Sitting for a year without starting

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark
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M

Mark

I posted another message here about possibly buying a 94 Scoupe from a
friend.
Well I'm going to check it out, but one thing I was thinking about is that
it hasn't been fired up for over a year.
What precautions should be taken before starting it?

What exactly happens when a car sits for that amount of time? I would
imagine the oil might dry up a bit, but I'm no expert.

Any advice would be appreciated.


Mark
 
Mark said:
I posted another message here about possibly buying a 94 Scoupe from
a friend. Well I'm going to check it out, but one thing I was
thinking about is that it hasn't been fired up for over a year. What
precautions should be taken before starting it?

What exactly happens when a car sits for that amount of time? I would
imagine the oil might dry up a bit, but I'm no expert.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

At the very least, you're probably going to have:

1) a flat battery (it might not take a charge even after you jump it)
2) flat spots in the tires (you'll probably have to replace them)
3) gunked-up oil (should be flushed and changed before starting car)
4) belts will have become stiffened in their current shape and bending
them will weaken them; I'd replace them all
5) all the gunk in the gas tank has settled to the bottom, ready to
get sucked into the fuel line -- replace the fuel filter after the
first startup, it'll probably need it

Various things may have become rusted or otherwise stuck to other
things. I'd be very sure of the brakes before taking it for a test
drive, for example.

Please, have a mechanic you trust (or at least someone mechancially
inclined) check this car out before giving your friend any money for
it. Actually, since he obviously hasn't been in desperate enough need
of cash to sell the car in over a year, maybe you can suggest that
you'll pay him if it's still running in two months. %)
 
Well, everyone is giving you good advice so I'll put in my two cents. I'd
remove the plugs and squirt a little Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder,
put the plugs back in and fire it up. After it gets through coughing and
sputtering, drive it around a bit and then do all the other stuff.
jor
 
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