Buying A Car That's Been Sitting For 7 Years

[atey950]

I sold my 93 GT 7 years ago. The car has seen 500 miles and has been kept in a garage over the past 7 years. The owner has changed the oil and battery. When we started the car a couple weeks ago, it was dumping gas out of the passenger side rear wheelwell.

Can you guys think of any areas of concern relating to a car that has been sitting for so long?

 

[ratio411]

You'll probably have to at least drop the gas tank, then clean/flush the entire fuel system from pump to injectors.
Today's gasoline formulations go bad in about 6 months, by 7 years, the gas will be congealed, clotted, and useless.
I had to replace the tank, sender, pump w/hanger assembly, pickup sock, filter, and injector screens/o-rings on a car that sat for several years. The fuel had clotted, and all the moisture had eaten up everything. Oil can eat up engine parts/seals too when sitting so long.

I'd bet that you will need at minimum valve seals. They go first.

 

[ratio411]

Open the fuel cap.
It will smell BAD if the fuel has gone sour.
There's no way around purging it, and cleaning/replacing parts if the fuel was left to rot.

Pouring new gas on top of old gas is just a waste of new gas... it won't clear out the problems.

 

[Mustang5L5]

My car sat 7 years before I got it up and running again. I hadn't started it since.

First crank up had a sticking lifter. After a few mins of running it went away and hasn't been an issue since.

But one of my fuel injectors was stuck closed. I didn't know about it for a while and actually drove the car around for some time on 7 cylinders becfore discovering that the cylinder was dead. In your case, it could be a stuck open injector as well.

For the most part, i changed the oil and fired the car right up and it ran perfectly fine.

 

[ratio411]

My car sat 7 years before I got it up and running again. I hadn't started it since.

First crank up had a sticking lifter. After a few mins of running it went away and hasn't been an issue since.

But one of my fuel injectors was stuck closed. I didn't know about it for a while and actually drove the car around for some time on 7 cylinders becfore discovering that the cylinder was dead. In your case, it could be a stuck open injector as well.

For the most part, i changed the oil and fired the car right up and it ran perfectly fine.

You did good.
I haven't had good results with parked cars.
Was yours in a garage?
Might have been in better conditions than the ones I have dealt with.
I hope it's that easy for the OP. It's probably pretty easy to have better luck than me!

I just recently pulled my father's car out of climate controlled storage after 12 years, and the gas tank literally leaked like a sieve!
The fuel that had been in there solidified to the consistency of a sheet of melted gummy bears.
Needless to say, it all had to be replaced.

 

[billison]

i'm with the other guys, i'd try to get all the fuel out before it's ran much, i'd also flush anything else with fluid in it... just to be safe. the fuel came out the front or rear wheel well?

 

[Mustang5L5]

You did good.
I haven't had good results with parked cars.
Was yours in a garage?
Might have been in better conditions than the ones I have dealt with.
I hope it's that easy for the OP. It's probably pretty easy to have better luck than me!

I just recently pulled my father's car out of climate controlled storage after 12 years, and the gas tank literally leaked like a sieve!
The fuel that had been in there solidified to the consistency of a sheet of melted gummy bears.
Needless to say, it all had to be replaced.

No. It was outside under a cover, but in the 2 months before firing it up, i went through the entire car and did an AOD-to-5-spd comversion, swapped to Cobra disk brakes, redid the interior, a tune-up and misc stuff. Didn't really touch the engine though. All i did was change the oil and spark plugs.

 

[atey950]

i'm with the other guys, i'd try to get all the fuel out before it's ran much, i'd also flush anything else with fluid in it... just to be safe. the fuel came out the front or rear wheel well?

Was dumping out from near the rear pass. side wheel well.

 

[billison]

sounds like the soft lines from the pump to the hard lines have rotted. sounds like the tank is getting dropped...

 

[atey950]

Thanks for all of the replies. I have no experience with fuel lines. If its a rubber return line, I'm assuming i can just get replacement at Pep Boys. However if its a portion of rubber sending line (if any exists), is this high pressure line something I'll be able to find easily?

If its a hard line, would I just buy a length of line and splice it in?

 

[clement]

my buddies car sat for 10 years. we primed the oiling system, changed the fuel filter, put coolant in it (he had drained it) and changed the oil and filter. put gas in it and fired it off with 1/2 fresh gas 1/2 stale gas. been running great for almost 3 years now.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I misread that. I thought he said he was dumping fuel out of the exhaust.

I need to slow down and read sometimes.

 

[red-fox]

My 89 sat for 6 years uncovered and outside in a pasture before I bought it. Tires rotted and cracked, it had almost no gas in it at all so just dumped in fresh and it seemed alright. I drove it about 2 miles and the water pump started to leak though, so that may also be a future problem for your car. I'd maybe look at all the brake line's too before you drive it, just incase some of those have dry rotted or rusted from sitting.

 

[atey950]

Picked up the car today. Fixed a rubber fuel line and also oil line that runs to the oil pressure gauge. Aside from that, it's running as good as ever. I lucked with the previous owner being very meticulous changing fluids, climate controlled storage, etc...

 

[billison]

ummmm pics or it did'nt happen.

 

[atey950]

There it is on the trailer earlier today and in the garage right now. Sold this car after my son was born 7 years ago so we could move. Never forgot the owners email address and long story short, he never drove it anymore and wanted to see it come back to me.

 

[billison]

wow

 

[madspeed]

ita a beauty too

 

[atey950]

Thanks!!

 

[stykthyn]

glad to hear the happy ending