Re: sitting car (archive)

Drain the gas. Don't try to use the varnish from the tank. Change the oil. Don't try to start or crank the motor. The oil will be junk. Pull the valve cover and pour oil on the lenth of the cam. (if it's not solid rust) It takes too long to get oil up to the cam when a cars been sitting. Check the fuel lines. They do dry up and split. Examine the wiring for chewed up sections. Mice and vermine of all types like to chew the stuff. Add a can of fuel injector cleaner. Check the brake fluid level. Don't be surprised a caliper or two sieze up. Bring a rebuild kit just incase. And the tires may be rotted and cracked. They tend to blow out with out notice. You didn't say if the car is a manual or auto tranny. Auto tranny's don't like long period's of storage. The seals and clutches dry up. This can cause the imediate failure or a pre-mature failure. Manual tranny's are usually okey but the slave for the clutch can dry up or the clutch disk can rust and stick to the flywheel.

Good Luck

I'm looking at a '76 530i in my area. The car has been in storage for the past 8 years, but the engine was rebuilt 30k miles before its storage. I was wondering what would generally need to be done to get a car that had sat for that long to survive at least the 40 mile trip home. I realize all cars and situations are different, but, in general, what should I look to do before I take it on the road? Thanks.

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