Hi!
My fiance has a '92 VW Cabriolet that has been stored in an unheated
garage for a decade; other than being a bit dusty, the interior and
exterior are nearly flawless.
She had no clue about what steps to take before parking it; the car
needs some attention before running again.
I assume that all the fluids should be changed, replace the fuel,
check the belts, fill the tires and charge the battery.
Any other suggestions?
What would be the procedure to get it running?
How do I get oil circulating I the block before starting it?
The car was not put on jack stands, the tires had little wear before
storage, I assume they will need to be replaced as the they were flat
for a long time.
I appreciate any suggestions or comments you may have.
Thanks,
Ted
Remove the spark plugs, add a tablespoon of oil in each and manually turn the engine over a few times to spread out the oil. Hopefully it will not be frozen. If it turns manually that will be a good sign.
After all those years expect to replace all the rubber parts in including the tyres belts and hoses.
Good Luck
After changing the oil I would disable the ignition so the engine would not start and crank it over for a minute or two to get some fresh oil circulated through the system.
After 10 years don’t be surprised if you have to replace the fuel pump and filter. Gasoline can varnish with age and ruin a pump. Remove the gas cap and smell the tank. If it has an old house paint type of smell then all of the old gas must be removed and replaced with fresh gasoline; followed by a prayer that the pump is still operative. And will STAY operative.
And don’t forget the brake system. Every seal, O-ring, and brake line should be suspect at this point. Pads and frictional surfaces (discs and rear drums) will probably need to be resurfaced due to rust. Be sure the master cylinder, calipers and cylinders are functioning properly with no signs of leakage.
It’d be a shame to get it running good and not be able to stop…