 Sienna in our garage while we traveled around the US for 3 months and it was stone dead when we returned. I replaced the battery and reset the power door and sun roof; no problems.

I do not have a newer Toyota but my understanding is that there is a small key tucked away in the fob you carry. You should be able to open the door with that. Check with your dealer if that doesn't work for you.

 

The fob should have a physical key inside it.

What about just disconnecting the battery? Pulling off the negative terminal would be all you need, but either way it won't blow up.

 

Lawn mowers don't have a parasitic drain. The electronics on newer cars will draw it down. It did on our '99 Sienna after only 3 months on a newer battery. The radio, sun roof and anything that needs "memory" (seat position???) is drawing power from the battery.

 

When you return try charging the battery back up before you try to start it - if it isn't subject to freezing it may be fine and just need a charge

 

Battery tender?

 

I've used a CTEK battery maintainer on all my vehicles.... including collector cars, ATVs, and my last 8 Toyotas. When I get my new 4Runner (hopefully next week), the first thing that I'll do is put a CTEK quick-connect cable on the battery terminals.

 

I get the impression that it’s too late for a battery tender

 

I did think of ordering a trickle charger and having my friend go plug it in. The only issue I found with that was I saw it’s possible to overload the battery?

I’m not sure if a tender is different, but from everything I came across the details were vague as to whether it’d be safe to just leave it for months.

With disconnecting just the negative terminal, is it just that? No need to wrap or tape it or anything? This might be the easiest solution.

 

A tender is pretty foolproof and disconnecting the negative terminal is all it takes. It’s a flexible cable so you can just push it to the side.

 

I like this one and I think you can leave it on indefinitely - I’ve had it on my RV battery for over a year with good results
https://a.co/d/gGc59YO

 

Oil down the spark plug holes is a horrible idea. Dielectric grease is designed for the purpose of protecting the connection and the top seals are going to keep everything but a flood out.

A dedicated tender will only run at an amp or two to keep the battery topped and are generally safe to leave on full time. That said, I would not leave a tender completely unattended for a long period just in case something goes wrong with the battery. It's cool to leave one while you're around in daily life but I would not if I were gone for weeks on end.

IMO, pull the negative as was mentioned or just remove the battery and put it on a workbench. It'll probably still have a charge when you get back since it won't have the parasitic ECU draws.

 

trickle charge it

 

Another vote for just disconnecting the battery.

 

The oil has nothing to do with the electrical connection. Maybe I should've been a little more specific. A spritz of oil into the cylinders through the sparkplug oil helps to keep condensation from causing issues while sitting.

 

Yeah disconnect the negative cable or put it on a battery tender. Tenders are specifically designed for storage use and have circuitry to detect when the battery is fully charged. My Tacoma sits for 6 months continuously on a CTek tender.

If you leave the battery connected without a tender, it can be expected to die with all the evap system tests that run periodically every day, in which case budget for a replacement battery when you return (i.e. the battery will be damaged by sitting drained for so long).

 

Ah ok yeah. Sounded to me like you just meant down the valve cover but a shot of WD or some other aerosolized oil into the cylinder is a good call for long term.

 

You've done this on your 4R? My impression is the job is a bit involved with removing the manifold air injection valves and disturbing the metal gaskets (which see exhaust gases).

 

I'll second this battery tender, i stabil the gas like you, put bounce fabric softener all over underneath on the floor and hook up a battery tender and slowly close hood down on block off wood to avoid hitting the alligator clips attached to the posts. I store my 4Runner and another vehicle all winter this way and have done so with other vehicles over the years (in a garage of course).

 

I don't know if it would be necessary on a 4-6mo term for OP but I've definitely done it for a friend who was deploying and the timeframe was measured in years. Worth it if you live somewhere that humidity is an issue but shorter term, the oil residue from running is probably sufficient.

 

I'd use fogging oil. WD-40 dissipates too quickly.

I've never done it on the 4 Runner. I've done it on plenty of motorcycles and a few vehicles that have sat for years at a time.

I haven't done spark plugs on the 4 Runner yet, so I don't know what's involved. Alternatively, you could lightly spray fogging oil into the intake while it was running.

Speaking of all of this oil. I forgot to mention that a fresh oil change is good pre-storage. It also helps get moisture out of the bits inside the rotating assemblies.

 

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But your mower does not have a computer...which does consume energy. A battery tender is the way to go.

 

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I live in NC and we definitely get humidity. Do you think I’d still be ok after 4-6 months? I’ve never heard of the oil in the spark plugs thing, so it never even crossed my mind as something to do.

 

What’s the fabric softener for?

 

I doubt that's enough time to cause any damage personally.

 

The bounce fabric softener I’ve used for years to keep mice away. I use it in my boat and also in winter I throw sheets on the floor underneath the engine compartment. I buy the biggest box bounce sells. Some say it does not work but knock on wood i never had an issue. I just obviously pick up the sheets prior to starting vehicle in spring time.