Car been sitting for about a year...am i looking at a lot of issues?

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car been sitting idle for about a year, havent been able to start it...now im ready to get it fixed

i know, stupid move to have it sit. there are circumstances i dont wish to go into surrounding it.

anyway, im trying to get it fixed soon...am i looking at major issues because of it? or will i just need new fluids and things like that?

im expecting the worst. but praying for the best. i am able to finally be able to try to get it out on the road and id really love to.

please tell me what i might be looking at
 
what else do you need?

im wondering what troubles could be associated with having it sit without starting for so long.

what im looking at possibly having to have done due to that

if im screwed, or if my baby will be alright :-(
 
I'd start with draining the gas and the old oil and swapping for fresh. Along with that goes the filters as well.
 
When it sits for an extended period of time, seals can dry rot. Not saying it happens 100% of the time, but it does happen.
 
well im going to take it to the shop

a friend of mines cousins so they shouldnt jerk me hopefully

but i was just wondering what extra things might be caused from sitting other then the actual problem im taking it in for

so far doesnt sound too bad...but with my luck im wrong
 
New gas, oil, oil filter, gas filter maybe, seals and or gaskets might be rotted, new battery is possible. Depending on the weather you get will determine some issues with gaskets and such. A year is not too long and hopefully it is only fluids you need to change.
 
Mine has sat idle longer than that. Believe me, I know about saving up for a major repair. I agree with what's already been said. But, also, you may need to get new tires - I did. AC/Heater may also need to be run a bit - there's a post somewhere on here about getting rid of any mold that may have grown. If so, you'd likely smell something funny. Another subtle problem I found and maybe worth checking is the brakes. Particularly those rear brakes, the caliper pins tend to freeze if the boots weren't sealed good and lubricated. Good luck!!!
 
just try to start it then go from there charge or get a new battery some fresh gas and then see how she runs, my jeep has been sitting in my back yard for a yr now and last saturday i charged up the battery gave it 5 gallons of fresh gas and new oil and she fired up right away let her warm up and not one issue
 
I wouldn't be overly concerned.
Just give it a good tune up and consider draining the gas tank (incase the stuff went bad).
If you want to be real careful: new gas, oil, filters (oil and fuel), strong battery, and that should do it.
 
Sitting for a year isn't usually too bad.

Usually all you need is to clean up the battery posts and charge it. Then It would be good if you squirted about a table spoon of engine oil into each cylinder thru the spark plug hole.

Longer term sitting may cause the fule to gum up and get sludgy. This will casue the filter to clog. Also gum and varnish might form on the injectors which may make them sticky or not work at all.

Mice and other rodents love cars just sitting. They will eat wires causing who knows what to fail and may even pull upholstry stuffing for a nice nest somewhere.

Tires should be checked for serious cracking on the side walls. Could be dry rot and they may blow unexpectedly. Ditto rubber hoses and belts.

Brake calipers may have rusted stuck and will need to be pulled, cleaned and lubed.

Really long term sitting can dry out seals like engine seals and airconditioner seals. If the ac seals dry out you will lose the refrigerant and may need a compressor rebuild.

1 year though isn't too bad Usually just check battery and oil cylinders.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson
 
Jim Henderson said:
Usually all you need is to clean up the battery posts and charge it. Then It would be good if you squirted about a table spoon of engine oil into each cylinder thru the spark plug hole.
Click to expand...
I might try some ATF or Marvel's Mystery Oil in the cylinders, but normal engine oil would probably work about as well.
Jim Henderson said:
Mice and other rodents love cars just sitting. They will eat wires causing who knows what to fail and may even pull upholstry stuffing for a nice nest somewhere.
Click to expand...
You ain't kidding. My SHO was parked for a couple of months while I waited to get enough time to pull the MTX to replace the clutch, and the little bastards stripped the surface layer off of the hood liner and built a nest in the cowl. The cowl also happens to be the fresh air intake, so my car smelled like rat pee for quite some time after that.

And, oh, yeah, they ate about three inches out of one of the wires in the main engine harness, which led me to one of my sayings--I've had too many cats and I've had too many rats, and I'll take the cats any day, because they don't eat $300 wiring harnesses.:mad: From what I've been told, they use vegetable oil on the wires while they're putting on the insulation, and that's why the little bastards go after them.
 
Tires will be out of round.
The brake rotors will more than likely be rusty as hell. You could remove them and have the rotors turned at a machine shop for about 10 bucks a pop, or take your chances and drive it real easy for a few days.
Engine oil will DEFINITELY need to be changed.
You'll want to pull the fuel pump fuse and crank the motor for 30 seconds or so to get oil moving through the passageways of the engine before you try to start it. Also pull all of the spark plugs and spray some wd40 into each of the cylinders beforehand so the rings will have some lubrication and any surface rust on the cylinder walls will dissolve away without causing any harm. Stick a long bendy straw into the cylinder and turn it around 360° as you spray the WD40 through it so you get even distribution all the way around the cylinder.
The gas in the tank will certainly be stale so that should be drained and refilled with fresh premium grade gas.
Diff and transmission fluid should be changed within a few days or so of getting it driving.
And you will probably want to put a new serpentine belt on it.
 
yeah brake rotors are rusty, i plan on buying new tires anyway to give them to the shop when i take it in, mine were getting bald anyway before it started to sit.

im just hoping i dont need some sort of major re haul when i take it in

i never got an estimate cuz it wasnt driveable, i hit a curb with the front driver side tire, i bought replacement rims already

thanks for the self help advice but i will probably leave all that up to the shop, im not very good with self repairs

i was just basically trying to get a feel for extra things they might have to do and how much it will jack up my costs

appreciate the posts, its putting me at ease somewhat

cant wait to get her back on the road
 
Jim Henderson said:
Mice and other rodents love cars just sitting. They will eat wires causing who knows what to fail and may even pull upholstry stuffing for a nice nest somewhere.
Jim Henderson
Click to expand...

Yeah, my 82 Olds 98 has been sitting for about a year and some mice made a home in there. I think they were gnawing on my brake line cause I started it up a couple months ago and the brake pedal went to the floor and no fluid in the cylinder.
 
cmack said:
Yeah, my 82 Olds 98 has been sitting for about a year and some mice made a home in there. I think they were gnawing on my brake line cause I started it up a couple months ago and the brake pedal went to the floor and no fluid in the cylinder.
Click to expand...

naw them aint mice....they're known as "rats"
 
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