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If a car has been parked outside for about 2 years...

eldorado99

eldorado99

Lifer
I'm just fiddlin' around with it, but in order to start it is there anything I should do in order to make it start and not blow up? 😀. It has been parked outside in British Columbia for about 2 years and so its been exposed to a LOT of rain. I am expecting that its not going to start but is there a way to coax it into starting? It ran when it was parked so all of the parts are there and its not that rusty amazingly.
 
Change the oil, and drain & refill the gas tank with fresh gas definitely. Also, check the plugs and wires, and all other fluids and hoses.
 
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
what would he do with the old gas? just curious. i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to put it down the drain.
Click to expand...

Lawnmower, leafblower, anything cheaper that your car that takes gas
 
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
what would he do with the old gas? just curious. i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to put it down the drain.
Click to expand...

nope. poor it in your neighbor's yard instead.
 
put a few drops of oil into each clyndr when u take off the plugs. replace oil, charge battery, change plugs,change coolant, use some starter fluid on intake to start it if needed. old fuel will fire up, but run bad.. injectors or carbs will need cleaning
 
If the car hasn't been moved in a while (anything over 3 months), your suspension is probably shot to hell from the constant pressure on one spot. Tires don't care for the constant pressure either. The oil also separates and the gas forms sediments.

Our family and my uncle's family used to share a car while we were in Greece (Mercedes Benz E-class, not the one they sell in the States; it was a 2.3 L flat-four if I remember right). While neither family was there, the car would sit unused in a parking lot for 7-8 months at a time and had to be immediately serviced when we got there, usually costing almost $1000.
 
Bwhahaha. This reminds me. I was living in Berkeley in an apt, and did not have a garage or anything. My motorcycle was parked on a curb, and that's where I did my little maintenance.
One day I decided to change fuel filter, because it was clogging up with sh!t on the bottom of the tank. In order to do that you need to drain the tank completely. I drained it into a clean milk container and proceeded to change the filter. When I unscrewed it, I discovered that the rubber seals were so old, they crumbled in my hands. I debated for a sec about what to do with them, but then said: ah, fvck it and tossed them away.

Long story short, I change the filter, screw it back in, put the tank back in place and pour the gas from the container into the tank. Sicne there was very little of it, I drove to the gas station wich was some 400 feet away and topped off the tank.

On the way back to the house I noticed, that filter screws are leaking, and gas is dripping onto the hot muffler pipe :Q :Q

Now I have a full tank of gas which is leaking, and I don't have any seals. Fvcking great. I park the bike and rush to the hardware store for some rubber seals. Got them quickly and rushed back. Now, I either need to drain the whole tank or unscrew filter screws really quickly, put the rubber seals and screw them back in. The latter seemed like the easier way to go, so I proceeded with that.

I unscrew the filter screws, and gas starts to pour out. I quickly plug the hole with one finger, while putting the seal on. Then screw the bolt back in. By this time I'm completely covered in gas, everything around stinks with gas fumes, and there's a little puddle of gas beneath the byke.

I wipe the sweat off the face and was just about ready to clean sh!t up, when this Mexican dude who lived across the street comes over to chit chat. He's like: what's up, man? I turn around and see that he has a cigarette burning in his mouth :Q :Q :Q

Luckily, nothing happened. But that was one of the scariest moments in my life.
He's like; what's up, man
 
Originally posted by: paulney
Bwhahaha. This reminds me. I was living in Berkeley in an apt, and did not have a garage or anything. My motorcycle was parked on a curb, and that's where I did my little maintenance.
One day I decided to change fuel filter, because it was clogging up with sh!t on the bottom of the tank. In order to do that you need to drain the tank completely. I drained it into a clean milk container and proceeded to change the filter. When I unscrewed it, I discovered that the rubber seals were so old, they crumbled in my hands. I debated for a sec about what to do with them, but then said: ah, fvck it and tossed them away.

Long story short, I change the filter, screw it back in, put the tank back in place and pour the gas from the container into the tank. Sicne there was very little of it, I drove to the gas station wich was some 400 feet away and topped off the tank.

On the way back to the house I noticed, that filter screws are leaking, and gas is dripping onto the hot muffler pipe :Q :Q

Now I have a full tank of gas which is leaking, and I don't have any seals. Fvcking great. I park the bike and rush to the hardware store for some rubber seals. Got them quickly and rushed back. Now, I either need to drain the whole tank or unscrew filter screws really quickly, put the rubber seals and screw them back in. The latter seemed like the easier way to go, so I proceeded with that.

I unscrew the filter screws, and gas starts to pour out. I quickly plug the hole with one finger, while putting the seal on. Then screw the bolt back in. By this time I'm completely covered in gas, everything around stinks with gas fumes, and there's a little puddle of gas beneath the byke.

I wipe the sweat off the face and was just about ready to clean sh!t up, when this Mexican dude who lived across the street comes over to chit chat. He's like: what's up, man? I turn around and see that he has a cigarette burning in his mouth :Q :Q :Q

Luckily, nothing happened. But that was one of the scariest moments in my life.
He's like; what's up, man
Click to expand...

