Car stored for 8mths...now what to do first?

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slycat

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
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My idiot housemate stored his Mazda626 for 8mths in my garage...never turned it on, never did nothing. Last night had to jumpstart the bitch and it smelled like crap. Drove it around a bit. Whats the first few things that need to be checked or changed or whatever? He needs to get it smogged so wanna make sure it can pass smog check in California.
 
M

Mr N8

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
8,793
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76
Check belts and hoses for cracking. Change the oil, and put fresh gas into it.
 
aircooled

aircooled

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
15,965
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Flat spots on tires. Change all fluids. Any real damage would have been done already on you initial start, should have changed the oil and filter and primed it first..
 
C

CVSiN

Diamond Member
Jul 19, 2004
9,289
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oil.. battery.. antifreeze... transmission fluid if automatic... plugs...
 
Vic

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
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He should not have started it up without first changing the oil, coolant, and gas, and also pulling the plugs and cranking the engine a few times with them out (in case water had gotten into the cylinders, and then of course put the plugs back in).

That he had to jumpstart would be normal. Any car that sits for more than a month has high likelihood of needed to be jumped. The smell was probably collected dust on the engine and exhaust that was burning off. If it ran poorly, it's probably because gas generally breaks down into an unburnable state in 8 months (so it's a miracle it started at all).

As it's already started and any damage is already done, he should just do what all the other posters suggested.
 
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