My 2003 with 21,XXX on the odometer has been sitting in heated storage for two years. My son has been very ill and the last two years have left no time to do anything with it. I've finally got the weather and the time and I'd like to get it out and start it up. Anything I should do first? I filled it with gas before storing, tires were over filled a bit, and oil was changed. They wouldn't let me leave it on a tender, so the battery has been disconnected.

Is this thing going to start or will I have to get it towed?

 

The gas will have to be replaced by new gas. Old gas won't work as good and can harm the engine.

After that, crank the engine for a while without starting it (you can simply remove the fuelpump fuse)

Check the tyres for cracks and pressure and charge the battery.

Should work...

 

I bet it starts. But you might have to a put charger on the battery for a while. I'd check the oil level and if fine let it rip. Drive gently for a while, look for leaks. Some would turn the engine over without spark or fuel to push some oil around before starting.

I just pulled my 02 out of unheated storage for 5 months. The battery was out of the car on a tender all winter. I put the battery in and fired it up. Drove gently to gas station to add some air to tires. It is running like a top. Started immediately and oil pressure came up immediately. No worries.

 

It will start, so long as battery has the juice. Take batt home and trickle charge it overnight, 24 hours at least.

Add a bottle of Chevron fuel system concentrate to tank. Note, not the weaker Chevron Fuel Injector cleaner, you want the fuel system concentrate.

Then just start it.

The biggest problem you might run into is from not having added fuel stabilizer. The injectors might be clogged, and might also leak. Might run rough, stall, have trouble restarting after sitting 30 min, etc. Worst part about that is raw fuel will contaminate oil, and also wash oil off cylinders, both causing accelerated wear.

The Chevron Techron stuff will clean the injectors if they can be cleaned in situ. Otherwise you will either need to replace them, or try sending them oyt to he professionally cleaned. Note most have mixed results at best trying to get them cleaned. Work for a while, then are clogged again soon.

So recommend add Techron bottle, and let it run through that whole tank. If any symptoms still present, buy new injectors. Otherwise I think you will be fine.

Check tires for date code and for any signs of dry rot or hardening. Tires have oils that replenish from use. Centripetal force presses these oils to the tread surface as you drive. So long periods of tire not spinning, outer surfaces of tire will dry out and rubber no longer gives same traction. Sometimes driving for a while will refresh such a tire, sometimes rubber is too far gone to save.

 

If this was my car, i would remove the spark plugs. Shoot in some engine fogging oil in each cylinder. put the plugs back in torqued to 21 lbft and let it sit for a day to help lube the cylinder walls. In my car, I would remove my valve cover the dribble some fresh oil on the upper valve train. On my car, I would manually move the crank thru a few full revolutions. While it was open, I'd also check the valve clearances. button it back up.
how rusted up are the brake rotors?
On my car, the next day i'd remove the fuel pump fuse and crank the car over with the start button to build oil pressure and circulate oil.
Reinstall the fuel pump fuse.
let the car start up.
take if for a slow drive to get all fluids up to temperature for a hour or so. This may seem like crazy talk, but that's the overkill insanity of me.
good luck
darcy

 

Darcy, (or is it D'Arcy?), is right, of course. Except the "overkill" part.

I guess in retrospect, since it has been two years I would probably do all the things D'Arcy does, even though it was heated.
Mine is only stored for four months. Still, maybe I should have done all of that. Especially since sometime soon I plan to have the cover off to check my valve clearances for the first time anyway. Now I feel a little guilty. Oh well, what is done is done.

The bottom line is listen to D'Arcy, not me!

 

All good suggestions.

The battery may charge up. Leave it on a good charger 24 hours while you do other tasks. It may need replacement later.

Engine wear is greatest on cold startup. Running the starter long enough with the fuel pump fuse removed to get oil pressure will help but you eventually have to start the car and let it warm up to full temperature (fans cycle twice).

I think the fuel treatment will be fine.

Keep us informed.

-- Chuck

 

Well, I probably SHOULD have done most of the things suggested, but I don't feel comfortable pulling the valve cover off. I did get the fuel additive and put that in the tank, checked the oil and tires.

Tires held up fine, but they were all down a lot of air. I reconnected the battery just to see if it had anything left and by golly, it fired up with one quick push of the starter. Car ran smooth as a top, no roughness at all. I let it warm up for about 20 minutes before moving it and took it slow from there. It feels great to get back in it! Getting all the fluids changed today before I really push her at all.

Thanks for all of the advice!

 

This old tank of gas won't burn as good as it should. Take it easy until the next fill up. No vtec