Similar story for me. Except replace the Mexican dude with my niece who smoked. We bitched about her throwing butts into our lawn, so she walked a little from the porch and pitched them into the road. Well, she pitched one into the road while I was replacing a gas line under my Pathfinder, soaked in gas.


Anyway, in addition to what they said above, your rotors and drums are going to have some surface rust on them - take it easy until the rust wears off.
 
Originally posted by: TheGoodGuy
put a few drops of oil into each clyndr when u take off the plugs. replace oil, charge battery, change plugs,change coolant, use some starter fluid on intake to start it if needed. old fuel will fire up, but run bad.. injectors or carbs will need cleaning
Click to expand...

I'd say a teaspoon into each cylinder, to make sure it gets all the way around.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: paulney
Bwhahaha. This reminds me. I was living in Berkeley in an apt, and did not have a garage or anything. My motorcycle was parked on a curb, and that's where I did my little maintenance.
One day I decided to change fuel filter, because it was clogging up with sh!t on the bottom of the tank. In order to do that you need to drain the tank completely. I drained it into a clean milk container and proceeded to change the filter. When I unscrewed it, I discovered that the rubber seals were so old, they crumbled in my hands. I debated for a sec about what to do with them, but then said: ah, fvck it and tossed them away.

Long story short, I change the filter, screw it back in, put the tank back in place and pour the gas from the container into the tank. Sicne there was very little of it, I drove to the gas station wich was some 400 feet away and topped off the tank.

On the way back to the house I noticed, that filter screws are leaking, and gas is dripping onto the hot muffler pipe :Q :Q

Now I have a full tank of gas which is leaking, and I don't have any seals. Fvcking great. I park the bike and rush to the hardware store for some rubber seals. Got them quickly and rushed back. Now, I either need to drain the whole tank or unscrew filter screws really quickly, put the rubber seals and screw them back in. The latter seemed like the easier way to go, so I proceeded with that.

I unscrew the filter screws, and gas starts to pour out. I quickly plug the hole with one finger, while putting the seal on. Then screw the bolt back in. By this time I'm completely covered in gas, everything around stinks with gas fumes, and there's a little puddle of gas beneath the byke.

I wipe the sweat off the face and was just about ready to clean sh!t up, when this Mexican dude who lived across the street comes over to chit chat. He's like: what's up, man? I turn around and see that he has a cigarette burning in his mouth :Q :Q :Q

Luckily, nothing happened. But that was one of the scariest moments in my life.
He's like; what's up, man
Click to expand...

Similar story for me. Except replace the Mexican dude with my niece who smoked. We bitched about her throwing butts into our lawn, so she walked a little from the porch and pitched them into the road. Well, she pitched one into the road while I was replacing a gas line under my Pathfinder, soaked in gas.


Anyway, in addition to what they said above, your rotors and drums are going to have some surface rust on them - take it easy until the rust wears off.
Click to expand...

holy crap.
 
This thread has helped me a lot too. We've got a station wagon my dad has just let sit, and the battery is dead. We've had all these rainstorms and the windows have all been down and we can't get them up, so not only is the hardware fvcked up, so will be the interior.
 
also after you replace the oil, see if you can't hand crank the engine over a couple times to prime the oil pump.

also think about changing to brake fluid/clutch master cylinder fluid out once you get it running. tranny fluid too, rear diff fluid....but these aren't that important to it starting up.

definately replace the fuel filter after draingn the tank and putting in fresh gas.

make sure the air filter isn't rotted out. and check the rubber vaccumm hoses too.
 
Originally posted by: jumpr
Have jumper cables handy...the battery may very likely be drained.
Click to expand...

Don't you mean jumpr cables? I heard those are a lot better than the normal kind.
 
2 years is a long time. Stuff that wouldn't ordinarily happen so soon happens when you don't run and drive the car. ie, brake cylinders/calipers rust from the water in the hydrolic fluid. Parking brake cables freeze up (rust tight), fuel pumps crap out, etc.

Squirt some oil into each cylinder. Put another battery in. Starter fluid. If it starts, fine, do all the other necessary maintenance.
Good luck.
 
Just change gas. and charge batt. Only need to change oil and lube cylnders if its been more than 10-15 yrs. A friend just fired up a 392 in a wrecked 69 loadstar.(had been sitting since 1970) Fired up first try. Didnt do anything to it. Just dropped in a battery. Gas was old, etc. crank crank VROOOMMMMM
 
Originally posted by: TechnoKid
also after you replace the oil, see if you can't hand crank the engine over a couple times to prime the oil pump.

also think about changing to brake fluid/clutch master cylinder fluid out once you get it running. tranny fluid too, rear diff fluid....but these aren't that important to it starting up.

definately replace the fuel filter after draingn the tank and putting in fresh gas.

make sure the air filter isn't rotted out. and check the rubber vaccumm hoses too.
Click to expand...


Jesus its been TWO YEARS. Just cahnge the gas and fire the damnm thing up.
 
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