Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Starting a car that has sat for 4 years

Check fo radon.

This. You want to get oil to all the bearings before starting it.

Which engine, and how old is the timing belt.

Have seen old, rotten belts strip the teeth off in the same scenario.

Had a gasoline Ford tractor that the stuck open valve was bent and had to replace….major expense. Never try to operate with gas that has gone bad from sitting a long time….lesson learned.

That's no joke. I've had some rounds with both 4 legged and feathered invaders in cars. One of them cost me $700.

Started a few gasoline engines that sat for extended periods in my time. I think the longest was just over 30 years.
Check fluid levels in case any leaked over time and install new battery. Visually inspect under hood for any obvious outward problems (rodent damage, etc). Fuel tank drain may not be necessary after only 4 years.
If it ran well beforehand should run same now. Fire it right up.
If no start condition; work backwards from spark condition to fuel delivery etc etc.

-Ken

I’d pull the plugs and lubricate through the holes, probably turn it over a few times sans plugs.

I’d drain all the old gas and change the fuel filter prior to trying to start, then change the fuel filter again after 50-100Mi.

Lifting each corner and assuring the wheels spin freely is probably a good idea as well. No sense in putting a big load on the transmission due to brake-pad issues when it’s fairly easily avoidable.

Fairly quickly after getting it running/driving I’d swap out oil and transmission fluid for sure. Probably brake fluid and coolant as well. I’d want the anti-corrosion properties of those fluids back up to snuff.

Just started a car that had been in storage, pulled the coil wire and turned it over for a bit to hopefully get some oil up top in the engine.

Isn't it amazing how mice and squirrels will find, or make, an opening and build nest or store food in the air cleaner box or in the duct system? Hardware cloth is your friend.

Be very careful doing this. If there's any gas in the lines, it could be pumped into a cylinder and the piston can splash it out the hole - right into a spark from a plug or a wire if it's close enough to the block. Be sure that no wires are lying where they can spark.

Pull the Plugs and squirt some 2 stroke oil directly in the cylinders...
Speaking of oil might want to change it first so the engine isn't trying to lubricate itself with sludge.

Sounds like you were lucky and they didn't gnaw on the wiring...

Mice built a nest inside the heater box under dash of my wife's Dodge Dakota. It completely blocked the heat and a/c air flow. I had to take it to a shop the completely dismantle all the crap under there to get it out. I had them put a new heater core in it while it was apart just in case.

Yes, before anything, pull the sparkalators and squirt in some penetrating oil or something to put some lubrication onto the rings BEFORE you try to turn it over or crank it.

Try it with the fuel in the tank. If you're lucky it'll run, but fill it up with fresh and some cleaner.

Next task would be to drain the old brake lines and bleed in fresh.

All some good advice. Helps to remember some of these things.

My 72 challenger has not been cranked in 6 years. Had the timing and electric fuel pump set to perfection. Half turn of the key it fire right up.

Been in the garage untouched since my medical chit began.

My plans are to change the fluids, oil, pump out the gas, pull the plugs, squirt a shot of STP in each cyl. Rotate the crank bolt and slowly cycle the with a breaker bar/rachet about a dozen revols to coat those rings and walls. Give a few more bumps with a hot battery.

New plugs and fresh gas. See if it’ll fire up

Been there done it and dealt with it myself... Vinegar helps kill the ammonia stink...though I still occasionally get a bit of seed pod rattle in the vents on high defroster..

I like 2-stroke because it is thick enough to give the rings a good coating and help make the pistin-ring-cylinder seal yet it is designed to burn off/pass through through the exhaust system. And those little 2.6 oz trimmer/chainsaw bottles are the perfect size for the job!

Fellows I appreciate all the help. How much oil do you squirt in the spark plug openings? This is a car my youngest wants to fool with and get running. If it runs well than we will proceed with all the other work it needs.
Thanks. -tnscouter

I was going to say the same thing. Four years is not that big of a deal, as long as there is gas in the tank and a fresh battery it will start.

May well not apply to a recent Accura. In my hot rod days we would pull the distributor and drive the oil pump for a while to build pressure and fill all the oil passages including hydraulic lifters. For cars with no easy access to the oil pump there used to be and maybe still are gadgets that use the oil filter plumbing to pressurize the oil system. Agreed that if it were mine I'd likely pull the oil pan and make sure no sludge and drain and refill the tank and radiator.

This mostly assumes that cars left to sit were probably neglected for a while before being abandoned. If the car was well maintained with consistent regular oil changes up to the end and the gas tank is full I'd crank it and expect it to start.