Checklist for a car sitting 4+ years?

[1trickpony]

I am looking at doing a little horse trading on a 1990 mustang lx 5.0
It has been sitting for the better part of 4 years.
What I do know:
-Oil Change.
-Radiator Flush
-Thermostat
-Battery
-Plugs and wires
-Tires ( They are flat now and probably have cracked)
-Fresh gas

I know I am missing some stuff but I was wondering what you guys would all check, fix, replace etc. etc. before firing the car.
I will bleed the brakes after I know it runs. (would you just vac the old out and start with fresh brake fluid?)

[boxer3main]

being flat tread..
may get some flat wobbles even after puffing things back up to new tires.

other than that. iron is iron.
keep suspension fresh and even, keep it on the pavement.

[squirrel]

I would just worry about brakes and gas and battery first, then see about the rest. If the brakes work, just put in a new battery, and deal with the fuel system.

[oletrux4evr]

snake check.

[tardis454]

I do the following to every car I've ever gotten that's sat.

*Pull plugs, dump oil/trans fluid in cylinders/intake
*Turn over/try to turn over motor by hand(with plugs out)
*Disconnect fuel lines, drain old gas (if you can) or add Stabil
*Make sure accessory drives aren't seized up before starting
*Free up brakes if necessary

That's what I do every time..

[milner351]

^^^^ that's a good list.

plugs and wires don't go bad from sitting unless rodents have chewed on the wires.

Putting something down the into the cylinders (marvel mystery oil is another good choice) and turning over by hand is a good thing.

Some times pulleys rust under belts in such a way that the belt will shred as soon as the engine starts, if it starts.

Getting rid of the putrid fuel is probably the hardest part.

[STINEY]

It wouldn't apply here, but on older stuff I take a dollar bill and stick it between the point contacts when they are fully closed (off the lobe)
Use the dollar like emery cloth to clean the contacts up, sometimes enough corrosion will build there to keep an otherwise functional ignition from firing.

It wouldn't hurt to check for fire at this time too. Take the primary lead that goes INTO the dist cap and hold it 1/4" from ground, and trigger the points manually with an insulated screwdriver. You should see a spark arc from the lead to ground.

[Deaf Bob]

Oh man!... I been doing it all wrong!..
Usually..brake fluid top off before any pumping whatsoever...
Battery...
Splash of gas in carb..
Runs... Then smell gas for " oldness" (paint thinner smell)..
Radiator top off..
Maybe change oil and filter and let it warm up..
Shifts ok? Brakes hold? Try to move..
Goes without saying..air up tires and hope it gets on the trailer before going flat.. Driving on the trailer is always a win...

[TC]

Oh man your motor has been sitting for 4 years and you haven't started it, your valve springs are shot...........

[tardis454]

Oh man your motor has been sitting for 4 years and you haven't started it, your valve springs are shot...........

.....................you're not being serious right?..............
I mean really,..........you're not saying this 'seriously'?...................................... .................................................. .........................................

[STINEY]

Some people believe this............ others have bigger fish to fry.........

[OldMachinist]

If the valvesprings are stock you shouldn't have anything to worry about. High pressure springs will lose tension from sitting open.

[dieselgeek]

Expect the injectors to be stuck shut. Seeing this a lot lately. Tap on them with the fat end of a screwdriver, bonus points for making up a simple harness (using a junkyard pigtail) and testing them with a 9v battery. You get a healthy CLICK when they're opening all the way.

[tardis454]

Some people believe this............ others have bigger fish to fry.........

Funny to mention that, I was just about to enjoy a tasty Whale sandwich..................................

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MD4uCJKwqyY/SrroJHLIJgI/AAAAAAAABZg/CvGgMNB_XeE/s400/WhaleSharkWENN_468x336.jpg

[Mr4Speed]

Check for mice.

[tardis454]

Expect the injectors to be stuck shut. Seeing this a lot lately. Tap on them with the fat end of a screwdriver, bonus points for making up a simple harness (using a junkyard pigtail) and testing them with a 9v battery. You get a healthy CLICK when they're opening all the way.

Dang, I just learned a cool trick from dieselgeek, thanks dieselgeek. :)

[Deaf Bob]

Expect the injectors to be stuck shut. Seeing this a lot lately. Tap on them with the fat end of a screwdriver, bonus points for making up a simple harness (using a junkyard pigtail) and testing them with a 9v battery. You get a healthy CLICK when they're opening all the way.

Is the click feel able? Don't always have ears with me...
If I were to touch beside or the injector itself... Can it be felt?

[dieselgeek]

Is the click feel able? Don't always have ears with me...
If I were to touch beside or the injector itself... Can it be felt?

definitely yes. You can feel them click nice when they're working. Hearing is not required!

[Beagle]

Drain the tank if you can and put 5 gallons of fresh premium in it. I listened for the fuel pump last time I did this (the LSC was dormant about that long). Check the brake fluid and make sure the pedal doesn't hit the floor, AOD fluid, parking brake, light check. Bump the starter a couple of times to half-ass a oil pressure prime, hit it with some B12 and cringe about the 2 seconds of lifter ticking, hold it above off idle for a minute or so and watch the temp gauge. The 90 will be MAF , mine was SD but I pulled the intake tube and sprayed B12 and made sure the throttle shaft wasn't sticky.

