The car has been parked on a driveway for about 18 months without being started (long, not that intersting story for why it sat so long).
I’ve been looking online for what I need to do to get this vehicle up and running. There has been a lot of topics about this due to the pandemic and people working remotely then wanting to fix there car that sat for X amount of time.
With that said, the answers I’ve been reading are extremely different.
I’ve read everything from: “just throw in a new battery, top up with new gas, and your good to go”
All the way too: “the cars basically totalled. Every rubber gasket is dry rotted, breaks dry rotted, brake drums rusted, tires will need replacing, all the fluids are bad including coolant, hoses could be dry rottted, gas is bad and will make engine knock, etc etc etc.”
A extreme differance in responses.
Hoping to get a more coheirient plan of action here, as i’ve been given good advice in the past on this site.
Probably fine, remove the gas cap, if it smells like fresh gas I’d start it up. If not, have it towed to a shop and have the gas drained. Other than that, bring it up to date on maintenance.
How much gas is in the gas tank? What part of the country?
My Corolla was forced off the road by the pandemic for 3+ years. During that time I idled the engine in the driveway until it reached normal warm coolant temp once a week, seemed to do the job, now back on the road, passed emissions test recently. No help now, but if you have to park it up again, try that.
For what to do now given the engine wasn’t used at all, if I had that problem I’d remove all the spark plugs and squirt a little oil (not much, maybe 1/2 tsp) into each cylinder, replace the plugs & let it sit several days. Then I’d remove the plugs again and hand-crank the engine a dozen rotations using a socket/ratchet on the crankshaft pulley, then replace the plugs again. At that point as long as all the fluid levels remain ok, and the battery was fully charged, I’d try cranking it up, hope for the best. Expect a little smoke out the tailpipe at first from the oil.
I’m guessing it will start and run pretty much as before. But all the fluids and hose should be considered suspect, so begin a plan to replace the fluids and monitor the hoses. Be esp mindful of the brake fluid.
If this car sat outside all summer in south Texas, the gas went through a long period of very high temperature. So I’d get as much fresh gas into it as possible.
All you people talking about a new battery, why? If the battery was good before the car was parked, for a mere year-and-a-half, I am sure the battery will be good if you properly charge it now. And by “properly”, I mean slowly, with a trickle-charger, after disconnecting both terminals from the car.
I recommend the Cen-Tech Deluxe 750 mA Battery Maintainer and Float Charger, model 62813. I have owned this trickle charger for about 5 years now, and used it to recharge several car batteries, including batteries which were fully discharged. Be aware that this charger will take several days to charge a fully-discharged battery, but it will charge to 100% (assuming no defective cells) and it will then stop charging to avoid overcharging the battery.
I have used other trickle chargers, and this is by far the best, better than other brands costing a lot more. As long as you have the time and patience to wait for this device to charge your battery, you cannot go wrong with this model. It currently is on sale for $19.99 at Harbor Freight Tools.
Check the engine oil, top off if clean but low, or change the oil and filter if it looks dirty.
Check the coolant, top off if clean but low, or change the coolant if it’s rusty or cloudy.
Get a 3 or 5 gallon gas can, fill it with new fuel, add new fuel to the car.
Buy the Cen-Tech trickle charger, put the battery and charger somewhere safe, such as in your garage/carport/under your covered patio, plug it in, and wait a few days for the battery to charge. (Note that some cars have enough space to leave the battery mounted in the engine compartment, with both cables disconnected, and to connect the trickle charger and still close the hood.)
Reinstall the battery in the car (if you removed it), start it up, and drive.
Permanent sulfation can occur when you store a battery in a low state of charge for a longer period like several weeks or months with no maintenance. If you store your battery without a full charge and leave it alone, you are more likely to end up with a battery with permanent sulfation. Permanent sulfation can sometimes be salvaged but it is pretty uncommon, and is more likely that you will need to replace the battery.
I am a cheapskate; I don’t replace batteries “just in case”. I recharge batteries that have been discharged for 6 months to 5 years for 20 to 30 hours, then test them. A sulfated battery can take up to 8 hours before it will begin to accept a charge, idling the engine for 30 minutes will do nothing.
18 month old gasoline can be used, I have used gasoline up to 3 years old.
The tires need to be inflated before driving, it might take 10 miles of driving before the flat spots go away. The tires might have dry rot, it makes no difference if the vehicle is parked or driven, tires can begin to dry rot in 5 years.
The coolant is good for 10 years, the hoses will last 15 years. Do you believe these things age faster when cold compared to being driven?
if so: take a battery hook it up and see if it will start. Don’t put any more money or effort into it than that for now. When you leave, if you don’t take the car with you, make sure you take your battery.
This could very well be a scam. Motor or something has some massive damage, and they are selling it as “It ran great when parked, I don’t know why it won’t start now.” Be careful, and insist on a pre-purchase inspection at your mechanic before handing over money.
Neither checking nor replacing the coolant for 10 years nor checking the condition of the hoses & other rubber parts after a long sit-up is ok by me. OP: poster Nevada is a pro mechanic, probably has Mazda experience. I’m a driveway diy’er w/no Mazda experience. Your option.
The only thing additional from gas, battery, and the usual tire inflation and fluid checks is, pull the fuel pump fuse and crank it over some to get the oil distributed. Also since in Texas, check for rodents and snakes inside and out and in the engine compartment.