It'll probably have flat spots, but 4 year old tires are OLD here, the sun kills them. Weather checking means nothing faster than 35-40 until I get them replaced. I worry more about the temp gauge and charging if it starts, and it probably should. Put the old gas in your neighbors car - the neighbor you don't like. HAHAHAHA. J/k. Sorta.

[Beagle]

definitely yes. You can feel them click nice when they're working. Hearing is not required!

you can feel the fuel pump too, it growls. :)

[DanStokes]

Bob - not meant as pity time, but I find myself becoming more aware of deaf issues as a result of your posts. Thank you for that - sincerely.

Dan

[TC]

.....................you're not being serious right?..............
I mean really,..........you're not saying this 'seriously'?...................................... .................................................. .........................................

Of course I'm not being serious............:wink::ha::ha::ha:


But you wouldn't believe how many times I've heard it........

[Deaf Bob]

Bob - not meant as pity time, but I find myself becoming more aware of deaf issues as a result of your posts. Thank you for that - sincerely.

Dan

Might help someone with age related loss as well as machinery loss...
My biggest obstacle is diagnosing stuff..

[Caveman Tony]

Might help someone with age related loss as well as machinery loss...
My biggest obstacle is diagnosing stuff..

Ever try the broom handle stethoscope trick? you can feel the different vibes of various engine parts. I even hold it to my neck behind my ear, that area is sensitive to vibrations too.

[Caveman Tony]

As far as the car...

Get it on a set of jackstands quick and make a list of all the things that will need some TLC.

[dulcich]

Four years? My technique requires only two steps -Insert Key, Turn key. If it fires, put it in gear and I'm done. Deal with the 'issues' as they come up. A little drive time will tell you what you need to do. Gets hot? Check coolant. Lifter clatter and low oil pressure? Check oil. Knumb feeling suspension? Air up tires. Pedal goes to floor? Check fluid and master. Etc.
-dulcich

[Deaf Bob]

Ever try the broom handle stethoscope trick? you can feel the different vibes of various engine parts. I even hold it to my neck behind my ear, that area is sensitive to vibrations too.

I can faintly feel a very large screwdriver handle at my ear, hear a little..
110 is considered completely deaf.. I have 90 and 105 loss in mine..
I can tell if rockers need adjusting with a big screwdriver.

[jcharliem]

Oh man your motor has been sitting for 4 years and you haven't started it, your valve springs are shot...........

Coming from the guy whose 650hp 406ci Camaro has yet to fire a spark. After what... 8 years? Comical.

[SuperBuickGuy]

It wouldn't apply here, but on older stuff I take a dollar bill and stick it between the point contacts when they are fully closed (off the lobe)
Use the dollar like emery cloth to clean the contacts up, sometimes enough corrosion will build there to keep an otherwise functional ignition from firing.

It wouldn't hurt to check for fire at this time too. Take the primary lead that goes INTO the dist cap and hold it 1/4" from ground, and trigger the points manually with an insulated screwdriver. You should see a spark arc from the lead to ground.

a 90 Mustang has points? uhhhhh Stiney, I'm not a Ford guy, but I think they actually stopped using those in in 1989

[SuperBuickGuy]

Four years? My technique requires only two steps -Insert Key, Turn key. If it fires, put it in gear and I'm done. Deal with the 'issues' as they come up. A little drive time will tell you what you need to do. Gets hot? Check coolant. Lifter clatter and low oil pressure? Check oil. Knumb feeling suspension? Air up tires. Pedal goes to floor? Check fluid and master. Etc.
-dulcich

yep, that's pretty much my method as well.... pour gas into tank, try not to get it in your shoe as it pours out the hole someone made to steal the gas 4 years ago... yep, know that story well

[1trickpony]

Thanks for the input guys. I do have a cut injector harness I could rig up to test the injectors. Thanks for the tip DG.
We will see what works out, hopefully I will have another Mustang. If only one of them ran....

[ford141]

Four years? My technique requires only two steps -Insert Key, Turn key. If it fires, put it in gear and I'm done. Deal with the 'issues' as they come up. A little drive time will tell you what you need to do. Gets hot? Check coolant. Lifter clatter and low oil pressure? Check oil. Knumb feeling suspension? Air up tires. Pedal goes to floor? Check fluid and master. Etc.
-dulcich

That's what I do. Recently bought a '78 Bronco that had been sitting since '97. The starter was stuck so we ran a hose from the pump to a 1 gallon can filled with fresh gas and hooked it the back of another truck and pull started it. Runs like a champ. Then again, we really don't care how long the motor lasts, it's just a woods beater that we bounce off of trees regularly.

After we got it running we noticed some valve clatter so we checked the oil and found it to be milky brown. Turns out there was a bunch of water in the motor. We drained it and filled it with some used oil from another truck, and took it out and bounced it off of more trees.

[Deaf Bob]

Proves motors don't need pampering to run... They can be very forgiving...

[boxer3main]

you guys not only have places that keep a machine beautiful and running from rust like spaniards from a bull....

now I am seeing posts of four years is nothing, get in and drive.

:wink:

I can't go 3 days without a scraping rotor and dents in the pavement from the parking.

motors frogiving, is a dead motor. where is the space age titanium. I'd flunk that too.